Five more survivors embark on the Only journey in the latest episode of the History Channel reality series.
In last week’s season 11 premiere, five people were dumped in the remote Mackenzie River delta, more than 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. That episode ended with a harrowing tap-out by a contestant who seemed set to do well in the competition, proving that anything can happen in Only. This week, the season’s other five contestants begin their Only journey. They quickly come face to face with the harsh reality of life in the wild.
(Warning: This article contains spoilers for Only Season 11 Episode 2.)
Five more survivors begin their journey in season 11 of ‘Alone’
The premiere followed Michela, William, Dub, Cubby, and Isaiah as they set up camp and begin building their shelters and foraging for food. In episode 2, Peter, Dusty, Timber, Sarah and Jake begin their Only experience.
Things get off to a rocky start for a couple of participants.
Peter, a 42-year-old librarian in British Columbia, is experiencing a severe case of “drop shock,” a feeling of disorientation that some people experience when they are first dropped in nature. On his first day he accomplishes little beyond setting up a basic shelter. By day 2, he is thirsty, since he has not drunk anything since he arrived at his camp. But because of the soggy conditions and wet forests, he struggles to light the fire he needs to boil water. In the end, he manages to light a fire, but it’s not an auspicious start. Fortunately, his efforts to build a dome-shaped shelter are going much better. But he raises the question of whether he will be able to put the skills he has learned in books into practice in the real world.
Jake, 42, also suffers a setback early on. He loses his fishing line (one of the 10 items he was allowed to carry with him) while he was climbing through the forest. Losing any survival item is a huge blow, but not having one to help you get food is particularly devastating.
“Losing my fishing line is embarrassing,” he says. “This was the tool I was going to rely on the most to feed myself.”
But Jake won’t regret it. He quickly spins around, weaving a fishing net out of paracord. And he proves to be cunning and adaptable in other ways as well. unlike most Only participants, chose not to bring a ferro rod to help him start the fire. Instead, he creates a DIY tinderbox that he can use to start a fire, along with his carbon steel belt buckle.
Timber misses a moose, Sarah fails to harvest a beaver
jake is not the only one Only Cast member showing some creative problem-solving skills. Timber, 35, grew up in an isolated anti-government group and now works in humanitarian aid in conflict zones. In other words, he has a lot of experience in both outdoor activities and handling stressful situations.
Timber wants to use the quiver he brought with him to store water. Then, he makes a replacement quiver using the leather from his arm guard. He also demonstrates his skill as a hunter when he shoots and kills a squirrel, which he plans to use as food for himself and as bait for fishing. The latter strategy pays off and he pulls out a 25-inch pike.
Sarah, 48, is one of only two women competing in this season of Only. Your first goal is to find any food you can before the weather turns bitterly cold. “My plan is to graze like a moose,” she says. Unfortunately, attempts to hunt him down are not as successful. He attempts to hunt a beaver with his bow and arrow, but his shot misses. He quickly realizes that he made a “dumb” move out of “desperation.”
“I think I just got excited,” he says. “I need to make sure I don’t make mistakes.”
Dusty, 36, describes himself as an Arkansas farmhand who plans to rely on his trapping skills to survive. It doesn’t take long for that approach to pay off when a squirrel gets caught in his trap. He also manages to find some berries. But Dusty admits that he doesn’t have any experience with extreme cold. Will he continue to be lucky as the temperatures drop and the days turn dark?
The most dramatic moment of this installment of Only comes at the end of the episode, when Timber gets an opportunity that could set him up for lasting success in the competition. He sees a moose and believes he can take it down with his bow and arrow. Killing the huge animal so soon would be a huge blow. It would be a rich source of food that could sustain him for a long time, as long as he can keep the meat. Unfortunately, Timber is unable to kill the moose and cannot hide his disappointment from it.
“I can’t describe how much I wanted that moose,” he says. “That was my golden ticket… I screwed up badly. The feeling of defeat is deeper than I can express.”
Only Season 11 airs Thursdays at 8 pm ET on the History Channel.
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