INTERVIEW: ‘Alone’ returns with couples vying to survive

The premise is simple yet profound. A person is dropped in the wilderness and must survive by building shelters, foraging for food and starting fires. It’s a lonesome existence but one ripe for the reality-TV treatment.

For three seasons, Alone has been wowing audiences as they sit in the comfort of their cozy living rooms, and now the series is ready to mix things up for season four. When new episodes premiere Thursday, June 15 at 10 p.m. on History, the lonesome survivors will not be totally alone.

This time around, couples will face the wilds of Vancouver Island in Canada. They are dropped separately with only nature as their compass, and they must find their partner and then continue to survive. At the end of the road for the winning couple is a $500,000 payday and likely some chapped lips and skinny stomachs.

Oh, and they need to document their travails. There’s no camera crew on this reality series.

Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with two contestants on the new season, Brooke Whipple and David Whipple. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.

What motivated you to sign up for the adventure series?

Brooke: “I really loved the previous seasons of Alone and how it was clearly different from other shows out there. It immediately drew me in because there was no narrator telling me how to feel or what was going on. It was the first show to really let the experience stand alone and breathe. It was real — and it was an absolute dangling carrot in my mind wondering how I would do in a similar situation. I think most people who sign up for this kind of challenge want to see what they’re really made of. It was no different for me.”

David: “I really wanted to know what the contestants from the previous seasons knew. What would be important when you didn’t have anything but a few tools and you were alone in the wilderness? What did they find out about the reality of isolation and survival? What’s really valid, and what is unimportant? What would you learn about yourself? I really wanted their insight. I wanted to know what the truth of the experience was. Now when I hear people talk about what they would do if they were on the show, they just don’t have a clue what it’s like. I don’t see things the way I did before we were dropped off on Vancouver Island. I found a lot of clarity about what matters and what doesn’t.”

Does having a partner in the field help or hurt your chances of survival?

Brooke: “I believe having a teammate definitely helps your chance of survival. The addition of an extra person is a huge mental and physical help. Just the division of labor alone was huge. Once shelter is in place, there’s two main tasks that need to be taken care of everyday: eating and staying warm. The amount of firewood you have to process in order to stay warm is a task all on its own. With dwindling physical strength, some days you could hardly make yourself go do it, so having two people lets you have a bit of a break or a buffer when you’re having one of those ‘low energy’ days. Sometimes I would fish while my husband, Dave, would cut wood and vice versa. Or one of us could rest if needed while the other got some chores done. As far as companionship, it was great to have someone else to talk to and better yet to share the journey with. We were not allowed to have any kind of journal, so being able to process the experience on the spot with someone you love was great. It was a true gift.”

David: “Having a partner is great. And hard. You’re emotionally tied to another person. If you wake up feeling great and your partner is having a rotten day, they drag your emotional state down — and vice versa. So you’re pulled every which way emotionally. It’s good and bad. The division of labor is good. You can get more done. It’s half the work to get firewood and stay warm, but it’s also half the food because, although two people can fish, there are only so many fish coming through on a rising tide. Ultimately, having a partner served to be both good and bad.”

What did you learn about each other during the adventure?

Brooke: “Our relationship is strong and remained strong throughout our time there. The only takeaway I gained is the reinforcement that we make a great team and always have. The way we lived out there is not a stretch from how we live in our normal lives. We both have things we are good at, and there’s an unspoken division of tasks that naturally occur. We are quite secure in our individual skills as well as our skills as a team, and it was very rewarding to unroll that in a raw, bare-bones situation. I am extremely proud of my husband and the man he is. He is my best friend and more amazingly still loves me after 18 years of marriage!”

David: “What did we learn about each other during the adventure? That’s a funny question for us. Not much if anything! Brooke and I have been married for almost 19 years, so we know each other quite well! We lived 10 years without indoor plumbing or running water in interior Alaska, so we’ve spent a lot of time together living a rustic life. Vancouver Island was so hard, but it was totally in our wheelhouse.”

What drove you to succeed? Was the cash prize a big consideration?

Brooke: “The cash prize for being the last team standing was definitely a motivator at first. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it and wish for it often. But eventually, as time passes, you begin to realize the things that really matter in life are your relationships with other people, a shared meal, a warm bed, love, memories, etc. Time spent alone in the wilderness leads to thoughts deeper than money, at least in my case. After all, if someone delivered that money to you in the wilderness, it would mean absolutely nothing. You couldn’t spend it on anything. It would not change you or your situation whatsoever. You could burn it for warmth. That’s it. On the other hand, if someone dropped by for a visit and they had a cheeseburger … now that would change your day! Context is everything.”

David: “I really wanted to be part of the whole Alone experience and live it myself. The money sounds great at first, but by the time you get to know the other teams, you all become friends in a very small club. You start to root for your friends and hope that they’re all safe and doing well, even though you want to win. The competitive thing comes and goes out there in the wilderness. But, you always find yourself wondering how everyone is doing … not as competitors but as your friends who are dealing with the same cold, rain, hunger and misery that you are.”

Is this real reality television? Without a camera crew, it seems like there’s no faking it. Can you confirm that?

Brooke: “There will always be people who say they have the inside scoop from someone who’s ‘in the know’ about reality shows. And in general, they are probably right that there is a certain amount of ‘fictional liberty’ taken by production that shapes the direction and sometimes, the outcome, of reality shows. But Alone is different. There’s no hidden cameramen, no extra food drops, no secret cabins full of production gear. You are dropped, and you are alone unless you hit that button to go home. This show is legit. I highly encourage any naysayers to apply to be cast. There’s no better witness than experience.”

David: “Alone is as real as it gets! If you chop your foot off with an axe, you’re done. If you go crazy from the isolation and quit, you’re done. There’s no script, there’s no plot, there’s no story line. Don’t quit, and you can win. That’s it. It’s so simple! It’s raw, and real, and pure. Everybody who loves Alone gets it. I’m so thankful that Brooke and I got the chance to be a part of it all.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Alone returns to History Thursday, June 15 at 10 p.m. Click here for more information.