Season 7 of Alone saw three contestants manage to go over the 80-day mark—an astounding feat, given that only two winners in the show’s history have made it that far—while the winner survived 100 (hundred!) days. But amidst the harsh reality of survival, fans were concerned about the safety of the participants, wondering if anyone died during Season 7.
There’s something so inexplicably appeasing about survival shows in the wild that garners quite the attention of viewers worldwide. History Channel’s Alone is a prime example. Every season, the show isolates 10 participants in hostile regions with bare minimum equipment. The task is to survive for as long as you can, and the goal is to be the last one standing. The winner gets to keep a sum of a million dollars! And the rest… well, memories of the near-death experience?
Jokes aside, concerns over the extremes the participants are subjected to are entirely valid. The reality TV industry isn’t without its share of deaths due to physical and psychological injuries, and safety is often overlooked for the sake of entertainment. So, what measures do the executives and producers of Alone take in order to ensure the safety of its participants?
Contents
1. Does Someone Die in Alone Season 7?
2. How Bad Was Alone Season 7?
3. How Do Creators Ensure the Safety of Contestants?
4. Has Anyone Ever Died on Survival Shows?
5. The Impact on the Contestants’ Mental Health
1. Does Someone Die in Alone Season 7?
Despite the harsh conditions and wild animal attacks, no one has ever died on Alone. There have been grave injuries, but fortunately, the medical team has always managed to reach the participants in time. “It’s always about everyone’s safety first and show second,” assures EP Shawn Witt.
2. How Bad Was Alone Season 7?
Season 7 of Alone returned to the Canadian Arctic after Season 6 proved the place was one of the harshest to endure.
The beginning of the competition was timed by the Arctic winter. Contestants were allowed ten items to take along with them to ensure survival. The items included things like ropes, knives, and wires. They were also required to carry their own camera equipment and film themselves at all times, adding another layer of difficulty to a task that was hard enough to begin with.
RW NEWSTALK 1010 INTERVIEW TORONTO, THE RUSH, with Ryan Doyle & Mike Bendixen-8/28/20 (Radio)
In an interview with The Rush Radio, Roland Welker (winner of the seventh season) recalled his encounter with a wild musk ox.
“I do have some stabs from my past hunting experience…but never was something that large. And nobody was in; nobody was in how many miles. Just me and a musk ox and a knife on the side of a mountain.”
Roland Welker
3. How Do Creators Ensure the Safety of Contestants?
Dave McIntyre, the winner of Season 2, answered a few questions about the regularity of the check-ins and how the crew tracks the contestants on Reddit.
“There is an AM and PM “Check-In” via preset text on YellowBrick. Every morning and evening they get an “I’m good” from everyone…The YB also pings our position, and they can plot our movements on Google Earth.”
David McIntyre
David adds that while the crew does their maximum to ensure the safety of everyone, but that you do have to sign a waiver.
“That said, the waiver you sign covers the fact that you can die on this show. Alone is not a ‘survival show’ where you overnight at a Basecamp or B&B and head out early for a long day of shooting video. It…Is…For…Real.”
David McIntyre
Executive Producer Shawn Witt talked about the medical evaluations and said that as the survival time increases, so does the frequency of the check-ups.
At the beginning of the season, participants are medically checked once a week. But after crossing the 45-day mark, the medics visit the participants every three to four days.
The show also adheres to strict evacuation policies.
Season 3 contestant Carleigh Fairchild was evacuated immediately after her BMI went below the minimal requirement. A BMI of 17 or lower is a severe risk to a person’s health in these conditions. When Carleigh was measured to be at 16.8, the doctors warned that continuing the game would cause permanent damage to her digestive and nervous systems and her eyesight in the long term. The crew wasted no minutes to evacuate her, and one can assume, gave her proper medical care soon after.
4. Has Anyone Ever Died on Survival Shows?
Dying on a survival show is rare but not unheard of. Real people have died while filming for shows. And while most of those shows have been cancelled, some still continue to air brand-new seasons.
Despite all the safety measures, many contestants have lost their lives to the entertainment industry. In 2013, a contestant in the French Reality series Koh-Lanta (French version of Survivor) died after suffering fatal heart attacks. Similarly, another contestant died due to a heart attack in the Bulgarian version of Survivor.
The list could go on, but the point to be made is that while the crew does everything to safeguard the contestants, the possibility of death is a fundamental factor to be taken into consideration.
5. The Impact on the Contestants’ Mental Health
The entire premise of Alone is that contestants have to survive in dangerous territories…alone.
The contestants are entirely isolated from human contact, save the medical checks (which, again, barely count since the medics are not allowed to speak to the contestants, much less express emotions or understanding).
This kind of loneliness can have lethal effects on the contestants’ psychological well-being.
David McIntyre talked about this in his Reddit QnA session.
“Initially the med-checks were like, ‘I get to see people!’. Very quickly that turned into, ‘You are going to show up and leave me.’…That brief interaction isn’t enough and reminds you of how much you miss it.
David McIntyre
Survival of this kind isn’t just a test of the physical; it’s an equally gritty psychological test as well. In the words of former winner Ted Baird:
“I would liken it to someone preparing for the Olympics or the triathlon—there’s a huge mental discipline as well as the physical. Your mental memory needs to be trained and exercised just as much, if not more, than your body.”
Ted Baird
(TW: Suicide) Long after exiting shows, contestants have reported deteriorating mental health. And in extreme cases, this has led to suicide.
While nothing of that sort has happened on Alone, it’s important to remember that the show takes a lot of mental strength to survive.
