The History Channel’s Alone: Frozen season one episode six moves the countdown clock forward to 24 days left, meaning the three remaining survivalists have made it past the halfway point. Season one began with six Alone veterans and three – all female – remain in the running for a share of the $500,000 prize.
Episode six, “On Thin Ice,” finds the three survivalists dealing with fresh snow, freezing temperatures, and a shortage of food.
Callie Russell, Age 34, Montana – Season 7, Survived 89 Days
30 Days Left: When we last saw Callie, she was incredibly sick but she’s sticking it out. She’s dehydrated from vomiting and plans on taking time for some self-care. She’s proud of herself for pushing through the wall of sickness and is indulging in a smoke bath from spruce boughs to cleanse her system.
She lost both of her brothers when she was younger and now her mission is to celebrate and enjoy life. Many of her life choices are in honor of her brothers. “Losing them makes me want to never take a day for granted,” says Callie.
28 Days Left: It’s super windy and was windy all the previous night. Still, it’s time to check the trapline. She can’t eat the mussels after they made her sick and is depending on another protein source to stay in the competition. Her body’s getting weaker, but she remains hopeful. It’s getting harder to keep her toes warm because of the lack of calories.
The first trap’s empty but she continues checking her snares. Finally, she scores a win! She’s snared a red squirrel and is thankful for the food. However, she’s sad about taking a life even though it’s necessary.
As a teen, she was angry at the world for taking her two brothers. (One died in a car accident and the other committed suicide.) She was also angry at how we treat animals and the planet, and that anger drove her down a path of self-destruction. It was thinking about her brothers that got her to snap out of it and live her life to the fullest. She now embraces all challenges.
She case skins the squirrel to keep the pelt intact. The intact pelt can be sewn up in a few places and used as a pouch.
Callie decides to cook and eat the squirrel in one sitting. She hopes for one squirrel a day to remain in the competition.
26 Days Left: Callie’s like a little kid when she shows off fresh snow. It’ll help her be able to spot animal tracks.
She sets out to check her traplines and comes up empty. She’s only had mussels and a squirrel over the past 10 days, and she hopes everyone else is fine and staying safe. Callie thinks Michelle is probably doing well since she normally lives on the coast. She also wishes Woniya well, calling Michelle and Woniya her “survival sisters.”
Callie is hoping to show girls and women that women can live off the land successfully. She believes women communicate and flow with nature in a different way than men.
She cooks up some broth while giving a short but sweet tour of her shelter that she’s named Driftwood Castle. Her heart is there and she wants to stay, but food remains an issue.
25 Days Left: Callie wonders what to do. She’s not getting any food but she wants to stay. She asks the fire what to do and, of course, it doesn’t answer.
She decides to sleep under the stars tonight, even though there’s snow on the ground. It’ll be colder but worth it. The wilderness heals her and gives her nuggets of wisdom and truth.
Callie moves her sleeping bag outside her shelter and is going to spend the day reflecting on her experience.
8:30pm: The stars are amazing, but the temperature’s dropped to just 9 degrees.
24 Days Left: Morning arrives, and she’s frosted up while she watches the stars fade from the sky. She’s come to the conclusion that she’ll stay if there’s an animal in the trapline. If not, she’ll leave. She really hopes she’s caught something because she truly wants to stay.
She’s asking too much of her body to keep going without any food. So, it’s up to the land. If there’s an animal or a fish, she can stay.
Woniya Thibeault, Age 45, California – Season 6, Survived 73 Days
30 Days Left: The tide’s low enough to harvest more mussels. Her mussel farm only has one remaining mussel meal in it, and she believes mussels are the key to surviving here. Today’s her mom’s birthday and she plans on honoring her at supper, which is why she really wants to harvest a lot of mussels today.
Her single mom raised her to respect nature, and she doesn’t remember any time in her life when she “wasn’t deeply engaging with the natural world.”
She manages to harvest a full pot of mussels and replenishes her mussel farm.
She takes off for an exploration of her area and gathers some blueberries as she starts her hike. Woniya concentrates on looking for signs of a bear or fox.
This has been a much more difficult season than Alone season six and she can’t stop thinking about home and her sweetheart. She thinks the area wants her to be there, but it’s a daily chore to convince herself to stay because of her homesickness. She admits she wasn’t mentally prepared for missing home this time.
27 Days Left: She makes an ancestor offering and says a short prayer. Afterward, she checks out her mussel farm and hunts for more mussels. She’s hoping for six pots of mussels, and Alone informs us she’s burning 300 calories per hour while digging them up.
She’s excited about finding two sea urchins and plans on having a midday feast.
A short while later, she’s harvested four pots of mussels and three insanely delicious urchins. She shows off the five lengths of roe from one urchin, and Alone tells us she’s actually displaying the urchin’s uni which produces the roe. It has a creamy consistency, and she eats it raw before getting back to work harvesting more mussels.
She locates what she calls the sea urchin jackpot and is excited about it being an important source of fat. This is a real morale boost.
26 Days Left: Woniya points out the landscape’s changing and it’s getting much colder. There aren’t any tracks near camp so she plans on looking for tracks closer to her snares.
It’ll be harder to get firewood and other supplies, but easier to track with the snow. She’s also thinking about her fellow survivalists and wishing them well. She guesses that Mark got a bear and hopes Callie has gotten a porcupine.
She makes it to her last trap and finds she’s snared a rabbit. It’s her second one this season and she’s super excited. It’s part white and part brown so it was in the middle of molting.
Woniya wishes everyone could experience what it feels like to get food after going without for a while. It feels like an incredible gift.
That evening she cooks up her rabbit and is ready for a serious feast. She’s going to eat three urchins, some mussels, and her rabbit.
Woniya confesses she didn’t feel like she deserved to be a winner her first time out. Since then, she’s worked on shifting her mental state and getting rid of that lingering feeling of doubt about herself. This time she believes she’s worthy.
Michelle Finn, Age 47, Maine – Season 8, Survived 21 Days
29 Days Left: 21 days in is a big milestone for Michelle because she tapped out after 21 days on season eight. She’s lost 14 pounds but doesn’t think this weight loss compares to what she did in Alone season eight. (She’d lost 21 pounds at this point in season eight and was down to just 98 pounds.)
Michelle isn’t sure she can make it the remaining days but hopes to if she gets more in her snares.
She sets off with her bow to check her traps. As she walks, she thinks about people who’ve inspired her – her grandmothers. She spots a grouse and takes a shot. Michelle hits it and is happy that she heard multiple birds, meaning there are more to hunt in her area.
She gets it back to her campsite and cleans it to make a stew. She shows off her pants, noting they’re still fitting well. Michelle confesses she’s always struggled with not feeling good enough and suffered from anorexia because of it. Fortunately, she’s in a good place now, mentally. Going into the woods and healing with nature really helped.
She sees a jay while cooking, takes a shot, and misses.
26 Days Left: Michelle’s decided to carve a chess set to fill her downtime at night. She hopes her fellow survivalists are cozy, enjoying the fire, and eating something delicious. She also hopes they’re safe and having the time of their lives.
She shows off a little bear she carved and hopes she’s an inspiration to others. “Representation does matter,” says Michelle. Women aren’t necessarily encouraged in this community, but these opportunities should be open to everyone.
“We need more people of all different backgrounds, of all different interests, and all different skills to break down some of those barriers,” says Michelle, adding, “The more voices out there, the better.”
She carves four bears – two kings and two queens.
- Alone: Frozen Season 1 Episode 1 “50 Day Freeze” Recap
- Alone: Frozen Season 1 Episode 2 “Frost Bound” Recap
- Alone: Frozen Season 1 Episode 3 “The Edge” Recap
- Alone: Frozen Season 1 Episode 4 “Bone Cold” Recap
- Alone: Frozen Season 1 Episode 5 “Outfoxed” Recap
- Alone: Frozen Season 1 Episode 7 “The Last Hope” Recap
- Alone: Frozen Season 1 Episode 8 “The Bitter End” Finale Recap
