Alone

I do not understand why these capable survivalists don't take a morning to build themselves a travois? And building the meat shelter AFTER catching the meat? Please know that I am NOT a survivalist (if you don't count inner city life as "surviving") but why are they making 40+ miles worth of trips through the tundra carrying hundreds of pounds of meat, rocks, wood, cameras etc. instead of dragging a sturdy 'bed' behind with their stuff on top? Are they not allowed to reinvent a wheel? Roland's musk ox "came with" a huge tough furry pelt, which seemed like perfect travois material to me - and Roland was also eating some of the meat at night, wasn't he? Why was he having so much trouble with his energy levels given he's one of the few who has been getting sufficient protein? Why not drag the entire animal back to the water near his own shelter FIRST & then gut it & get rid of the smelly stuff to feed the fish, which might even hang around long enough to be caught? Isn't the Arctic lake cold enough to refrigerate well-wrapped meat for a few more days of cutting/storage time? They lose so much hard-earned meat (especially for the killed animal) to very adept predators. Wouldn't a travois also provide some portability for their other precious items? Why not fight off some of their boredom and/or rainy day time by building a "just in case" meat storage bin in advance? Would it not be more useful in the earlier weeks than a mandolin or a chair? And if you can build a chair, why not a travois... or better still - wheels? These people seem to have endless ingenuity when it comes to designing some badly needed comforts, so I am confused as to why they’re not doing what at least seems to be ‘easier’? And what better place than the Arctic to use something that slides across the terrain - like that rock shelter? If the smaller rocks were carried together on a sliding surface (travois) & larger ones rolled rather than picked up/carried, wouldn’t the dragging method be preferable to many heavily laden treks? Those smaller rocks would have been useful on a travois to help prepare a flattened roadway for the bigger stones (and even wheels). For me, even an old rug makes that heavy couch easier to move if I can just get a couple of its legs on the rug. Most contestants have very few trees (due to pre-existing fires & infestations) & nobody seems to mind cutting down the healthy trees to use as firewood sometimes. But for at least 2/3's of the challenge, there would probably be nice slick snow/ice to slide the travois along. Again, I am NOT (repeat NOT) any kind of survivalist - nor can I fathom what it might be like to have starvation, deprivation & isolation as a daily challenge for your depleting mind & body for more than 3 months, but some of their decisions seem strange to an old lady watching TV. Like: - Why spend so much time & energy chasing down the sole (likely vicious) winter bear, if you have so many hares & smaller game available for your amazing hunting skills? - Why not just cover that wind-blown leaking tarp with fir branches to keep it from blowing around so much & perhaps banish the rain from your quarters a bit longer? If you have the mindset to create some pretty cool songs/lyrics, why don't you come up with ideas to make your life a bit easier? - Would the bear not be easier to hunt if allowed to find his lair & hibernate? - And other than viewing your surroundings, can anyone "hide" from the amazing instincts & climbing abilities of a predatory animal while perched precariously in a tree blind? I mean they sure get at your meat when it's hung up, so why not you? - And why, pray tell, can they NOT hunt at night with their ultra-violet cameras to find their way? Perhaps they’re not allowed to use the camera equipment for anything outside of the show’s production? I have not yet found any site that publishes the rules they must abide by, so us ignorant observers might better understand the reasons behind some of these survivalists' decisions.

This show gets better and better but if they continue it I don't know where they will go to keep it from being a battle against starvation. It would be good to see them eat anything but fish and leaves but that might lead to it going on indefinitely. Perhaps that will be good, then it be all about the mental game and not a BMI battle. Still, this is by far the best true survival show - a good mix of survival and bushcraft skills plus mental game. Considering it is all self-filmed (no camera crew) they edit together a lot of compelling footage. Update: (mild spoiler alert) Season 4 with pairs was disappointing - I'd say poor selection of candidates that so many dropped out early on (or maybe it was intentional to narrow the field?). Plus seeing men argue and scream at each other gets old fast even if they claim it can be caused by the starvation. I hope they don't switch it up to bigger teams next but watching people just fish and starve is getting a bit repetitive so I don't know what they will do next - maybe just call it quits?

Live your life a week like this and it will certainly open your eyes and make you have more respect for the life you have now, for each other, and even mother nature. If nothing else, people need to get out and explore the wilderness more often, not in an RV. There's a lot of inner peace to be gained from it. A lot can be learned from this lifestyle even through its primitive ways.