Past ‘Alone’ Participant Says Post-Show Recovery Is ‘Extremely Grueling’ 

Reality shows don’t get much more real than Alone. The History Channel series – which returns for season 11 on June 13 – follows participants as they fight to survive, completely on their own, in some of the toughest conditions on Earth. And the challenges don’t end when the cameras are turned off and cast members return home. Post-show recovery is taxing, both mentally and physically, past participants have said. 

Returning to regular life after ‘Alone’ is a challenge 

On Alone, participants are challenged to survive in remote locations by relying on just their wits and a minimal list of survival gear. The person who lasts the longest walks away with $500,000. 

But earning that money isn’t easy. While some people tap out after a few days or weeks, the longest-lasting participants spend two months or more in the wild. As the competition draws to a close, contestants are often pulled for starvation, frostbite, and other serious medical issues. Those can have serious consequences after the show ends. Even adjusting to being around other people again after a long period of isolation is difficult. 

“For many, the road to recovery, finding their ‘normal’ again, navigating human relationships, eating a regular diet, and really just existing was extremely grueling at times,” Callie North, who appeared in Alone Season 3 and Alone: The Skills Challenge, told Vulture in 2023. 

“A lot of us struggled when we came home,” said Britt Ahart, who appeared in seasons 3 and 5. “I know there were broken marriages.” 

Both of Ahart’s stints on Alone landed him in the hospital with refeeding syndrome, a condition that can develop when a malnourished person suddenly starts eating again. 

‘Alone’ participants get support from the show after filming ends 

Participants in early seasons of Alone lacked appropriate aftercare, Ahart said, but that changed as time went on and cast members advocated for themselves. 

“[W]hen season 5 came around, I had a professional expert I could speak to about how I was feeling,” he explained. “When I tapped out and they brought me back to location, I had a handler that I could always speak to. They provided me with a driver just to help me with my daily needs.” 

Season 10 winner Alan Tenta talked about the aftercare process in a video he shared on his YouTube channel, Tenta Outdoors. He and second-place finisher Wyatt Black spent a week going through a refeeding process and recovering physically before flying home. 

​​“They don’t just release you into the world. After you’ve been in starvation mode, it’s dangerous to eat just whatever you want,” he explained.

Participants also have access to counseling after they return home, showrunner Ryan Pender told Reality Blurred. 

“For a few weeks and months afterwards, they’re speaking to a psychologist to just kind of empty their heads,” he said. 

While some contestants have spoken out about their rough adjustment after the show, their very real struggles are part of Alone’s appeal. It has a grittiness and authenticity that shows like Survivor lack. 

“There’s always a level of fabricated conflict, and you just know there’s some puppeteering happening behind the scenes,” Ahart said of other survival series.  “Alone is the only survival show I thought had real legitimacy to it.” 

Alone Season 11 premieres Thursday, June 13 at 9 p.m. ET on History Channel. 

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