Photo: Lê Minh

Is there a camera crew on Alone?

2) Each season, participants produce thousands of hours of self-shot footage: There are no camera crews following our participants in the wilderness; they are legitimately, for lack of a better word, alone.

cynopsis.com - Five Things Viewers Don't Know About History Survival Hit Alone

Why is Elon Musk so rich?

His wealth is based mainly on his shareholdings in the electric car firm Tesla, of which he is the CEO. Musk has dabbled in many projects during...

Last updated Jul 26, 2021

Is House of Leaves hard to understand?

House of Leaves is very typographically unique. It can be a complicated read: footnotes wind non-linearally throughout, with no set way to follow...

Last updated Feb 25, 2019

Promotion

Season 5 of History survival hit Alone premieres Thursday June 14 at 10p, and will once again feature intrepid competitors braving harsh conditions, documenting the experience themselves – no camera crews allowed. Shawn Witt, executive producer of the series and co-president at Leftfield Pictures, offers behind-the-scenes intel. 1) Thousands of potential participants are narrowed down to 20 for boot camp: Prior to each season, we receive roughly 5,000 video submissions from hopeful participants. Of those hopefuls, we never consider the people who boil water in plastic bottles or who nearly take their feet off with camp hatchets! Of the rest, 20 with exceptional and diverse skillsets are chosen to attend an intensive boot camp in upstate New York, during which they’re objectively evaluated by third party professionals, assessing their survival skills, as well as their physical and mental fortitude. Prior to Season 1, not a single participant knew there was a cash prize – much less, a $500,000 cash prize – yet they all showed up to boot camp simply because they wanted to test their skills in the wild.

2) Each season, participants produce thousands of hours of self-shot footage:

There are no camera crews following our participants in the wilderness; they are legitimately, for lack of a better word, alone. That said, the footage seen in the series is self-shot, and it requires months of screening and a team of more than 25 associate producers to log the thousands of hours our participants capture – before our story team begins in post.

3) Production sometimes shares craft services with the wildlife:

While filming Season 5, a wild bull snuck into our production crew’s craft service yurt (yes, we had to build a yurt city for production in the middle of the Mongolian wilderness), ate some Pringles and then knocked the entire thing over while escaping.

4) Many factors go into choosing the series locations:

As viewers are aware, each season takes place in a different location/environment, and the location selection process is time consuming and thorough. We have to ensure any destination we consider has enough land to support 10 isolated participants, while also providing them with equal and ample survival resources, such as fresh water, flora and fauna. We also have to make sure open fires are permitted 24-7 and that local fish and wildlife regulations allow our participants to procure the food required to survive. We have certain dream destinations, like Transylvania, that have never panned out because there’s not enough uninhabited land for the participants to remain fully isolated from one another.

5) Yes, it’s real:

Even though some are convinced this show is fake or staged… I can assure everyone that it couldn’t be more authentic. We pride ourselves in providing each participant with the most unobstructed opportunity to test their survival skills, isolated, in a wild environment – while also taking the necessary safety precautions. The Cynsiders column is a platform for industry leaders to reach out to colleagues, followers, and the public at large. In their own words and in targeted Q&As, columnists address breaking news, issues of the day, and the larger changes going on in the ever-evolving world of television, video and digital. Cynsiders columns live on Cynopsis’ main page and are promoted across all daily newsletters. We welcome readers’ comments, queries, and column ideas at Lynn@Cynopsis.com.

At what age are people usually financially independent?

Millennials who were completely financially independent were 31 years old, on average. Mar 22, 2019

Last updated Jan 12, 2022

What should be in a Go Bag?

Include the following items in each Go Bag: Food – 3-day supply. Warmth/Shelter – Emergency blanket, 3 12-hour body warmers, poncho. Medical...

Last updated Sep 9, 2018

Promotion

Why am I so cold in my sleeping bag?

YOUR SLEEPING BAG IS THE WRONG SHAPE OR SIZE FOR YOU If your bag is too big in places, or too long, your body is going to have too much real estate to heat up. If it's too restrictive, you're going to compress the insulation and create cold spots.

seatosummit.com - Why Your Sleeping Bag Isn't Keeping you Warm - Sea to Summit

Second only to bear attacks and snake bites, a camper’s biggest fear is sleeping cold. It robs you of your enjoyment, your focus and energy to ski/run/hike/paddle the next day. In extreme weather, it’s downright dangerous. So you invest in your sleep. You choose a sleeping bag that seems to check all the boxes: Ultralight materials, hydrophobic down, hood – the lot. You brush up on your EN ratings and check that the bag displays a temperature range that’s suitable for the lower temperatures you’ll be sleeping in. But your dreams of a refreshing eight hours sleep are crushed. Instead, you spend the night shivering, cursing the name of whoever sold you that hollow down-bag dream. Only your thirst for revenge gets you through the night. Make it to the light of day and you can confront that cheery salesperson who sold you your defunct sleeping bag.

Can I bring nail clippers on a plane?

Looking for a mid-flight manicure? Nail clippers, nail-trimming scissors and cuticle cutters are totally fine in your carry-on bag. But if the...

Last updated May 23, 2018

Does flour go bad?

The bottom line. Flour has a long shelf life but generally goes bad after 3–8 months. White flour may last longest due to its lower fat content,...

Last updated Sep 19, 2019

Promotion

Is living off grid hard?

Not really. It takes planning, preparation, and work to make the move off grid. And once you're there, the work will continue with the maintenance...

Last updated Aug 25, 2019

Promotion

Who was the first horror movie killer?

There's no consensus on when slasher movies actually began, since the development of the subgenre is a continuum of sorts, but Tobe Hooper's 1974...

Last updated Sep 18, 2021