Alone Australia

[TheEscapeClub]

Think you're right.
Women tell me stress makes them bleed for extra long time. She's done.

WONDER IF THEY WILL PUT A DRUGGED UP ANIMAL INTO THE GAME SO WE CAN SEE A ARCHERY KILL AT SOME POINT.

It reminds me of my younger days of guys having surfboards permanently attached to the roof of their cars. All for show, they couldn't surf to save themselves

 

[MrsBlueSky]

OK. So what's going to happen out in the bush tonight then?

 

[Sqotty from office works]

OK. So what's going to happen out in the bush tonight then?

It's been a borefest.
If a season 3 happens the producers will need to make lots of personal changes

 

[MrsBlueSky]

It's been a borefest.
If a season 3 happens the producers will need to make lots of personal changes

I think the answer to my question would be "not much".
Vadar seem relatively happy with what's going on - but he/she would be the only one.
Personnel changes is what's needed for season 3.
How absolutely ridiculous that they trolled through the applicants to get 10 people who can fire a bow and arrow and they all take it with them and shoot SFA.
I would have been happier to see no bows and arrows and let genuine survivalists get out there and compete instead of contestants looking at the photo of their family with the shiny bow sitting behind them unused.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

I will bet 10 dollars they insert a drug induced deer at some point.

 

[Kram]

Surely it's at short odds to get axed, no pun intended.

It's even more dull than the 1st one, a fair achievement..

 

[Kram]

They should parachute in a couple of celebrity contestants.

Like Bear Grylls and Alby Mangels.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

Killed fire
Spilled his soup
Burnt his legs

That's a trifecta

 

[Sqotty from office works]

Old retired cop shiela only one that built a chimney

 

[MrsBlueSky]

The Alone gods were having a chuckle when they saw my mate Andreas building a mouse trap and they sent along a possum to set it off - that's next week, nothing happened this week.

 

[Vader]

I think the answer to my question would be "not much".
Vadar seem relatively happy with what's going on - but he/she would be the only one.
Personnel changes is what's needed for season 3.
How absolutely ridiculous that they trolled through the applicants to get 10 people who can fire a bow and arrow and they all take it with them and shoot SFA.
I would have been happier to see no bows and arrows and let genuine survivalists get out there and compete instead of contestants looking at the photo of their family with the shiny bow sitting behind them unused.

They actually did the same thing in S1 of the USA version - everyone took a bow & arrow, got dumped on Vancouver Island, and discovered that the only thing to eat on the land was slugs. Everything else they ate came from the sea, and not one of them fired a single arrow through the whole series.

I think the producers expected the hunting to be much more productive than it has been. Unfortunately, the laws (no hunting at night), and National Park rules about what can/can't be hunted, have meant that the bows & arrows ended up being useless.

 

[Vader]

Surely it's at short odds to get axed, no pun intended.

It's even more dull than the 1st one, a fair achievement..

... and yet the ratings are even higher than S1. Surprisingly.

The last couple of episodes have been much better. It was definitely tedious around eps 4-5 though.

 

[Vader]

The problem with the bow & arrows is that their hunting options just aren't as good as the producers expected. Almost the only things they can hunt with them are deer & possums, both of which really only come out at night. Possums are nocturnal, living in tree hollows during the day. Deer are active during the day, but they're steering well clear of the campsites during daylight hours, and the energy required for hunting further up the mountains is prohibitive.

Most of the US bow & arrow hunting has been smaller critters - primarily grouse & squirrels. There just aren't any equivalents in the NZ forrest, at least none that the participants are allowed to hunt.

The US contestants get most of their protein from grouse, squirrels, rabbits, and fish. Yes, there have been a couple of beast kills, but they have been rare. There are no equivalents of grouse & squirrels for bow hunting in NZ, and participants are not allowed to set snares, which takes rabbit off the menu. Most of the fish caught in the US version were obtained using nets, once again not allowed in NZ. The Alone Australia participants are pretty much left with line fishing as their only passive (and active) way of obtaining protein, by virtue of the laws & regulations in the area where filming took place.

It's unfortunate that their food options are so restricted, and one of the key reasons for choosing NZ (aside from the scenery) was probably the ability to hunt. Unfortunately, it just hasn't turned out the way that the producers would have hoped. They would have had better options if they'd chosen to film on private land (e.g. eels would be on the menu), rather than in a National Park, but finding a privately owned area which is both big enough and suitable would be very challenging.

 

[Vader]

With no tapouts in Ep 7, we've now gone 2 episodes in a row with no departures - and nobody even expressing any desire to tap. I can't remember that happening too often. We have 5 players who all appear to be going strong at the 30 day mark - I haven't checked, but I'm fairly sure they were down to just 2-3 players at this stage last season, and were already into the big time jumps.

We've seen a few players undergoing reversals of fortune, potentially flipping the previously established script, which makes things interesting.

Andreas - We finally got to see him working on his shelter, which now appears substantial enough to keep him safe & comfortable in the coming storm. Most interesting was his concern at being unable to catch a fish for the previous 4 days. To that point he'd caught 3x fish and 1x possum, which is precisely 3 more fish and 1 more possum than K & Suzan have caught between them. However, the psychology of Alone, where participants have no idea how the other competitors are/aren't progressing, led him to think that he was falling behind (when in reality he was miles ahead in the game). Of course, he managed to catch another fish with his night fishing, leaving him once again happy & contented when the storm began to break. Weight loss is beginning to become an issue for him, as his big body (tall & muscular, not fat) requires a much higher calorific intake than the smaller framed female contestants.

Rick - From being one of the early favourites, Rick is now arguably at the bottom of the totem pole. As far as I can tell, he hasn't progressed one iota since catching the fish more than 14 days ago. He's wasted far more time & energy chasing the white whale (deer), and has completely neglected to improve his shelter - and the coming storm seems likely to make him pay for that mistake. I like Rick, but he's made a lot of mistakes, from spending too much time hunting, not improving his shelter, bringing in busted shoes, to spilling hot water & cooked vegetation all over himself and his fire. Like Andreas, he's becoming concerned about his weight loss. It's becoming hard to see how he can turn his game around.

Tamika - She's gone from famine to feast, catching 4 fish in as many days, once she discovered the fishing spot. This has allowed her to start storing food, which will serve her well on days when the weather prevents her from leaving the shelter. I'm assuming that the improved diet would also improve her health, putting an end to her bleeding. Last week I was thinking she didn't have much longer left in the game - now I see her as 2nd favourite (behind Andreas). She's got the protein thing sorted, and she's previously shown an ability to obtain vegetation-based foods; she's got a good shelter, with an internal fireplace (and chimney). All indications are that she's in a good position right now, and is least likely to be impacted by the storm.

K - Continues to provide the bushcraft, building things in an attempt to progress in the game. Unfortunately, none of his bushcraft has actually produced any food, which continues to be his achilles heel. K has had 2 bites on his fishing line, but both have turned out to be eels. That has got to suck. Hopefully he can start catching fish soon, or his days will be numbered.

Suzan - I love the resilience she's shown, persevering after spending 5 days in bed with gastro. Like Rick, she's made little to no progress in the game. She moved camp after her health recovered, but what else has she done? Her shelter remains rudimentary, albeit marginally better than Rick's. Like K, she hasn't found any protein - but at least K has been shown trying to catch fish. For all her resilience, her days must be numbered if she can't find something substantial to eat soon.

Production Notes - Once again, the producers have failed to follow through on the footage they teased us with in previous episodes. They have a nasty habit of doing this, and it's becoming incredibly frustrating.

• They finished Ep 5 on a cliffhanger, with Andreas catching 2 fish but being unable to light a fire to cook them. Would they go off before he could cook them? The cliffhanger was never resolved, so presumably they didn't go off, and he ate them safely.
• Similarly, Ep 4 finished on another cliffhanger, with Jack hunting deer, being close enough to hear them grunting warnings to each other. Would he be the first to successfully kill a deer? Once again, the cliffhanger was never resolved. We know that he didn't get the kill, and subsequently left the game, but to completely ignore the scenario they'd setup in the previous episode was unforgiveable.
• Similarly, we've previously spent a lot of Ep 6 watching K spinning a rope - but they haven't followed up at all, showing us what he did with it. He poured hours into the rope, and we've got no payoff.
• Rick came up with a creative solution to fix his shoe problem. Was it successful? We have no idea. Possibly he didn't produce any follow-up footage, showing the success or otherwise, but I would think this is doubtful.

 

[JamisonRun40]

Love the write up. I thought it was just me who thought Rick was a little bit behind. I think those three things happening to Rick was a culmination in him not having any food. His shelter is terrible. For someone who is a survivalist he is crap at building a shelter. I did laugh when he was skittling the mouse and I thought about the trap which was set. How he could off done with that mouse.
The ladies are doing great.
I did read an interesting article today from someone in US who is watching the series online. He was bemoaning the fact how 'woke' the series is. Not being able to hunt etc and all the season is doing is ticking the boxes (eg lesbians, indigenous who can't survive more than one night)

 

[Vader]

Love the write up. I thought it was just me who thought Rick was a little bit behind. I think those three things happening to Rick was a culmination in him not having any food. His shelter is terrible. For someone who is a survivalist he is crap at building a shelter. I did laugh when he was skittling the mouse and I thought about the trap which was set. How he could off done with that mouse.
The ladies are doing great.
I did read an interesting article today from someone in US who is watching the series online. He was bemoaning the fact how 'woke' the series is. Not being able to hunt etc and all the season is doing is ticking the boxes (eg lesbians, indigenous who can't survive more than one night)

The lack of hunting has nothing to do with "wokeness" - it's a result of the laws & regulations of the area where they're filming (i.e. a National Park in New Zealand). The US version has had similar issues, mostly relating to fishing, with some series having the fishing rules changing mid-season (e.g. no net fishing before date X). Unfortunately, the laws & regulations in Australia & NZ have been even more restrictive.

The decision to cast Useless Leanne, on the other hand, was clearly driven by SBS' requirement for diversity casting, in other words "wokeness".

There's definitely an element of wokeness when it comes to the casting, though I think they got the mix much better this time around (almost half the S1 cast were chosen for diversity, rather than survival skills). The inability to hunt... not so much.

 

[Vader]

Both S1 & S2 have had problems with their locations. The question is this - can anyone suggest a better location, for filming of S3?

The filming location needs to meet a few criteria:

• Large Area - Each participant needs to have several square kilometers of space, with sufficient spacing between campsites to prevent them from running into each other. We're talking an area of at least 50+ sqkm, possibly more.
• Wilderness - The area needs to be untouched wilderness, or as clost to it as possible.
• Remoteness - The campsites need to be far enough away to prevent other human contact.
• Cold Climate - Every Alone season has launched in late Spring, allowing participants to get established, before being pushed to the limit by the arrival of winter, when food resources become more scarce. Neither Australia, nor NZ, have anything to compare with Canada's frozen north, and SBS doesn't have the budget to send them further afield. However, there are areas where the weather is definitely cold in winter.
• Food/Water Availability - Nobody likes watching starvation games. The objective of this game is to demonstrate survival skills, not to out-fast the opposition. The area chosen needs to have a reasonable amount of natural resources, both flora & fauna, which the participants can access. They also need access to a supply of fresh water, even if it does need to be boiled before being consumed.
• Scenery - The area needs to be reasonably attractive for television. It really doesn't matter as far as the participants are concerned, but it does matter for the television audience.
• Accessibility - The area needs to be accessible within a reasonable period of time (i.e. a few hours), so the medical response crews can get to the participants quickly in an emergency. Access can be by boat, helicopter, or (as they did in Mongolia) truck, but it needs to be accessible.
• Low Cost - SBS does not have bucketloads of money to spend on this show, so flying participants & crew (and the winner's family member) to Canada is likely to be cost prohibitive. They're probably not going to venture beyond Australia & the South Pacific.

The Tasmanian setting for S1 failed miserably on both the Food Availability and Scenery criteria. The dreary lake/reservoir where it was filmed is universally acknowledged as the worst location of any series in Alone franchise history. The setting was bleak and dreary (as was the weather), there was almost no food available (other than the occasional eel), and hunting was completely prohibited.

The NZ Lake Te Anau setting for S2 is infinitely more scenic, and there are definitely more food options - both vegetation and fish. While hunting is permitted, it is so tightly regulated as to be completely useless to the participants. Native NZ animals are off the menu, including eel. Contestants are also limited to using fallen or driftwood, not cutting down live trees, which impacts the quality of their shelters (mind you, there's no shortage of fallen/drift wood).

Filming in a National Park adds a lot of restrictions, both in terms of what resources can/cannot be used (i.e. not cutting down live trees), and in the methods used to procure food (e.g. no bow hunting in Australian NPs, only feral animals in NZ NPs). However, finding privately owned areas which meet the Large Area & Wilderness requirements would probably be difficult.

Can anyone think of a better location, for filming S3?

 

[Sqotty from office works]

Can anyone think of a better location, for filming S3?
[/QUOTE]
Is there a finders fee?

 

[Vader]

In answer to my own question, I was considering areas in the Australian Alps. These areas meet the scenery, large area, and climate requirements. Areas could possibly be found which meet most of the other criteria. I'm thinking that there could be campsites along some of the Snowy Hydro dams (e.g. Lake Tantangara or Lake Talbingo), which could be made to work.

However, these areas are all within National Parks (both the lakes I suggested are inside Kosciuszko NP), with all the restrictions that entails.

 

[Vader]

Can anyone think of a better location, for filming S3?

Is there a finders fee?
[/QUOTE]
Ask SBS...

 

[MrsBlueSky]

In answer to my own question, I was considering areas in the Australian Alps. These areas meet the scenery, large area, and climate requirements. Areas could possibly be found which meet most of the other criteria. I'm thinking that there could be campsites along some of the Snowy Hydro dams (e.g. Lake Tantangara or Lake Talbingo), which could be made to work.

However, these areas are all within National Parks (both the lakes I suggested are inside Kosciuszko NP), with all the restrictions that entails.

kimberley coast in WA would be good. Beach fishing etc
the producers have got something in the way of a restrictions lifted in NZ and can do the sane for your mountains or my coast
if the show is as big as they say then it's good for tourism advertising

 

[Vader]

kimberley coast in WA would be good. Beach fishing etc
the producers have got something in the way of a restrictions lifted in NZ and can do the sane for your mountains or my coast
if the show is as big as they say then it's good for tourism advertising

Kimberley Coast would break the Alone mold, of starting in late Spring, then having decreasing resources and increasing difficulty, as Winter kicks in. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing, or a bad thing. It does, however, have the advantage of being a very large area which isn't entirely bound by National Park restrictions.

I've also read suggestions elsewhere, of filming it in a desert in Central Australia. This is a very bad idea. Contestants need to be widely separated, and they need to have access to fresh water. There are very few areas in the Central Australian deserts where both of those conditions can be satisfied.

They did manage to get some National Park restrictions eased for the NZ shoot, but the restrictions which remained have proven to be extremely limiting.

I'm far from convinced that S1 was "good for tourism advertising" for Tasmania. It showed Tasmania to be a cold, dreary, miserable place, that nobody in their right mind would want to visit. Lake Te Anau, in NZ, has been shown to be absolutely stunning. Moral of the story - if you're aiming to boost tourism, pick somewhere that at least looks attractive!

 

[StingBitten]

I reckon there's less than a dozen people following this thread, so the write-ups are really appreciated.

I reckon this season has been an absolute bungle by the producers, but the edits have been truly shocking.

Still can't stop watching though!

 

[Pie eyed]

Just embarrassing mate.

The entire show is embarrassing.
Obviously they do not "vet" any of the contestants and just take their word for it that they are "born for the show", "almost certain winners" followed by days of stiing around whining about what they should be doing, while not doing it then worrying bout how much they miss their family and then tapping out.
s**t TV for morons.

 

[Vader]

17 minutes and 30 seconds into the Andreas interview he says they each get a tarp and he decided not to chose a second one.

I'm currently reading another forum, where the tarp mystery has been resolved.

Participants are provided with a tarp, to protect the camera gear. They can then take a 2nd tarp, should they choose to do so, as one of their 10 items.