An American reality television show might not have launched without help from a Vancouver Island First Nation. In the hit show Alone , now in its fourth season, contestants are left alone in the wilderness with almost nothing as they attempt to live off the land.
Producers’ initial concerns centered around wildlife and water. But that’s where the Quatsino First Nation stepped in with some basic information. Quatsino Sound, Vancouver Island, averages 130 inches (3.3 meters) of rain annually.
“When I first spoke to the show’s producers, their biggest concern was the availability of fresh water,” said Kwakwaka’wakw Elder Robert Duncan. “I just laughed and said, ‘I don’t think that’ll be a problem.’
Vancouver Island also has one of the world’s highest concentrations of cougars and black bears, and producers apparently feared their contestants would get mauled by wildlife.
“The biggest fear I encountered is people thought contestants might get eaten by wild animals,” said Joan Miller of the Vancouver Island North Film Commission. “It was Bob and his knowledge that swayed it.”
Duncan was the general manager for the Quatsino First Nation when producers from Leftfield Pictures began scouting locations. He showed them around while Miller began discussions with the Province of British Columbia about permits.
Bureaucrats were unsure about letting contestants hunt, fish and log, especially within provincial parks or crown forest land.
“Part of the problem was that we didn’t know how long people would last,” said Miller. “It could be two days, it could be a year!”
“The Province put up challenges so we decided to put them on our reserve lands, and then gave them permits to hunt and fish,” said Duncan. “The community was excited to host them.”
Ten contestants were dropped off in remote locations along with 10 basic survival items, a first-aid kit, cameras and a satellite phone to ‘tap out’ and lose their chance at the $500,000 prize.
“In the first season, we had someone tap out in the middle of the night,” said Duncan. “In Season 2 someone tapped out on the first day when they saw bear scat. This season we had someone quit in the first two hours when they realized they just weren’t mentally prepared to be totally and completely alone.”
Duncan said the premise of the reality show, which airs Thursday evenings on the History Channel, is very similar to the secret Hamatsa initiation ceremonies of west coast First Nations.
“There’s not a lot of food around at that time of year,” he said. “It’s about connecting with the natural environment that surrounds you, and all the things we often take for granted. Ultimately it’s about being alone.”
I can't get the coding under the photos out of the article. Sorry.
It's a good idea if your going to bring in outsiders to Vancouver Island to survive to speak with the natives there. They have been surviving there for centuries.
OK all fixed!
Thanks Perrie.
So when are you going to be a contestant on ''Alone''....
Dear Friend Kavika: Looks fascinating.
I will give this series a try.
Of course, everything on the History Channel is, by definition, a repeat!
As the bi-polar critique once wrote of it, "I laughed, I cried".
Enoch, looking forward, into the past.
I think that you'll enjoy the program.
Like back to the future, a pete and repeat...
And a three pete.
Enoch, Watching an old Pete Rose game.
I haven't watched this one yet, but must look it up and watch it... So there is no set time to the challenge? That's interesting!
One of my favorite authors lived on Vancouver Island-- Betty MacDonald, the lady who wrote "The Egg and I". She is a scream!
The winner is the person that can last the longest alone.
It's actually a fairly interesting series. I've seen a couple of episodes.
Now I wonder what would happen if some of your competition was to just...um...."disappear"? You know, just to increase you odds. I mean it is about survival...right?
They could disappear if they ran into a hungry black bear or a cougar...There are plenty of both on the island.