01x05 - "Winter's Fury" Russell Family

[bunniefuu]

Pennsylvania is still

under a state of emergency,

with the storm k*lling
at least 20 people.

In some places, it's colder
than the north pole.

I mean, look at this.
This is totally insane.

Running a homestead
up here is gonna be brutal.

It is wild, wild country

and snow makes hunting
even more difficult.

Remember back home,
about 3 years ago,

we didn't get a moose?

Yeah. We got brutalized
by that weather.

If these people aren't set
up to survive out here,

this could go
terribly wrong.

Marty raney's been building
homesteads for 40 years.

He's spent his life passing on
his homesteading skills.

I was raised off-grid.

I've built a life
and a family

in the toughest place
on earth:

Alaska.

And I've taught my kids
everything I know.

Daughter misty has raised
and slaughtered animals

and grown her own food
since she was a child.

A homestead needs to be
nurtured every day.

You get out
what you put in.

Son Matt spent 12 years
as a guide and hunter in Alaska.

I have the utmost respect
for wildlife.

Hunting is a privilege
and a necessity.

In the last decade,

2 million Americans
have moved off-grid.

There's no road.
There's no grid.

There's no nothin'.

But the wilderness
is a tough place to survive.

Look out!
Oh, my god!

This year, tens of thousands
of homesteads will fail.

We're not gonna make it
another month.

We'll start burnin'
the furniture

to keep warm,
if we have to.

We're strugglin'
to stay alive.

We really need the raneys
to come and help us.

For those brave enough
to embark on this lifestyle,

we're here to help them
overcome the challenges

and fulfill that dream.

My résumé?

I'll show it to ya
right now.

Marty, misty,
and Matt raney

are responding to a call
from a family in need.

They've left their base
in Alaska

and traveled 3,500 miles
across the country

to the northern tip
of the Buchanan state forest

in southern Pennsylvania.

60% of the state is forest.

It's a fertile hunting ground,

home to 1.5 million
deer and elk.

An estimated 30,000 homesteads
exist off-grid here.

But the raneys have been called
to a family in crisis.

The russells are cut off
by a snowstorm, low on food,

running out of money,
and threatened by predators.

Holy moly!

Yeah.
This snow is deep.

Marty and his family
have just 9 days

to bring this homestead
back from the brink...

This is totally crazy.

...before they must move
on to their next project.

Matt, rabbit
tracks, rabbit.

Signs of game.

This is a really
good start.

An obvious food source isn't
the only good first impression

of the Russell homestead.

I hear somebody
splittin' firewood.

Hello!

You must be herb!
- Yeah.

Well, it's a pleasure
to finally meet ya.

- My name's Matt.
- Misty.

- Nice to meet you, too.
- I'm really impressed.

I walk up and find you
splittin' wood.

Well, I've gotta have it.
Gotta keep the kids warm.

The beautiful thing
about firewood:

You can get warm
by it three times.

Cutting it, you get warm.

You carry it in the house,
you get warm a second time.

And then you kick back
and put it in the wood stove

and enjoy your evening.

Where's the rest of the fam?

They're all inside.

- Really?
- Yeah.

Hey, guys.

- This is my daughter Stephanie.
- Hi.

- Hey.
- Misty.

- Marty.
- They call me flo.

There's four healthy
family members,

but their dad's out,
cuttin' firewood alone?

That's unconscionable,
in my family.

6 months ago,
former scrap dealer herb Russell

sold his 4-bedroom house
in the suburbs of Baltimore

and with his wife, Florence;
Son herb Jr;

and daughter Stephanie
sunk the $50,000 proceeds

into a cabin
and 8 acres in these hills.

My wife and I have always
had this dream

about livin' off-grid,

just me and her
and the kids.

The kids spend their time
watching TV

while their mom, flo,

and herb sr.
Do the homestead chores.

It's been tough,
comin' out here,

but I was always taught

a man should take care
of his family.

Jonas is kickin'
our butt right now

and there's almost 3 foot
of snow outside.

Storm Jonas is one
of the worst storms

of the last 100 years.

Pinned down by the storm
and with only enough savings

in the bank
to survive another month,

the family is in dire need.

I've probably got
just enough firewood

to last us 3 days.

If it goes any longer,
I really don't know

what much more
I could do.

My dad gettin' up
every hour of the night,

tryin' to keep us warm.

I don't know how much
more I can take.

I'm exhausted.

We're not equipped
to deal with this situation.

It's not like we can say, "hey,
we'll go back in the city."

There is no other
alternative for us.

We, honestly, need some help.

On the edge of survival,

the russells reached out
to the raneys for help.

To maximize what little
money the russells have,

the raneys will source materials
from the homestead

and make improvements
that pay for themselves.

When you come to a homestead,
first thing you do, inspect it.

Hey, herb, what's
your wood supply right now?

That's it.

I'm lookin' at it?

Really?
- Yeah.

How much wood
you go through?

Oh, a lot.

Something's wrong.

One man,
cutting wood for 2 hours a day

should be more than enough

to heat a typical cabin
of this size.

But herb is spending twice
that time

and still can't keep
his family warm.

Something's just
not right about all that ice.

As far as the eye can see,

in all directions,
there's snow.

There's one place
I see no snow.

Where's that?

There's no snow
on my roof.

All that heat is goin'
right out that roof.

That's a fact.

Do you have insulation?

No. There's no insulation
on the roof.

I only have
a thin layer of plastic

to keep the heat down.

Do you think
that's sanitary?

No.

The dog might not even
drink this.

Their situation,
frankly, is dire.

This is, basically, a shelter.

This is not a home.

This reminds me
of an Alaskan word,

cheechako, "newbie".

It's a person that comes
to that wild country up there

and is unprepared.

I see cheechako
written all over this.

Meanwhile, misty is
with mom flo, checking out

how the homesteaders
are feeding themselves.

All right.
So this is your freezer.

It is.

What do we have in here?

I see storebought.

This is what you have
on your homestead,

as far as food, right now?

It is.

At the moment,
the Russell family

are reliant on dwindling savings
to buy storebought food.

By this time of year,
in Alaska,

our family has enough food
preserved for the year.

Oh.

We just --
it's new to us, so.

Let's have a look
at the pig.

Her name's Lola.

You named her?
- We did.

Don't name any animal

that you potentially
have to slaughter.

As far as a protein source,
is this an option?

No. I don't see that
as an option.

I see that
bein' hard for us.

Okay.
So this is more of a pet.

Right, right.

Okay. So, do you have
livestock here?

We do.

Besides a pig
that they won't eat,

the only other food source
on the homestead

is the 12 chickens
flo bought for $250.

So, what do you think you're
getting, a week, in eggs?

I would probably say
about 18.

A person needs to eat

around 12 ounces of protein
a week to survive.

The russells' only food source

is providing 1/12
of what they need.

It's their only source
of protein in the homestead.

Food, water, shelter

and food is just --
it's lacking.

The Buchanan state forest

is one of Pennsylvania's
richest hunting grounds.

So you guys have seen
deer around this part?

- Yes. All up on here.
- Yeah.

Hunter Matt
wants to know

if the Russell kids,
herb Jr. and Stephanie,

can restock their pitiful
food storage with game.

Looks like we found
the game trail superhighway.

- Oh, yeah.
- Oh.

A significant amount of deer
have traveled through here.

A lot of the best trails

that you'll find
in the wilderness

are trails
that are made from game.

One large game animal,

harvested and preserved
in the fall,

would've sustained the four
russells throughout the winter.

You got a .22.

When's the last time
you shot that thing?

Probably a year ago.

Was it
on a hunting trip?

No. It was just
target practice.

Oh, all right.
That's good to know.

They live in fertile
game country

and this family
is taking none of it.

Herb Jr. is in his prime.

He has a great opportunity
to harvest all the meat

they could possibly eat
for an entire winter.

But game is not
the only wildlife

roaming these forests.

This is telltale
signs of a bobcat.

That's a dangerous predator.

Stephanie,
you ever shot a g*n?

No.
I've never shot a g*n.

So if I saw somethin'
like that,

I wouldn't know
what to do.

Yeah.
That is very serious.

It'd be a really good idea
to know how to sh**t.

You're worried.
- Yeah.

I'm definitely
worried, yeah.

Yeah.

These are major
red flags to me.

They have no idea how
to protect themselves

and they have no idea
how to hunt.

Marty, misty, and Matt
set up their base camp

and take stock
of the challenges they face.

This place is crazy.

When you start takin'
a look around,

there's no signs of them

living off the land
at all.

Have you seen
the wood pile?

The only person
I saw choppin' wood

on this homestead
was the dad, herb sr.

And you would never let
that fly in our childhood.

We were out there
with you

and there was three
of us bangin' it out.

It's a fact of life,
these days.

Not everybody's a hard worker.

But it's the only life
I've ever known.

I instilled that hard-work
ethic into my kids.

I would consider myself
a failure, as a father,

had I not passed on
that work ethic.

We have to fix
this situation,

to get that family
united,

doing these chores
together.

Matt, this family
needs a hunter.

You think herb Jr.
would be up for a hunt?

Only in that moment
when you're on that hunt

will you be able
to tell if somebody can,

you know, pull that trigger.

This homestead is
in disarray.

The chances of surviving
a winter off-grid?

10% or less.

In fact, it might be easier
if I just go down

to the hardware store in town
and buy a for-sale sign

and drive it in the corner
of the property.

Still to come...

Oh, my god.

How far down does that crack go?

An unexpected discovery
requires an emergency cabin fix.

This doesn't work,
you know,

that's everything
I have in the world.

A little bit more!
Do it.

Aah-aah-aah!

In the mountains
of southern Pennsylvania,

the raneys have been
called to a homestead

on the brink of survival.

The russells' cabin
has no insulation.

The kids aren't pulling
their weight.

And the parents
are doing all the work.

With 8 days left
to turn things around,

Matt raney wants to know
if herb Jr.

Has what it takes
to become the family's hunter.

I gotta teach herb Jr. to
be able to hunt and sh**t deer.

I don't know if he's got
the heart or the drive.

All right.
I'm gonna show you

the most effective
k*ll-zone area.

It's right here, just
behind the shoulder blade.

Not only will you hit
one vital organ,

but you'll hit two,
possibly three.

Zero suffering.

It will, literally,
die on impact.

All right, man.

I think you
should lead the way.

Let's go.

Okay.
I'll just --

hold on.

I see deer tracks
right here.

This is a good sign, too.

We got running water here.

With most
of the ground frozen,

this is one of the few places

deer will have
the opportunity to drink.

Let's see what we could see
around the corner.

All right.

I can...

See something.

It's definitely a Doe.

There you go.

Safety's on.

Buddy, you wanna get
a scope on it.

Start your breathing

and try to find
that center of calmness

and take that shot.

Come on, herb.

Hand me that r*fle.

You did it, man.

Yeah.

Phew. Ah.

This deer did not suffer.

You did it right in that zone,
just right behind the shoulder.

This stuff really affects me,
you know, emotionally.

I don't want to k*ll
anything, you know?

But that's part
of our life.

Yeah.

You'll never take a steak
for granted again.

Herb Jr. has passed
the first test.

I couldn't be more proud
of little herb.

He went through a rite
of passage.

I went through it
with my family.

And now he's gone through it.

I think that's pretty amazing.

What's the forecast?

They're actually callin'
for another snowstorm.

Another snowstorm?
- Yeah.

Looks like we gotta
get some work done.

It's the third morning
of the raneys' visit

and, with temperatures falling,
Marty wants to show herb sr.

How to stop his cabin
losing so much heat.

A noninsulated building?

That doesn't make any sense.

Even horse corrals,
chicken coops,

and animal dwellings
have some kind of insulation.

With insulation expensive

and money tight
on the homestead,

Marty peels back the plastic

to find out exactly
how much he'll need.

Oh, my god.

How far down
does that crack go?

This is critical.

This foundation
is split and cracked

all the way through,
dead center,

making this a failed post.

At any given storm,

this house could be sitting
on three corners.

From trump towers to a pig pen,

the corners
are the most important.

His has failed.

Also, you are gonna be
in here tonight.

Yes.

Well, we gotta get
this fixed by tonight.

Do you own any big Jacks?

Uh, no.

You got a chain saw?
- Yes, I do.

Get it.

Marty has to MacGyver
a fix for the cracked post,

but there's no spare timber
on the homestead.

I don't see any
dimensional lumber

that I can use for this post.

What does that mean?

We're goin' out into his forest
and making our own lumber.

Hey, buddy.
You know what that is?

That is a locust tree,
nature's gift to man.

I never touch
another man's wood.

Let's hit it.

He has a locust tree.

They're impervious to bugs
and insects, rot, contamination.

You could cut one off, stick it
in the ground, untreated,

and never have to worry
about it in your lifetime.

Whoo-oo! Yeah!

So, now, we're gonna turn
this locust log

into a foundation post that
will withstand any winter storm.

This is an essential
off-grid tool.

- Okay.
- The chainsaw mill.

You're gonna love it.

For this thing to work,
it's gotta ride

something flat and smooth
to get the first cut.

Go down to that far end.

We have a round log
and a flat board.

So that's why we're wedgin' it.

A chainsaw mill
is a portable timber mill.

The mill bar rides
along the top board,

guiding the chainsaw
blade below

to cut a flat and level
surface into the log.

That's it, buddy.

Looks pretty flat
and smooth to me.

The flat surface
of the log acts as a guide

to cut three more sides
at perfect right angles.

- That thing looks awesome.
- Oh, it does.

Treated lumber
on your own property:

Nature's gift to you.

It's
a really good feeling,

knowing that I can actually
come to my own forest

and get materials out of it
for my homestead.

Thought that was insane?

Wait 'til you see
the plan for liftin'

the corner of the house.
- Oh, man.

Whoo!

Well, I'm sorry, buddy.
We've lost the daylight.

With the third night drawing in

and more bad weather forecast,

Marty and herb sr.
Must attempt to take the weight

of the 3,000-pound cabin
from the cracked support post.

Basically, what we're faced
with is lifting a building.

In the city,
you would have Jacks.

You'd have electricity.

Out here?

We have none of that.

And we're gonna use trees.

Let's spread these out.
Oh!

We're gonna use three
as a tripod

and we're gonna use one
as a long lever.

What my dad
is really good at

is makeshift, weird designs.

Even though, through the
whole time, you're thinkin',

"we're all gonna die,"
somehow, we all live.

This doesn't work,
everything goes over.

You know, that's everything
I have in the world.

That's everything me
and my family have.

Lifting the cabin
is a good way

for Marty to get
the Russell kids

working with their parents
as a team.

On this particular fix,

I need every single member
of this family to help me.

Without them,
it's not gonna work.

Okay, Matt!
Everybody, help Matt.

He's gonna lift it up
in the notch.

All right. Good to go.
Let it down.

Okay.
We're gonna lift the log

and you tell us
when we're under.

Okay.

The long lever
of the tree trunk

should allow the two families
to lift the cabin,

provided the trunk can withstand
its 3,000-pound weight.

- Lift it up.
- Yeah.

- Are we high enough?
- No.

- Ohhhhh!
- That's a problem.

That is a problem.

- You're not --
- ah!

- You're good.
- Okay.

- Are we in?
- Yes.

- Done.
- All right. That's good.

That's good.
- Okay. All hands on deck.

Okay, slowly, please.
Slowly.

Oh, whoa! Hold it!

A little bit more.

Okay, stop!

With the cabin
precariously balanced,

Marty must quickly get

a temporary log support
underneath.

- Get that log in there!
- A little bit more!

Do it.

Aah-aah-aah-aah!

Okay.

You're up 1/4 of an inch.

On the northern tip
of the Buchanan state forest,

Marty raney needs
the whole Russell family

to pull together,
for the first time,

to save their cabin
from collapsing.

A little bit more!

Oh!
Okay, stop!

Hold that, please.
Hold that! Uh!

Get that log
in there!

You did it!
You did it! You did it!

I was really,
really worried.

The tree was creaking
and the fact that we were tryin'

to lift my whole house up,
it's got all of our stuff in it.

Whew! Thank goodness,
you know.

Everything was --
it was good.

The cabin is secure.

For now.

Tomorrow, when we have
a little more daylight,

we can do the replacement
of the post.

- Sounds good, man.
- All right.

As long as my family's safe,
that's all that matters.

This is the way
that homesteads work, man,

you know,
it's the whole family.

In this case,
it took every single person

on this property
to pull this off.

Good work today.
- Thank you.

- Yeah. You, too. Yeah.
- I'm impressed.

What I saw tonight was
a family workin' together,

but something's wrong
on this homestead.

That post fix is the tip
of the iceberg.

This homestead?

Is the Titanic.

Our job?
Keep this place from sinkin'.

It's that simple.

Look at this!

Looks a little bit more
crazy in the daytime.

Yeah, it does.

As day 4 breaks,

Marty and herb sr.
Replace the post

with the new one,
cut from the locust tree.

You grab this end.

1, 2, 3. Out with the old,
in with the new.

Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.

Tighter than a frog's a*s
in a bucket of water.

Meanwhile, misty has
a plan to teach mom flo

how to preserve the meat
that herb Jr. harvested.

Florence has a real problem.

She has no way
to preserve wild game

and the only solution for that
is a smokehouse and an oven.

In a smokehouse,

wood is burnt in a firebox
to create smoke,

which is drawn
through a stovepipe

into the chamber
where food hangs.

The acidic smoke rises up
through the meat

and preserves it
for up to 3 months.

The job will take 3 days
and the materials cost $600,

which flo will recoup
within a year,

if she stops buying meat
from the store.

Here we go.

In freezing conditions,

even keeping the mortar
thawed is hard work,

and, again, the Russell kids
are not helping.

There's so much work,
when you choose

to live off-grid,

you can't put it all
on you

and you can't put it all
on your husband.

Since we brought
the kids up here,

I guess you feel
as though

you have to
take hold of it

- yeah.
- Because this was your call.

We almost feel guilty,
ourselves,

that we brought them
out here,

doin' stuff like this
all the time.

- Yeah, but --
- like they're losin' somethin'.

Florence has just told me
that she feels guilty

for bringin' her kids out here
and living this way of life,

but she shouldn't.

Florence just needs
to tell them,

as a mother, like,
"you have to do this."

I didn't want to be out chopping
wood my whole childhood, but,

my dad made me
and I turned out okay.

The base
of the oven is in place,

but the mortar must be kept
above freezing,

or the water in it
will turn to ice

and the cement will not cure.

If this freezes,
it'll be destroyed.

It'll just
crumble apart,

so we need to get
this insulated.

Misty's got an Alaskan
homesteading bush fix.

This has to be heated
- okay.

And monitored.
- Mm-hmm.

This'll be as warm
as can be on the inside.

She uses a weed burner

and an old stovepipe
to create a makeshift radiator.

It will keep the mortar
from freezing,

allowing it to set overnight.

This is classic homestead.
I love it.

I've learned a lot today.

The wilds of Pennsylvania

are home to over 5,000 bobcats

and an estimated
18,000 black bear.

Matt's determined to get
Stephanie playing a role

in the defense of the homestead.

So what we have here
is a 12-Gauge shotgun.

Just look how hard
this baby kicks.

Whoa.

When you pull
this shotgun out,

you're gonna be
pointing it at predators,

so, when you
point it up, think --

think, in your head,
"this is a deadly predator,"

give that predator hell.
- Okay.

Hoo-hoo-hoo!

Nice!

Ha! Is that the first time
you've ever shot a shotgun?

- Yeah.
- Oh, my god.

I'm really impressed. I --

- thanks.
- I can't believe that.

That's amazing.

It was definitely scary,
at first,

but now that I've shot it
a couple times,

I feel a lot better about
protecting my homestead.

What do you think
your dad's gonna say

when you tell him,
"I shot a shotgun today"?

My dad does everything,
basically, so,

me learning how
to sh**t a g*n

definitely eases his mind
when he's away.

Do you think that your father
needs more help?

Like, do you think that you
and herb contribute enough?

I think that we contribute
as much as he lets us.

He likes it done
his own way

and he sometimes doesn't
let us do it at all.

That actually reminds me a lot
of my dad and how I was raised.

I think a big part of it is
like proving yourself.

- Mm-hmm.
- So you need to show him.

Hey, guys.

What's up?

I think that dad kind of
controls everything.

Really?
- Yeah.

I mean, I spent
the last 3 days

with herb and Stephanie,

and I gotta say,
I'm really impressed.

You see potential, clearly.

Oh, and it's actually
the saddest thing

about this,
is I kinda think that

they might be being
held back by herb sr.

Yeah.
Florence and herb sr.,

I think
they feel guilty

and it's almost like
they've taken on

a lot of the challenge

and a lot of the chore
and that hardship.

I don't think
these kids have been

really given the chance.

If that's really
what's goin' on here,

there's no, no possible way,
they'll survive.

If this family wants to get
through this very first winter,

herb has to loosen the reins.

If that is not gonna happen,

they will not survive
as off-gridders.

Herb!

Coming up...

Marty confronts herb sr.

I'm asking you, man to man:
Share that workload.

No one wants anyone to tell
them how to do things.

And Steph is pushed
to her breaking point.

Steph, what's wrong?
Tell me what's wrong.

It's day 6
on the Russell family's

failing homestead
in southern Pennsylvania.

So far,

Matt has taught
the Russell children

how to defend themselves
and hunt game;

and misty and mom flo's
smokehouse,

which will cook
and preserve meat,

is under construction.

But it's becoming obvious

that the homestead
will still fail,

if herb sr. Won't let his kids
step up and share the work.

Herb!
Where are ya?!

I gotta man-to-man ya
on somethin'.

- All right.
- You gotta share the workload.

How old's herb Jr?

Oh, he's 23.

Someday, he's gonna be
the man of this house.

It might be time
to loosen the reins.

Stephanie -- I think that
she has a lot of potential here.

They do come out
and try to help me.

But a lot of times,
I'm just that type

of person, I want
to do it, you know?

I'm asking you,
man to man, please,

starting from this second,
share that workload.

A man is to be a man,
you know,

a father is to be
a father, you know.

I just feel that that's
my responsibility.

That's just me,

and I believe kids
should be kids.

I give them chores,

but I'm not gonna work 'em
from dusk 'til dawn.

No one wants anyone
to come in

and tell them how
to do things,

especially someone
that's proud as I am.

You know, I'm not no young kid.

I mean, I've took care
of my family for so long

and it's just hard for anyone
to accept somethin' like that.

I'm not sure I made
an impression on herb sr.

That guy's my age

and, when you get this age,
it's hard to change,

but I want to believe we made
an impression on the kids

and through those kids,
over time,

they'll make an impression
on their dad.

The deer meat
is ready to be butchered.

The raneys want
to show herb sr.

That his kids are ready
to step up on the homestead

and do this job themselves.

So, what's the best part
of the animal?

That's your tenderloin,
known as the backstrap.

Start here against the spine,
stab into it,

and then start
pullin' it down.

Okay.
Let's do it.

I think I've got it.

Yeah-eah.

Let's put it right here.
Look at that.

- Phew.
- I mean, look at that.

Went out on a hunt
for my first time

and now I'm butcherin'
a deer, for my first time.

It feels really good
to do that.

All right, Stephanie,
I want you to do the same thing.

Take this knife.
It's real sharp.

Just be careful.

Steph, what's wrong?
- Nothing.

Tell me what's wrong.
I'm serious.

What's wrong?
I'm serious.

I don't want to see you sad.
- Nothing's wrong.

I'm just shocked.

I mean, this is a very
significant part

of living off-grid.

I mean, I think it really shows
how hard it is to live here.

7 months ago, I just go
to the store and get meat,

so, now, the fact
that I'm havin' to deal

with seein' the animal
butchered and k*lled,

it's a lot to take in.

Herb Jr. steps forward

to try and help his sister
confront her fears,

as their father looks on.

Wanna get your knife
and gently

follow the spinal cord
all the way down.

Okay.

Get that part
done first.

Try to like saw at it.

I'm just trying to get in
the mind-set that it's meat.

It's not like
a living animal

that we just shot.

All right, you're doin'
a great job right there.

Okay.

- That's perfect, Steph.
- There you go.

There you go.
Look at that.

- That's amazing.
- You did it!

It's awesome.

Steph's shown
she can do what it takes

to help her family
survive out here.

It's kind of like
a primal feeling, I guess.

Stuff that no one back home

would ever think that
I would be out here doing,

so, eventually, I'll go hunting
and k*ll an animal for our food.

It's exciting.

This girl's energetic.

She's smart.

Herb has to understand this.

He shouldn't be
out there workin' by himself

'cause she has all the skills,
all the potential.

She should be out there
with him.

But herb sr.
Is still not convinced.

The way I was raised,
a father provides for his kids,

you know,
he just does things.

At some point, I know i'm
gonna have to let go of it,

but, at the moment,
that's just --

oh! It's just something
that you just can't do.

With temperatures

in Pennsylvania hitting 20°,

it's vital to get
the cabin insulated.

Inside, it's nearly complete.

But Marty and herb sr. Still
have a lot to do underneath.

This is critical.
This wind's blowin'

right up these guys' skirt.
Let's go.

The new insulation
will reduce heat loss

on the cabin by 40%,
slashing the time

herb must spend cutting wood
by almost half.

Whoo! Done.

Now your house has pants on.

This whole winter,
you been standin' out here

bare naked
from the waist down.

It's day 8
of the raneys' bid

to rescue a homestead
on the brink of survival.

The russells' cabin
is now insulated

and its foundation, secure.

The kids have learned how
to hunt and butcher game.

Now, misty and mom flo
must put the finishing touches

to the smokehouse,
to preserve the meat.

The firebox is finished.

I think it worked,
by golly.

The walls are in place.

All that's left to do is
to make the roof watertight

with corrugated iron
salvaged from the homestead.

Yes, please.

One man's trash
is another man's treasure.

Even if something's old,

it can be refurbished
or recycled, upcycled.

Okay.

So, the smoke's gonna
come out here.

You put up a little screen mesh
to keep out all the critters.

So when you're smokin' meat
or hangin' meat

or whatever you do.
- You don't got any extra meat.

Yeah.
So, fingers crossed,

we'll be eating
really good tonight.

- All right, sounds good.
- You wanna use a fruit wood.

Never pine.
Pine is toxic.

Hey, hey!

- Hey.
- How's it goin'?!

- It's goin' good.
- Good.

- I like it.
- We got the meat!

- Check out what they got, misty.
- Yeah!

The meat will be slowcooked

and smoked for 24 hours,
to at least 150°,

and will be preserved,
without any need

for an electricity-
guzzling freezer.

That's goin' down
in homestead history,

that thing.
That's amazing.

Whoo!

24 hours later,

on the final day
of the raneys' visit,

the smoked meat
is ready to taste.

Open the door, man.
Whoo!

Yeah, let's get some
of that deer meat.

The deer meat is ready.

It looks beautiful.

Look at that
amazing color. Whoo!

Let's give it a taste.

Oh, my goodness.

It smells amazing.

This is what it's all about.

Does this taste amazing,
or not?

Yeah, it does.

Hey, listen, amazing job.

Get over here, Steph.
You're involved.

Come on in.

Very impressed by you.
- Yeah.

All that work paid off.

It feels awesome.

It's the raneys'
final night on the homestead.

Marty's called a meeting
to discuss

the single biggest issue

that still threatens
the family's survival.

This is an emergency meeting.

If this family wants to get
through this very first winter,

herb sr. Has to let those kids
take more of a role,

starting now.

I like to believe
that this has been

pretty good
for you guys.

- Yeah, definitely.
- He can actually hunt now.

Like he knows how to do it.

I know how to sh**t
a shotgun, now.

We're takin' that load
off of you.

Put your feet up.
Relax a little bit.

Yeah.
- We got this.

We got this.

That makes me extremely
proud of you.

Yeah.
We need to, actually,

step back a little bit
and let you all be adults.

And, as parents,
that's hard.

You know, it's hard
to realize, you know,

that they don't need mom
and dad quite as much.

Unfortunately, you know,
maybe we were

holdin' you back
and we're really,

you know,
we're glad that --

herb. Herb.

It's okay. No.

You know, we're really
extremely proud

of you guys.
- Yeah.

I can't
hold back no more.

My kids actually
really stepped up.

The things that they did,
and they actually went out

and got some deer
and, you know,

basically,
I'm very proud of 'em.

I'm 100% onboard of tryin'
to change my point of view.

This journey now, to me,

and to my family,
starts right here.

Not every son gets up
and hugs his dad.

There's no question about it.

You're a very rich man.

Oh, yeah.
Without a doubt.

When we came
to this homestead,

I thought it was just gonna be
about fixing things,

material things,
buildings and structures.

But what I didn't know
was that we might actually

have helped bring
this family closer together.

The cabin is really warm now.

We don't use nearly as much
wood as we used to use

and it stays warm
and toasty all the time.

Since the raneys left,

herb Jr. has only made one k*ll,
meaning the family

is continuing to rely
on storebought food.

We do want
to make it work

and I believe
that we will make it work,

but some things,
it just takes time.

But, most importantly,

every member
of the Russell family

is now working together
to survive.

Excellent. Excellent.

I've been able
to have the confidence now

to help my parents out
on the homestead.

With my family behind me

and the things that they've done
to step up to the plate here,

the future's actually lookin'
bright here on this homestead.

I think we did
a pretty good job.

Next week...

I don't know
what's out there.

The "homestead rescue"
season finale.

You've got to
protect yourself

and take charge
of this homestead.

Oh, my god!
That's a massive mountain lion.

If we were down there,
we would have all been attacked.