This is a recap and review of Episode 6 of Alone: Frozen, which takes place over days 30 – 25. Three contestants remain at the start of the episode.
Callie
As I expected, Callie did not go home due to stomach poisoning. Instead, we find her having a smoke bath and cleaning her clothes (using the smoke from spruce boughs, which have antibacterial properties). As she does so, she gives us more details about the tragedies in her childhood and how she chooses to undertake challenging activities to honour her lost brothers, and how these challenges help her grow and expand as a person.
After showing us what indeed is a really cool view of the wind over the water, she checks her traps. She finds a squirrel in one, which she case skins (where you remove the pelt in one piece). I never considered using a squirrel skin as a bag before this.
A few days later, she gives us a tour of her shelter, showing her collection of heart rocks and grass feathers, tools, bed, and her chair. That same evening, she plans to sleep under the stars despite the snow (though I’m not sure why she pulled her sleeping stuff out of her shelter when it was still light, but maybe she goes to bed early). She survives the cold and wakes up having had a wonderful night under the stars. She did make a bet with herself, though: if there are animals in her traps that day, she plans to stay, but if they are empty, she will leave. Of course, the show ends there. We’ll have to wait and see whether the remaining trio becomes a duo.
Woniya
We first find Woniya leaving her shelter to gather mussels. After what happened to Callie’s guts, my only reaction was, “no!”
As she gathers, she explains how her relationship with nature was her compass as a child during her parents’ divorce. She then shows us her huge mussel farm, which honestly boggled my mind. She explains that she’s a naturalist with an MA in environmental science, so the seaside is a natural place for her to forage. On top of the mussels, she finds three sea urchins, then the sea urchin motherload.
The first morning when snow appears, it’s 24 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 Celsius). Woniya heads to her snares and discovers she’s caught a rabbit in one. She’s super excited, and as she works on it, she explains that survivalism requires confidence in yourself to succeed, and it’s taken her time to build this within herself.
Michelle
Michelle is not as upbeat as the other two women, but she also operates on a more even keel. She explains how she’s lost 14-pounds since drop-off, which is better than the 21-pounds she had lost by this day on her last time on Alone. She adds that she is inspired by her paternal grandmother, in how hard she worked for her family.
As she heads for her snares, she spots a pair of grouse and manages to headshot one.
She heads back to her camp to clean it, telling us that she was anorexic for years, but nature was what helped her heal. To bolster her spirits, she decides to carve a chess set in the evenings. As she begins, she talks about how she is on Alone because she wants to inspire others to get involved in nature, and viewers seeing her (and not the stereotypical “outdoorsman”) would relay to them that they can do it too. I agree with this, as while I’ve always loved nature (except for spiders), watching Alone (especially the women) has really made me want to do more wilderness camping and ensure my kids grow up with an appreciation for nature.
Predictions
I’m still betting on Woniya, as Callie’s staying on the show seems to be based on luck at this point. Though, Michelle could surprise us and be the last woman standing.
The next episode airs on Sept 22 on History Channel and StackTV.
