Episode 2 of History Channel’s Alone, Season 9, introduces the rest of the cast. We also already have to say goodbye to one of the contestants!
This is a recap and review of the episode. At the end, I’ll provide some guesses as to who will last until the end and, for even more fun, who has the most chance to nab a bear.
Episode 2 took place over 15 days, featuring 5 Contestants. 10 people remained at the start of the episode.
Spoilers to follow!
Adam – “Treefort Dude”
Adam earned his nickname from me in showing off his skills in making a fort. Pretty much the instant he arrived, he started building a shelter (his “moss house”), complete with a raised bed, cedar tiles on the roof to wick away rain, and a window.
While Adam has a partner and close family he misses, he once sailed across the Pacific Ocean independently. As such, in being alone, it seems he can keep himself on an even keel (that was a boat joke). He also discusses how the wilderness was his refuge from bullying as a kid.
While Treefort Dude loses two of his arrows attempting to snag a grouse, he made a great fishing rod and caught several small fish and one large one that he smoked for later use. I’m also very fond of when the contestants take a walk to get a great view, so maybe that pushed me a bit in his favour.
One thing I’m not too keen on is how he touched the bear poop with his hands, but I guess you do what you have to.
Tom
Tom is one of the most creative contestants on the show. We don’t see much of his shelter, but we do watch as he creates some fishing lures (“streamer flys”) using dyed hair from his head. I loved that he planned for this and essentially snuck in an extra tool!
Tom’s approach is to “be an observer in the woods” and wait for the wildlife to come to him. His method worked, as he nabbed a squirrel and his flys got him a few fish.
Tom has a girlfriend back home, but we don’t know much about what other emotional vulnerabilities he has … yet.
Terry
Terry’s segment started with him spying on a cute Harper seal and being thankful. But shortly after, Terry makes a big mistake. He left his tinder out of his shelter, and it got wet in the rain. As such, he spends all day making a fire (which was honestly quite painful to watch).
Yet, this setback is righted the next day when he gets his fire going and is able to boil water to drink (there’s water near him, but he can’t drink it without boiling due to the risk of Giardia from bacteria). Terry then barrels on strong, building a cozy A-frame shelter and catching a big brook trout while fishing. Everyone screws up sometimes, so hopefully, Terry’s experience spending most of each year on solo backpack adventures pays off.
Teimojin
Teimojin’s sections were of great interest to me, not only because he’s Canadian like me, but because he’s a doctor (as well as a former soldier). It’ll be interesting to see how his medical knowledge helps him in Alone. Not only that, but in the military, he focused on cold weather survival, so I’m curious if he has any unusual methods to survive. He already explained how you should put your bed high and your fire pit low for the best way to stay warm, and he made an amazing firepit with clay-reinforced walls and airflow.
What I’m wondering is whether he’ll be one of those people who do so well but then get bored and tap out when survival is no longer a challenge.
Jacques
Jacques was the only contestant featured in Episode 1 who reappeared in Episode 2. He starts on a high note by catching a big brook trout and having a huge pile of dry wood in his shelter. He seems in good spirits despite already losing 10% of his body weight and missing his girlfriend and puppy.
Then he kills a squirrel, and it sends him on a downward spiral. He’s unable to reconcile why he doesn’t like killing them. Personally, I think the reason is because they’re adorable little critters (despite the ones who keep having parties on my roof and the others who turned my shed into a maternity ward). Jacques’ problem is emotional – in being able to sustain himself without help, he realizes that what he really wants in life is a family, not to be alone in the wilderness.
So, it appears my assessment from the first episode is way off! Jacques, rather than being in it for the long haul, goes home on Day 15. I’m glad he used the experience to deal with his emotional trauma, but I really wanted to see him use that trap he found!
My Assessment
You aren’t going to give my predictive skills any weight after Jacques, but I’m still rooting for Karie-Lee. I also think Tiemojin and Adam are top contenders. But who knows? Maybe all three will leave next episode, and I should avoid buying lottery tickets any time soon.
Who will successfully hunt a bear? Honestly, I don’t think anyone will, but if I had to pick someone, I’d say Jessie, given she didn’t seem to care about one hanging around her camp at night in the last episode. She’ll probably just swat it away like a bug!
You can watch Alone on the History Channel or check out other options here. The next episode airs on June 9.
