01x01 - Fire. Water. Flare.

[bunniefuu]

[atmospheric music playing]

[narrator] Throughout history,
humans have existed in groups.

But what happens
when these lone-wolf survivalists

that prefer to work alone

are forced to work together
as part of a pack?

This is all you've done
since I've been here.

I'm not puttin' up with it.

You will not treat me
as some submissive little b*tch!

[narrator] Welcome to Outlast,

the survival competition
with a million-dollar prize on the line.

[woman] You may quit at any time.

If you choose to quit,
sh**t a flare into the sky

and you will be removed from the valley.

[narrator] The only rule is that you must
be a part of a team in order to win.

There is no law here.

Yes, there is!

This is my mission. Let me run it.

- Not your mission or your team.
- It is my mission.

[narrator] These 16 players
will not only have to survive

the unforgiving wilderness of Alaska...

Last night was the closest
I've been to hypothermia.

[man, over radio] We need a medic.
Contestant down. He's unresponsive.

[narrator] ...they'll also have to place
their faith in complete strangers

and survive as part of a team.

- [woman 1] You go, girl! Whoo!
- [woman 2] You go, girl!

[narrator] Will they sacrifice
and band together for the greater good?

Yeah! We're gonna eat good tonight, girl.

[narrator] Or will they resort
to selfish tactics

to defeat their opponents?

- [man 1] All our stuff's stolen.
- What?

[man 2] You gotta cheat and steal to win!

Nothing wrong with playing dirty.

Come out or we pop your inner tubes!

One,

two, three!

[narrator] Even in the middle
of the Alaskan wilderness...

[woman] Come out, come out,
wherever you are.

[narrator]
...there's no escaping one another.

If they had the opportunity,

they would slice our throats.

- [narrator] Each of these players...
- [man] sh**t it.

[narrator] ...are willing to do
whatever it takes...

[woman] Get off of me, dude!

Do you wanna win this game or not?

[narrator] ...to win and...

You can't beat us!

...to Outlast.

[whooshing]

[click]

[intense music playing]

[intense music continues]

[Justin] I'm here to play the game.
I'm here to win.

[atmospheric music playing]

[birds chirping]

[Javier] I was scrolling
through Instagram one night,

and I saw an advertisement that said,

"Do you have what it takes
to survive out here?"

Four months later, I'm here.

[narrator] Sixteen players are about
to compete in a game of survival

for a potential million-dollar prize.

[Andrea] I don't really know much
about this show yet.

What I imagine
is like an adult Hunger Games.

[narrator] They have been dropped off
in a remote part of Alaska

with only the clothes on their backs
and told to await further instructions.

[Andrea] Drop yourself into
a remote location and fend for yourself

with people that you don't know about.

Sounds like an amazing time to me.

[narrator] These players come
from a wide array of backgrounds...

[Amber] I'm a recovered heroin addict.

I'm a felon.

I'm a survivor.

Through that, I've seen
some really dark sides of humanity.

[narrator] ...with varying degrees
of survival skills.

[Tim] My survival skills consist of mostly

just growing up
watching survivalist TV shows.

[narrator] But they share a willingness
to endure the brutal Alaskan conditions.

[Corey] Alaska has been
my dream trip since I was a child.

I hike, I hunt, I camp.

I try to get as far away from people
as I can, most of the time.

[narrator] What they do not know yet

is that the only way
to succeed in this game

will be as part of a team.

[Javier] I've been a nomad
for nearly 20 years.

I'm single. No kids, no pets.

I'm pretty much free.

[Jill] I'm the boss. I own my own company.

I've been my own entrepreneur
since I was 22 years old.

I don't know how to take orders.
I don't know how to have a boss.

[Brian] I'm coming out here to win.

Anybody who knows me and my family

knows damn well we really need this money.

[narrator] The players have arrived
in Alaska in the fall.

A season of high rainfall,
rapidly dropping temperatures,

and increased activity from the area's
dense population of bears.

In a few short weeks,
snow will begin to fall as winter sets in.

Maybe the players won't survive that long.

For now, they can only wait and see
what the game has in store for them.

[blades whirring]

[man] That's a helicopter.

[narrator] Players arrive with nothing.

Their only source of equipment
are these cargo crates...

- [man 1] How badass is that?
- [man 2] Right?

[narrator] ...parachuted
onto the field via helicopter.

[Brian] Gotta be somethin' good!

[narrator] Some will contain supplies,

others will contain challenges.

[man] Yeah, let's do it.

[narrator] And the final drop will contain
a potential million-dollar prize

for any players and team that remain.

[Jill] Game time, boys!

[narrator] With the first drop in place,

the game begins now.

[intense music playing]

- [woman 1] Wait, are these people too?
- [woman 2] Yes.

[man] Seeing a lot of hoof tracks.

- [woman 2] Yeah.
- [Seth] This is the cleanest we will be.

[woman 2, chuckling] Right.

[man] I see the enemy.

[laughter]

[Jill] What do we have here?

- [Tim] What's your name?
- Corey.

- Corey, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.

- What's your name?
- Javier.

- [woman] Whoo!
- All right. "Welcome to the game."

"You are stranded in the wild."

"There will be no voting off
of contestants in this game."

"The only way out
is to personally give up."

"You may quit at any time."

"If you choose to quit,

sh**t a flare into the sky
and you will be removed from the valley."

"You must remain a part of a team
throughout the entire game

in order to win."

"You can change teams at any time,

but you cannot win this challenge alone."

"Start with these provided kits."

"Be on the lookout
for additional resources."

"Choose a team of four right now."

[Andrea] All right, this is it.

- [Jill] "Choose swiftly...
- Rambo.

...and find a suitable place to settle."

"The cold and the darkness
are rapidly approaching."

I'm still reading the damn piece of paper.

I feel somebody grab my shirt.

So I'm on this person's team.
I'm not sure who that is.

- [Jill] We have one too many.
- [Dawn] Two too many.

Two too many.

There's a lot of judging a book
by the cover out here.

[Corey] I can't believe
we picked our team.

When you don't know somebody,
that's about all you have to go on.

- Let's do it.
- [Jordan] Yep, let's do it.

- All right.
- I'll go.

- I'll go.
- Just...

We got this.

[Dawn] We were the last team picked.
Do you realize that?

Yeah.

I had a complete moment of freezing,

and it took me a second
to understand what was happening.

- There's too many here.
- I'll go.

- I'll go.
- Come here.

We just met a bunch of strangers out here.

So, we were the remainder
of the group left over.

If we're gonna put our eggs
in a basket, let's put it in this basket.

- [Dawn] Absolutely.
- [laughter]

[narrator] To create
a level playing field,

the players have divided themselves
equally into four teams.

Alpha...

Bravo...

Charlie...

and Delta.

- [Joel] Let's move out.
- Okay. We're ready.

Let's go.

[narrator] With less than an hour until
the sun sets and the temperature drops,

the players must head off
to find suitable camps.

- [Joel] First order of business...
- [Dawn] Finding shelter for the night.

[intense music playing]

[narrator] Each team is assigned
a quadrant of the playing field.

They can establish their base camp
anywhere within that area.

To establish their base,

they have been given
identical gear sets consisting of...

- Yes!
- There it is.

...a hatchet.

- A knife.
- It's sharp.

[narrator] A tarp.

- A wool blanket.
- That's a big wool blanket.

[narrator] A flashlight.

[Jill] Oh, man!

- [narrator] A bow with eight arrows.
- That's what's up.

- [narrator] A medical kit.
- First aid. There we go.

- [narrator] A flint.
- That's our life.

- [narrator] Two tin cups.
- To boil in.

[narrator] A map.

[Seth] We can find our way.

[narrator] Bear spray.

Everybody should at least carry
one of these at all times.

Yep.

[narrator] And of course, four flares,

one for each player, should they choose...

We ain't opening this.

- Not at all.
- ...to quit the game.

You guys can take this back.

[Amber]
There's a game trail up here, y'all.

- [Lee] Got it.
- [Justin] Perfect.

- Careful. Move slow.
- [Lee] Okay.

- [Justin] Slow is smooth...
- [Lee] Smooth is fast?

- [Justin] ...smooth is fast.
- [grunts]

Right here.

[Justin] Not pumped at all.

There's no resources.

It's almost four o'clock.

I'd say we probably got
about 45 minutes left of daylight.

[Justin] We're in the middle of Alaska,
in the middle of a rainforest.

I saw a clearing as we were coming in.

¡Vamos!

In this environment,
in how unforgiving it is,

the most callous person is gonna struggle.

[narrator] When temperatures dip
beneath 30 degrees Fahrenheit,

humans can only survive
about three hours in the open

before hypothermia sets in.

With sunset rapidly approaching...

- [Justin] Go ahead, ladies. We'll follow.
- [narrator] ...Alpha must build a shelter

before the temperature drops even more.

We're trying to get shelter built,
which is one of the toughest things,

especially in a harsh environment
like this.

- [Lee] Watch your feet. Keep looking down.
- [Jill] Yes.

- [Lee] How you doin', Justin?
- Good.

[Justin] I've been fortunate enough
to utilize a skill set in the outdoors,

hunting, fishing, trapping,
and especially in the survival game.

[narrator] An ideal campsite
has flat ground,

access to water,
and natural protection from the elements.

[Jill] We may still have to go
a little bit farther.

[narrator] So far, none of the terrain
they've seen meets those requirements.

[Jill] This really looks like sh*t, guys,
but we could set up shelter here.

Save some daylight.

There's a good overhanging
with these limbs.

[Justin] I say we push on for another
five minutes to see what's over this bit.

- I like the original plan.
- We know where this is at.

It may rain tonight.

So, if we've got what we have

and we bring it into this bank,

the water should shed off of it.

Then this is naturally
gonna help us with water deterrent.

We can't build a fire right here.
Well, I'm sure we could but...

We don't really know each other
well enough to dig our claws in

when we're in a disagreement
or have conflicting ideas.

But I definitely foresee
there being some Type A clashes

in the team that we have.

It's a little bit flatter up here,
up on the top.

[Justin] I'm just thinking
of how we can each sleep.

I'm out here for myself,
but in order to win this thing,

I've gotta become more of a team player
rather than the lone wolf.

- [Jill] What do you think, Justin?
- [scoffs]

Okie dokie.

[narrator] Nine hundred meters away,
at neighboring Bravo Camp, a clear leader...

[Javier] This is devil's club.
Don't touch it.

...begins to emerge.

It'll [bleep] up your hand.

[Corey] Watch every step.

We don't need a twisted ankle
on the first day.

Oh, this is a perfect spot.

- [Javier] Better than the other.
- [Corey] Yes.

Keep an eye out.

- We need some dry limbs from higher.
- [Corey] Yeah.

- Put 'em in the pocket.
- [Tim] Okay.

"Put 'em in the pocket," he says.

[narrator] Unlike Alpha, Bravo Team
wastes no time in choosing a campsite

and beginning to build a shelter.

I'm gonna get that rock
and start clearing this out.

I've been doing
outdoor construction my whole life.

I'll be the workhorse.

I'll build the shelters.

I'll be getting the firewood.

I'm gonna just keep going.

When you clean this stuff,
rip all this out and push it out of here.

[narrator] Under Javier's guidance...

Cover that whole side of the tree.

...Bravo Team is using two fallen trees
as the foundation of their structure.

- Want me to drape this one over?
- Yeah.

Turn it upside down like so,

and the water seems
to bead off of it better.

[narrator] They're adding
alderwood trees for their structure

and evergreen branches
for their natural insulation

and moisture-wicking properties.

That's good for either over,

uh, or underneath the wood.

- I don't want it to get holes.
- Yeah.

The wolves need a leader
in their pack, you know.

So, go ahead, let it be Javier.

I think it'll flow a lot more smoothly

having a guy to make the decisions.

Eventually, if we're gonna use the canvas,
we can put thinner ones this way.

[Tim] Like cross bracing
or just crossing it?

But then once again, clear it with Javier.

[Tim chuckles]

Okay, so two on fire
and one collecting long sticks?

[Tim] Yeah, we could do that.

I've traveled alone for a very long time.

I know I work well alone,

so that'll be the most challenging aspect
of this whole competition.

Working in a team with others.

- You know how to find fatwood, right?
- [Tim] What's fatwood?

[laughing] Are you kidding me? Oh my God!

I don't sugarcoat my words.

Constructive criticism
was what I was raised on.

If you pull all this sh*t off,
fatwood will be the hard stuff.

That means that the resin came down
from the tree after it died,

and the resin gathered
and collected in there.

- No sh*t?
- That's gonna help me start the fire.

I'm known to be straightforward.

- I need a lot as big as your thumb.
- Lots of tinder?

- Lots of tinder.
- Roger.

So, I hope to be the warm person instead
of the cold and harsh person to deal with.

[Corey] I'll go look for driftwood.

Driftwood is pretty wet.

The wood that's standing straight up,

any of those lower limbs,
they're gonna be more dry than driftwood.

I've always said, one of these days
I'm gonna go out to Alaska

and explore and camp and hunt,
so I'm lucky to be out here.

Oh, squirrel.

I very much like being on my own.

It's my happy place.

Oh, totally missed 'em.

I know I'm a good fisherman.
I know I'm a good hunter.

I don't know about plants
and berries and mushrooms.

It's about the driest I could find.
It should burn.

[narrator] With the tarp in place,
Javier is hoping his design will work

to trap heat inside the shelter.

When the heat goes that way,
it goes into the hole.

[narrator] If they can start
a fire before nightfall,

when the temperature will drop severely.

Get as many sticks as possible.

We have enough pieces
to create some good heat.

[Brian] I gotta get more of these.
We don't have enough.

We don't have much light,
so keep that sh*t coming.

[Tim chuckles] Our esteemed leader,
it seems.

Somebody's gotta do it.

Hey, come up here and look, just to see.

I mean it's...
Nothing's gonna be ideal. It's...

There's no Hilton out here.

I grew up in a very poor family
that was not loving.

So, I've spent a lot of my life
trying to prove my worth.

But see how this is kind
of a natural tent.

- Let's go in further.
- [Jill] Let's just do something with that.

It's pushed me to learn in every aspect
that I possibly could get my hands in.

I'm Jill, but I'm the jack-of-all-trades.

If there isn't anything up forward,
up there, we can come back.

Right now, I think we need shelter.

We all know we can't survive alone
out here and complete the game.

If we're still gonna look,
we don't have much time left.

I'm a detective.
It's what I do for a living.

So, it's probably gonna make me
a little bit more fierce.

- Indecisiveness...
- [Lee] Yeah.

...is one of my pet peeves,
just so y'all know.

- Let's do it.
- Yeah, let's do it.

I'm concerned
about the other gal from Kentucky. Jill.

She's definitely pretty tough.

[Jill] Hey, Lee, come on back!

[Lee] I'm okay!

[Justin] But right now, we have
to move fast and make a decision

to get a shelter built to set up
and be ready for the evening.

Let me go underneath this tree,
see what's on the other side

and I'll come back.

[narrator] So far, Team Alpha
has lived up to their name

as a team full of alphas butting heads.

We're trying to stay together!

[narrator] But their stubbornness
has cost them valuable time.

Can you open that?

[narrator] So they settle
on erecting shelter against the hillside

where Jill advised.

Tie the tarps into this bank.

The water will shed
right over the top of it.

[Justin, laughing] This doesn't look
like an ideal place to sleep.

[narrator] The Neka River region
is classified as a rainforest,

receiving an average
of 60 inches of rainfall per year.

These teams must continue to work quickly

constructing shelter or risk being
not just cold, but cold and wet.

- Charlie Team...
- [Angie] Careful on your left.

[narrator] ...also searches for ground
suitable to build camp.

[Nick] Ooh!

Okay.

This spot looks good back here.

Yeah, this spot.

- We can find wide pole branches.
- Yeah.

And we can set up a frame
to put the tarp over.

I'm a school wrestling coach.

I always end up moving
towards a leadership role.

That's what I'm good at.

I let 'em know, this is what
it's gonna be like, what I need.

- We can set up a shelter...
- There's just so much devil's club, dude.

So much in here.

- What do you think about this?
- [Nick] Anywhere we can build a fire.

I grew up outdoors.

Yeah, so I was a military brat,

going from place to place.

I'm really good with a team,
but I like to take charge.

- [Seth] Lean-to style?