Alone Australia review – two episodes in and it's already emotional

Like a lot of people trapped in apartments during Covid lockdowns, I discovered the pleasures of Alone, the survival show in which contestants compete for a big cash prize after being dropped in remote wilderness to survive (alone) for as long as they can. “Pleasures” is possibly the wrong word, as the show often involves watching people starve, get the runs, fall over on muddy embankments or cry desolately in a wet sleeping bag about their families. But it settles into a meditative rhythm that prompts the viewer to ponder: just how would I go?

Australian fans of the show could consult the show’s list of approved survival gear and choose the 10 items they would take with them (I have selected mine), safe in the knowledge we’d probably never have to make good on it. But when SBS announced that Alone was coming to Australia, it was action stations among survivalists nationwide.

Alone Australia is now here, with 10 contestants delivered to the west coast of lutruwita/Tasmania during 2022’s particularly cold winter (officially a “polar blast”). And if the first two episodes provided for review are any indication, the Australian show is a worthy addition to the Alone family.

All the beloved Alone tropes are present and accounted for: the not-so-fun facts that pop up (“Shivering can burn 100 calories”), or the unexpected rain that really should have been expected. The contestants lug their own camera equipment and shoot at least five hours of footage a day (deleting is a disqualifiable offence). Alone Australia contestants are only allowed to trap and hunt wallaby and possum under Tasmania law, but it’s open season for fishing.

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If the original Alone dragged its feet on diversity (the first season’s cast was entirely white and male), Alone Australia has hit the ground running. There are three First Nations contestants, several queer contestants, and people from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and political ideologies. “Nothing can prepare you for lutruwita,” says Rob, a planning and environmental manager and proud First Nations man who takes a moment to speak to country in te reo Māori. Beck, a Wiradjuri woman and teacher, acknowledges the palawa people the moment she steps ashore. Michael, a veterinarian, looks at an ancient tree and says: “Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for your beautiful country down here that you’ve created.”

The question of whether Alone Australia would wrestle with Australia’s history, particularly Tasmania’s, is answered in the near-constant focus on how traditional owners, the palawa people, lived in the area (or chose not to, as they moved away seasonally). The contestants received cultural and survival training from palawa consultants, who were also involved in the show’s production. In one moment of reflection, one contestant astutely observes that the “survivalist mindset” tells people to see country as an enemy, something to be conquered.

One of the most unique aspects of Alone is watching how solitude impacts contestants, particularly those with a macho mindset. Chris, an Iraq war veteran, seems to fit the action-man stereotype that the show’s fans have come to love to see crumble. “Spirits are high. It’s gonna get dark and nasty and emotional,” he says, shortly after sinking into a bog-like marsh. As soon as I think I’ve worked him out, we see him saying goodbye to his dog, his best mate. Conversely there’s Mike, an air force pilot turned solo adventurist with a family and beautiful home. “Mike Tyson says everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face,” he says, then drinks rainwater out of a gumboot.

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Fans of the hippy contestants will be delighted by Gina, a rewilding facilitator we meet dancing around barefoot on the moss at her site. The only contestant who hasn’t brought a sleeping bag, she was given special permission by a friend and Dharawal educator to make a possum skin coat instead. But just when you think you’ve got her pegged as an Earthcore punisher, Gina reveals some canny skills (including an impressive fire-lighting hack).

In other words, Alone Australia continues the show’s tradition of flipping expectation on its head. Well, some of the time. Peter is a hunting guide with a house full of taxidermied trophies. How will the self-identified “alpha male” cope in an environment where there’s very little to hunt and bows are not permitted?

I’ve danced around the specifics of what happens in the first two episodes, because this is one of the more “straight out of the gates” seasons of Alone that I can recall. By the end of episode two, you will have already been put through the emotional wringer. Which, in the end, is exactly why we watch Alone – safe on our warm and dry couches, nary a gill net in sight.

Alone Australia will continue on Wednesdays at 7.30pm on SBS and can be streamed on SBS On Demand