There’s a reason that humankind has fought for ages to escape the great outdoors. The wilderness is a harsh mistress. Filling one’s stomach necessitates killing another living creature or finding edible plants amidst the myriad of toxins. In nature, one cannot simply adjust the thermostat to compensate for harsh temperatures but must rely on organically constructed shelters and their ability to harness the power of fire, which is notoriously fickle.
Among the vast collection of survival-based reality television programs,History Channel’sAloneisonly one show that forces its competitors to grapple fully with the realities of isolation. As such, it stands out as the most extreme example of survivalist programming.
InAlone,ten competitors are sent to a remote and inhospitable location on their own. They can bring along ten tools from a list of pre-approved items. After the show’s crew drops them off, the outdoors peoplebegin their solitary struggle. Each competitor is given a communication device. If they find themselves unable to combat the harsh elements or grapple with the psychological strain of isolation, they can “tap out” by contacting the crew, which will arrive shortly after that to return the competitor to civilization. The competitor who manages to survive the wilderness for the most prolonged period of time is awarded $500,000.
Currently,Aloneis in its ninth season, and only three competitors remain. When these three brave finalists eventually tap out, what could fans expect when the show returns for a tenth season?
Turning up the Heat on Alone’s Contestants
For the first nine seasons ofAlone, contestants were forced to brave the cold. In season ten, is it possible that the show’s creators will throw a curveball at the competitors and instead leave them alonein an extremely hot location? The issues associated with scorching heat have been explored on other survival television shows before, such as the Discovery Channel’sNaked and Afraid.
Related:These Are the Best Movies About Survival
Cold weather has long proven to be a formidable opponent for the competitors onAlone. The show generally starts in the months preceding winter. The struggles associated with the rapidly encroaching cold, like building an airtight and waterproof shelter, gathering supplies to maintain a fire, and stocking up on food, make for excellent entertainment. However, the heat would present a whole new host of potential problems for futureAlonecompetitors. High temperatures increase the threat of dehydration, survivalists would have to be wary of prolonged sun exposure, and areas with warmer climates, especially humid ones, have much larger insect populations.
Finding food is one of the biggest challenges onAlone, and starvation is one most common reasons competitors need to tap out. In a hot and humid climate, food storage will rot at a much faster rate. While food would be easier to come by in a location without aharsh winter season, this inevitable decay would compensate for the more readily available sources of sustenance.
Another 100-Day Million Dollar Competition
In season seven ofAlone, the show’s format was somewhat altered. Instead of the show’s competitors vying with one another to survive in the wilderness for the longest period of time, season seven, which premiered in 2020, had its outdoors people dropped into the Arctic with the sole goal being to survive 100 days. The prize for any competitor who cleared the seemingly insurmountable 100-day benchmark was a whopping $1 million.
Related:Movies to Help Survive the Night
Could the show’s creators return to this format in season ten? Obviously, this standardized survival time makes for interesting television. It creates the possibility for multiple winners and gives the series' competitors a clear endpoint, which could serve as either a motivating goalpost or an impossibly distant finish line.
There is not all that much information currently available aboutAloneseason ten. Season nine has yet to conclude, and it’s unclear how long the remaining competitors will be able to hold out. However, given the series' popularity, which has only increased after it became available on multiple streaming services, there is almost no doubt thatAlonewill have another day in the sun (or rather, the snow).
Though it would be a foolhardy endeavor to completely revamp the series, which has had success utilizing more or less the same format since its inception, a few changes could be made to the show that could potentially make season ten even more compelling. Regardless of where season ten takes place, the format of the competition itself, or how large the cash prize is, audiences will undoubtedly continue to tune in for this exciting survival series.
Season eight ofAloneis currently on Netflix. However, if one season of thepopular survival issuesisn’t enough to satiate outdoors-inclined viewers, the entire series is currently available for streaming on Hulu.
