I’m not crying, you’re crying.
OK—so we’re probably both misty-eyed. But how could you watch Alone Africa’s fifth episode and not tear up while watching the show’s lovable and grandfatherly contestant battle his inner demons?
Spoilers ahead.ÌýOf course, I’m referencing Douglas, the 57-year-old from North Carolina with the Santa Claus beard and folksy twang. On episode five, we spent ample time with Douglas as he endured rain, hail, plunging temperatures, and his own emotions.
Throughout the ordeal Douglas shared ample memories from his childhood in Indiana, his strong relationship with his brothers, and his love of his parents. And then, midway through the episode, Douglas let the audience know about the familial trauma that was weighing him down.
Shortly before he shipped out onÌýAlone Africa, Douglas learned that his father had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. And as the days wore on, Douglas couldn’t stop thinking about his dad.
Yeah—heavy stuff.
Survivalists Can’t Think Too Much About Home
While watching Douglas wrestle with his father’s illness, I thought about Woniya Thibeault’s recent essay: 5 Signs That an ‘Alone’ Participant Is About to Quit. Woniya’s second indicator—are they curious about and engaged with the place, or are they looking at their photo and talking about home and family?—came to mind.
Long story short: when a participant starts thinking a lot about the folks back home, it’s a sign that they’re no longer mentally and emotionally committed to life in the wilderness. And it’s only a matter of time before they bail out.
Over the years, we’ve seen several Alone survivalists go on the show amid a period of intense emotional upheaval in their everyday lives. And in all of these cases, Alone’s isolation and punishing day-to-day life prompts the character to open up about his or her emotional struggles. But in all of these situations, the person eventually quits.
In season 1, Massachusetts native Mitch Mitchell revealed that his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly before he went on the show. Mitchell, a very talented survivalist, lasted 43 days in the wilds of Vancouver Island, but eventually his mother’s illness became his day-to-day focal point. He left to be with his mom, despite having a capable shelter and access to food.
In season 3, Pennsylvanian schoolteacher Jim Shields went on Alone just after he and his wife learned that they were about to adopt three children. There was no way for Shields to separate himself from the knowledge that his wife was about to meet the three kids without him, and he talked about it as he built a tent and attempted to fish. Shields left after just three days—wisely so.
Isolation and the Battle to Stay Focused
Of courseÌýAlone participants don’t need to be in the throes of emotional crisis to tap out due to the mental/emotional struggle caused by thinking of life back home. One of my favorite Alone participants ever is Peter Albano, a librarian from British Columbia, whose journey onÌýAlone‘s 11th season highlighted this struggle.
Like the other nine survivalists in his season, Albano was plunked down along a river near the Arctic Circle in Northern Canada. After a few days in the wild, Albano started catching fish—tons and tons of fish. He pulled massive pike out of the water, smoked the meat, and appeared to have enough on his hands to start a seafood restaurant.
But the isolation gave Albano lots of time to think, and his mind drifted to his relationships with his loved ones. After eight days, Albano began to fixate on his relationship with his son, and his inability to create the relationship he wanted with the boy.
“My son, he feels big feelings,” Albano said. “And I’ve never been able to relate or empathize with him. I feel terrible. I feel this overwhelming sense of failure.”
AloneÌýacted like a therapist’s chair forÌýAlbano,Ìýand after several days he drilled down into the gap between him and his son: his tendency to wall off his own feelings. After reaching this conclusion, Albano immediately tapped out. It was as if he couldn’t spare any more time away from his child after knowing the key to repairing the relationship.
Heartache for Douglas
Like Albano, Mitchell, and Shields, once Douglas started to fixate on his dad, he couldn’t stop. He tapped out after 11 days, and said he wanted to get home as quickly as possible to be with his father. As a cruel twist,ÌýAlone producers let us know that Douglas got home too late—his father had already passed.
Full disclosure: I cried when the text flashed on the screen.
Every few yearsÌýAlone debuts a spinoff show that features past participants—usually fan-favorites—coming back for the challenge. Think Woniya onÌýAlone: Frozen or Jordan Jonas and Clay Hayes onÌýAlone: Skills Challenge.Ìý
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Douglas be invited back into the Alone universe for a spinoff. As a longtime fan of the show, I definitely could have spent more time with him.
Rainfall, Flooding, and Cold
Of course the other big story inÌýAloneÌýAfrica was that the balmy and dry conditions were completely erased by a major storm, which dumped inches of rain on the desert and flooded out some of the survivalists, specifically Baha and Kelsey.
Kelsey was the biggest loser—her shelter was nearly engulfed by a massive river. Katie emerged as a winner, by weaving together a new section of her shelter and also rolling with the punches of the storm with a very positive attitude.
Another survivalist to suffer a setback was Dug. The episode left on a cliffhanger, after we seemed to watch him pass out after working on his shelter. Like everyone else watchingÌýAlone Africa, I hope Dug is OK.
After five episodes, my mental ranking of the remainingÌýAlone characters based off of their situations and attitudes:
- Katie: her shelter is looking strong, and the storm caused her very little stress
- Nathan: he has food and a positive attitude; now he heeds to build a permanent shelter
- Kelsey: she still has meat left over from the warthog, but her attitude took a hit after the flood
- Baha: he has no ferro rod, a leaky shelter, and poor access to food
- Dug: he’d be higher on the list if not for the potential medical situation