Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Jul 11, 2015 18:40:20 GMT
It cracks me up every time they put up the disclaimer saying, These are expert survivalist, don't try this on your own. Expert survivalist where, at a KOA camp grounds. I keep seeing stupid mistakes being made by some of these guys most of who are already gone. One item that I didn't see any of them take was a water purifier, you can survive about three weeks without food but only three to five days without safe water. I've drawn water out of mud puddles through a purifier to drink. In some ways the show is starting to get a little annoying with the childish whining and stupid mistakes. Right now if I had to bet, my money is on Sam or Mitch and that's only because someone has to win. I'm assuming water purification items where not on the master list that they chose their 10 items from... otherwise you would surely see it.
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Post by ineffableone on Jul 11, 2015 22:31:40 GMT
It cracks me up every time they put up the disclaimer saying, These are expert survivalist, don't try this on your own. Expert survivalist where, at a KOA camp grounds. I keep seeing stupid mistakes being made by some of these guys most of who are already gone. One item that I didn't see any of them take was a water purifier, you can survive about three weeks without food but only three to five days without safe water. I've drawn water out of mud puddles through a purifier to drink. In some ways the show is starting to get a little annoying with the childish whining and stupid mistakes. Right now if I had to bet, my money is on Sam or Mitch and that's only because someone has to win. I'm assuming water purification items where not on the master list that they chose their 10 items from... otherwise you would surely see it. While the list of 40 has not been released, it has been confirmed by the guys that filters were not on the list. As for the expert thing. Sam actually has said he laughs every time he sees it pop up on screen. As for mistakes, remember it is easy to criticize while safe at home with plenty in your belly and plenty of sleep. However when you haven't eaten much, you aren't sleeping well, and your in a completely new environment from what your used to it is easy to make mistakes. Have you tried going 3 weeks without food? Guess what by day 3 your weak and your thinking is poor. Your coordination is all wrong, you make mistakes easily, you get extremely emotional, any physical activity exhausts you in a very short time, movement becomes slow and deliberate you actually have to think about how to walk how to reach out to pick something up. Day 4 you have trouble staying upright, and if you stand too quick you get lightheaded and will likely feint. It can take several minutes just to stand, slowly easing yourself up bit by bit. Day 5 you can barely move but you also can't sleep. You get stuck laying just thinking about food. If you can get moving your most likely only crawling not walking since walking is dangerous and will make you feint. By this point your thinking is seriously impaired and you make very stupid mistakes. You might crawl right past something edible with no recognition of it even though you know it normally. You can easily get lost 10 feet from your camp because your mind just can't figure out the way back. The whole 3 weeks without food is a deadly thing to rely on. Yes you can live for 3 weeks with out food. But you don't have that long to stay functional. It is actually only about 3-5 days with no food before you are completely useless and unable to pull yourself out of starvation.
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Post by Gunnar Wolfgard on Jul 19, 2015 13:38:32 GMT
True but some of these guys were making major mistakes the first day out. I think we throw around titles like expert and hero way to easily these days. Anyways, after the last episode I'm changing my prediction, I'm betting on Lucas to win. It seems like he's the only one who is focused on long term survival and looks like he's even enjoying it.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Jul 20, 2015 0:27:17 GMT
True but some of these guys were making major mistakes the first day out. I think we throw around titles like expert and hero way to easily these days. Anyways, after the last episode I'm changing my prediction, I'm betting on Lucas to win. It seems like he's the only one who is focused on long term survival and looks like he's even enjoying it. Lucas is looking good... I'm still ridding both my early pick pony's, Lucas and Alan... pleased to see them both still in it. :-) I see it jumped from day 7-8 to day 14... must not have been much of interest going on those skipped days.
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Post by Gunnar Wolfgard on Jul 20, 2015 1:11:33 GMT
Or the guys were dropping out so fast that they decided to accelerate the days. Remember, they are suppose to be survival experts.
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Post by ineffableone on Jul 22, 2015 4:10:28 GMT
I am guessing Mitch has been getting a lot of grief for bringing the salmon back to his camp to cook it and attracting the cougar.
So he posted a video discussing cooking camps and butchering camps etc.
Seems like he likely should have followed his own advice, but then I can't fault him too much. Getting a fish like that after being hungry for awhile could easily make me forget good camp planning. While I have made comments on what he should have done, I also recognize how what should and what does happen can be very different in the actual situation. Especially if you aren't getting plenty of food, water, and sleep.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Jul 22, 2015 4:46:23 GMT
Not just the cooking camp... but why he decided to harvest his net in the dead of night. Very poor planning/choices.
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Post by ineffableone on Jul 22, 2015 5:26:31 GMT
Not just the cooking camp... but why he decided to harvest his net in the dead of night. Very poor planning/choices. Well that was likely in part due to the mercy of the tide. He waited until the tide had gone out to go check. Though it obviously had been out for some time as the fish was no longer flopping, and there was no water to be seen at all. So he could have checked earlier than he did, and likely should have. Yes he messed up. I think he knows that. But it is easy to say what should be done when not actually there. There are many things I know I should have done, but didn't when out camping. Not even in the stressful type situations they are in. Just a normal hiking in to the woods to go camping with all the gear I felt like bringing. Who knows, if he hadn't heard the cougar while checking the net. He might have gutted the fish there, and done a better job of cooking at a distance from his sleeping camp. But suddenly being aware that a predator is near by, likely coming for that fish. He hurried back to where he felt safest. There are plenty of things I feel he should have done different. Like already have a cook camp set up with fire going. Bringing a burning torch with him. Gutting the fish there at the beach. Carrying the bear spray with him at all times. But again it is easy to pick apart someone else's actions when your not dealing with the hunger, sleep deprivation, and lack of proper tools.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Jul 22, 2015 11:33:04 GMT
You almost sound like your related... like your defending a brother or something. I get the gist of what your saying... but after having only been their 5 days... I dunno. Maybe its because, like you, I actually find the PNW a comfortable a familiar place... but I just can't understand most of the big mistakes done in those first 5 days. :-( The only one I felt really bad for was losing the ferro rod. That was the sort of simple, stupid mistake that could happen to anyone and, once its done... its done... and your SCREWED.
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Post by chrisperoni on Jul 22, 2015 13:24:42 GMT
I wish they had given a quick synopsis of what happened with each contestant between day 7 and 14. At least say something to explain the jump ahead in days and what each has been up too.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Jul 22, 2015 17:56:29 GMT
I wish they had given a quick synopsis of what happened with each contestant between day 7 and 14. At least say something to explain the jump ahead in days and what each has been up too. Agree 100%. The coverage was pretty day to day up to day 7... then BAM, fast forward a week. It was strange and a bit jarring to the tempo of the show.
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Post by ineffableone on Jul 22, 2015 21:20:27 GMT
You almost sound like your related... like your defending a brother or something. I get the gist of what your saying... but after having only been their 5 days... I dunno. Maybe its because, like you, I actually find the PNW a comfortable a familiar place... but I just can't understand most of the big mistakes done in those first 5 days. :-( The only one I felt really bad for was losing the ferro rod. That was the sort of simple, stupid mistake that could happen to anyone and, once its done... its done... and your SCREWED. LOL, nope not related. And I have done my fair share of saying what I think he or others on the show should have done vs what they did. I have no issue with mentioning the better way, or suggesting an alternative. But I also have been pretty consistent in also mentioning how it is easy to critique from the outside and easy to make mistakes while in it. That we need to take into account none of these guys have experience in this region. Josh for example had no experience with bears, so it was almost painful to watch how he sees how close he was to a bear den with a mother and cubs and yet didn't move his camp. Instead waits till they come give him a visit and he freaks out thinking they are stalking him. For me I realized as soon as he showed how close he was to the den and showed the bears in the tree, those bears were going to pay him back and give him a visit. But I recognized Josh didn't have the knowledge and experience I have to understand bear behavior. He also seemed quite firearm reliant and without one his confidence was much lower. The guy was freaked out even before being dropped off. If it were me I would have reacted much different, but I can understand how someone like him could have been driven out by curious bears. He built them up into some terrible man eating threat, which you or I wouldn't because we know better. With Mitch, he too is not used to predators. Most of the guys aren't, and the ones they are used to are much more afraid of humans due to high human contacts. So I can understand a bit more laxness on Mitch's part. As well as there is a difference when you are out in the woods vs at home. Like I said in just regular camping I have made mistakes and I knew I knew better. At home after I have wondered why I didn't do what I knew was the right thing. Sometimes it is just simple there in the moment you can get distracted from your knowledge. It is why training and practice is so important, to get certain things ingrained in you so they are automatic rather than having to consciously think about them. The most recent group camp out I went on, we were setting up camp just before sun set and the mosquitoes were out like crazy. One guy was working hard to process wood to get a fire and create smoke to reduce the annoying bugs. When i saw him trying to spark natural tinder with a ferro rod. I grabbed some paper and quickly got some crumpled balls of paper to the fire pit, and pulled out a lighter. And asked do you mind. He was all for it. I had realized that why struggle to get a fire when the mosquitoes were going to town, do it quick and easy use a lighter and paper rather than blowing a spark into flame. The reason I knew to do it the easy way is because one of the mistakes I have mentioned I have made is trying to make fire the hard way when I had access to easier methods. I have struggled making a fire in unfavorable conditions only to realize afterward that I have paper and a lighter and could have just used those.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Jul 22, 2015 23:21:43 GMT
Yeh... I'm not gonna mess with primitive fire making unless I have to... when I go out I almost always have some more reliable methods of fire making... but I know some guys like to go 'Old School'. I would HATE to have to do that up where they are in the show... everything is SO WET... huge pain in the ass. Still, mad props to Mitch on the char-cloth. That was such a damn good idea.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2015 16:23:21 GMT
With the remaining contestants more or less fed and surviving, three more episodes are going to wind it up. I don't know if Vegas has odds up yet for betting on a winner but the most bored will probably win, barring the next catastrophes.
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Post by ineffableone on Jul 24, 2015 22:35:05 GMT
With the remaining contestants more or less fed and surviving, three more episodes are going to wind it up. I don't know if Vegas has odds up yet for betting on a winner but the most bored will probably win, barring the next catastrophes. Vegas had betting up after episode 1. The guys left are pretty well set up to last a decent bit. I agree that at this point there are two major players in what will cause a tap out. Injury/illness or the mental stress. I see the mental side getting to pretty much everyone at this point in different ways. Alan seems to be handling it the best, likely due to age and experience. Lucas has big swings, which can be really difficult. Mitch seems to be settling into a low level funk. Sam has the really difficult issue of a baby to be on the way so missing his family takes a new meaning. Though if he can keep in his mind $500,000 for that child, he could go the entire way due to just that father's motivation to provide for his child. Except for Lucas they seem to be stagnating a bit. Getting into ruts and stuck in patterns. Which can really be mentally bad. Alan talked about it in another episode how he had developed a routine. Lucas however keeps doing big new things. While it is good for the mind, it also expends a lot of energy. So there is a trade off. When his big projects pay off, he does get the reward of improvement for survival though. The boat is a game changer for him, though using it does burn calories. Still not sure why he abandoned the cabin idea. Even without the clay for a fireplace he could have used an improved shelter. As folks might have noticed, day after day of rain makes people want to hole up and wait it out. This is standard in the PNW. Something that really helps is to make a shelter beyond your sleep shelter that is tall enough to stand in. Be it a tarp or a bushcrafted one doesn't matter. But being able to get up and stretch and walk about without getting soaked is a huge thing. This can also give you a place to work on crafts when it is raining. Build baskets, make fish/crab traps, bowls, spoons, make a bow, etc... While Alan suggests just conserving energy, at some point you have to recognize the region is just not going to let up. You either need to accept your going out in the wet, or create a space you can stay dry and work in. I am of both mindsets. I accept and embrace that I will get wet and go out into it and get things you need to do done, but also make sure there is some hang out space that is dry so that I have a place to dry off and warm back up. It is amazing how many projects you can get done when you have 3-4 days of rain. And working on those projects not only passes time, but creates items that improves your ability to survive. When I am out camping in the PNW I almost always have a large tarp in addition to my sleeping tent or tarp, just to set up for a space to work under if it rains. If I am out for a long time, I make sure to build a large roofed area to stay dry in.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Jul 25, 2015 4:03:10 GMT
Good to see my early picks, Alan and Lucas, still in there strong... and my honorable mention Sam still doing it as well. I didn't give Mitch enough credit it would seem... but I am glad that my 2-3 pics are still among the remaining 4 guys around. ;-) It just occurred to me... no women. I don't know why I didn't think of it until now. I wonder, how were the contestants chosen... and did any women even try out for the show?
I see most of myself in Alan... but a little of me in Lucas as well. Likely why I chose them. ;-) My temperament is more like Alan's... calm, patient, a little silly. I never have those mood swings that Lucas has. That must be tough on him, I hope he doesn't tap out in the midst of one of those. :-( However... like Lucas... I prefer to be active in my environment, try different things. Not to the point of super risk... but I'm not quite as sedate as Alan has been.
I don't know why Lucas gave up on the cabin either... except that, as he admitted himself, he gets VERY into doing something a certain way, and becomes very disappointed when it does not work out. He REALLY wanted to use that clay and build a fireplace... and I think he threw his hands up and said *&^% it in frustration when it didn't work out. He had already put some work into the cabin idea tho... and its STILL a good idea... so its a shame he didn't follow threw. Looks like he threw all his energy into his new idea, the boat, and just left the cabin idea behind.
I would certainly want a structure more secure then a tarp and some twigs for long term stay tho... cougars for one, and the weather is only going to get worse.
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Post by Draven on Jul 25, 2015 7:15:58 GMT
I've really been enjoying this show. I was surprised to see Joe go but I think that highlights how bad a single mistake can be in that type of situation. Luckily he was able to tap out - in a real survival situation he might have spent his last days struggling with friction fire (damn near impossible in those conditions) and cursing himself before hypothermia set in.
I think it's telling that so many dudes tapped in the first week and so few (none? can't recall for sure) in the second week. They've gotten into a rhythm and they just keep doing what they're doing.
I'm pretty sure the rest who tap are going to do so either due to the isolation or making a mistake. Boring patterns and routines aren't great for a lonely mind, but that's ideal for your body - they're fed and aren't having to burn a ton of calories, their bodies can adapt to their routine and will probably last quite a while, if the mind holds out.
I tend to think that Lucas isn't allowing himself to get that pattern, which could make or break him. He might find the perfect little bay to move into or he might fall out of his canoe and need rescue. To me it just looks like he's risking too much.
Sam has a great attitude. Very little fazes him. I was bummed to see him break down.
Alan also has a good attitude I think, but in a different way. He keeps his mind busy when he's bored rather than finding something physical to do, which is good.
I had my money on Mitch at first, but I'm not sure now. I think it's getting to him and he seems pretty dejected most of the time now.
I'm really looking forward to see who wins. Also love the Condor Kukri that Alan's using.
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Post by ineffableone on Jul 25, 2015 19:20:58 GMT
As for the way they got the contestants. Most were asked by scouts for the production company. Thus why so many were youtubers or had some sort of media presence.
They actually tried really hard from what the BCUSA guys said to find at least one woman to be on the show, but couldn't find any qualified to do something like this. The guys mentioned the production staff had really wanted at least one woman on the show, but just didn't get it this round.
That isn't to say there aren't any, just they didn't find any in their search. Now that there has been exposure to the show, I imagine they will have a few women choices for next season.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Aug 10, 2015 3:42:45 GMT
Anyone else watching the new 'Inside the Episode' shows they have been doing? Also... the one they did with the 6 guys that tapped out in the first week? Its VERY interesting. They showed some extra footage of when they rescued the guys... and each one of the guys who tapped out in that first week thought they were the first one to give up. They have NO idea how many other people are out there... which is VERY interesting... because it makes it super hard to decide how long to keep going and when to quit for the renaming 4 guys. As far as they know, everyone is still out there or a lot of them are still out there... they might be thinking everyone is doing better then them or has it better... it must have driven the last 4 guys NUTS, the not knowing.
It puts a very interesting perspective on the long term survival. Humans are a VERY competitive creature by nature.... if they knew there were only 4 others left, it would encourage them to REALLY suck it up and fight on... but if things get really low and they are thinking 'There are probably still 8-9 guys around, and they are likely all better set up then me, I can't win... might as well go home.'
It says next Thursday 2 of the remaining 4 will tap out... if the last two remaining are my picks Alan and Lucas, I'm going to be feeling pretty damn good about myself. ;-) I love that Alan and Lucas have DRAMATICALLY different approaches to their respective survival plans... yet both are VERY effective. Its like poker... there are many different strategies and mind sets you can use in the game and still have great results... there isn't only one way to win.
Also, super interesting to hear some of the guys talking to each other while watching the episodes... talking about what was going on at that time, reacting to the video of other guys and what they did. Loving this show. :-)
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Aug 11, 2015 0:14:15 GMT
I guess I'm the only one watching. I feel so.... Alone.
See what I did there?
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