While he played a tormented hero for eight seasons in Game of Thrones, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is feeling more hopeful about the present world he’s living in. The Emmy-nominated Danish actor is on a quest to uncover the real-life heroic efforts of those keeping our planet thriving in his docuseries . The Bloomberg Original TV series’ first season aired in 2024, and the second six-part season premieres on October 22, 2025.

Coster-Waldau is optimistic about humanity, in part due to the resilient people he鈥檚 met as a UN Goodwill Ambassador since 2016. It doesn’t hurt that he鈥檚 from the second–happiest country in the world, and one of the greenest countries too, a nation known for its 鈥�” who are taught to reframe negative situations into positive outcomes. Long before they were known for pioneering the world鈥檚 first wind energy islands, skiable power plant (you’ll see the Coster-Waldau ski Copenhill in the show) and their cycling culture, Denmark was a society built on agriculture and fishing. It’s this ingrained reverence and tie to the land and water around them that keep Danes like Coster-Waldau advocating for a greener way of life.

An Optimist鈥檚 Guide to the Planet follows Coster-Waldau as he criss-crosses the globe, meeting individuals and communities who are working towards a more sustainable future. This season, Coster-Waldau travels to the top of Andean mountains and deep into the Ecuadorian rainforest, where he meets people creating extraordinary innovations from transforming trash into green energy, to harvesting drinking water out of thin air. Nature-based solutions鈥攍ike a company in Chicago training fungi to break down building waste鈥攖ake the spotlight.

国产吃瓜黑料 talks to Coster-Waldau about what drew him to trade battling dragons in Games of Thrones听to fighting for a brighter future, where he wants to film next, and his love for getting outside鈥攅ven if it鈥檚 just a bike ride in New Jersey.

翱鲍罢厂滨顿贰:听After your Game of Thrones stardom, what inspired you to do a docuseries like this one?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: In 2018, I filmed a little travel documentary called Through Greenland, which was incredible. And since 2016, I’ve been a Goodwill Ambassador for the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme).听 I’d gone on these journeys around the world to visit projects. And I was always so inspired. I always left with being so impressed by what people can do when they put their mind to it. Even in very difficult circumstances, there was always this feeling of optimism, of belief in being able to better our world.

When this [show] came up, it started as something completely different. I said I want to make it about humans’ impact on our planet. That was the beginning. But I wanted to make sure it’s about humans. At the end of the day, this is a show that听celebrates human innovation and curiosity. Hopefully, when you watch the show, you’ll be inspired by these people like I am.

Was the show always going to be an ‘optimist鈥檚 guide’? I know people can be turned off by climate stories, and not feel very hopeful about it all.听

NCW: It has to be personal. With any storytelling you have to make it personal. It has to be about someone’s journey, and that’s what we wanted to do.

There was this documentary called ‘,’ which was the initial inspiration for this. It’s [filmed] all over the world, showing the physical impact that humans have had on our planet. It’s incredibly beautiful, but there are听no humans in it, so it just becomes this incredible, depressing thing鈥�my god, we have really changed the world.

For me, it always has to be about solutions. It’s about people who have great ideas. But what carries the story is always the human experience. In this season, in the first episode, we go to India, and there’s a story 听about how sometimes the solutions were already there, but we messed it up.

In India, they’ve had a huge population growth, and they’ve cut down these mangrove trees and forests, which has now turned out to be a huge mistake because the mangroves were protecting the coastal areas. We meet this guy in this community who has had to relocate because their homes have been destroyed by extreme storms. He says it himself, “If only… Why did we cut down the mangroves?”

It’s very sad, but it becomes very easy to identify with because we all know this thing with humans鈥攚e get so excited about new ideas and things, but we don’t always think of the consequences. Then suddenly we end up, after the fact, having to rectify that… It’s about regrowing, replanting mangrove forests. It’s going to take a lot of time, and you’re not going to get to the coastal areas that you’ve lost, but you can make sure you don’t lose more.

It鈥檚 a moving story because it becomes personal. Otherwise, it鈥檚 just a story about planting trees. But if you have someone who’s actually affected, it hits home in a different way, and that’s what we try to do with all the stories. You meet people who have impacted their community; and that [makes us] want to impact our own lives.

The Denmark episode shows you and your family in your summer home on the small island of Or酶. When I think of Denmark, I think of a country that always seems to get it right. But you show that even a country that’s considered one of the “greenest” in the world can get it wrong.听

NCW: We all make mistakes. As humans, we’re flawed, right? There’s the idea that there’s one thing that’s going to solve for all, and one place that has everything figured out, but there’s no such thing as perfect. But we can always try to make it better.

What was interesting with the story in Denmark, with the [dead zone] waters, was that it was something that we’d known about for a long time. We heard the newsflash that there’s a lack of oxygen in the inner waters, but it wasn’t until this photojournalist spent a whole year documenting this phenomenon that听it became a big story.

[Photojournalist Asger Ladefoged] talks about how he used to cover war zones, but he never got the same kind of traction when this story hit and all these pictures were published, where you see the desert-like sea floor. Danes were really shocked because it just didn’t fit. You can imagine we pride ourselves on finding a 听good balance. And clearly, here it was completely out of whack.

I grew up in the countryside, so I always find it very tricky. It鈥檚 easy to pick on farmers. This was, no question, caused by too much fertilizer being washed into the inner waters and then too much nutrition in the waters. But the farmers were just following the rules.

There was this huge outcry from everyone. It became a completely bipartisan situation, which included the farmers, the fishermen. Everyone said, what can we do? We have to find a solution, and it has to be something that is not just as long as this particular government is in office. It has to be something for the future. And they did. They managed to come up with this very ambitious plan of taking 15 percent听of our land, farmland, and converting it into forest.

I think they want to plant one billion trees over the next ten years. It shows that, especially when you live in a democracy, it’s easy to sometimes be disillusioned and lose hope and faith, but actually, we are in control.

Whether it’s a documentary or it’s fiction, it has to be specific, it has to be personal. When you talk to someone, they tell a story about something wonderful they experienced, or something horrific. It means a lot more, because you can live through them, as opposed to someone saying, ‘Well, you know, in 100 years this is going to happen鈥� or in some other place that’s going to happen. ‘

[This season] you can see that we have the same challenges, whether you live in the U.S. or in India. The circumstances are very different, but trying to find solutions is the same. The solution that works in Finland is not going to work here, but maybe we can inspire each other.

What do you hope that viewers see in this season of An Optimist鈥檚 Guide to the Planet?

NCW: We go to very different cultures, very different parts of the world. I hope what I experienced, and what hopefully, the viewers will, is ” Oh, wow, we were not different after all.” Wanting the best for your fellow man is something you see everywhere, and that should give you hope, that should give you optimism.

The other thing I hope? Being as I am, just blown away by all these great ideas. One of my favorite ones is in Chicago, where it’s literally just saying, Look at fungi. Look what they do. It can break down stuff that we couldn’t, but it’s been around us always.

We can solve massive problems if we just open our eyes and use that very human curiosity that is such a great tool.

I read that you love cycling. How is being outdoors part of your everyday life?

NCW: I’ve been in New Jersey for the last few months, but I’ve got my mountain bike and I’m trying to get out. Jersey is amazing, by the way. New Yorkers give it such a bad rap. I’ve never been to Jersey before. I love it; it鈥檚 very much like home with forests… But yes, I try to get out as much as I can, mountain biking, hiking, or walking. 听I get antsy if I’m indoors all day. Going for a long walk, you will never regret it.

Is there a place you鈥檇 like to film next, or a place you always love visiting?

NCW: There are many places I’d like to see. Patagonia. I’ve never been to Brazil. I really love South America. China, when we talk about innovation and solutions, there areso many things they do out there, which I would love to explore, because the scale is insane.

season two premieres October 22 at 8 P.M. EST on Bloomberg Originals and 10 P.M. EST on Bloomberg TV.

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It鈥檚 a big month for Alex Honnold.

In an unexpected turn of events, the world-renowned rock climber is briefly switching gears from summiting peaks to hosting his own travel show. Yep, you heard that right. The five-part “Get a Little Out There” series will premiere next year across the 国产吃瓜黑料 network.

Plans for his new show come just a week after Mr. Free Solo announced plans to star in a two-hour live TV show on Netflix in 2026, during which he will scale the tallest skyscraper in Taiwan without the use of safety ropes.

In partnership with Travel Nevada and 国产吃瓜黑料, Honnold will take viewers across his home state, shifting focus from extreme climbs to everyday adventures, curiosity, and connection.

鈥淚nvolvement in this series is awesome for me,鈥� said Honnold in a . 鈥淢y love for adventure matches the spirit of Nevada. Red Rock has been a huge part of my life, but Nevada still surprises me with how much there is to see and do. I鈥檓 excited to explore the hidden corners of this state and share what makes it so special.鈥�

From stargazing in Great Basin National Park to mining for turquoise in central Nevada, the new series follows Honnold鈥攊n his van鈥攁s he checks off bucket-list adventures. Sprinkled with strange roadside attractions dotting Nevada鈥檚 highways, Honnold鈥檚 new show combines exploration and culture to alter our view of the world, producers say.

鈥淔rom cowboy poets and clown hotels to Basque food and turquoise mining, Nevada鈥檚 unique culture experiences are as unexpected as they are awesome,鈥� said Sam Moulton, vice president of creative strategy and solutions at 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淭he state is also way wilder than you think, home to remote climbing crags, world-class mountain biking, and everything in between, making it ideal for 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 network. And Alex is the perfect host to show us the state through his eyes, as curious as he is up for any adventure.鈥�

Of his Nevada home, Honnold has said, 鈥淭here鈥檚 the best concentration of climbing in the country around Vegas, which is why I live here.鈥� Southern Nevada alone is home to more than 3,400 routes.

鈥淓ven on the worst days, in the worst weather, you can climb outside if you鈥檙e motivated enough,鈥� Honnold said.

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It was announced yesterday,听 September 4,听迟丑补迟 . Creator Mike White and HBO have zeroed in on France as the setting for the upcoming season of the hit series, Deadline reported in an exclusive.

While no exact location has been confirmed, the murder-mystery dramedy has always been shot at a Four Seasons, as HBO has a marketing partnership with the hotel and resort chain. Deadline focused speculation on the luxe Grand-H么tel du Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera, with its strong Hollywood tie-in and proximity to Cannes.

However, sources stress to Deadline that no hotel has been locked in. There are two other Four Seasons in France that could be used for filming; the Meg猫ve in the French Alps, and Hotel George V, which is located in the heart of Paris.

It鈥檚 no surprise that 国产吃瓜黑料 hopes it鈥檚 set in the French Alps, an outdoor playground known for its imposing peaks鈥攈ello, Mont Blanc鈥�and high-octane world-class skiing and hiking. After all, we have the French Alps to thank for 补辫谤猫蝉-蝉办颈. While everyone鈥檚 favorite custom of warming up with food and drinks after skiing originated in Norway, the term was coined in the 1950s after it spread to France.

The setting is everything in the White Lotus, and it is always part of the larger theme. Hawaii dove into class and colonialism; Sicily played with themes of lust and fantasy versus reality; and Thailand poked at spiritual tourism, and well, karma.

So perhaps a season in the French Alps could tackle ambition and competition?

The Drama of the French Alps Is Perfect for the 鈥榃hite Lotus鈥�

Our fellow editors at 厂碍滨听called it earlier this year: . 鈥淚t makes perfect sense. Wealthy clientele on vacation: Check. Gorgeous scenery. Check. And resorts that seem too good to be true? Check, check, check.鈥�

But SKI editors also heard a rumor the White Lotus creator Mike White says听he鈥檒l never write a season centered around skiing because he doesn鈥檛 like the cold. We’ve seen enough bodies floating in the water, what about sticking out the snow? And, of course, the Alps are warm in the summer, when the series is filmed typically.

鈥淔or the fourth season, I want to get a little bit out of the crashing waves of rocks vernacular, but there鈥檚 always more room for more murders at the White Lotus hotels,鈥� White .

While SKI speculated Courchevel would be a good pick in the French Alps, as it鈥檚 where “wealth, status, and ambition would fit right into the White Lotus universe.鈥滿eg猫ve is also synonymous with upscale ski culture. After all, it was established as a rival to St. Moritz in the 1920s by the Rothschild family.

We asked French mountain guide Fred Buttard his thoughts on Meg猫ve as a ski destination. Buttard was born in the heart of the French Alps, has over 20 years experience as an IFMGA-certified guide, and has led ski touring trips all over the world, most recently 70 degrees north of the Arctic Circle for .

鈥淢eg猫ve is unique because it鈥檚 a cosy little town / village, in a small mellow mountain area, but so close to Chamonix and all the big mountain skiing,鈥� says Buttard.

Known for its charming medieval streets and designer boutiques, Meg猫ve does also seems like a great setting for wealthy people pushing each other off cliffs. Located in the elegant , there are nearly 250 miles听of slopes spread over four mastiffs to ski here, and well, to plot.

The Four Seasons Hotel Meg猫ve has ski-in, ski-out access to the slopes of Mont d鈥橝rbois, and the region鈥檚 largest spa. This could be where the spa manager character Belinda comes in鈥攚orking at the spa before she starts her own.

If It鈥檚 Not in the Alps, the French Riviera Is Still Epic

Yoga Journal听digital editor Calin Van Paris says she鈥檚 never stayed at a hotel as luxe or visibly epic as the 鈥淭he pool, for example, is located down a wooded trail (which can be skipped via hillavator) and built into the surrounding ocean rocks. There are two recently refurbished villas, the front room was designed by Gustave Eiffel (as in Eiffel Tower), and the main building is a beacon of Belle Epoque architecture.

It’s a bit of a trip. The antique elevator makes it feel like you’re traveling through time.鈥�

While it’s not the Alps’ outdoor playground, there are still some active pursuits in the French Riviera. Running, yoga, and cycling would be the most natural outdoor activities here, says Van Paris (there’s a paved trail along the water and mountain bike rentals are available for guests). “The hotel鈥檚 recent push to be viewed as a wellness destination could factor into the show’s trajectory,”adds Van Paris.

Maybe the Riviera would show Belinda enjoying her new-earned wealth. 鈥淔ormer spa manager Belinda had been a through line for the White Lotus, and an opportunity to take her passion for wellness (and her newly acquired millions) to a destination that’s defined by heightened glamour could make sense,鈥� says Van Paris.

It鈥檚 unlikely Mike White will opt for an urban setting like the city of Paris, but if he is choosing the French Riviera, it does track with the previous opulent settings.

Frankly, it鈥檚 all down to the plot and characters for us. We couldn鈥檛 get enough of Walton Goggins’s character, Rick. And even though he won鈥檛 be making it back for the next the White Lotus, we are excited to see Hoggins play a climber in the upcoming Batso听film about trailblazing climbers who took on El Capitan.

High peaks do lead to high-stakes drama and mystery… c鈥檓on Mike White, give us Le Lotus Blanc (Mont Blanc).

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If you鈥檇 asked me prior to 2018 if I still knew all the music I listened to during my teenage years, I鈥檇 have answered, 鈥淪ure, I remember those bands.鈥� Asked whether I remembered whole albums, I would have looked at you like you were crazy.

But then I spent 73 days completely isolated in the Canadian wilderness on Alone season 6. It turns out, I realized to my chagrin, not only albums, but the lyrics to every song on them were etched into the dark furrows of my brain, just waiting to be recalled.

What I longed for on Alone was a deep connection to nature, and meditative timelessness. What I got, played over and over in my head until I could hardly take another chorus, was Pearl Jam鈥檚 1991 album Ten, and The Pixies鈥� 1988 album Surfer Rosa, among others. I later learned that having your old favorite music play on repeat in your brain was a very common phenomenon for Alone participants who were able to spend weeks living by themselves.

The human nervous system is hard-wired to be social. From the almost humorous to the truly torturous, being plunked into unknown wilderness in total isolation鈥攚hich is what happens on Alone鈥攔esults in all manner of strange mental phenomenon.

Add extreme calorie deprivation, and you鈥檝e got a formula that pushes participants to the very brink of mental, emotional, and physical endurance. While participants are armed with an array of cameras and the goal of 鈥渄ocumenting absolutely everything,鈥� the most poignant parts of the experience really can鈥檛 be captured on film.

The First Test: Hunger

For most people, hunger is the first challenge. It begins slowly then ramps up as it passes through several predictable and increasingly distressing stages.

First is the hunger of habit鈥攐ur bellies grumble and ache on cue, according to our regular meal schedule. We are still flush with calories, but this early hunger can actually feel more uncomfortable than later stages as we adjust to the sudden change in our circumstances.

In three to seven days we use up all the stored sugar in our body and switch to running on fat, a metabolic state known as ketosis. For some the shift can be blessedly asymptomatic, for others it comes with headaches, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea and more.

If they can stick it out, many find that their hunger actually lessens in ketosis, and their strength returns. This stage on Alone season 6 was euphoric for me. Part 2 of my memoir Never Alone: A Solo Arctic Survival Journey is titled 鈥淟iving on Beauty.鈥� I wasn鈥檛 eating, besides an occasional handful of watery crow berries, but the wilderness around me was so jaw-droppingly beautiful that I felt deeply nourished by it, body and soul.

Unfortunately, without food starting to come in, the reprieve for participants is short lived and we move into the stage I call deep hunger.

In deep hunger we may or may not feel an empty, aching belly, but our body knows something is amiss and it sends red flags to the mind. We become obsessed with thoughts of food. During 础濒辞苍别鈥檚 12th season, Kelsey Loper鈥檚 long litany of food fantasies on day 14 was the perfect example. It may sound like just an amusing way to pass the time, but it is torture.

I did my best to control my mind on season 6 and to only fantasize about foods that were potentially obtainable out there: juicy moose steaks and crispy beaver fat. On Alone: Frozen, however, I became utterly fixated on clotted cream. Mind you, I鈥檝e never been to the U.K. and didn鈥檛 even know what clotted cream was. I just knew that it sounded like the richest food on the planet. I would probably have traded my sleeping bag for some if I could have.

The mental agony of this hunger triggers deeper loneliness. Our loved ones are out there somewhere, perhaps needing us, and many feel a relentless pull towards home. They must either adapt or tap. The strange shift from using 鈥淚鈥� to 鈥渨e鈥� pronouns can occur, as Kelsey demonstrated on season 12. My theory is that it鈥檚 our mind helping us handle the isolation by considering ourselves a crowd. It makes us feel less alone on Alone. While use of the royal 鈥渨e鈥� may make us seem a little unhinged to the viewers, I think it gives us an advantage.

When Hunger Becomes Starvation

Somewhere between day 20 and 25 or so we reach another critical hunger threshold. At this point, the average person has used up every calorie stored in their body. It鈥檚 no longer deep hunger, it鈥檚 starvation. Without more food coming in, the only way to keep going is to digest one鈥檚 own muscles. Viewers can see the weight loss and the faltering strength but there is no way to capture the deep toll starvation takes on every part of the body. Fatigue, breathlessness, shaking legs, muscle cramps, the heart beating in one鈥檚 ears. Some feel their slow decline keenly, some are less phased by it.

During season 6 I was desperately hungry, but so driven and in love with the experience that I did not feel the symptoms as I slipped into starvation. I was shocked when, on one of the routine medical checks, someone asked if sleeping was harder now that I was so bony. I didn鈥檛 understand the question. With temperatures well below zero Fahrenheit, I hadn鈥檛 taken off my long underwear in weeks so I chose to believe I was still as robust as I felt. (I was wrong. Seeing my shrunken cheeks and bulging eyes in the mirror on the day I left my site was the biggest shock of my life.)

What I couldn鈥檛 deny were the deep, bloody cracks in my fingers that made even the simplest daily tasks excruciating. Without calories coming in, the skin loses the ability to create the lubricating oils that keep it supple or to repair minor cuts.

While watching season 12, I saw how Katie Rydge鈥檚 lips became so swollen and chapped that she couldn鈥檛 stop licking them. Skin that can鈥檛 heal invites infection. What would have been a minor inconvenience in regular life can become life threatening during starvation.

The Emotional Toll

As we lose the physical buffers of body fat, intact skin, and muscle mass, we lose our emotional buffer as well. We become raw and have less ability to edit ourselves. Time slows and our awareness stretches out. Most experience wide swings of emotion鈥攋oy so profound it brings tears and grief that blindsides us. It can be a beautiful or a terrifying experience.

Most participants spend the weeks leading up to launch agonizing over our gear and wardrobe choices. As the weeks tick off on Alone, we learn that it does, indeed, come down to what we have brought out there with us. Not our ten items, but what we carry inside.

Upon returning to civilization, I pondered the particular songs that had played on repeat out there. No doubt part of it was just my brain trying to distract me from my discomfort and fill the empty space. It wasn’t just mindless popsongs I had been hearing though, it was the angsty music that accompanied the gut-wrenching years of my puberty, first loves, and high school social struggles. There was unresolved trauma in that soundtrack, waiting for enough spaciousness and silence to rear its head. I clearly moved through it, because fascinatingly, my second Alone adventure had an entirely different soundtrack, that of my much earlier childhood鈥攍argely broadway musicals and seventies love ballads. This was the background music to the years surrounding my parents鈥� divorce.

We can鈥檛 tough our way through Alone with the stoneface arm flexing of Rambo and other Hollywood survival stars. All of our life experience comes with us and demands our attention. Whether this breaks us down or brings us healing is up to us.

If we understand that life requires hard work and are thankful for all we have instead of focusing on what we don鈥檛, we can find enough beauty and joy to keep us going. If we feel entitled to comfort or the things we need to live, we may feel victimized and angry when we experience true deprivation. If we haven鈥檛 come to grips with our own shadows or we wall off our emotions, we will likely find them waiting in the darkness to wallop us. Extreme discomfort is inevitable out there, but whether we experience it as suffering is up to us.

There is a reason why most traditional cultures incorporate some measure of fasting or time alone in the wilderness as a rite of passage. Long term stays on Alone take these experiences and multiply them manyfold.

Approaching the brink of death, even merely glimpsing the edge, is an inherently transformative experience. I could see it in the faces of those who made it past the month marker on season 12. A deep peace and stillness. An inner knowing. A full acceptance of self. Making it this far on Alone is a tremendous achievement of body and spirit. You cannot do it without incredible strength and tenacity.

Season 12, set in a new corner of the world and an entirely different environment, was a departure from the usual Alone formula, but the journey clearly retained the heart of what makes the show one of the most grueling and deeply rewarding adventures there is.

听was the first woman to win听Alone,听and between her two seasons, holds the record for the most cumulative days on the show. An author, educator, and speaker, she chronicled her time on Alone Season 6 in her memoir,听. She teaches ancestral, wilderness, and survival skills and offers consultation for听Alone听hopefuls, writers, and filmmakers. Learn more at www.woniyathibeault.com or join her on Patreon for exclusive content and early access to her writing and classes.

The post On 鈥楢lone,鈥� Hunger and Isolation Dish Out Mental Pain appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The surprise on Nathan Olsen’s face was legit.

The climax of the season finale of 础濒辞苍别听Africa, which aired on August 21, occurred when Olsen saw his son, Isaiah, step from behind a bush and give him a mighty hug. On Alone, meeting a loved one out in the wild is the official signal that a participant has outlasted the nine others to win the $500,000 prize.

(Watch me discuss the season finale in the video below. Spoilers ahead.)

But the look of bewilderment on Olsen’s face was for another reason: he was only on day 34 of living in the backcountry.

Nobody has ever won Alone in that short a span. It’s like winning a marathon after running ten miles.

Olsen recently told 国产吃瓜黑料 that the moment was bittersweet. He was elated to win, but wasn’t ready to leave South Africa’s Great Karoo desert.

“I had a lot of food stored. I had caught so many big fish toward the end that the acacia trees next to my house were just loaded with long strips of drying fish. I had everything I needed,” Olsen said. “When it ended suddenly and abruptly, I felt like I missed out on part of the experience.”

As an听Alone completist, I echoed Olsen’s sentiment. I very much enjoyed听Alone Africa because of the constant curveballs that the desert threw at the survivalists: dehydration, monsoon flooding, skittish animals, to name a few.

But I was also disappointed that the season didn’t go on longer. One of my favorite elements of听Alone is watching the survivalists wrestle with isolation once they’ve endured two or more months of wilderness living. I feel like we missed out on the amount of introspection, rollercoaster-like emotional swings competitors go through while they build up an arsenal of survival skills and look for ways to entertain themselves to stay sane.

“One of the things I was most looking forward to was that significant amount of solitude, and I wanted to experience that,” Olsen told 翱耻迟蝉颈诲别.听“I wanted to see what that would do for me and my family. Everything about staying long was attractive to me. So, when it got cut short, I was kind of bummed.”

Producers Were Also Worried

My fear that 础濒辞苍别听Africa would end quickly arose in the early episodes. Four survivalists tapped out within the first five days. After 4 days, six were gone. Only two participants: Kelsey Loper and Olsen, made it longer than one month.

Compare that to season 11, which was staged near the Arctic Circle in Northern Canada. Three participants鈥擠ub Paetz, Timber Cleghorn, and winner William Larkham鈥攎ade it beyond 80 days.

It turns out I was not alone. I recently spoke to the show’s executive producer, Ryan Pender, who said that the production staff was also on pins and needles during the first two weeks. The high attrition rate brought back memories of Alone‘s first season, when four participants dropped within the opening week.

“We were monitoring, and there was a point where it was like ‘holy cow, this is season 1 all over again.’ It was a mass exodus,” Pender said. “We asked ourselves, ‘What is actually happening? What is the cause for this?鈥�”

After internal discussion, Pender said the production decided not to step in and alter the competition, but rather to let the participants follow a normal season of 础濒辞苍别.听

“You just have to let it play itself out,” Pender said.

As for why the season ended so quickly, Pender gave a variety of reasons. He said that some of the participants underestimated the challenge posed by South Africa’s Great Karoo. For instance: simply obtaining drinking water required round-the-clock work.

Securing food was also a challenge. The Great Karoo is home to dozens of species of edible animals. But the wildebeest, kudu, and gazelles are adept at avoiding predators.

Pender pointed to another challenge that everyone faced: experience. Since past seasons of Alone were held in cold or damp climates, participants could study how previous cast members succeeded.

“There’s no road map like there was in past seasons in Africa,” Pender said. “Nothing for new participants to look at to say ‘this is what I’d do, what I’d do differently.’ They just had to make their way.”

Challenges Presented by an Early Exodus

Pender told听国产吃瓜黑料 that the onslaught of early tap-outs created some challenges for the Alone staff.

The crew of cameramen and rescue personnel stationed in South Africa worked long hours during the opening weeks as participants quit or were evacuated.

On day 4, two participants left: Colton Gilman of Montana and Jit Patel of New Zealand. The latter was suffering from an intense case of gastrointestinal stress.

Two people then quit on day 5: Pablo Arguelles of Florida and Will Lamb of Texas. Lamb required an emergency extraction after he suffered from acute colitis.听Alone sent a team of medical professionals to help Lamb in the middle of the night.

“The crew in the field, just trying to keep up with the exodus, was really difficult,” Pender said. “You have to go out and retrieve them, make sure they’re OK. Then, we go through their footage to see what their story is, and do interviews on the backend to cover all of those story points. There’s a lot going on.”

奥颈迟丑听础濒辞苍别,听participants film themselves living in the wild, and they then send the footage of themselves back to editors, who stitch the video clips into a coherent episode that tells a story. Pender said that editors for听Alone Africa had much less footage to work with compared to a normal season.

“When somebody leaves you have to do them justice and tell their story as best as you can to let the people back home understand what they went through. Telling that takes time away from other stories going on at the same time.”

I noticed the difference. While watching听Alone Africa, the timeline of dates often jumped around. Rather than proceed in a linear fashion鈥攄ay 1, day 2, etc.鈥攖he action often jumped backwards in time.

The episodes also felt shorter. The opening two episodes surpassed one hour run times. After that, the episodes ended around the 40-minute mark.

奥颈濒濒听Alone Return to the Desert?

Given the early exits and the pressures placed on the show’s听production team, is a warm climate simply too hard for Alone? Has the production team sworn off the desert?

I posed the question to Pender.

“Oh no, definitely not,” he said. “We’re looking at this as being akin to season 1. We’ll go back, reassess, and then if and when there’s a season 14, we’ll decide which way we’re going to go.”

Alone has not revealed the setting for its 13th season, which is likely to air in 2026. The show is famously tight-lipped about听future locations.

But Pender said that听Alone Africa’s success was proving to future survivalists that the show could operate in the desert鈥攅ven if the season was shorter than any in the show’s history.

“There is a roadmap now for the desert,” he said. “And I think there will be a hunger to go back again. Future folks will have an idea of what they’re walking into, and if they’re armed with better information, they’re better off.”

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As Alone Africa chugs toward its finale, super-fans like myself enjoyed two glorious treats during episode 9, which aired on August 14.

We got a laugh-out-loud montage starring Kelsey, and a tour of one of the most impressive survival structures in the show’s history.

(Spoilers ahead) Nobody tapped out during episode 9, and听Alone听Africa’s three remaining participants鈥擭athan, Kelsey, and Katie鈥攑erformed the daily ritual of pursuing food, purifying water, and staving off hunger.

Kelsey, who spent much of episode 8 battling negative thoughts, produced a segment that left me giggling with glee. Having shed 20 or so pounds due to her lack of food, she recorded a homage to a workout video/health spa commercial鈥攃omplete with jump cuts, dance moves, and some hilarious zingers. The segment honored her new svelte waistline, and the weeks she’s spent on the show without sustenance.

“If you want the weight to just melt away, just book your spot on Alone, with zero food!” she says into the camera. “You’ll get a very nice tan as you lay in the sun and starve!”

I loved it. The humor reinvigorated my affection for Kelsey, whose battle with her inner demons over the past two episodes has produced plenty of tension.

Rather than dwell on her hunger, Kelsey made light of it, and to be honest, created one of the funnier segments in recent Alone memory. It was up there with Timber Cleghorn’s moose antler bass solo from season 11.

The other high point was Nathan finishing his rock house, made entirely of shale and sand. He did so after spending nearly half of the season building and then repairing the structure.

With thick rock walls, a mud roof, and plenty of square footage to sleep and cook food, Nathan’s home is absolutely the most impressive of听Alone Africa. But it also enters the oevre of classic听Alone homes.

During the show’s 12-season run, we’ve seen survivalists hack together some pretty cool abodes made from trees, rocks, and earth. And as an听础濒辞苍别听completist, a handful of these structures have been truly memorable for their accoutrements and design.

Jokes aside, here are the听five coolest survival structures in Alone history, as chosen by me.

Argentine A-Frame

Way back in season 3, participants headed to Patagonia to live on the banks of a massive lake. That season, Callie North, an herbalist from Washington State, built a simple a-frame house that had some cool creature comforts: giant fireplace, sauna, cool shelves and storage, an armoire made from sticks, and even a walkway made of pavers.

Callie’s house helped her survive 72 days in the wild. And it showed that survival abodes don’t have to be bare-bones structures with no personality.

Fort Moosehead

Timber Cleghorn’s log cabin in Canada’s arctic north had everything you’d need for a long stay in the woods:an听 elevated bed, plenty of pine boughs, spacious living quarters, and yes, moose antlers mounted above the door. The antlers came from the moose that Cleghorn successfully hunted before the snow began to fall. Cleghorn was so cozy in his den that he had enough time and energy to build a bass guitar鈥攜ep, from another set of antlers.

Whipple Cabin

Back in听Alone’s fourth season, producers had survivalists compete in teams of two. Husband-and-wife duo Brooke and Dave Whipple didn’t win, but they created a memorable log cabin that still ranks among the best. The duo cut down several dozen pine trees and then drove the timbers vertically into the soft earth, creating an ad-hoc fort that would make any Lincoln Log fan proud. They furnished the interior with photos of their kids, shelves, and even strands of shelves foraged from the ocean. The cool cabin had a massive fireplace, substantial sleeping space, and high enough ceilings for Dave and Brooke to stand up.

The Shale Mansion

Nathan’s rock house from Alone Africa is truly a marvel of both smart design and perseverance. He’s built the walls from flat shale stones, filling in the gaps between these rocks with sand. The construction makes the house look like it could survive a tornado, or a direct hit from a Kudu. But, as fans of the show’s 12th season know, the house is potentially less stable than it appears. While building it, Nathan watched in horror as one of the walls collapsed. The debacle marked the biggest hurdle that Nathan faced in the backcountry, but he rebounded with impressive zeal. He spent several days demolishing and then rebuilding the broken wall, eventually constructing a cozy abode that blends in nicely with the surroundings.

Rock House

No other house in听Alone history Rock House is the most famous abode in the show’s run, and the words are synonymous with season 9 winner Roland Welker. Welker, a force-of-nature wild man from Red Devil, Alaska, built the shelter by cutting and hauling massive logs into a giant rock outcrop in the Canadian wilderness, and then stacking huge boulders to complete the walls. He then bolstered the structure by adding more rocks, insulation, and logs. The final product was a tank-like fortress that appeared to be impenetrable by the howling wind. Every season of Alone ends by showing the winner’s structure be gradually removed from view, one beam at a time. My guess is the producers required heavy machinery and maybe even some dynamite to take Rock House apart.

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Perhaps its the dry air. Maybe it’s the thorny bushes and rocky terrain. Perhaps its the skittish nature of the warthogs, kudu, wildebeest, and other delicious animals roaming the plain.

For whatever reason, Alone Africa has had an attrition rate like no other season in the show’s history. And after 19 days, just three survivalists remain.

And of the three, one appears to be teetering on the edge.

(Spoiler Alert)听Nobody tapped out during听础濒辞苍别听Africa’s eighth episode, which aired on Thursday, August 7. But all three remaining participants鈥擪atie, Kelsey, and Nathan鈥攆aced major setbacks.

Kelsey endured another fruitless hunt, and watched as her warthog jerky鈥攕he shot and killed a wild pig back on day 1鈥攄windled to just ten remaining pieces.

Katie also ventured into the backcountry to kill game, and tracked two wild boars across the bush-covered hills. But they escaped and she came back empty-handed, instead opting to once again eat seeds, berries, and roots that she foraged from the Karoo. To add insult to injury, Katie also was robbed by baboons.

Nathan suffered the worst calamity. For the last few days he’s been building a massive house out of sand and rocks, and on day 22 one of the walls collapsed, rendering the structure useless. Then, while fishing, Nathan’s two baited hooks became snagged at the bottom of a lake. He had to dive to the bottom of the frigid water and was only able to salvage one of the two hooks.

In each obstacle, the three survivalists revealed elements of their personalities and mindsets that, in my mind, are good predictors for how they will fare in the final two episodes. And while I don’t always like fixating on Alone’s eventual winner鈥攖he show is about more than just who stays out there the longest鈥擨 do believe it’s worthwhile to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the three survivors.

A Capable Hunter

Kelsey got out to an early lead in听Alone Africa by stalking and killing a wild boar on the first day in the bush. Since then, she’s survived by eating the pig meat, which after three weeks is somehow still there.

The kill showed us just how talented Kelsey is with a recurve bow, and how accomplished she is at cleaning and processing a carcass amid an extreme environment. And huge kudos to her for her innovative water storage system, which has allowed her to venture into the backcountry without having to boil potable water all of the time.

But Kelsey’s major weakness appears to be the mindset that has crept in during the last few episodes. She doesn’t deal with setbacks very well, and has a hard time rebounding from calamity. It’s totally understandable, especially with hunger and malnutrition becoming a daily obstacle.

We saw this back in episode 3 when Kelsey’s shelter was flooded during a downpour. It was obviously a very traumatic and terrifying ordeal鈥攐ne that other participants navigated as well. But since then, setbacks have really gotten to her.

Kelsey has sought positive energy from the animals she’s seen in the bush. But these bursts of happiness seem to be fleeting.

She’s also tripping into the pitfall that Woniya Thibeault wrote about in her most recent听础濒辞苍别听column, which is thinking about her friends, pets, and life back home. As Woniya explained鈥�[colon (:) When] when the mind wanders to normal everyday life, it’s a sign that the survivalist no longer enjoys living in the backcountry.

The All-Star Forager听

Katie, meanwhile, seems entirely focused on her life in the Great Karoo desert. Like the others, she’s faced multiple setbacks: flooding, bad days of fishing, and a monkey stealing her warm hat. But after each challenge, Katie has responded with an extremely pragmatic and positive attitude.

Of the three, Katie seems like the one who has most embraced life in the Karoo. It feels like it’s her permanent home, and not just the site of a very challenging camping trip. And Katie has, for the most part, focused on her life out here and not on the one she temporarily left back home in Australia.

She’s turned her attention to other tasks, like building a windscreen for her shelter. And she’s also displayed highly advanced foraging skills that are far beyond that of any other participant on听Alone Africa. She’s stayed alive for three weeks primarily by eating the native flora: acacia seeds, mint, prickly pear cactus, and roots.

In episode 8 we saw her forage native garlic and allium vineale, a wild onion, for a soup. She also ground grass seeds into a porridge, which she soaked and ate for breakfast. It was an impressive meal considering it lacked any fish or red meat.

But Katie’s weakness is the lack of protein in her diet. She caught a fish back on day 1, but since then has only eaten plants. And all of the foraging skills and the world’s most positive mindset, alas, won’t be able to overcome food insecurity of that level.

The Problem Solver

Of the three, Nathan is in the strongest position to win. He semi-regularly hauls in massive catfish from the lake near his camp. He has a temporary and a budding permanent shelter. And he has a problem-solving attitude that’s helped him navigate several setbacks.

Nathan can credit this mindset with his advantage in food. Earlier in the season he struggled to catch fish鈥攖he meaty catfish in his lake were biting through the fishing line. Nathan innovated. He doubled up the fishing line twice, then braided it together, essentially creating a super-duper mega-strong line that was capable of holding the big creatures. Since then, he’s hauled in at least four giant catfish, which can feed him for several days.

Nathan’s biggest setback came in episode 8, when the rock house he was constructing fell over. I worried that the calamity would send him into a mental spiral. After all, he’s expended considerable energy building the structure, which now appears to be ruined. But Nathan simply sat with the problem, worked it over, and found a way to continue. He also brought this energy to his stuck fish hooks. Despite losing one, he rebounded.

The access to fish, plus the positive mindset, make Nathan a heavy favorite. Sure, Nathan may get sick, suffer an injury, or simply get outlasted by Katie or Kelsey. If I were able to place a bet on Alone at a Las Vegas casino, I’d put $100 on him.

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What’s the most valuable survival tool that you can bring into the backcountry?

The answer you’ll get from a wilderness expert is likely to be “your intuition” or “your survival experience” or perhaps even “a good knife.”

But after watching 12 seasons of the outdoor reality show听Alone,听my answer has narrowed on a very specific item: the ferro rod. This small metal cylinder, made from the alloy ferrocerium, produces sparks when struck with steel.

For those unfamiliar with the rules of听础濒辞苍别,听contestants are allowed to bring just ten items with them into the backcountry as they live off of the land for as long as possible. They choose their ten items from a master list made up of 60 or so gizmos, tools, and pieces of outdoor gear.

Every season, survivalists choose familiar items: a bow and collection of arrows, fishing line and hooks, saws, axes, plastic tarps, etc. The show publishes which items each survivalist .

The ferro fire striker is, by my count, the second most-popular item that survivalists opts for,听behind only the sleeping bag. And after watching the most recent episode of Alone Africa, I was again reminded why.

Another Survivalist Goes Home

(Spoilers Ahead!) During the seventh episode, which aired on July 31 and was titled “Echoes of Emptiness,” we finally saw Baha, the affable 50-year-old Kyrgyzstani-Canadian, tap out, departing the show after 18 days in the wild. His abandonment left just three contestants remaining: Nathan, Kelsey, and Katie.

One of Alone Africa’s biggest personalities, Baha lasted much longer than I predicted he would after I watched the first episode. In the season’s opener, Baha made a few curious decisions that placed him behind the eight ball. He decided to abandon his initial camping spot in favor of one two miles away. He decided to walk to the new spot during the heat of the afternoon, under the baking sun. And he chose to complete this trek despite not having any potable water.

When Baha reached his destination, he revealed another setback: he’d chosen not to bring a ferro rod into the Great Karoo desert, opting instead to rely on his skills with a bow-drill for creating fire.

It took Baha almost two days to successfully use this friction-based method to make an ember, which allowed him to finally boil drinking water.

Baha was just the sixth participant across听Alone’s听11 traditional seasons (season 5 had survivalists work in two-person teams) to disregard the ferro rod. Nathan Donnelly (season 6), Matt Corradino and Colter Barnes (both season 8), Luke Olsen (season 10), and Jake Messinger (season 11) all left ferro rods at home.

What do all of these six have in common? All of them tapped out.

Overconfidence Leads to a Bad Decision

On听础濒辞苍别,听having access to reliable fire is simply too important to ignore. Sure, some survivalists are talented with a bow and drill. But this method requires too much physical energy to complete, and is far less reliable than a ferro rod. During Alone seasons set in cold and wet locales, kindling eventually gets soaked by rain, rendering even the best friction setup useless.

Even in听础濒辞苍别听Africa, the desert monsoons came in and drenched everything.

So, how do you maintain fire when everything is damp? Like the other six who tried Alone without a ferro rod, Baha had to find a way to keep his fire going ’round the clock. And at some point, this meant staying up all night to stoke the flames.

Time and again Alone, has shown that, in a survival situation, rest is almost as valuable as food. After working long days in the cold, survivalists need their recovery. And once Baha started staying up all night, his mood dropped, and his will to continue evaporated. No sleep = no mojo.

We’ve seen the ferro rod make and break participants in previous seasons. In season 1, Joe Robinet barely lasted 24 hours after he lost his ferro rod on the beach. In season 7, Shawn Helton also bailed after losing his.

During season 6, Nathan鈥攁rguably the heartiest survivalist that season鈥攍asted a full 72 days in the wilderness despite not bringing a ferro rod. He instead allowed his fire to burn all day and night, sacrificing his sleep and recovery to that end. But eventually, the flames dried out the tree bows of his shelter. During the night his makeshift house caught fire, and he barely escaped with his life.

So, will Baha’s abandonment make the ferro rod a must-have for future participants? I have my doubts. One听Alone alumnus told me that belief in one’s bow-drill skills is a common mindset with Alone cast members. Some of these people have a little too much faith in this skill.

And so long as overconfidence remains part of the human condition, some portion of Alone survivalists will continue to leave the ferro rod at home.

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I’m not crying, you’re crying.

OK鈥攕o 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.听Of 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 on听Alone 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鈥攈eavy stuff.

Survivalists Can鈥檛 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 鈥楢lone鈥� Participant Is About to Quit. Woniya’s second indicator鈥攁re they curious about and engaged with the place, or are they looking at their photo and talking about home and family?鈥攃ame 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鈥攚isely so.

Isolation and the Battle to Stay Focused

Of course听Alone 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 on听Alone‘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鈥攖ons 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.”

Alone听acted like a therapist’s chair for听Albano,听and 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,听Alone producers let us know that Douglas got home too late鈥攈is father had already passed.

Full disclosure: I cried when the text flashed on the screen.

Every few years听Alone debuts a spinoff show that features past participants鈥攗sually fan-favorites鈥攃oming back for the challenge. Think Woniya on听Alone: Frozen or Jordan Jonas and Clay Hayes on听Alone: Skills Challenge.听

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 in听础濒辞苍别听Africa 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鈥攈er 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 watching听Alone Africa, I hope Dug is OK.

After five episodes, my mental ranking of the remaining听Alone characters based off of their situations and attitudes:

1. Katie: her shelter is looking strong, and the storm caused her very little stress
2. Nathan: he has food and a positive attitude; now he heeds to build a permanent shelter
3. Kelsey: she still has meat left over from the warthog, but her attitude took a hit after the flood
4. Baha: he has no ferro rod, a leaky shelter, and poor access to food
5. Dug: he’d be higher on the list if not for the potential medical situation

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If I had a chance to be magically transported back to the American frontier in the 1880s, I鈥檇 leap enthusiastically into the back of the covered wagon. At least for a temporary stretch, I鈥檇 welcome life in simpler times. There are aspects of our modern day, especially as a parent, that I wonder would be improved by going back in time.

A new reality TV show, 鈥淏ack to the Frontier,鈥� recreates these exact living conditions for a group of modern participants鈥攆amilies who agree to leave the 21st century behind to live like our ancestors did on the edge of civilization. Three families are challenged to live eight weeks on grassy plains near Calgary, Alberta, as 1880s homesteaders would. That means no running water, electricity, technology, or supermarkets.

Produced by by Magnolia Network co-owners Chip and Joanna Gaines, the home improvement power couple from 鈥淔ixer Upper,” the new series also streams on HBO Max. As a mother of two young kids who at times wishes we lived before the advent of the internet, I am particularly interested in how going back to the land and zero screen time affects parenting. So I phoned up two of the participants鈥攑artners Stacey and Joaquin Loper鈥攖o discuss the challenges and lessons learned from this daring social experiment they agreed to.

When an invitation to the show arrived in Stacey Loper鈥檚 inbox, her first thought was that her husband would love to participate.听 Joaquin, she said, has sought to teach the couple鈥檚 two boys about the history of Black Americans, and about the lives that their ancestors experienced. So, to have the opportunity to show the children seemed invaluable.

For Stacey, it was a tougher sell. 鈥淚’m not an 鈥榦utside girl鈥� at all,鈥� she told me when I spoke to the couple about their time on the show. Despite the transparency of the production staff, Stacey said she was completely unprepared for the experience when she first set foot in the cabin. All three families faced specific challenges with their shelter鈥攖o simulate life on the frontier鈥攁nd the Loper鈥檚 home was missing a wall.

鈥淚 set myself up for failure,鈥� Stacey said. 鈥淚 wouldn’t allow my mind to wrap around that this was truly the life I was about to live for the next eight weeks.鈥� While Joaquin felt prepared鈥�he鈥檚 a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and a dedicated outdoorsman鈥攈e was surprised by an unforeseen struggle.鈥淚 wasn’t prepared for how unprepared she was,鈥� he says, laughing.

The Lopers live in a five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath home in Alabama, and both Stacey and Joaquin are grief and marriage recovery counselors. Their boys, Landen and Maddox, are 15 and 12, respectively. For the first half of 听the show, the family brought along their secret weapon: Joaquin鈥檚 mother, Shirley, who was raised on a farm in the South.

Even with the initial help from Shirley, there were hurdles to overcome, mostly for Stacey, who says she doesn鈥檛 even like grass鈥�”The grass was way too high. It came up to my chest!鈥� she told me.

The family banded together and experienced something that many modern-day families could benefit from. By stripping away their everyday conveniences such as supermarkets and technology, relying on livestock and their own gardening skills for food, and learning to create their own joy and entertainment, they gained an appreciation for the small things.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 a vegetable girl before the frontier,鈥� says Stacey, 鈥淏ut, baby, I ate so many cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots.鈥� Now when Stacey goes to the grocery store she sees these vegetables as a gift from nature and the produce aisle is one of her first stops.

From Screens to Streams: Refocusing in Nature听

On the frontier their kids were using their surroundings to find fun, like skipping rocks in the nearby stream. 鈥淥ne of the most beautiful things for me to see my kids do was run around with sticks playing cops and robbers,鈥� says Joaquin. 鈥淭hey were using their imagination instead of a screen, and building images in their mind instead of on the screen.鈥� For Stacey, one of her fondest memories of their time on the frontier was when her boys created a volleyball net with two carpenter horses and some planks, resulting in hours of fun with the neighboring contestants鈥� boys.

Even before arriving on the frontier, Joaquin and Stacey always set ground rules for screen time. Their two kids were required to go outside for a few hours and read books together. After filming the show, the Lopers have mandated time for the family to converse鈥攑eriods when the phones must be turned off. 鈥淭hat time without screens shows how their creativity and their imagination work as well鈥攖hey’re not overloaded with all of this stuff on their phone or all this stuff on their tablets,鈥� says Joaquin.

My husband and I are no strangers to the lure of kids and technology. While our 6 and 10-year-olds don鈥檛 yet have cell phones, they have iPad and video games. We鈥檝e set limits on how much time they can spend with these things, but there鈥檚 no doubt that even limited use has its downfalls. I fear that with the drug of screen time they鈥檝e lost the ability to see the world, use their imagination, and just simply be present in the moment.

The Loper children weren鈥檛 the only ones who learned to find joy in the simple things. Both Joaquin and Stacey didn鈥檛 grow up in wealthy homes, and were constantly 鈥渓ooking to see what other people had, or what we thought we wanted or needed,鈥� says Joaquin. In modern day life, Stacey tells me that she was completely consumed by a lifestyle of materialism.

In the first episode, Stacey breaks into tears when her children are forced to eat canned meat for their first meal. The meal was reminiscent of her own childhood and reminded her of the efforts she鈥檚 taken to prevent her kids from experiencing poverty. 鈥淚 feel so insufficient,鈥� she tells the camera.

Fast forward to present day, back home and their frontier days behind them, Stacey can see the beauty in all of it. 鈥淚’ll tell you, living as an 1880s wife and mom, I felt the richest that I’ve ever had in my life.鈥�

Homesteading: A Growing Modern Movement

There鈥檚 a growing group of modern-day families choosing to leave the materialistic world behind and become homesteaders鈥攐ff the land and completely self-sufficient. YouTube channels like have close to one million followers, and today鈥檚 homesteaders are creating popular Instagram accounts that teach people how to ,, and even .

Although their eight weeks on the frontier didn鈥檛 convert the Lopers into homesteaders, it still taught them important lessons. Life鈥檚 joys aren鈥檛 about having the biggest house or getting the newest iPhone. It鈥檚 about their family; open communication, love, and finding strength and resilience in each other. It鈥檚 about sleeping in a warm bed and not seeing icicles forming on their frontier cabin ceiling. And of course, the never-ending appreciation for running water.

As a mother, always striving to pass my love of nature onto my own children, the show confirmed my fears of the effects of too much screen time and the importance of seeing the world in real time. Of course, it鈥檚 perfectly okay for us to enjoy a bit of simulated life on TV or online, but I鈥檒l be taking my kids on more walks in the woods and teaching them the joys of finding entertainment outside.

Back to the Frontier airs Thursday on the Magnolia Network 8pm ET, and streams on HBO Max.

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Megan Margulies was born and raised in New York City, but harbors a deep love for nature. She splits her time between Boston and a cabin in Vermont, where she tries to put to use.

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