‘Alone’ Season 11 Premiere Recap: Welcome to the Arctic Circle
The toughest challenge in reality TV is back.
Alone Season 11 premiered June 13 on History Channel. The latest season of the survival series will follow participants as they try to survive as long as possible in a remote part of Canada’s Northwest Territories, more than 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Who will come out on top? The winner will need a combination of serious survival skills and, as we see in this episode, perhaps a generous dose of luck as well.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Alone Season 11 Episode 1.]
‘Alone’ participants set up camp in the Mackenzie River Delta
Ten survivalists have signed on for the latest season of Alone. The premiere follows five of them as they are dropped off by the show’s crew and begin to set up their camps in the Mackenzie River Delta.
For now, the remote environment is relatively forgiving, with long days, above-freezing temperatures, and food available for foraging. But winter will soon set in, along with bitter cold and days with virtually no daylight. Anyone who hopes to survive for any length of time will need a snug shelter, food, and the mental strength to handle the long stretches of solitary darkness.
Michela, 34. a Cree-Metis woman, plans to draw on her indigenous heritage in her Alone journey. That includes using grass to craft duck decoys, which should attract birds close to shore, where they’ll make easy prey.
Michela has made some unconventional choices when it comes to her survival gear, opting not to bring a fishing line and hooks. She’s only the fourth contestant in the show’s history to pass on those items. Instead, she’s brought a fishing net. But she’s unfamiliar with the area, which makes finding the right place to place the net a challenge. Will she come to regret her choice to forego the fishing line?
Like Michela, William, 49, also hopes to rely on passive fishing to catch food without burning calories. Unsurprisingly, given his background as a commercial fisherman from Labrador, he plans to fish as long as he can before switching to catching small game like squirrels.
Aside from Michela, who scavenges a fresh kidney left behind after another animal’s kill, William is the only contestant in this episode who gets much to eat in this episode. He clubs several small fish, which will provide a small meal. It’s a promising start, but early victories on Alone don’t always translate into lasting success.
Isaiah, 26, a game warden from West Virginia, sees evidence of fresh grizzly tracks soon after he arrives at his campsite. He suspects there’s a female grizzly with her cub nearby, which could prove dangerous.
Isaiah is also beginning to realize exactly how isolated he is. “All I can think about is how much I miss my family,” he confesses. “I have these emotions I just wasn’t anticipating.” For now, he’s going to stick it out. But as days stretch into weeks, will he be able to last? Feelings of isolation and loneliness have caused plenty of other Alone participants to tap out earlier than they hoped.
Cubby, 33, a homesteader from Missouri, starts his Alone journey strong. He builds a simple open shelter with a tarp so that he can concentrate on finding food while constructing a more permanent living space.
On Cubby’s first day, he spots a squirrel on his first day at camp. But when he takes aim, not only does he miss the shot, but he also breaks one of his nine arrows. Unfortunately, it’s not the first problem with arrows that he’ll encounter in this episode.
Finally, there’s Dub, a 44-year-old wildlife instructor from Michigan who might be the most confident contestant in this group. He gets to work right away building an insulated shelter against a berm, which he thinks will protect him from the wind. But when a bear comes sniffing around on his first night in the wild, he rethinks his decision.
“There’s mega modifications that need to happen,” he declares. “This shelter sucks.” Dub’s plan is to make his shelter stronger to give him some protection in the event of a grizzly attack.
Did anyone tap out in the ‘Alone’ Season 11 premiere?
Several participants experience setbacks in the premiere, including Michela’s fishing struggles and Isaiah’s mysterious bloody nose. But all seem to be adapting well to their new environment. Then, disaster strikes.
While exploring the surrounding area in search of food, Cubby stumbles in the thick brush. One of his arrows slips from his quiver ends up embedded four inches deep in his thigh. It’s a painful and potentially devastating injury. Cubby is able to remove the arrow and apply a compression bandage. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to be at risk of bleeding out immediately. But as he struggles back to his campsite, he realizes how debilitating the wound is. Tapping out is the only option.
“There’s no way I can stay,” he says. “Four days. That’s it.”
When the crew and medic arrive, they confirm that he made the right call. His injury is serious enough to require a trip to the hospital. He’s crushed.
“The realization that my chance of winning this is over is absolutely devastating,” he says. “There’s so much more I wanted to do … I had a lot riding on this. This was the chance to provide me and my family with peace and stability financially.”
But Cubby, who embraced homesteading and outdoor survival after the death of one of his close friends, is philosophical about the disappointing turn of events.
“Bad things happen in life,” he says. “Accidents happen. That’s a heaviness you should feel. Because it teaches you how important life is.”
Alone Season 11 airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on History Channel.
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