Episode 9 of History Channel’s Alone, Season 10, takes place over Days 41-43. Four contestants remain at the start of the episode.
This is a recap and review of episode 9.
Spoilers to follow!
Alan
On day 41, Alan leaves his shelter to reveal a winter wonderland. Back inside, he carves blunted arrowheads (thumpers) while he still has light.
The next day, he heads to fish on the lake as it’s calm. His gill net is empty, so he fishes by hand. He has a goal of making it to day 60. He gets furious about the fish biting but not being able to catch any. He decides to go hunting for grouse instead. The snow reminds him of spending time with his kids, which lowers his mood considerably.
On day 43, it’s Alan’s birthday. He plans to enjoy it by eating three full filets of fish.
He then goes to check the gill net. As a birthday present from nature, he has a cisco fish!
Mikey
It’s ten days until his son’s birthday, and he’s worried that his son misses him. As such, he builds little toys out of wood, such as a ball and cup. He hopes everyone else quits so he can go home for Nikolai’s birthday.
On day 43, Mikey is bored and cold. He decides to make a knife out of a nail he found. He heats the nail in the fire and then crafts it into a skinning knife. He talks about how his stepfather had taught him these skills and how appreciative he is. He then makes a hilt out of rope and a sheath out of wood. He makes a sling for it so he can wear it as a necklace. It’s pretty badass.
Wyatt
Wyatt has to get more wood for his fire, as his shelter requires it to be going 24-7 (it doesn’t appear to be as insulated as the other contestants’). As he chops, he talks about a previous injury to his leg, linking it back to his arm wound that isn’t healing still.
Later, he shows us the swelling in his arm and pulls out a 3/4-inch wood chip that had been embedded in his skin for two weeks. He hopes removing it means it will heal.
The next day, Wyatt decides to eat some mushrooms he found. He isn’t sure if they’re poisonous or not, assuming that because small animals were eating it he also won’t get sick. He goes on and on about how it can cause a terrible, painful death, then jams it under his gums to test it.
As he waits for any ill effects, he goes for a walk and manages to hunt two grouse. He cooks the grouse with the mushrooms. As he prepares the grouse, he talks about his grandfather and the time they spent together hunting.
Melanie
Melanie reveals that mice have bitten a hole in her sleeping bag and stolen some of the lining. She explains that she’s going to gather wood to stockpile it for the coming colder days. She uses the underwire from her bra to make a needle, which she sharpens on a stone. She discusses her life as a model in the 80s as she sews her sleeping bag back up.
Melanie shows the deadfall trap with the mouse she caught. She explains how her modelling career made her distant from others and her trauma, as she was alone a lot of the time. She talks about how she has love, a home, choice, and freedom in her life, but she isn’t sure how long she has left in the world. She explains how she has a new perspective on life and herself.
The next day, day 43, Melanie goes fishing but catches nothing. She grows very dissatisfied because of it, and it sends her into a spiral, thinking of her boyfriend back home.
She taps out. She explains that she is becoming unhappy and doesn’t want to live that way.
Predictions
We have two episodes left, leaving us with Mikey, Alan, and Wyatt. It seems to be anyone’s game. Wyatt’s main issue is his tendency to take risks (like with his wound and eating those mushrooms); Alan seems to be obsessed with fishing, so if that dries up, he might get bored fast; and Mikey just isn’t as used to the cold (though his shelter seems warm enough). I’m going to guess that Wyatt will tap out first, and then it will be up to Alan and Mikey. I’m still hoping for Mikey, but unlike some of the previous seasons, there isn’t anyone, personality-wise, I’m rooting for over the others.
The next episode airs on Aug 10, 2023, on History Channel and StackTV.
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