Set in the Canadian Arctic, Season 6 of Alone was rather harrowing for its contestants. With participants having to live in hostile environments and fight for their survival for as long as they can, viewers have often been concerned if anyone died on Alone Season 6.
The History channel reality series Alone began all the way back in 2015, going on to become one of the most competitive survival shows on television. Participants compete to outlast each other in the wilderness, going through some of the most challenging circumstances a human being can face. Since its inception, Alone has been filmed in the harshest of locations in the world spanning Patagonia, British Columbia, Argentina, Vancouver Island, and Mongolia among others.
But Alone is not the only show that has gained concerns about whether or not contestants die. Some shows have even contributed to deaths indirectly (Trigger Warning: Suicide). Alone is as much of a psychological battle for the contestants as physical, perhaps more. Read on to find out!
1. Does someone die in Alone Season 6?
While contestants on Alone have faced several medical emergencies, no one has really died on Alone Season 6. Even though winner Jordan Jonas had a near-death experience, he’s quite alive and well! There are accidents, deadly face offs with animals, grave injuries, etc., which may often lead to hospitalization but never death.
2. How Bad was Alone Season 6?
Season 6 of Alone was just as harsh and punishing as one would hope. Winner Jordan Jonas survived 77 days in the Canadian Arctic.
Contestants were left with minimal supplies in a remote area of Canadian Arctic with individual cameras and equipment to see who can survive the longest. The last one standing won half a million dollars. Naturally, tensions were high for such a gritty show.
Jordan Jonas, the fan-favorite of Alone Season 6 talked about his experience on the show and how he faced off with wolverines, something that could have been truly brutal!
“It’s pretty surreal,”
“Pretty weird to be dropped off with that little stuff and no preparation right before winter.”
Jonas revealed in an interview
3. Jordan Jonas’ Near-Death Experience!
Jonas in fact survived and incredibly so! He even went on to win the season 6 and become a fan favorite with his sense of humor and resourcefulness, assisted by his past experience in Siberia working with Evenki reindeer herders. Executive Producer Ryan Pender shared,
“He created so many videos, like pretend ‘infomercials’ about things, like rabbit foot toilet paper or a rendition of the ‘Alone’ first-player video game, that we could not air them all. Every time we collected a new round of footage, there was something new from him that made the editors crack up.”
Ryan Pender
Not only was Jonas an adored contestant that many rooted for, but he even managed to defeat a 900-pound moose as soon as Day 20! But that did not come easy.
“The person who has stockpiles of food when it becomes scarce elsewhere also becomes a mark for predators and scavengers alike,”
Ryan Pender added
Jonas’ hunted animal attracted a pack of wolverines as well, one of which Jonas managed to kill, and escaped unscathed himself. No one could be blamed as a result for being terrified of Jonas dying. But he went on despite everything, emerging a valiant winner.
“Seventeen people have lasted more than two months. Up to this season, I was the only person to win while regaining weight. I was living hand-to-mouth, though, and had no store of food. Jordan had a large stockpile of meat and fish that the crew ate after the win. That’s going out in style for sure.”
Dave MacIntyre, winner of Season 2
4. How do Creators Ensure the Safety of Contestants on Alone?
In 2017, Executive Producer Shawn Witt revealed to Reality Blurred,
“When we set out to make this show, it was always about everyone’s safety first and the show second.”
Shawn Witt
So thankfully, no one has actually ever died on the show. However, Alone is notorious with regards to the medical evaluations.
For example, during Season 3, participant Carleigh Fairchild was evacuated due to low BMI, despite lasting 86 days in the Andes Mountains of South America. According to the doctors, Carleigh could have gotten permanent digestive and nervous system damage had she continued with a 16.8 BMI. Not only that, even her eyesight could have suffered.
As such, the makers are primarily always concerned with the health of the participants. But that goes with the territory, survival of the fittest and all that. Witt also revealed that since
“there’s no medical precedent for that sort of survival situation with the lack of food,”
contestants undergo medical evaluation every three to four days after 45 days into a season.
Shawn Witt
Since the beginning of survival shows, the current ones are always making sure no deaths occur at all throughout the run.
EP Shawn Witt told Distractify:
“We don’t ever want to be in a situation where there’s a headline that says somebody died or almost died on our show. It doesn’t make sense for us; it doesn’t make sense for the network.”
Shawn Witt
5. Has Anyone Died on Survival Shows?
Unfortunately, yes. As much as producers try to avoid this happening, people have actually had accidental deaths on such shows.
The French reality TV show Dropped is one, where two helicopters carrying contestants crashed during transport in Argentina. The show was canceled as a result
Some shows have even contributed to deaths indirectly (Trigger Warning: Suicide).
For example, one of the oldest survival shows aired in Sweden, Expedition: Robinson, eliminated a contestant (Sinisa Savija) who died by suicide, rumored to be prompted by the rejection he faced through his fellow contestants. This leads us to the next question.
5.1 The Impact of Survival Shows on Contestants’ Mental Health
If we take the example of Dropped, concerns about mental health leading to death are also significant. While physical health is put to the greatest test in survival shows, isolation also plays a vital part in helping a contestant go on (or not).
As far as Alone is concerned, at the rate Jonas had been going in Season 6, he could maybe have gone on much longer with his humorous approach.
Woniya Thibeault came in second with 73 days, having had a similar attitude to survival. Not many people can fare the same.
“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.”
Former winner Ted Baird
Mortality concerns in survival reality shows are always quite high, but like Witt said, no one wants their show to be in the news with a headline that says, “So and so died this season.”
It’s safe to say therefore that given the significance that producers and the crew place on keeping starving contestants alive, no one is actually left to die. That’s why there’s constant monitoring of course.
Alone airs at 10 pm ET, Thursdays on History Channel. You can also catch it on Hulu, Netflix, or Prime Video.
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