‘Alone’: 5 Rules Every Contestant Must Follow on the History Channel Show

Following the reality TV series Alone‘s rules not only keeps the game fair, but can keep contestants alive. Alone has a whopping nine seasons and two spinoffs on the History Channel. In each regular season, 10 contestants compete at a chance for $500,000. The producers drop each participant in a remote location where they must survive alone. The person who lasts the longest wins the grand prize. However, Alone contestants have to follow plenty of rules to earn that cash.    

1. ‘Alone’ Rules: Contestants must remain in their assigned territory

When the History Channel and Alone producers drop the contestants into the wilderness, they assign them a territory. The Alone survivalists cannot leave their designated location, which proves to be a difficult rule for some contestants. The Alone Season 9 winner, Juan Pablo Quiñonez, revealed this rule was the most challenging for him.

“To me, the spot right around the river — the grass is always greener, right? — the other side of the river was the spot to be in,” told TV Insider. “But that was not the spot where I was dropped in. Mentally, just being constrained to my territory was personally very hard, just thinking, ‘Oh, I could just be in a better spot, but I can’t.'”

2. ‘Alone’ Rules: contestants are subject to medical checks

Although there is no set of tasks that Alone contestants have to complete, another rule is that they must participate in medical checks. Alone has a medical professional team that checks the contestants’ vitals, mental health, and BMI. The producers do everything they can to ensure no one dies in Alone.

According to executive producer Shawn Witt, the checks occur weekly when the show begins. However, after day 45, the medical checks occur every three to four days. If an individual’s BMI drops below 17, the team pulls the participant from the competition.

3. ‘Alone’ contestants may choose a maximum of 2 food items

Before the Alone producers drop participants into the wilderness, the individuals must choose 10 special items. According to the History Channel, A maximum of two special items may be food. However, they may only select from the following items: 2 lbs of beef jerky, 2 lbs of dried pulses/legumes/lentils mix, 2 lbs of biltong, 2 lbs of hard tack military biscuits, 2 lbs of chocolate, 2 lbs of pemmican, 2 lbs of GORP, 2 lbs of flour or 2/3 lbs rice / 2/3 lb sugar / 2/3 lb of salt.

4. ‘Alone’ producers dictate which clothing and personal items contestants can bring

Participants in Alone have a precise list of personal and clothing items they may bring. If you can’t imagine surviving with only two pairs of underwear for weeks at a time, then Alone is not for you. Contestants cannot bring other clothing or personal items besides what is listed. Participants are permitted to bring 1 pair of high-leg hunting boots, 1 pair of waterproof Arctic winter boots, 1 T-shirt, 1 fleece/wool shirt, 2 wool, fleece, or cotton sweaters, 6 pairs of wool socks, 2 hats, 2 buffs or neck gaiters, and 1 shemagh or a scarf.

Contestants can bring 4 pairs of gloves, 2 pairs of underwear/briefs, 1 insulated parka-style jacket, 2 pairs of outdoor pants/bibs, 1 pair of fully insulated or waterproof winter pants/bibs and 1 waterproof un-insulated shell/Jacket. They also can bring 2 pairs of thermal underwear, 1 pair of gaiters, 1 leather belt, 1 toothbrush, 1 pair of eyeglasses, and 1 personal photograph.

5. ‘Alone’ Rules: Participants may bring 10 special items — from the approved list

Contestants in Alone can choose only 10 special items from these categories: shelter, bedding, cooking, hygiene, hunting, food, and tools. Anything not on the list is prohibited in Alone.

There are four shelter items: 12×12 ground cloth/tarp, 8-mm climbing rope – 10M, 550 Paracord – 80m, or 3-mm cotton cord – 40m. The four bedding items for participants to consider are 1 multi-seasonal sleeping bag, 1 bivi bag, 1 sleeping pad, or 1 hammock. For cooking, contestants may choose from the following: 1 large pot, 1 steel frying pan, 1 flint or Ferro rod set with a standard-sized striker, 1 enamel bowl for eating, 1 spoon, or 1 canteen/water bottle. 

Participants may choose from these items in the hygiene category: 1 standard size bar of soap, 1 8-oz tube of toothpaste, 1 face flannel, 1 40-mm roll of dental floss, 1 small bottle of bio shower soap, 1 shaving razor, 1 towel, or 1 comb. However, most participants do not waste their limited 10 special items on hygiene items. 

What are the tools and hunting gear used on ‘Alone’?

Instead of wasting items on hygiene, Alone participants typically focus on the hunting and tools categories. In the area of hunting, participants may choose from the following: 1 300-yd roll of a single-filament fishing line up to a max of 20 lbs weight test + 35 assorted barbless hooks, 1 Primitive Bow Recurve or longbow + 9x Arrows, 1 small-gauge gill net, 1 slingshot/catapult + 30 steel ball bearings + 1 replacement band, 1 net foraging bag, 2 lbs of 20, 21 or 22-gauge stainless steel and/or brass trapping (snare) wire, or a 3 lbs of one solid block of salt. 

The last category is tools. A contestant may choose 1 pocket knife, 1 hunting knife, 1 Leatherman multitool or similar, 1 sharpening stone, 1 roll of duct tape or 1 roll of electrical tape, 1 small shovel, 1 small sewing kit, 1 carabiner, 1 LED flashlight, 1 pair of ice spikes, 1 scotch-eyed auger, 1 adze, 1 2-handed draw knife, 1 hatchet, 1 saw, or 1 ax.

Participants must purchase and bring their 10 special items to the drop point.

Alone Season 9 is available for streaming on the History Channel app with a cable TV or streaming subscription.