Alone: Polar Bear Island
Season 9 History (*186) 20:15 Reality
What’s worse than being stranded on an island without supplies or even shelter? How about doing it on your own. There’s not even a camera crew on reality series Alone – competitors have GoPro body cameras to do all the filming. And for season 9, things are going to get interesting because the Alone stars are sharing ground with hungry polar bears in freezing Northeaster Labrador in Canada.
“We chose this region because it’s unrelenting and it will push the contestants to their limits in more ways than one,” says executive producer Zach Behr. “We want to see how much they can take before getting to breaking point without the harm of actually breaking. And there are polar bears too this season!” But it’s not as dangerous as it sounds – there are nature conservation specialists in the area who’re tracking the polar bears. “These are wild animals and there’s no way we’d leave regular people out in the wild with something that could kill them. So they are safe… but the bears do wander around a bit,” says Zach.
The producers have made sure that there’s just enough food and structure materials available when the cast are dropped off, with Zach adding, “We’re not evil. We’re trying to test human resolve. There’s one contestant who falls apart in the first few hours, then they somehow find the strength to pull themselves together. It’s incredible to see someone who’s struggling to dig deep and pull a rabbit out the hat. That’s what we actually want – to see how strong these people, and humans in general, are.”