Alone Australia
Alone Australia is an Australian survival competition series on SBS which premiered on 29 March 2023.[1] It follows the self-documented daily struggles of 10 individuals as they survive alone in the wilderness for as long as possible using a limited amount of survival equipment. The participants are isolated from each other and all other humans, with the participants having to self-document and film their experiences themselves. They may "tap out" at any time or be removed due to failing a medical check-in. The contestant who remains the longest wins a grand prize of $250,000
| Alone Australia | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality Survival |
| Based on | Alone USA |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| Production | |
| Production location | Southwest, Tasmania |
| Running time | 60 minutes (including ads) |
| Release | |
| Original network | SBS |
| Original release | 29 March – 25 May 2023 |
In early 2022, an Australian version was announced by SBS following the success of the American version on the network and its streaming counterpart SBS On Demand. The series is produced by ITV Studios Australia, with the series taking place around a remote lake in Tasmania's West Coast[2] during winter 2022. The American version of the show also airs on Pay-TV channel A&E via Foxtel.[3] An Alone pop-up channel began broadcasting on Foxtel on 24 February 2023 and ceased broadcasting on 20 March 2023.[4]
The first season was won by Gina Chick after surviving 67 days alone, making her only the second female and oldest contestant in the history of the series worldwide to win.[5]
In June 2023, the series was nominated for the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program,[6] however lost to The Australian Wars.[7]
Format
Contestants are dropped off in a remote wilderness area, far enough apart to ensure that they will not come in contact with one another. The contest typically begins in mid-to-late autumn; this adds time pressure to the survival experience as the approaching winter causes temperatures to drop and food to become scarce. Although terrains may differ in each contestant's location, the drop-off zones are assessed in advance to ensure a similar distribution of local resources is available to each contestant.
Contestants each select 10 items of survival gear from a pre-approved list of 40, and are issued a kit of standard equipment, clothing and first aid/emergency supplies. They are also given a set of cameras to document their daily experiences. Attempting to live off the land for as long as possible, the contestants must find food, build shelter in order to survive while enduring deep isolation, physical deprivation and psychological stress of being alone.
Contestants who wish to withdraw from the competition for any reason (referred to as "tapping out") may signal a rescue crew using a provided satellite telephone. In addition, medical professionals conduct periodic health checks on the contestants and may, at their discretion, disqualify and evacuate anyone they feel is unable to continue participating safely. The last remaining contestant wins a $250,000 cash prize.
Series overview
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 11 | 29 March 2023 | 25 May 2023 | |
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | 29 March 2023 | |
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | 29 March 2023 | |
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | 5 April 2023 | |
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | 12 April 2023 | |
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | 19 April 2023 | |
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | 26 April 2023 | |
| 7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | 3 May 2023 | |
| 8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | 10 May 2023 | |
| 9 | 9 | "Episode 9" | 17 May 2023 | |
| 10 | 10 | "Episode 10" | 24 May 2023 | |
| 11 | 11 | "Episode 11" | 24 May 2023 | |
| 12 | 12 | "Alone, The Reunion" | 25 May 2023[lower-alpha 1] | |
| Hosted by Amanda Keller, the ten contestants meet to discuss their Alone experience. | ||||
- Notes
- The Reunion was made available to stream on 24 May 2023 on SBS On Demand immediately after the broadcast of the final two episodes on SBS. The reunion was broadcast the following day on SBS
Results
| Name[8] | Age | State | Occupation | Status | Reason for Elimination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gina | 52 | NSW | Rewilding Facilitator | Winner - 67 days | Winner |
| Mike | 45 | NSW | Solo Adventurist | 64 days (medically evacuated) | Low blood pressure and malnutrition |
| Michael | 43 | NSW | Vet & Bush Regenerator | 30 days | Missed his family |
| Kate | 41 | ACT | Wildlife Biologist | 22 days | Missed her family |
| Chris | 39 | TAS | Army Veteran | 12 days | Wanted to leave on a high after experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder |
| Duane | 35 | NSW | Wildlife & Environmental Officer | 10 days | Struggling with isolation |
| Peter | 31 | NSW | Hunting Guide | 3 days | Struggled to find food, also fell and injured knee |
| Jimmy | 22 | SA | Farmhand & Engineering Student | 2 days (medically evacuated) | Developed COVID-19, which caused his heart to beat at twice the usual rate |
| Beck | 42 | VIC | School Teacher | 2 days | Missed her family and could not start a fire due to wet materials |
| Rob | 41 | VIC | Planning & Environmental Manager | 2 days | Missed his family |
Reception
Critical reception
The series received positive reviews in its first season. David Knox of TV Tonight rated the series 4½ out of 5 stating, "Above all, there’s nothing else like this on television and that -alone- makes it worth checking out".[9] Wenlei Ma of News.com.au gave a positive review stating, "That insight into human nature at its limit is the gem in this series."[10]
Viewership
Although overnight ratings for the first two episodes, played as double episode, averaged 212,000 viewers, total numbers reached 761,000, an increase of 138%, making it one of SBS most watched series for 2023 (thus far).[11] The third episode averaged 195,000 viewers overnight, and reached 791,000 in total numbers.[12] The fourth episode averaged 205,000 viewers overnight, and reached 826,000 in total numbers.[13]
References
- "'Alone Australia': SBS reveals release date of global hit series". SBS. Special Broadcasting Service. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- Cain, Sian (28 March 2023). "'It was horrible. It was glorious': Alone – the most gruelling show on TV – comes to Australia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- "Alone". Foxtel.
- Perry, Kevin (26 January 2023). "FOX FUNNY, NAT GEO and NAT GEO WILD channels to be removed from FOXTEL and FETCH platforms". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- Knox, David (25 May 2023). "Gina wins Alone Australia". TV Tonight. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- Knox, David (19 June 2023). "2023 Logie Awards: Noms". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- Knox, David (30 July 2023). "2023 Logie Awards: Winners". TV Tonight. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- Knox, David (14 February 2023). "Alone Australia: meet the cast". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- Knox, David (26 March 2023). "Alone Australia review". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- Ma, Wenlei (31 March 2023). "Alone Australia captures humans at their absolute limit". News.com.au. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- Knox, David (6 April 2023). "Alone Australia becomes biggest show of the year for SBS". TV Tonight. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- Knox, David (6 April 2023). "Wednesday 5 April 2023". TV Tonight. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- Knox, David (13 April 2023). "Wednesday 12 April 2023". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 April 2023.