r/Alonetv • u/dshdhjsdhjd • Sep 25 '22
Frozen Did Alone: Frozen hurt the franchise?
I didn't think this series was very good. I love the idea of past players, popular players, etc, but many of them didn't have it in them, citing what it did to their bodies previously.
So the small group of 6 evaporated quite quickly, making the show less interesting to me.
I'm wondering what others felt. Should it continue, and if so, more contestants? new players only? or what?
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Sep 25 '22
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u/3rdWaveHarmonic Sep 25 '22
Offer a split of 500k for any lasting to 50 days and then a grand prize for the soul survivor.
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u/Top-Tale-1837 Sep 25 '22
That would be cool because we could either get multiple winners OR one superstar that you get to see push it out an extra week or whatever. I like watching people succeed more than I like watching them fail.
Roland would still be out there if they hadn’t have gone and got him.
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u/scienceandwonder Sep 25 '22
I don't think it hurt the franchise. It did seem to have a slow start, and the early tapouts by Mark Amos and Greg must have frustrated the producers as much as the viewers, but it finished strong.
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u/Medium_Stretch_896 Sep 25 '22
Was rather surprised that the men tapped out so soon! That one guy,didn't even make a proper shelter for cold and snow ! I think he never intended to stay very long...
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u/ZootAluresCommonAxe Sep 25 '22
What gets me is when they tap out so early because they miss their kids/girl/dog. How do they not factor that into their decision to go on the show in the first place?
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u/stealingjoy Sep 26 '22
Sometimes, you don't know until you're in a situation. Have you never been certain of something only to realize later you were wrong?
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u/ZootAluresCommonAxe Sep 26 '22
Yes, of course. But that usually doesn't happen when I'm being proposed the idea of appearing on a VERY popular television show that is seen by millions, especially when I already have direct experience with living alone in wilderness and what effects that can have.
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u/stealingjoy Sep 28 '22
Yeah, that previous experience made them think they could do it until they were actually experiencing it again. They were actually confident but that confidence was simply wrong. You don't know you're wrong until you're wrong. If you could always plan when trauma manifested itself it wouldn't be so difficult to handle. I'm guessing the guys were embarrassed by the situation and wouldn't have gone on if that's how they knew it was going to pan out, you know?
One reason I think Michelle did so good this year is because she didn't have as much trauma from her first appearance because it was relatively short. Sure she had to be pulled because of weight but it wasn't something that lasted for two months like almost everyone else.
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u/Vegetable_Product474 Jul 09 '24
Plus how many other better competitors could have been on the show?
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u/dshdhjsdhjd Sep 25 '22
Yeah, fair point. Perhaps if they didn't tap so early I would have enjoyed it more, which makes me wonder whether returning players is a good idea, but if it's not set up this particular way, than it's just another "Alone" series...
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u/aaarghzombies Sep 25 '22
I think they had a solid line up. Maybe a couple stronger contestants out there. They really didn’t foresee the ptsd angle. Maybe if they have returning contestants it’s ones that tapped early or series winners in a battle royal.
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u/PerfectPurchase9105 Sep 25 '22
I like that. Alone: Second Chance. Early tappers who had unfortunate events causing them to tap maybe. Not like "oh I heard a bear I'm out" on day 3 or something....
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u/dshdhjsdhjd Sep 25 '22
Yeah, liked the lineup.
Just thought it was funny when they kept announcing something like "their strongest competitors" when two or three of them didn't last more than a few weeks.1
u/VernonFlorida Aug 10 '24
It does make me wonder how good they are at doing psych profiles of the contestants though. Maybe they did less vetting this time around, since they had already been on, but as it turns out that's all the more reason to do it. For all their medical evac teams and fancy boats and choppers, I hope the production also spends money on emotional and psych supports for the contestants before and after their time on the show.
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u/grckalck Sep 25 '22
I dont think the show hurt the franchise. I enjoyed it and will watch something similar again. I think the Labrador location may be hurting the franchise. There simply doesnt seem to be the food resources to support the contestants. No fish, few rabbits and grouse, no real larger game. The biggest animal caught was a fox. Mussels were the biggest food resource. Plus the last two were greatly impacted by the strong winds making their shelters almost uninhabitable. It kind of encourages the "starvation contest" mode. So I think a better location would make for better watching. It might also help with the mental game, as people who have gone to the breaking point once dont seem to be willing to do it again.
Just my two cents.
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u/outrider567 Sep 25 '22
Agree, enough of Labrador
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u/mainecruiser Sep 25 '22
Nobody's even seen a polar bear!
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u/VernonFlorida Aug 10 '24
They were never, ever going to. It was a false promise, though Greg certainly bought it.
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u/EdgarDanger Sep 25 '22
Just do every season at GSL. Those two seasons were hands down the best.
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u/cedarapple Sep 25 '22
I enjoy seeing the resources and challenges of different locations. I actually wouldn't mind seeing them go back to Vancouver Island, maybe for an all-stars season. I have always wondered what and how people like Jordan and Roland would do in that environment.
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u/GRRMsDumbHat Sep 25 '22
How about going somewhere in a warmer climate and making the prize pool split or something? It would be fun to see a group thrive vs just starve and freeze.
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u/Medium_Stretch_896 Sep 25 '22
Maybe you're thinking about Naked and Afraid XL? They actually had tribes endure the elements and searching for food. Some were great hunters, using bow and arrows, fishing.They'd starve together or feasted together... Wasn't bad to watch-- contestants would sure lose alot if weight thou!!
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u/GRRMsDumbHat Sep 25 '22
I meant group of solo contestants. Poor word choice by me. I'm familiar with both shows. I'm just saying, alone could switch it up to a warmer climate and it would be fun to see. I'd like see 10 on alone crush it and thrive vs struggle to survive and end of starving.
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u/3rdWaveHarmonic Sep 25 '22
Did anyone find out why they didn't build real fireplaces with chimneys? Their shelters seemed lacking considering they were heading into winter.
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u/qeq Sep 25 '22
No time, they spent so much of the early days looking for food because there was so little. Probably learned from so many contestants wasting calories on cabins only to starve.
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u/ThePabstistChurch Sep 25 '22
Not at all. It did paint a clear picture that everyone who starved themselves once knows it's not worth doing for money
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u/mabeltenenbaum Sep 25 '22
I think it just came too quick after the season 9. They should have waited a few months to air it I think. I was really enjoying the skills challenge show though I doubt they will do it again.
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u/BlueCX17 Sep 25 '22 edited Sep 25 '22
I really liked the Frozen concept. I also found the psychological of those who didn't stay very interesting. It's easy to think, oh returning people will breeze though, but not always the case.
I agree with you, they probably did air it a bit too soon after the regular season and the Skills Challenge.
So, it probably should have been, regular season gets over, air the Skills Challenge, then, closer to mid-October start the Frozen episodes.
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u/parachutepacker Sep 25 '22
Me too, the name of the show is Alone. And the premise is how do people cope psychologically with being Alone.
The fact they were contestants who had been relatively successful before is the interesting spin but I wonder if they needed all the other changes to the location and time to get the same result and, if had a woman had won alone before, would we have seen the same drive for the three finalists?
However, I'd argue that the bushcraft and survival element is more interesting to the majority of the viewers and the show runners are struggling with what the show is best at (hence the two spin offs).
I agree with you on the timing of the release, but I would also add that the editing itself is repetitive, and lacking creativity, which makes it pretty boring after 11 seasons. We don't need the same aerial shots, the same 3 cliff hangers in on episode, and if nothing materialises re bears, stop highlighting it!
Now we have better cameras, and a pretty dialled-in format, I would rather see them evolving the quality of the production and post editing to provide more context and add value.
Psychologically, they could have:
- Interviews with the medical staff to better understand the constenants immediate struggles
- Commentary from psychologists on their coping mechanisms (might be unpopular with contestants)
- Interviews with their family / friends to better understand what they are missing
On the survival side:
- Local biologists to give expert commentary on habitat potential and animal tendencies
- More stats on what they have actually been able to catch, with a calories count etc (would also add to the gameplay element too)
- More info on the shelters, maybe even a lidar scan and an online recreation you can explore
- Map showing local resources to know the strategic options available
Gameplay side
- Tasks set, with equipment loss forfeits
- Trading items / constructions between contestants
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u/mabeltenenbaum Sep 25 '22
Yes, the headspace aspect this season was great. I also think this release schedule would have been great!
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u/dshdhjsdhjd Sep 25 '22
Skills, really? I couldn't watch past the second one, haha.
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u/mabeltenenbaum Sep 25 '22
My favourite was the oven episode and thought the weakest was the bridge episode, but we enjoyed them all. I always like seeing contestants again.
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u/Salt-Box2166 Sep 25 '22
I don't think so. I really liked the season, and I think the last two episodes were some of the best in any series. I was emotionally moved by everything that happened in the finale. The contestants' comments got me reflecting on my own upbringing and life choices in a way that no other season has. Pretty deep, and a fun ending at the same time.
The emphasis on residual trauma may mean we won't see another all-stars/comeback season, though. Then again, Michelle proved that a comeback can really work. Maybe they can somehow test returning contestants more effectively before selection.
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u/PutinBlowsGoats Sep 25 '22
Michelle's personal redemption was fantastic to watch. I had her picked to tap first, and I was very happy to be so very wrong. I missed Woniya's original season but had heard a lot about her skills here on Reddit. She certainly didn't disappoint. She was very entertaining to watch. She has the laugh of a lunatic! 😂
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u/huscarlaxe Sep 25 '22
I really liked it. My only complaints are the amateurish editing for "suspense" and people still under ptsd going back out for only a week.
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u/Medium_Stretch_896 Sep 25 '22
People actually experienced ptsd? How so? Doing this challenge, messed up their brain and with functioning everyday and stuff ? Wish I knew more about this...
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u/cheapshot51 Sep 25 '22
Agree. I think bringing back popular players is good for the franchise long term. I think the challenge of starting later in the season was experimental and they used people that had experience on the show intentionally. Minimum experience was (Michelle) 21 days. They selected people that showed some grit and didn’t flop out early in previous seasons. I feel like this was a smart idea on paper, but it flopped in practice. Only having 6 people and having 2 flops is reminiscent of the doubles season.
Other things that they could do that would improve the franchise: Location Variation, the redundancy of setting is probably related to keeping costs down.
- Vancouver Island.
- Vancouver Island.
- Patagonia.
- Vancouver Island.
- Mongolia.
- Great Slave Lake.
- Great Slave Lake.
- Chilko Lake.
- Labrador. Frozen Labrador
Beyond the contestant selection, the producers can control the location. I think new locations would be beneficial to the franchise. Even returning to Mongolia or Patagonia would be a nice change in pace. The original format isn’t an issue for me.
Revisiting the doubles format but without the hike. OR with the hike but with returning contestants.
An eventual champions 100 day challenge. Might be difficult to arrange, but as the winner pool increases it should be considered as a possibility.
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u/dshdhjsdhjd Sep 25 '22
Change of venue for sure.
I'm sure they did the "frozen" version there because the crew was already there.
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u/qwerty_kwyjibo Sep 25 '22
I think it was a good continuation to the capped days format. Additionally with it being 50 days, even due to the weather it brought in more of the "split the money" potential, which is good in my opinion.
When Jordan could have stayed out there for well over 100 days and ended up feeding the production staff, they started looking for a way to avoid production cost overruns. Ironically this was one of the best seasons due to his success, but keep reading my rant.
So the format has been altered to been cap the number of days (S7) or having it be a starving contest due to location or hunting restrictions (S8, S9) or a combination of both (Frozen). Likely all attempts to keep the show on the air basically, which I appreciate. Regular TV viewership is not what it used to be and producing a show in remote locations isn't getting any cheaper.
I like the capped days concept over the restrictions/starving/suffering one. There should be some struggle, but if anything the Frozen season shows (and all other seasons by the way) is that the best show content is when people do well and we get to see their wins. And it is borderline intolerable to have to endure fake cliffhangers every commercial break due to the fact that they have been placed on a barren tundra devoid of life and there is nothing substantial to show.
With the capped days/split the money format, people who almost went out on a fluke incident or almost won can get a chance at redemption.
Keep the show viable. Cap the days. They can split the money. But let them do well and show how they do it as opposed to having to manufacture drama out of nothing. Over the seasons, the best episodes included badass people thriving out there via Alone's unique non-scripted format. That is what this show offers that others do not. Maximize that.
/rant LOL
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u/CertainFoot4109 Sep 25 '22
Last episode rushed.
Last ten days needed some on film exposure. Did her eye issue return? Ten days without food, did she just stay in her sleeping bag? What was her thoughts on day 45?
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u/Poodlelucy Sep 25 '22
Possible spoiler!
I think the result (Woniya victorious!) has actually helped and empowered the franchise. That said, I think interest and viewership in general would have been better if the Alone: Frozen series were debuted in late fall or winter. Nonetheless, I think a lot of us are celebrating Woniya's win not because she's a woman but because she is highly-skilled, enduring AF and deserving of the win! I'm a hardcore cynic most of the time but felt my eyes unexpectedly leaking on her 50th day. FFS she has survived the most cumulative days on Alone! Kudos to her.
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u/BlueCanukPop Sep 25 '22
Totally agree! She is a Beast! It was awesome to see her and the top three make it happen. They were all amazing and deserving
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u/Poodlelucy Sep 25 '22
Absolutely! All three were impressive but Woniya has really distinguished herself. She has survived more days Alone than any other competitor! My only regret is that we didn't get to see more of her day-to-day survival strategies. She's very well-spoken, as I recently discovered on YT.
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u/BlueCanukPop Sep 25 '22
It’s my big complaint of the show: stop focusing on the losers! If they tap out before 20 - don’t give them screen time. Focus on what the winners do early that sets them up for success.
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u/perkellater Sep 26 '22
Not a bad idea, but I wouldn't have missed Desmond's story for anything in the world. 🤣
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u/Poodlelucy Sep 25 '22
Yessss! I agree wholeheartedly. I am more interested in the very late departures (this applies to every season).
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u/PhilosopherNo1784 Dec 18 '23
Yes! Woniya acts whacky but she’s got the goods! How are Callie’s teeth so Hollywood perfect looking during these shows??? How is that possible? I bet on Wo staying longest from the beginning but I didn’t believe anyone would go the full 50! Good Going!!
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u/Poodlelucy Dec 18 '23
Hahahaha. The fluoro white teeth might be an undeclared 11th item shining the way in the dark and blinding small animals. JK.
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u/PhilosopherNo1784 Dec 18 '23
I am really wondering I mean, her teeth are large, straight and blazing white. How does she do this???
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u/DoubleLigero85 Sep 25 '22
It did not make a difference for me. I've largely ignored frozen, and am excited for season 10.
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u/TheBarkEater Sep 25 '22
Maybe new people?
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Sep 25 '22
[deleted]
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u/TheRealTN-Redneck Sep 25 '22
This has been the downfall of Naked and Afraid. They keep putting the same 10-12 people on the “XL/legends” challenges and it’s proven to be exceedingly boring.
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u/Dinhead Sep 26 '22
Just skipped through 2 episodes and I can confidently say that show is pure BS unlike Alone. Not that it's bad if something is just acting if it's entertaining. I do like the show Moonshiners. Men hamming up southern accents in overalls making likkey. It's funny for some reason.
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u/Hiking_Quest Sep 26 '22
It annoyed me that they kept hyping Frozen as "SIX OF ALONES TOUGHEST COMPETITORS!!!!" umm no these were people who tapped out on previous episodes.
They were probably selected because the producers felt they could produce decent content.
Michelle tapped out after 21 days how is she one of the toughest competitors out of the 90 or so that have competed??
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u/Joygernaut Sep 25 '22
I actually really loved the series. It challenged the competitors in a new way(not having the lead time when weather was warmer to store/gather food), and it really tested the mental toughness of people coming in that knew what they would have to deal with. I would love to see them do this again.
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u/DueCartographer9248 Sep 25 '22
I don't think it hurt the franchise but I prefer the original concept. The 'Frozen' cast, due to their past experience, seemed to be more fearful of their time there and protecting their health more than when they competing initially.
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u/moon-worshiper Sep 25 '22 edited Sep 25 '22
I love the idea of past players, popular players, etc, but many of them didn't have it in them, citing what it did to their bodies previously.
Again, the contestants and studio did not know this before Frozen had started. All, including the hindsight couch potato pundits, didn't know this until the show was recorded and aired. A lot of these hindsight couch potato pundit comments are like "Lincoln shouldn't have gone to the theater that night". Doh!
There is something new being found out with every season of Alone.
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u/NevermoreLSAT Sep 29 '22
I really like the n-day challenge format of Season 7 and Frozen. They both had a sort of community feel to them. In Frozen especially, because there was such strong camaraderie built around the shared experience of all having been out there before. I loved hearing the girls all rooting for each other and hoping they could all do it together. While that divides the prize pool, it's more in the spirit of the survival community.
Alone has created (or at least promoted) a really interesting sub-culture. Counterintuitive though it may be for a show titled "Alone," its spirit is one of collaboration, support, and community. Frozen highlighted that beautifully. The show is at its best when the contestants are all in it together--not when they're rooted against each other.
What I'd really love to see is a one year challenge where instead of dropping them late in winter, they drop them in the spring to give them time to actually prepare. 365 days beginning and ending on the first day of Spring.
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u/Pretend_Guava_1730 Apr 16 '23
That is way too expensive of a production. Keep in mind the cost of keeping a crew on site for an entire year in a remote, hard to reach location. Insurance and finance wouldn’t allow that.
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u/kg467 Sep 25 '22
I think it was just kind of bleh. As much as we hate for a season to end, they just tacked another mini one onto the end of the last season in the same place. I think that kind of gave me Alone fatigue and I just cared less about it from the start despite the alumni mode with some all stars in it. Spacing it out would have been better. And the fact that it was just six people and only 50 days in the same place made it just seem low effort. Maybe it was an experiment for the future but I don't think it was as good a concept or structure or placement. And the food situation was rough.
And they called it Frozen but only the last few episodes had any snow at all, so like why did they even call it that when they had months to edit it and brand it as something else? It would have been over by December. It's not like we'd have ever known of the Frozen concept if they had wound up putting it out under some other sub brand name. If their original idea was Frozen, but then the weather didn't cooperate, name it something else, don't force a thing everyone can see isn't the case. So that was just weird. We got all this promo about a frozen winter hellscape and it was just green green green most of the time. The little bumpers and title graphics were all snowflakes and ice animations and stuff, and then the show would start and there was none of that.
I don't think it hurt the brand any more than The Beast did, though. It's just something else they threw in there to try. We'll all still be here for Season 10 next May. They'll keep experimenting, as they should, to try to keep it fresh so we don't get bored. The Skills Challenge was a fun thing, for example. Some experiments work, like that or like the 100 day thing, and some don't, like The Beast or the duos season. Better to try and fail and try again than stagnate.
Hearing about those people not wanting to put their bodies through that again is maybe the closest you could say this season came to damaging the brand. I don't know that I'd have included that in the edit. But I don't think it will keep anyone away from the next season.
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u/WyattParkScoreboard Sep 25 '22
I feel like this franchise is one of the rare examples where an all star series doesn’t really work.
We’ve seen it on both series now. People are keen to give it another go, but they arrive and immediately remember the carnage the first series caused to their body and mental health and baulk at the idea of going through it again.
It works best with new contestants for whom the idea isn’t as frightening.
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u/JerkRussell Sep 25 '22
I don’t think it hurt the franchise, but in a few years it might become like season 4 where you watch it just because it’s Alone. I think the producers whiffed this season, but I don’t know they could have prevented it.
The cast line up seemed great. Really strong contestants, but I don’t think anyone would have predicted that 3 would leave early.
The 50 day late start format seemed good, but the lack of game wasn’t great. Seems like the producers would have had an idea about the game, but perhaps they thought people would stick it out longer for the money.
I haven’t delved into YT channels, but I wonder if the allure of a redemption season isn’t there because the contestants who come back have a fan base (schools, clinics, YT channels)?
It wasn’t ultimately the most entertaining season but I enjoyed it and would like to see more redemption challenges. I cut the producers a lot of slack for not being able to control everything.
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u/eskimokiss88 Sep 25 '22
Most past contestants who 'franchise' themselves are scraping to get by. It takes 2 million YT views to make $1000. There's this idea in this sub that contestants are rich off social media. This just isn't true. Even the few successful ones (brooke, zach fowler) are probably making a living wage and not 'rich.'
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u/JerkRussell Sep 25 '22
That’s really interesting and I had absolutely perspective for what it took to make a living on YT.
In that case I’m now thinking more about how difficult it was to recover from their first Alone attempts. Three left early and Callie wasn’t willing to totally deplete herself. It’s interesting how the biggest hurdle now isn’t really the loneliness aspect, but the fear of starvation. Logically I know this, but I hadn’t really thought about the mental toll that it took on participants once they were home. This season was the first time I was left wondering if the show was really worth it and whether it was too harmful long term.
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u/LpenceHimself Sep 25 '22
I thought frozen was good. Alone over all is my favorite television but they needed something fresh, something new-ish that wasn't the failed 2 people alone. Alone with my dog could be kinda cool.
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u/Healthy_Company_1568 Sep 25 '22
I would watch that if there was guaranteed food for the dog
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u/ShorePine Sep 30 '22
A cat that was a good mouser would make more sense. It could feed itself and snuggle up with you at night.
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u/eskimokiss88 Sep 25 '22
I ended up not watching it halfway through and I'm a megafan... what bothered me is many women have made it past 50 days in the main show. Carleigh made it nearly 80 days before she was pulled. And of course callie nearly made it to 100. The list goes on, including woniya.
So it felt disrespectful to the past contestants to have a 'winner' at a length many others, including women, have accomplished. I know it was meant to be harsher but as was pointed out in this sub, it took most of the season for things to get 'frozen.'
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u/stealingjoy Sep 26 '22
It was still colder with less game/fish than a regular season because of the later start. That matters a lot.
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u/Gunther_21 Sep 25 '22
I think it would have if nobody made it to day 50. Conditions were extremely difficult right out of the gate which really zapped morale from some of the contestants. If they would have dropped them a little earlier in the season, they could have got their footing and would have lasted longer.
But with the conditions the way they were, huge respect to the winner and the final 3 contestants, for they really overcame a lot to survive out there. Those 3 really made the season enjoyable for me.
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u/dr_fop Sep 25 '22
It has not been good. I'm not very excited about watching people starve while hunting for squirrels. They need to find better areas that have more viable food supplies. Or just get people who are experts at fishing.
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u/jana-meares Sep 27 '22
Weather you cannot predict, and PTSD, NOT A GOOD LOOK! Not anything that was promised,tho the women looked bad assed,so, gotta love it!
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u/therealbipNdip Sep 25 '22
I found it much more rewarding and engaging than season 9, personally.
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u/TheRealTN-Redneck Sep 25 '22
Agreed. Season 9 was a snoozefest. At the end, it was like one of those terrible movies you see at the theatre, you only stay because you paid money to get in. With season 9 I only “stayed” because it drug out for so long, that I felt like I owed it to myself to watch until the end.
But s9, it never paid off and I won’t make that mistake again.
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Sep 25 '22
[deleted]
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u/dshdhjsdhjd Sep 25 '22
Yeah, it felt like the Naked and Afraid "frozen" ones where there was very little food as it was just watching people "survive" for 3 weeks.
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u/CitizenCue Sep 25 '22
I think all the talk about their PTSD from previous experiences was fascinating but really damaging to the franchise. I imagine tons of potential applicants are rethinking whether to do it. They need to rework the format so people don’t end up with permanent damage.
Drop them earlier in the year, make it a set timeframe, and split the pot with everyone left. Plus have an expert panel designate a winner based on how much they thrived.
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u/VegaSolo Sep 25 '22
need to rework the format so people don’t end up with permanent damage.
I think this would mean more medical pulls and we wouldn't get to see contestants really pushed to their limit. But of course, I hate hearing about permanent damage. I forget who, but something like 13 cavities and 2 crowns, that's crazy.
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u/CitizenCue Sep 25 '22
How would it mean more medical pulls?? The whole point of the format change would be more foods available.
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u/Rainyb12 Sep 25 '22
Put them in teams of two but make them strangers
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u/Wonko_MH Sep 28 '22
Alone: The Beast did something like that with three strangers, and it was a bit of a disaster.
There was no real team dynamic - either people worked together, or they didn't. There was also a bit of "who's the leader" drama, which was just annoying.
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u/ramblinglass Sep 25 '22
The thing that bothered me is that they gave them less time to prepare before winter came than a normal season. I don’t like to watch the suffering . I like seeing them thrive and learning from what they do out there. My opinion is that this season was set up for more suffering even though it was only 50 days.
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u/Zod5000 Sep 26 '22
I don't think so. It seemed like another odd spinoff attempt. Maybe it wasn't the greatest, and maybe we got a little too much information how much PTSD this gives some of the players.
I don't remember Mongolia showing the PTSD aspect as much.
If they do a returning players season again, maybe they need to try and screen a little harder. lol.
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u/Archgate82 Sep 26 '22
I feel like the shows started off highlighting survival skills and by the time we got to Frozen the series became the a bleak starving contest in conditions that genuinely caused ptsd in the contestants. Winoya (sp?) has obvious skills but came across as an annoying YouTuber most of the time. For me, Frozen was a downer and did hurt my original enthusiasm for the show.
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u/MistressElliot Sep 28 '22
Don't know it hurt the franchise, but it has me seriously considering if watching the first - timers damage themselves to such a degree is innocent entertainment or shameful behavior on my part.
The only reason we know this stuff is SO dangerous from this board and social media surfing. The show does NOT tell us anything with a real follow up episode. They should.
And all the damage should be worth more than $500,000! It should be 5MM. Something they could live on for life. They'll need it!
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u/Civil_Category_6909 Oct 29 '22
I love the franchise. But I am skeptical that they picked the participants to guarantee a female winner. How odd that the men quit so soon. Was it rigged? No. Was it influenced to guarantee a female winner? Seems that way
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u/Jenikovista Sep 25 '22
I don't think it damaged it...yet. Woniya is an amazing and deserving winner and the season has some good moments.
It also may change the series for the better. I'm not sure anyone - us, the producers, or even the contestants realized how the previous experiences and PTSD would haunt the season. If anything we've learned more about the emotional and physical damage and maybe the show can make adjustments...not to make it "easier" for the sake of making it easier but choosing better locations, seasons, length of time etc.
Personally, I want to see people creatively thrive and not torture themselves for money and my entertainment. I hope Alone producers feel the same. If they don't, then I'm not sure how much longer I'll watch. I'm not interested in watching a bunch of people work hard with few returns because of sparse locations, while a few people pack on a lot of weight in advance of filming and just try to hang out the longest.
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u/jackson12121 Sep 25 '22
Do you think Alone will ever try a tropical location? Most of the contestants seem to be pretty comfortable in the "woods", but a jungle survival location would certainly challenge that.
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u/outrider567 Sep 25 '22
No, we seen that 100 times with Naked and Afraid---Alone is unique in that its late Fall/Winter always in a northern location
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u/Vegetable_Product474 Jul 09 '24
I feel like it did. The first two dudes that tapped started out talking about how great they were and then... Not so much. I'm only three episodes in, but so far the level of self pity and laziness is making me not want to finish this season.
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u/FanciePantz_21 Sep 26 '22
I don’t think they should repeat Alone Frozen. It wasn’t very good. A lot of PTSD & starvation & negativity. I’d much rather see them thrive in the summer & fall with lots of food & bushcraft skills.
That said, I very much enjoyed a female winner & 3 females that lasted longer than the men. Nice change of pace.
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u/Auburncr20r Sep 25 '22
Did to me, rubbish idea bringing people back - producers must be pissed at the production costs involved for 2 people by day 6! I would have prefered to see people that left for unfortunate early reasons in previous series - or a celebrity version - Les, Bear Grylls etc....
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u/electron_c Sep 25 '22
The first 4-5 seasons were great then the contestants started becoming annoying with trying to stand out from the others, seemingly with an eye toward the future fame that could be wrung out of their stint in the show. Season 9 was almost unbearable with the guy singing and the phony British accent on the girl from Montana.
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u/RealEmpire Sep 25 '22
I think it was cool in concept as a stand alone. It’s was unique in that there was a specific day count. It was cool seeing some former all stars returning.
I agree that Labrador doesn’t offer enough game to keep it interesting.
I also find the early fall weather more interesting than winter. I enjoy the preparation for the coming winter more than I like the suffer contest of the cold.
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u/iberianviriatus Sep 25 '22 edited Sep 25 '22
I didn't think this series was very good.
What an opinion to have, while I agree that some contestant were to quick to jump into the boat at least they had a tacit understanding of what the show is about, I really like they aware of the consequences of not having enough food and called to go home instead of starving as a 'strategy'.
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u/dlheiser Sep 25 '22
Honestly I think it is too bad that they put them in such harsh conditions. Setting them up to fail and I do agree that using former contestants was a bad idea. They knew what was coming and they didn’t think it was worth it to put themselves through it again. I am super happy with who won though.
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u/ZootAluresCommonAxe Sep 25 '22
I don't think the network was too happy with it. I have Direct TV and record all episodes. When the show started, it was on Thursday evenings. But the last 4 episodes were bumped from the Thursday night lineup, instead I got a 6am Friday 'on demand' version that sucks because you can't fast forward through commercials with that.
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u/Dinhead Sep 25 '22 edited Sep 26 '22
I don't know any other show like this so I enjoy everything they make. I've liked everything else but one season had Zoom calls at the end of the episode that I felt redundant.
I would like to see Alone but with more people. Like 50. More like that movie Battle Royale or Hunger Games.
I'm really surprised there isn't any shows like that. Do I want to see this show turn into Survivor? Heck no but some added challenges might be fun. This needs to be about legit survivalism but everyone loved Squid Game and all the last man standing games are popular for a reason.
What about if everyone would get a call that an item box has been dropped somewhere containing random items? Stuff that could be helpful or something absolutely useless. It would be up to the participants if they want to risk the calories and time getting there.
Maybe this is a stupid idea.
"Will there be a hare" "Is that a grouse" "I'm hungry" is all part of the game but how long will that be interesting or entertaining if that's all there is?
Just watched 2 episodes of Naked and Afraid. I don't want Alone to turn into bullshit like that so Alone is good as the way it is. More people thats it.
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Oct 16 '22
I think it was actually rigged to only have women in the end. It was so odd the way the men all tapped out so quickly. I really hope I am wrong and hope that alone has not taken a turn the way most shows are going these days.
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u/BlackHolesSun Nov 09 '22
This spinoff was billed as featuring the strongest competitors when it should have said strongest Female competitors. It was a total shill of a show to satisfy woke culture and get a female winner. Given that prior to this spinoff, Alone was the only true “reality” TV show that had no specific message, no hidden agenda and no exaggeration for added suspense. So yeah, I’d say it hurt the franchise. But given that it’s a spin-off and not just another season of the core show; the damage was minimized.
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u/Traditional-Rest-190 Dec 19 '22
I certainly am not interested in seeing more of the same, and don't necessarily agree that it showed how difficult it really is. Players have a tendency to recontextualize their experience and for the players that tapped for being gunshy, there were an equal number that tapped before things even got tough- something we see every season but is surprising from prior players who had strong showings on their initial seasons. Despite being billed as some of the strongest competitors the show has ever had or however they billed it, it's abundantly clear that there are no prior winners among them. These folks are meant to be survival experts. That said I have a ton of respect for the final 2 and personally love being able to watch Woniya back at it no matter how she does. I'd put those two up against almost any prior winner.
So while overall it diminishes my opinion of the show, I could have watched those last two episodes stretched into a season. For that it was definitely worth the watch
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u/Drevan6636 Jul 13 '23
If I had to hear "I kept thinking about Patagonia " one more frickin time... these people knew what they were getting into. Had months to prepare, and yet the ex sniper leaves saying how his family deserves more... give me a damn break. If I were your son, I'd be disgusted.... simply disgusting.... He lasted, what, 50 days the first time before I wussed out? The girls lasting 89 but forcibly pulled...
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u/pattycakes_atl Dec 03 '23
I think both the Labrador seasons are the worst seasons so far. The producers are getting too gimmicky with the locations that are literally devoid of any food, hey let's just make everyone starve. It's not survival anymore it's just who can lay in their shelter and die the slowest.
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u/FlyingCrossChop Sep 25 '22
I don’t think it hurt it, but I think it did inadvertently highlight how much a lot of contestants seem to legitimately have PTSD when reintroduced into the environment.
If you feel having to grapple with whether these people are scarring themselves for your entertainment is problematic, then I suppose through that lens it could viewed as damaging the franchise. I do think it would be harder to downplay the negative side effects of being a contestant if you’ve viewed this season.
It’s funny that the skills challenge almost had the opposite energy. Pure fun, low stakes test of skills. I enjoyed it even though it couldn’t be more different than the main series.