History’s Alone season 11 episode 12, the season finale, begins on Day 75 with Dub, William, and Timber battling freezing temperatures and heavy snow. Food is scarce, and conditions are deteriorating as the number of daylight hours has been reduced to just four.

One survivalist is forced to tap on Day 80, and another decides to leave on Day 83 with his health and mental state intact. The winner of the $500,000 prize is crowned on Day 84, moving into third place on the list of Alone winners behind season seven’s Roland (Day 100) and season three’s Zachary (Day 87).

Dub – Age 44, Frederic, Michigan

Day 75, 2:36pm – The season finale begins seconds after episode 11 ended, with Dub collapsed in the snow. He truly believed the Day 75 med check visit was just a ruse, and that he was about to be announced as the season 11 winner. Unfortunately, he was wrong. After giving himself a few minutes to sulk, he returns to work collecting firewood.

Dub is disappointed he set himself up for such a big letdown. However, he thinks his competitors might tap because they miss their kids. He does a little ice fishing but is unsuccessful. The sun’s only hitting the horizon and will be up for just four and a half hours a day.

3:31pm – Dub admits he’s in a desperate situation. The fish aren’t biting, and he’s forced to return to his shelter empty-handed. Alone is the most difficult thing he’s ever done, but he doesn’t want to tap out and have regrets for the rest of his life. “The red button is a dream-crushing killer that’s got a nice little sugarcoating on it,” says Dub.

Day 78, 2:38pm – Dub sings a little ditty about living in the Arctic while fishing. Nothing bites and he calls it a day.

3:16pm – Dub decides to eat most of the fish from his stash, even though that’s a risky move. He’s prepared for cold, but not this degree of cold. (It’s -9 degrees now.) Dub’s been putting mittens on his feet at night to prevent frostbite, but they’re still freezing. The hours of darkness are wearing on him, and it feels like solitary confinement. But if he leaves, he’ll have to live with the decision that he tapped out.

6:12pm – Dub wishes he could just sleep, but it’s too early. He admits he’s having a constant inner battle over pushing the button. When he has food, he’s fine. But when he’s low on resources, it’s difficult to win the inner debate over tapping.

Dub cuts off a portion of his belt that looks like a brook trout and makes a new lure. He’s hopeful it will convince a big fish that it’s real.

Day 80, 11:53am – Dub confirms he just experienced the coldest night thus far. He bundles up before heading to the river. 8” of snow fell overnight as Dub makes his way to do some fishing. All his trails are covered, but he eventually arrives at his fishing hole. He vows to fish until his body can’t take it anymore.

Dub’s new lure doesn’t convince any fish to bite. He reveals that Alone makes them sign a paper saying whether they want to be alerted about family emergencies. He chose not to know, but now he’s worried something might have happened while he’s been in the Arctic.

The food situation is dire, and Dub knows he’s in trouble. His heart pounds when he walks, and he lacks enough energy to walk up even small hills. He’s done his best, but his body can’t survive much more of this. Still, tapping will end his dream of winning. He knows he’ll never have another shot at this amount of money.

Dub returns to his shelter and makes the call. The crew comes to retrieve him, and he explains it’s a desire to see his mom that made him tap. Physically, he thinks he may have been able to hold on. But mentally, he can’t live with the possibility something happened to his mom or dad while he was in the Arctic. “Money comes and goes, but family…you only get one,” says Dub, his beard and mustache covered in ice.

“Turns out, I like people more than I thought. That’s why I’m going home,” admits Dub. This competition has made him realize he’s more competent than he thought. It was painful to tap, but this immersive experience let him forge a new connection with nature. It also made him realize we are, in fact, all social animals.

Timber – Age 35, Salem, Indiana

Day 76, 11:43am – Timber shows off a t-shirt full of moose as he munches on some jerky. He heads to the river, certain he can survive past 100 days on just jerky. However, his teeth are sore from the jerky and fresh meat will help his dental health.

Ice fishing hasn’t been great so far, but yesterday he used guts as bait. He pulls up his lines and they’re empty, so he decides it’s time to retrieve a fish from the food cache. After pulling one out, he decides to leave the tail behind. “It struck my mind how many children tonight won’t have a meal at all,” says Timber. He leaves the tail for a wild animal that needs it, hoping to raise awareness for children who will go without food this evening.

Day 78, 11:30am – Timber wraps up his Trial by Fire game and declares Alexandra the winner. The little figure is named after his wife’s middle name. Once the game’s over he checks his snare lines. He’s seen hare tracks and is ecstatic to discover he’s caught one close to camp. He believes his experience in this competition has been deeper than words can express. It’s been a pure connection with nature because his life has depended on it.

1:51pm – He talks to his kids as he demonstrates using the rabbit’s lower jawbone as a scoop to remove the brains.

Day 79, 9:43pm – It’s snowing hard, and his hands are freezing. Alone shows William and Dub are also amazed by how heavy it’s coming down.

Day 81, 10:11am – Timber’s been reflecting on the phases he’s been through over the past 80 days. From rushing water and animal activity to silence and colorlessness. The isolation is starting to wear on him.

11:57am – It’s -10 degrees when he makes it to the river to check his lines. He hears a big crack under him and knows the ice is dangerous. Timber doesn’t feel safe at this point and decides to pull up all his fishing gear. It’s just too risky. He’ll pin his hopes on more hares, supplemented by jerky.

2:25pm – Timber’s ready to get his new vision for his family life started. Even though he believes he can survive longer, he doesn’t need to impress anyone. Timber’s certain whoever else remains in the competition will stick it out through at least 100 days. He holds the radio and considers tapping, but ultimately decides not to just yet.

Day 83, 12:22pm – He’s enjoying the experience and could last to Day 100, if he wanted to. But now, he’s not certain the money is the correct goal. If he gives it out to people in need, he still won’t be able to help everyone. “I think that I’ve received everything, besides the money, that I can possibly receive from something like this,” says Timber. He’s at peace with his existence and can be proud of every minute he’s spent on Alone.

2:07pm – Timber taps out. Alone points out only four participants have made it past Day 83. Timber believes the right path to take now is to go be with his family. He tears up as he says he’s happier than he’s been in years. “I feel fully alive again,” says Timber.

He wants his children to see the true victory in immaterial things, like integrity and joy. The show isn’t about killing big game; survival is much more complex.

William – Age 49, Happy Valley Goose Bay, Labrador

Day 77, 11:58am – It’s a snowy day, but his fire is roaring. Although his lean-to keeps the weather out, he plans to close a few holes. William confesses he’s craving his wife’s chocolate cake and dream whip. His wife’s his best friend, and he misses her terribly.

He leaves his cozy fire to check the rabbit snares as Alone informs viewers the area will go dark in just 17 days. He sees lots of rabbit tracks and sets a few more snares. William’s lost 70 pounds since Day 1 and needs to add to his food cache.

Day 79, 11:48am – He spent another comfortable night in his shelter which is built like a trapper’s tilt. He believes he’s in the endgame now, and today he’ll work on catching more food. Rabbits would be great in case the weather turns, and he’s excited when he discovers one in his snare. It’s a total surprise since he hasn’t seen pawprints in days.

Back at camp, he takes inventory. He’s got a pike, some coney, and now a rabbit. He prepares the rabbit while saying that if he wins, he can spend more time with his kids. The rabbit’s delicious and a morale booster.

Day 81, 1:31pm – William’s rabbit snares are empty, and he admits to becoming more skeptical that he’ll win. He believes someone must have bagged big game.

Day 84, 12:36pm – Yesterday was windy, but today feels better. He’s got a weird thing going on with his foot, but otherwise, he’s fine. He misses his family and pets but is taking it day by day and staying mentally strong.

William’s still in bed when he’s alerted to a med check coming in one hour. He rushes to eat, cooking up some coney before the team arrives. He’s lost 75 pounds since Day 1 and is still determined not to tap. William’s certain he’s still got gas in the tank and will only leave if he’s pulled.

Asked how he’s doing, he admits he misses his family and hopes he’s not still out there on Christmas. He’s unsure of his long-term strategy this late in the game, unaware that his wife Jill is approaching his shelter. He’s still chuckling about his kids when Jill surprises him. They squeal joyfully and hug, incredibly happy to be reunited after 84 days.

William shows off his small shelter and Jill’s amazed he can even fit inside. She confesses she was worried at Day 50 that he might be dying, but then calmed down after re-reading his last text message. She was certain he’d be there as long as it took.

William calls Alone the greatest adventure of a lifetime, and says he’ll be back if they ever do a season of champions. His wife kept him motivated; his family is everything to him. The $500,000 will allow them to move back to his wife’s hometown and raise his kids in that small community atmosphere.

Staying positive played a crucial role. William now realizes he has more mental strength than he thought. He also believes he’s proven you don’t need to get big game to win. William thinks his win will inspire kids across Labrador to believe they can try something like this.

He’ll be talking about his experiences on Alone for the rest of his life. William is part of this land now, and proud of that.

• Alone Season 10 Episode 1 Recap: “Game On”
• Alone Season 11 Episode 1 “Enter the Circle” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 2 “Opportunity Cost” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 3 “Fortune” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 4 “Legacy” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 5 “Something in the Air” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 6 “Murphy’s Law” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 7 “One Pike at a Time” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 8 “The Marten Chronicles” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 9 “The Wormhole” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 10 “Symphony of Solitude” Recap
• Alone Season 11 Episode 11 “Collapse” Recap
• Season 12 Heads to South Africa
• Recap of Season 12 Episode 1