The History Channel alone Season nine episode five – “The Land Given” – most of the survivors are quite successful at hunting and fishing. Episode five begins with eight people left, when Jacques leaves the show on the 15th and Igor is tapped out on the 20th. All of the remaining contestants haven’t exhausted their permanent shelters after 21 days in the wild, and by the end of episode five we’re another survivalist.
Day 21: Benji’s gut puddle turns into a bear as confirmed by his trail camera. However, they have decided that this is not the right time to kill the bear as it is not yet cold enough to freeze the carcass. Although the bear will eventually be a necessity, he just isn’t able to take care of the meat. Benji gave himself two more weeks before he even thought about hunting a bear.
He finishes his new shelter before the day is over and is really satisfied with how it turns out. It has room to stand and will be easier to keep warm inside than your old structure.
Day 24: Benji sharpens his tools and cleans them. He uses his ax every day and wants to keep it in good shape. “If you’re not starting your day with some axe, you’re missing out,” says Benji.
Benji gets to work on a beefy beam, a surface used for scraping animal skins. He wants to get as much meat out of the skin of the beaver. He plans to provide the fat and preserve it.
Fleshing is laborious and with primitive tools it is even more difficult. Benji is able to scrape up a lot of meat and plans to add seasoning and cook it that afternoon. (The tail serves as a platter.) Once he cooks up the scraps, he has half a pan of “wonderful calories.” He pours it into the lit bowl made on the 13th day and sets it aside for later.
Even though he has a lot of beaver meat, he can’t resist taking aim at a complainant. He missed twice, but luckily, he knows where his arrows land. He takes another shot at Grouse in a tree – it gets stuck around for some reason, despite arrows flying for it – and has the charm a third time.
Benji thanks the bird and says, “May your soul be free.”
He confesses that he never thought he would cut so much food with his bow. Bhumi has embraced him and he is eating well.
Grouse provides protein, phosphorus, and B12, and Benji cooks that evening with some beaver grease. He loves the taste and describes the fat as exploding in his mouth.
Day 26: Benji wakes up with a stomach ache and needs to reconnect his body with qigong, a Chinese healing practice. After performing qigong he hunts for yarrow, a herb that helps with stomach ailments. He comes to Banks and thinks he is feeling sick from overeating the previous evening.
Benji believes that he is a strong contender because of his versatile skills. However, he is worried that he will be sidelined for some time if his stomach keeps on hurting him.
Benji wakes up from a short nap by the river and his stomach is still closed. He is cumbersome and moves around a bit, and thinks that perhaps he ate something that was spoiled or contaminated.
Benji takes it to bed and has a fever, chills, and stomach cramps. He is also nauseous but not vomiting, and his stomach turns when he thinks of meat/fat. Still, he is hopeful that it will go away and that he will feel better tomorrow.
Day 27: 2 o’clock arrives and Benji definitely isn’t feeling better. He walks out of his shelter and finally vomits cursing. Benji thinks he has “beaver fever” – a nickname for Giardia.
2:30 a.m. And he got up again, in pain and exhausted.
3 o’clock and his stomach is in turmoil. He describes the situation and it’s not pretty. (I’ll leave the details to you.)
Comes in at 6 in the morning and he hasn’t slept at all. He’s not feeling any better and can barely get around. “It’s the end of the road for me,” Benji says.
It is to the point where he is concerned that he will not survive if the Labrador does not leave the forest. Nevertheless, he experienced the change of seasons before being tapped out. He is glad that he came on the series and learned a lot from being a part of it alone,
Jesse, Age 49, Pagosa Springs, CO
Day 22: Jesse hunts after hearing one near his shelter. She misses her first arrow and doesn’t get a chance to take a second shot. Her shelter is approaching well, but it’s a lot of work and she admits to being really hungry (and tired of squirrels).
Jessie is calling her location Hodgepodge Lodge because it is made up of several shelter styles.
He is a strong believer in listening to nature and in divine timing. She refuses to impose arbitrary timing expectations on herself.
Adam, age 36, Fayetteville, ARO
Day 22: Adam describes his latest squirrel kill as a perfect shot (it went through the eye). He is now satisfied with his hunting and fishing and thinks that every day is a gift. He shoots another squirrel, this time from the back of the head. He hears a third squirrel calling, but doesn’t look for it because it’s already got great food and it’s only morning.
His structure is one of the best of the season and he sits inside, leans out the window, and pretends he’s serving customers. The menu includes crispy squirrels, leftover grouse and berries.
Day 25: Last evening Adam couldn’t sleep well and his stomach feels terrible. He eats some cranberries hoping to settle it down and is worried he has contracted a parasite. Adam hopes that’s not the case and instead he’s just a bad system from strange diets.
Adam chooses to spend the day resting in his shelter.
Adam believes he has everything he could possibly want back home. Money will help his family a lot (his mother needs new teeth) but overall he has a happy life. He plans to build a safe, comfortable home with the prize money. Adam chokes while discussing how grateful he is for his life and the people in it.
It is 10 o’clock in the night when he accepts the fact that he has got intestinal parasites. He believes he has Giardia and that it makes him feel nauseous and in pain. He wonders how long he can live with it and whether he can cure it. Adam is hopeful that it will go away on its own but it seems to be getting worse.
Day 26: Adam rests enough to have the energy to collect birch bark for tea. He thinks it will help with his intestinal issues and has been successful in chopping off the inner bark of the tree. It is believed to stimulate and calm the stomach. He doesn’t know the exact dosage, but hopefully it will work.
That evening he drinks his birch bark tea and waits for her to impress. After a while his tummy has gotten much better and he has no worries about tapping.
Juan Pablo, age 30, Pinava, CAN
Day 22: Juan decides not to boil his water anymore because it is too time consuming and wasting energy. Plus, it cuts down on the amount of wood he has to gather. He has done this for 10 years and hopes to remain healthy, well versed in his ability to digest parasites.
He’s been present on the berries and doesn’t think his chances are good for shooting grouse or rabbit because he hasn’t seen any droppings. Her options: fishing…and…fishing.
Juan Pablo is going to spend energy building a dock because that’s obviously going to be his main source of food. A seal swims nearby but is protected and is not allowed to hunt it.
Dock complete, sits near Juan Fish.
Day 24: Juan hopes the dock will make a difference. It’s definitely a better casting spot but his first fish of the day goes away. Luckily, he pulls in a decent-sized brook trout and it seems his luck has turned. His second fish is also of medium size like his third and fourth. By the end of the day, he has reeled in six fish.
“I think I’m used to fly fishing,” says Juan.
This is more of a real-life survival situation than a competition for Juan, and he has no plans to tap out. Taping out will never be an option in real life.
Juan cooks three of his fish and decides to save the other three.
Kerry Lee, August 57, Sandpoint, ID
Day 23: Carrie wakes up to tea, scorching sun, and thoughts of dismantling her shelter. However, he needs earlier feedings and has lost 20 pounds from day one. She goes hunting, hears a squirrel, and takes a shot. Although she initially believes that he has found her, she is unable to locate the body.
The rain comes and Carrie sings “Waniska”, a Native American Cree song, inside her unfinished shelter. The song she sings places her in a place of gratitude as she learns and listens from the land.
A big trout turns away but she doesn’t give up. After a while she pulls up a 13” brook trout which will provide her 800 calories. She cooks it and eats eyeballs, which are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Although food is clearly important, it is more about spiritual peace for Carrie Lee.
Tom, age 34, Earlysville, VA
Day 23: Tom is busy making traps including a wishbone deadfall. It’s a tricky trap and he explains how to carefully put together.
A flashback shows Tom starting work on his permanent shelter on Day 17. He describes his outdoor home as a combo of a log cabin, a mine shaft, and a giant basket. (Tom is making it up as he makes it.)
One day 20, he has it in pretty good shape and builds a workable fireplace and stove out of rocks, mud and clay. “A hearth is comfort, no matter where you are,” says Tom, impressed by his work. He throws a tarp on the roof to keep it dry and starts searching for food.
Day 23: Tom hasn’t been lucky with his trap line, but insists he has to check his nets every day, even if they aren’t close. To do so every day is a responsibility and not to do so is inhuman.
His first two snares didn’t trigger, but he scores big with his spring snare which got a decent sized snowshoe rabbit. (Rabbits average 875 calories.) Tom is happy and has to remind himself to calm down. It was only a foot off the ground and anything could have happened if he didn’t go to the trouble of checking his nets every day.
Tom is a little worried that he may have died since last night but hopefully the meat will be fine as it cools. He’ll cook it long enough to make sure he doesn’t get sick. It starts to rain as Tom prepares the carcass, describing the rabbit’s legs as short but full of tendons. Tendons are a good source of collagen and help keep joints healthy.
he confesses parts of alone It’s easier than he thought and the parts are harder than he thought they would be. However, he is feeling well physically and does not feel lonely in nature.
Tom cried when he took the first bite of a rabbit. it’s yummy.
