The Alaska Experiment
I'm not a big TV watcher. I prefer doing things on the Computer or reading a book. I feel like both the Computer and TV have pulled us away from the joys of reading. But anyhow, I don't want to get started on that rant. What I wanted to ask is how many of you have seen this show called "The Alaska Experiment"? If there is one thing that can suck me to a TV it's a show about Alaska.
The Alaska Experiment is a Discovery Channel show about a group of volunteers who are dropped off at various places in the Southern part of Alaska. I guess the whole synopsis of the show is to see if they can survive 3 months in the Alaskan wilderness.
Okay, let's get real on this reality show. Most of the contestants are some type of outdoor adventure seekers. It's not like they snatched Bob up from next door and plopped his big behind on the banks of the Yukon.
The show also goes out of its way to tell you that there are Wilderness experts off camera in case something goes wrong. So these people really do have a safety net, even though they like to pretend there isn't one.
From what I understand, the crew and wilderness guides stayed in tents about 100 yards from the volunteers. "Screaming" distance they said!
I guess I've been spoiled by the show "Deadliest Catch" on Discovery. But I really don't feel like this show "The Alaska Experiment" is really all that good considering help is just a shout away.
It also seems the "drama" is really being played up by Discovery. Hardly 5 minutes will go by without the Narrarator saying something about being careful because they could be attacked by Bears or Wolves any minute. Doesn't matter what the Volunteers are doing or where they're at, you'd think there's a Bear behind every bush just waiting to smack down on an unsuspecting Volunteer and turn them into Bear turds.
Yeah, I get it that there's Bears in Alaska that can attack you. Not sure about the Wolves, but hey, it sounds dramatic. The thing is, I don't need to be reminded every 5 minutes.
One of my favorite scenes, and I honestly don't know why, is when they had that poor Tim guy shoot the 338 Win. Mag. When I saw how he was sitting, I knew what was going to happen. I told my Wife, "Hey, watch this". Sure enough, a good case of scope eye.
They also showed the same bunch hunting rabbits with the Guide and using a Ruger 10/22.
Apparently when they left, the left these people with a single shot .22 that looked like one of those Chipmunk rifles. Man, take away the 10/22 and leave a Chipmunk .22. That's wrong man!
One of the most disturbing scenes also included this bunch of people. It showed them out hunting with their .22 rifle when they came upon a Buffalo. I could have sworn they took a shot at that Buffalo with the .22. Where was the Wilderness experts then? The Narrator did say that the .22 wouldn't bring down the Buffalo.
Later on, the group found a partially eaten Buffalo carcass. Hmmm...was this the one the guy took a pot shot at? I mean, what's the chances of finding a Buffalo carcass in the same area you took a pot shot at one?
I've always liked the Discovery Channel shows, but they seem to have missed the mark with this one.
On another note, the older Man with the 2 daughters...is it just me or does his Daughters seem a little disrespectful? I'd have a real problem if my Daughter talked to me like his does to him. He seems like a nice enough guy but get those Daughters in check!
So if you haven't watched The Alaska Experiment, tune into Discovery Channel on Tuesday nights. If you have, leave a comment and let me know what you think about the show.
Filed Under Outdoor TV Shows |
Tagged With alaska, buffalo, discovery channel, the alaska experiment, wilderness survival
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10 Responses to “The Alaska Experiment”
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I think this a great show. It is a true test of survival int he wilderness. Alaska is one of the harshest environments to live in. Especially without any of the modern day conveniences. My husband and I both enjoy watching this show!
I just like the fact that they all have to hunt for food, and they see it ain’t that easy. I’m a new hunter and I hate it when people say the fact that we have guns makes hunting a slamdunk. Yeah, right!
Re the .22: I did once hear of a poacher killing a giant bull elk with a .22 here in California. But he did it at very close range - it was a mostly blind animal that was practically a neighborhood pet. The neighbors were pretty upset! But from the distance they saw that buffalo? Nah…
About help being a scream away, I’m thinking they have to do that for legal reasons. And they have to disclose it because they got busted when someone revealed that Bear Gryls in Man Vs. Wild was once stayed in a hotel at night, instead of sleeping in his little lean-to.
As reality shows go, this beats “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.” But I really would love to see a show that puts properly armed and trained hunters out there doing the same thing - a little higher-level competition.
I love this show. I think it’s as close as a tv show can get to reality in Alaska with normal/everyday people. With all the laws and rules out there I would agree they have to provide some sort of wilderness expert with them so that no one actually dies! Of course we all want it to be “true reality” but our legal system definitely won’t allow that so I think Discovery is doing its best to go around that. And they probably are disclosing it because of the Man vs. Wild thing that happened.
It’s true the narrator is playing it up a bit about the bears and wolves but isn’t that the reason we all watch the show? Because there is that chance of danger. If there was not danger involved, then the show would not be interesting for me as an outdoors man. And the danger never ends. Just because those volunteers have been out there for weeks and nothing has happened, doesn’t mean they can stop worrying about the wildlife. That would be naive.
And also what fun would it be to watch someone who already knows how to use the gun and hunt? There are other show to watch for that kind of knowledge. I think Discovery has hit the mark exactly. They found folks who didn’t have this type of experience and put them out there to learn and try to survive from what they are learning. I happen to enjoy watching them make the mistakes and learn from them.
Those daughters are so rude and disrespectful. But where did they learn that behavior from? Aren’t parents ultimately responsible for the deep seeded behavior of their children, even if they are adults already?
At the beginning Greg and Bernice were working very well together hunting and fishing and surviving in their harsh conditions. They are a very good team and I hope to see more of them in the next episodes.
Allan, Jasmine and Tim apparently ran out of things to do at their place and made a crazy trip to visit Greg and Bernice. I think they were lucky to make it there. But can they make it back? They are out of food and will now have to beg some off of Greg and Bernice. Wow, looks like maybe Greg and Bernice should have pretended like they weren’t home. Am excited to see what happens there.
Jeff and Elizabeth also made a journey to visit the Wise family. I think they were jealous of the Wise’s living conditions.
I haven’t been able to catch this show yet, but after all the comments I’ve heard from people I guess I’m going to actually have to sit down and check it out. Not something I do very often.
Your right on with this show. The old feller must be pulling his hair out with those to hens. Man they like to rumble. And what’s up with those girls eating the 3 months rations of peanut butter in the first 2 hours. The last episode that I saw these same women were complaining about having to eat the salmon that there father caught. Come on man! If you hadn’t polished off the peanut butter maybe you’d have something else to eat. Know what I mean?
The group that went out to visit their friends… what were they thinking. They just marched on through whiteout conditions. I’m pretty sure I would have turned around and said, “Maybe not.” A 4 day hike in snowy conditions, in unfamiliar surroundings across partially frozen ice… I’m thinking someone didn’t think it through.
I’m thinking that the producers must have put them up to it. What was it, something llike a 40 mile hike? Geez…I don’t buy that they just decided to take a hike to Greg and Bernice’s!
Plus, they left all that food behind! What a waste. Now they’re going to hole up at Greg and Bernices until the end of the show. ;(
Don
Well i don’t like that they didn’t even show what an outdoorsman could do. Everyone had never really hunted before or can i say most were from California. I’m 27 and live in Minnesota, I would love the chance to do what they did. I know how to read a map and plot a course, I hunt from sept through jan evey year, and I have no problem eatong what I kill. The people in this are not the type of people that would ever end up living in this land. They lived in trappers cabins, send in someone that knows how to live and show how they make it through the year. Oh, and there is only one Survivor show on the discovery channel….Surviror Man, no saftey net for him, unlike that fear factor guy Bear Pup or whatever his name is.
[...] Man vs Wild when I saw someone mentioned Les Stroud and Bear Grylls in the comment section of the Alaska Experiment [...]
You would think that the Daughters would not act like that knowing they are being recorded & will be seen by the whole world. I would love to try out for that show with my family. (me, mom & dad, & my brother)
My mom is good with plants & has lived kind of like that before along time ago. She has 12 brothers & sisters. Back then not enough money for food, so they hunted & ate off the land. I don’t think we would have any problems.
When me & my brother gets together, well, All I can say is, people will think we been there to long. I think there might be a 75% chance we get to go. I hope so..
Hey Ann,
Thanks for stopping by.
I’d love to go on the show also, but I can tell you that my Wife and daughter wouldn’t come along!
I’ve actually tried to get her to move up there but she’s not having any of that!