Alone Australia

[Vader]

Well, we're off to a decent start. Nobody pulling the plug inside 24 hours. The only person who tapped in the 1st episode did so because they were having what appears to be a heart attack - not because they lacked skills. Fingers crossed he'll be OK. I assume we'll find out the outcome early in next week's episode. I know they normally do half the group in ep 1, and the other half of the group in ep 2, but surely they won't make us wait for ep 3 to find out the story of his medical emergency?

... and the girl has already outlasted her partner, who tapped inside 24 hours in the first series!

 

[Lyttelton Ranger]

There is millions of pigs and deer

Have you ever been out in the NZ wilderness? I've spent plenty of time in the Alps and Fiordland and deer are especially hard to find in the bush. Wild pigs/boar are also good at evading humans. The only other large critter of note is the tahr which exist at altitude. Even the birdlife is scarce thanks to the destructive efforts of the stoat.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

Have you ever been out in the NZ wilderness? I've spent plenty of time in the Alps and Fiordland and deer are especially hard to find in the bush. Wild pigs/boar are also good at evading humans. The only other large critter of note is the tahr which exist at altitude. Even the birdlife is scarce thanks to the destructive efforts of the stoat.

Yes.
Did fjordland in the 70s.
No problems getting fish,pig and deer.
25 minute helicopter ride in.
3 1/2 hour boat ride in

 

[Vader]

So... did people prefer ep 1 of season 1, or season 2?

In Season 1, we saw some truly clueless contestants evicted from the show. There wasn't a whole lot of competence on display, just a couple of examples of really bad casting - people who were cast largely on the basis of "diversity" (i.e. skin colour) and not on their ability to survive.

In Season 2, we saw a group of people who all seemed reasonably competent in the bush. However, the only real drama was the medical emergency which happened in the show's dying minutes - and which was left as an unresolved cliff hanger. We saw people setting up temporary shelters, lighting their first fires, and starting to explore their environments (and gaping in awe at the beauty of the NZ Southern Alps). All in all though, there really wasn't much drama until the medical emergency.

Obviously the S2 competitors have been better cast, but did that make for better television viewing?

 

[Kram]

Only the first ep but it felt like a cure for insomnia.

 

[Vader]

Only the first ep but it felt like a cure for insomnia.

The first couple of eps are often slow. The episode time has to be shared between a large number of contestants, and they're all people we haven't gotten to know yet. The drama starts to kick in once the weather gets cold & wet, and the contestants start struggling to find enough food to sustain themselves. That usually takes a few episodes.

Last year the first episode was full of champagne comedy, as the incompetents (who should never have been cast in the first place) were quickly weeded out. This year the casting was better, so we didn't have anybody to laugh at or poke fun at.

 

[Vader]

Redditors have identified the filming location as Lake Te Anau, on the eastern side of Fjordland National Park:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/plac...4d167.7500397!16zL20vMDMwcmg4?hl=en&entry=ttu

Gotta say, the location shits all over the site they used last year in Tasmania. They might as well have named that area Dismal Swamp, for all we saw of it. The scenery at Lake Te Anau is simply majestic.

 

[Vader]

Episode 2 is up tonight. What are we expecting to see?

I assume they'll start with the resolution of Mike's medical emergency/tap out. Then, I'm expecting the rest of the episode to focus on the contestants who missed the spotlight last week - Andreas, Jack, Jason, Krzystof (who really needs more consonants in his name), and Suzan.

Mike will obviously be the first to go, with anyone who requires medical treatment being compulsorily tapped out. Anyone taking bets on whether we'll see any early tap outs from the 2nd batch of contestants? My money is on no, as I think they've done a much better job of casting people with survival skills this time around.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

Episode 2 is up tonight. What are we expecting to see?

I assume they'll start with the resolution of Mike's medical emergency/tap out. Then, I'm expecting the rest of the episode to focus on the contestants who missed the spotlight last week - Andreas, Jack, Jason, Krzystof (who really needs more consonants in his name), and Suzan.

Mike will obviously be the first to go, with anyone who requires medical treatment being compulsorily tapped out. Anyone taking bets on whether we'll see any early tap outs from the 2nd batch of contestants? My money is on no, as I think they've done a much better job of casting people with survival skills this time around.

Would at least like to see and hear them before calling early exit.

Magic Mike is overcome with his bragging ways and reality.
So a major panic looks to have ensued.
Calling a twiggy branch a "tree rub" automatically set it off for me.

 

[Vader]

Would at least like to see and hear them before calling early exit.

Magic Mike is overcome with his bragging ways and reality.
So a major panic looks to have ensued.
Calling a twiggy branch a "tree rub" automatically set it off for me.

The guy is passed out in his shelter, unable to answer his satellite phone. I suspect it's more than just a panic attack.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

The guy is passed out in his shelter, unable to answer his satellite phone. I suspect it's more than just a panic attack.

Didn't see that bit.
Last part of show had a boat approaching a person on the shoreline waving a torch?
Sorry for being wrong.

 

[Vader]

Didn't see that bit.
Last part of show had a boat approaching a person on the shoreline waving a torch?
Sorry for being wrong.

It may have been in the preview section for this week's episode. He sure as hell won't be waving a torch on the shoreline.

Given that they were talking about evacuating him via helicopter, it's possible that the footage you think you saw was the initial interaction between the boat & helicopter crew?

 

[Sqotty from office works]

It may have been in the preview section for this week's episode. He sure as hell won't be waving a torch on the shoreline.

Given that they were talking about evacuating him via helicopter, it's possible that the footage you think you saw was the initial interaction between the boat & helicopter crew?

I worked as an environmental guide in fjordland.
As I sated earlier, it's a minimum 3 hour boat ride, 20 minute helicopter ride.
We had people with twisted ankles and The helicopter always got called no matter what the price,

 

[Vader]

I worked as an environmental guide in fjordland.
As I sated earlier, it's a minimum 3 hour bout ride, 20 minute helicopter ride.
We had people with twisted ankles and The helicopter always got called no matter what the price,

They're on Lake Te Anau, not Doubtful or Dusky Sound. Not sure where you were referencing for the boat ride. I suspect they're not quite as far from care as you are/were thinking.

** I absolutely agree with you, if they were on the western side of the ranges, in the Sounds. However, being on the eastern side of the range, on a freshwater lake, probably changes that equation.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

The guy is passed out in his shelter, unable to answer his satellite phone. I suspect it's more than just a panic attack.

Told you he had a panic attack,
Can't see the Swiss bloke making it.
Can't see aboriginal girl leanne winning
Tamika not winning
Chace I'm not sure

 

[Vader]

Told you he had a panic attack,
Can't see the Swiss bloke making it.
Can't see aboriginal girl leanne winning
Tamika not winning
Chace I'm not sure

Yep... good call on the panic attack.

 

[Gak Attack]

Did that family win a prize to get on? What a complete waste of spots both seasons.

 

[Vader]

Not quite what I was expecting...

I thought they might give us an update on Mike's medical condition - something caused his chest pain, which triggered the panic attack. It would have been nice to find out what caused it. In the past we've seen footage of contestants who have been taken to hospital, showing the resolution of their situations.

We saw a lot more footage than I was expecting of last week's contestants - most notably Chace and Leanne, plus Rick at the very start of the episode. I wasn't expecting to see any of these competitors in the 2nd episode.

In contrast, we still haven't seen anything at all of Jack, Jason & Suzan. Either they didn't turn in any usable footage, or these are the contestants who go deep in the game, and we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the later episodes.

Leanne was only marginally less useless than her partner. Neither managed to build much in the way of shelter, and neither found any food at all. Leanne lasted to day 4, rather than tapping inside 24 hours... but neither showed anything in the way of staying power. She really would have been better off staying home with her young family, rather than showing that her bushcraft skills were on par with her useless partner's.

Nice to see Chace catch a fish, and get himself a decent feed - particularly after losing a hook to the large & healthy eel (which would have made great eating if it wasn't a prohibited species).

Doing better than last year - only 2 tap outs inside the first 5 days, and one of those was on medical grounds.

 

[Vader]

Did that family win a prize to get on? What a complete waste of spots both seasons.

Diversity casting gone wrong.

 

[Lyttelton Ranger]

So Leanne winges about missing her family and taps out. Thanks a bunch for taking the spot of someone more motivated.
I had to put up with a woman in a tour group who kept saying she just wants to go home and be with her children, just as we're about to head off to see Christ the Redeemer in Rio. I mean, it's only one of the most incredible sights you'll ever see, but nah - would rather be with her kids. P*** off

 

[Gak Attack]

Diversity casting gone wrong.

I mean until they drop them they don't know how they'll act no matter how well trained but given her partner I think you could have an idea and especially the reasons for the tap so early missing family etc. I think you would know you couldn't handle a few days without family prior to going in.

Anything under 5 days non medical they've ****ed up with the casting imo unless they deliberately do it for some early taps. I know i couldn't win and don't have the skills but I've camped solo plenty of times and am quite comfortable I'd see out 5 days, maybe longer if I got a fish or something. I feel like anyone who has spent time overnight by themselves outdoor would be the same so that's the bare minimum bar for me, you just shouldn't be making a show like this and tapping early.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

A banker with zero outdoor experience lasts 7 days.
I've taken the softest city people into these situations and they last the 9 days.
Everything depends on mental aptitude and I'm shocked this show hasn't done good pre tests.
On MAFS I understand getting edgy types, but Alone is a different thing all together.
Very poor people vetting.

 

[Vader]

I've read suggestions (on a different forum) that Leanne may have been cast deliberately, knowing full well that she was completely useless, and would almost certainly tap out early. The reason being that the producers didn't want to be stuck with a group of survival experts who would go to the 4th or 5th episode before starting to tap. They need a bit of interest, from having a steady trickle of tap outs throughout the duration of the game.

Conspiracy theory, or sensible (but controversial) casting?

 

[StingBitten]

I think the show genuinely wanted to give Leanne the opportunity to redeem the family/Rob from the embarassing first season 24-hr tapout.

They would have been 100% sure she wouldn't have made it to the end, but might have managed 2-3 weeks which would've salvaged the family rep. She appeared to have fairly similar/strong survival and hunting skills to Rob.

The annoying reality is though is that her experience was a mirror image of Rob, she pulled out the photo of loved ones and sobbed that she wanted to be there for her little kids and not miss out. Guess what Leanne? I'm the exact same. I have two small kids and even if could harpoon a Kiwi Whale with a bag of expired mentos lollies and live off the frothy blubber for months you wouldn't catch me anywhere near a show like Alone.

Everything both Leanne and Rob said, should have been realised prior to the show - especially in Leanne's case.

I work for an Aboriginal organisation and I will say that most of them can't bear to be without their family for more than a day or two.. it's a commendable quality, but even more frustrating in the context of a survival show like Alone.

 

[spinynorman]

Visiting my mum and so watching this for the first time as she's into it.

Why's this guy wearing a keffiyeh?