Five proven survivalists are left to battle it out in increasingly grim winter conditions, with food sources as consistent as Nicholas Cage’s roles in quality films.

 

Want to know about the latest season of Alone? Check out our guide to Alone Australia Season 3 for everything you need to know!

Hello, gentle reader, and welcome back. Not sure why I’m writing like I’m Lady Whistledown (that’s a Bridgerton reference, should I recap those next?) but maybe it’s because I’m on a plane right now and I feel like a fancy person doing business. Hopefully no one reads my screen.

Read more: Alone Australia Season 2 2024 – Everything You Need to Know

Yep, I’m flying to Alice Springs right now but this recap simply can not wait. Oh, just a pale ale thanks. Oops, did I write that out loud?

Self indulgence aside, things are really taking a turn down at the lake on Te Waipounamu, let’s zoom in.

The quote – and I’m always going to unpack the quote because it’s the only thing that comes before the intro – addresses the main concern, which is food. It’s always been food, but as starvation burns off the last of people’s fat reserves it’s becoming more and more important.

‘Hunger is a powerful reorganiser of the conscience’, said Margaret Atwood.

What is this, a crossover episode? Yes, Margaret wrote The Handmaid’s Tale, which was coincidentally the last random show that SBS struck big with. It’s an interesting quote though, it’s not like it’s the Hunger Games, Rick’s not about to go knock Tamika’s shelter down and steal her trout. But priorities might crystalise.

 

Day 30 – 3:12am

Well that’s a specific time in the morning, what goes wrong?

Oh nothing, Tamika’s saying how much she really doesn’t like storms. So fair, when you’re exposed they quickly go from snuggy to scary. And this is a long long storm.

Rick looks like he’s not even in a shelter, seriously what’s with that dude? Protect yourself!

Andreas

Now it’s 2pm and apparently the storm has been raging for 24 hours. You can see sleet on the camera! It’s so moody with the black and white, but the fake rain on some of the contestant’s title slides pulls you out a little I reckon.

Ok Andreas, the weather doesn’t look so bad now dude. Oh wait, yeah it does.

 

Nope, that’s not the aftermath of a bean bag disaster! It’s hail

 

That wind looked pretty furious across the water. I’m sure the footage from this storm was an absolute dogpile but that wind looked pretty serious.

Anyone else thinking that the tarps are pretty weak sauce at this point, they’re literally Bunnings spec. Imagine if they didn’t even get them…

Rick

Good old practical Rick is collecting rainwater to make the most of things.

It looks like he’s in a bivvy, or just under a canvas coat? I haven’t spotted that before. A -10 degree sleeping bag is a pretty strong option, but when it’s close to zero, plus wind chill, and rain, and his shelter is trapping no heat, and he’s starving, I bet it’s not doing that much.

Rick has lost 14kg. Go figure, he wasn’t that chunky to begin with either.

 

(In a) Pickle Rick

Suzan

Is just kind of vibing, I guess? Haha sometimes her footage is so random.

Tamika

‘It’s like the water has risen’. Maybe it has, it’s a lake?

‘What if I can’t fish the ledge!’ Hahaha YES Tamika, priorities! Conscience = fish.

‘I’ve caught like 12 fish in three days and now I need more’, says Mary. Don’t hate the player Mary!

Oh my goodness when Tamika said ‘soup for breakfast’ I was expecting water with fronds but she lifted the lid to heaps of fish.

 

Would you rather fish or fronds soup?

 

She’s the only one to cook during the storm as I think she’s the only one with an indoor fire. That’s telling.

Wait, Tamika has glasses. Are they one of the ten items? Just kidding, don’t cancel me.

Krzysztof

I just want you to know that I’ve learned how to spell it without checking now. Please be proud of me.

Krzysztof reckons he’s cut the addiction to food. Is it an addiction when you need it to live? I guess some people need heroin to live, no judgement here! ‘Food is my crack’, he says.

 

Lots of food for thought. Not so much food for eating though

Rick

Man, we are really darting between the characters today.

Look at those mountains! They’re covered in thick snow, it’s -1 degree at the lake level. Not quite cold enough for things to freeze and dry. I actually find the -1 to 1 degree zone the hardest, as icy cold water from sweat and condensation can suck the joy out of everything.

Rick’s going to try to dry out his sleeping bag which has got wet in his big ol’ wind tunnel of a shelter. Not for long! It’s taken until day 31 for Rick to build more protection into his shelter with a fern wall. Something tells me his heart isn’t in it though.

Apparently wet feet lose heat 25 times faster than dry ones, and Rick’s definitely battling that with his broken boot.

Let’s tune in for another episode of Rick puts his gear stressfully close to the fire.

 

This man will cook everything but a meal

Andreas

Look at that waterfall that’s cropped up! Imagine if one of those came through your camp.

 

No thanks

 

Andreas is lamenting that it’s his first trip away when he’s actually going to come back skinnier. He’s lost 17kg. I wonder how much of that was muscle? It’s time for a #rigreveal!

Oh and it’s blinding. Not much vitamin D in these parts hey? Nice six-pack though. *signs up to season 3*

Andreas has decided that fishing is too hard at the moment with the water level up, deer aren’t common enough to be worth it, so he’s gonna catch a mouse with a little trap he’s fashioning out of a log.

 

It’s pretty insane (non-derogatory) that people know how to do this

 

Ok this looks pretty clever, a hollowed-out log with a simple door mechanism that closes when the mouse takes the food. But it seems so small? And a mouse is so small compared to a trout. I’m sensing desperation.

Day 31

We’ve progressed a single day so far, but on the flip side, we have three more competitors than at this stage in season one. Not bad.

Krzysztof is checking out the deadfall near his shelter. A big tree could obviously kill you, but even a small branch could puncture your tarp and ruin your day. Unless you make it a proper roof! Which can insulate your shelter. Here we go!

Krzysztof is definitely the MVP of shelter construction, if he could nab a fish it’d be all over for the others I reckon.

 

Can’t wait to see Krzysztof on Grand Designs

 

‘I’m pretty sure that being comfortable is the key to winning,’ he says. Nah dude it’s definitely catching food, but you get your construction badge.

He’s eating more of that seaweed stuff that’s been sustaining him but, to quote my friend Alice who watched with me in person: ‘That is grim as fuck’.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

 

Yay…

 

Mary’s now calling it a ‘Shrubbery montage’. Honestly I might just start recording these two and transcribing it.

Krzysztof is talking about home and eating comfort food, but he’s not done yet. 100 days is still his goal but that’s 69 more days! He’s gonna need to eat.

Tamika

She is so excited to try and catch fish. To be fair the adrenaline rush looks unmatched.

Tamika has a rad net she’s made too, which we didn’t see getting made? This is a plea for more focus on craft in season 3, even if it’s not as impressive as when Mike made a kayak (seriously, was that real or a fever dream?).

We’re learning a little about why Tamika became a police officer. Kind of seems like she was just young and thought it was a good idea, but the stress of the job led her to drink, a lot. She described her former self as an alcoholic and that’s always a sliding scale of severity, but I’m glad to see she found her way out of it.

Despite not being a cop anymore, she still has a special bludgeoning baton to kill the fish. You have the right to remain yummy. Sorry.

Jesus the fish she has caught is 64cm, that’s a big bloody trout! She’s measuring them to compare.

 

To quote Andreas, ‘Look at that stonker!’

 

Mary reckons she’s becoming a Tinder guy who posts photos with his catches. This is how it starts people!

Well, Tamika seems to be absolutely killing it as far as I can tell. Another fish, a sturdy shelter, indoor cooking. Things are looking pretty great.

Rick

Rick on the other hand has only got one trout in the four weeks and he reckons he’s tried everything.

He’s trying to get them at the river mouth but the sandflies are absolutely cursed. Stop talking about how bad it is and get out of there man! You can see how frustrated he is, poor bugger.

 

Oh I would immediately tap

Suzan

I’m not even gonna try and transcribe that song but I’m glad to see Suzan’s doing ok. Inexplicably maybe, with no food and potentially the worst shelter, but she’s tough.

She also has stones she’s talking to that represent her dogs back at home. According to Mary this makes her ‘a whole lot more relatable’ which is concerning, as she’s my fiance.

 

We all need our rocks in challenging times

 

Suzan’s talking about how she and John tried to conceive for SIX years and couldn’t, and how gutted she was about it. Then a few years later she got breast cancer. Lordy.

It’s great that these people share their stories on national television and I’m honestly so impressed by the vulnerability. Especially to do it solo, to the camera without anyone there to help them express it.

Maybe that’s the secret though. Giving people enough time to finally feel ready to share, to do it on their own terms and in a journal format that only works in one direction. There’s probably just a craving for human connection at that point too, but it’s definitely the Alone special sauce.

Day 35, 9:35am

Rick’s just stumbled as he put his pack down and he’s feeling dizzy. He’s looking skinny too, glad he has that big ol’ belt.

Rick had a dream about a woman who tapped out early and was devastated to waste the opportunity, which shows where his mind’s at. He’s talking about his wife now who calls him ‘Rickster’. Omg, too cute.

Rick only read the note his wife gave him just before he headed out into the field. He quotes a line: ‘Rick when things get difficult ask your heart, it’s where the answers are.’* Most people would interpret that as, ‘I need to go home immediately’, but Rick’s heart says, ‘You can do more’.

Side note, it’s good to see him finally wearing the gumboots that are actually waterproof.

*Quote is approximate, I’m on a plane remember.

Andreas

Andreas is eating 12 calorie-per-serving fronds. Yum!

A mouse has run past the little log trap twice, but it didn’t even sniff it! Now he’s trying berries instead of fish scales as bait.

A possum has knocked over the trap while Andreas is peeing, or at least it’s mucking around while he’s out of bed, but he’s not even going to try and fight it. It’s interesting that after that initial possum success, Andreas doesn’t seem that enthused by the idea of catching another one.

 

Possum magic doing its thing again

 

Scorecard

Possums 2 | Andreas 1

Rick

Day 37 and we are still out here.

And Rick is looking pretty good, oh nope he’s found some trees that look like his sisters. One of his sisters, Mandy, has passed away, but he feels that she’s been with him the whole time. It’s a touching moment, Rick’s family was so fractured growing up, it’s lovely that he still managed to find connection to some of his siblings.

But what’s he doing now, down at the shore?

 

This is tap dancing. I reckon he’s gonna go

 

This is poetic. ‘What do I want to get out of this? I think I already have. I hope that all those that know me aren’t disappointed, should I not choose to battle it out to the last contender.’

‘I am the captain of my ship, I am the husband to my wife, I am the father to my son, I am the brother to my siblings, I am my own king!’ *Fist pumps*

Rick’s affirmation is so damn cool, I didn’t realise it was a repeated bit. However, it really sounds like he’s tapping, but it’s unconfirmed.

Andreas

Andreas doesn’t seem super happy. It’s been seven days since he got a trout and he’s not having heaps of luck with the trap yet. This is a stark change to the fishing success of earlier, but surely he can bring it back?

Oh wait up. Oh! The mouse is in the trap and having a great time not triggering the trap,

 

Just a fun game of hide and squeak for this guy

 

Damn! He squeezed out the gap! Seems like it’s not that hard for the mouse to push his way out. Perhaps it needs to be more vertical? He must be gutted (unlike the mouse).

I thought Andreas was gonna tap for a second there. Day 40!

Rick

Ahh here we go, he’s tapping out.

 

Mum come pick me up

 

‘Come get me with nuggets!’ says Mary. Noted for when she wins a season of Alone.

Slick Rick, 37 (or 40, not sure) days out in that shelter, and one fish.

You absolutely wild man. He’s been tough and frankly, a pleasure to watch. From his instructive narration to his vulnerable and caring outlook, Rick has been an inspiring force on the show. I’m sure many picked him for the win, and in some ways he hasn’t had the easiest run, but he’s bowing out with dignity.

I do think he could have gone further, and wonder how long it might be until some of the others crumble, but that’s the game baby. Not knowing how the others are doing is rare in any competition and really pits you against yourself. Rick got what he needed.

Though I do hope someone buys him new shoes.

Of all the characters, I wanna see the moment Rick meets up his wife again. I’m not crying, you’re crying!

Next Episode

Well, Tamika hasn’t caught a trout for days and is thinking about shooting birds? Suzan is frustrated and dancing around a fire on the shore? Andreas is trying to wade across a river to a dead trout? And Krzysztof is feeling quite sick and lying in bed.

It’s all coming to a head now, with only two episodes left and four contenders lasting for 40 days it’s still quite competitive, but only Tamika looks close to reaching some level of sustainability.

Who’s your pick? Got any hot takes? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing everyone’s perspectives and all the little things you’re picking up.

From 38,000 feet, Tim.

Alone Australia Recaps So Far

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