[Not] Alone: The Grit of Evolution, with Alan Tenta & Taz Ramos
Through each individualized effort, the entire collective learns; a haptic feedback network building a new synapses of survival with every iteration.
A handful of weeks alone in the wilderness brings out the raw face of human nature, upon which the grimaced expression of authenticity can be found — a state of being that’s rather hard to find elsewhere, let alone synthesize.
It’s a full throttle pressure-test of the body and mind, stripping away the layers of modern grimes of ease and comfort for a momentary glimpse at the default modes of conscious behaviour.
“It sounds odd, but I wanted to experience what it was like to suffer.”
- Alan Tenta, winner of Season 10
And so History Channel’s Alone has gained a considerable degree of momentum, not only among an ever-insatiable viewership, but also within a growing community that seems woven into this self-evolving, rating-driven experiment of human experience.
In its 11th season, Alone has grown into something far different than what it was a decade ago; it’s no longer just a program, it’s an enterprise. One that has become increasingly self-aware of itself with each iteration.
In becoming this communal network of shared dedication, it also becomes a pretty big drop in a bucket of proof that we still seem to possess this ruthless drive to evolve, to adapt, and to grit things out beyond the limits of what we think is possible.
Knowledge accrues from each iteration as new streams of participants take what works and leave behind what doesn’t, or modify existing paradigms with their own styles. Not unlike the qualitative evolution present through any sport.
The gill nets, the elevated food caches, the ritualistic ode-to’s — these all link each conscious experience through space and time.
So it prompts a useful paradox: through each individualized effort, the entire collective learns; like a haptic feedback network building a new synapses with every season.
In the end, victory demands an optimal combination of the most effective qualities needed: emotion, passion, tact, adaptability, authenticity, an awareness to learn, intuitive pro-activity and hyper-reflexive reactivity, a bit of insanity and an ungodly amount of grit.
“Participants were not immune to the transformational power of the experience.”
- Taz Ramos, Season 10
And it’s from such a mind, undergoing such an experience, that the best of insights can be understood.
Below is a Q&A with Alan Tenta and Taz Ramos, both contestants of Season 10, both winners in their own way. The former proved to be the apex survivor, taking home the prize money, whereas the latter achieved a new style and standard of comfortable survival.
Alan Tenta | 66 days
What would you say is the most critical thing needed to make it all the way?
Most critical thing to make it all the way: Food combined with mental fortitude. The relationship between these two things is complex. Even when contestants have food, we have seen them remove themselves from the game. On the other hand, you cannot find yourself deep into the game without the ability to procure enough food to avoid being removed by the safety team.
How did your mind interact relative to your body?
For me, it was more of a mental effort. It was surprising how quickly my body adapted to having less food. On the physical side, I dealt with the empty feeling of my stomach, dizzy spells, fatigue, and the cold. All these were uncomfortable, but I found them easier to deal with than boredom, loneliness, worry, and the unknown.
What did you take back from the experience with regards to your perspective on time?
Interesting question. Much of the experience was about time. You had to endure time in a challenging environment, count the time that passed, estimate how much more time you have based on resources, and use time efficiently so you can have more time.
To win, you had to spend the most time.
Reflecting now, time was always on my mind. It did not seem to linger or move quickly, more of steady roll. I continued to push myself forward in the challenge by realizing that this experience is short term, and it would soon be over. No matter how cold, hungry, or lonely I became, I would be home shortly and this would be over. I wanted to make sure I pushed myself as far as I could so I would have no regrets. I would often perform self talk, “this is short term, I will be home soon and everything will be as it was. I wanted this, I signed up for this, this is a once in a lifetime experience so keep pushing, keep grinding.” Much of my experience was enjoyable; the quest for food through fishing, trapping, and archery was exciting. Being alone in nature and connecting so deeply with it was an incredible experience; things became difficult to endure after day 50 when the weather turned very cold and the lake froze. At this point, I knew the game could not go on for too much longer, and I had smoked fish to last me until day 68 or 70. I had promised myself that I would stay until my food reserves were depleted. My father is no longer with me, and during the dark days I thought a lot about my mother and the limited time I have left with her. I thought about her a lot, and promised to cherish the time I have left with her. After so much time to reflect while on Alone, I realized that time with family and close friends is the most important thing. I didn’t really miss material items. What I missed was spending time with the people I love and the idea of home surrounded by them.
Did the financial possibility outweigh the sacrifice of that time spent with family and close friends?
The financial possibility had little to do with any part of the experience. I was happily willing to sacrifice the time for a chance at an incredible adventure and see how far I could push myself. My life to this point had been rich with love, food, shelter, safety, and opportunity; it sounds odd, but I wanted to experience what it was like to suffer.
What do you think you’ve contributed to the whole enterprise of Alone?
I definitely learned a lot from previous competitors, and can’t take credit for contributing any major ideas for future players. That being said, there are a few strategies I employed that may be helpful. • A flexible mindset; I completely changed my shelter plan after speaking to the Cree elders at orientation camp. • Being the oldest winner at 52, I showed that even in your 50’s, you can still perform well on the show. • Try to maintain a positive attitude as much as you can • Play the game with integrity; the incidents that stand out were releasing the duck from my gill net, releasing the martin from the snare, and taking down my trap line to avoid catching anymore martin. It would have been easy to turn of the camera and eat the duck and martin. If I won due to the calories from these illegal harvests, it would remove any sense of accomplishment knowing that I had cheated.
What would you do different, if anything?
What would I do differently? Some of my equipment wasn’t great. My sleeping bag was a poor choice, I would choose different gloves that I could take on and off more easily, and I would have exchanged some of my single hooks for treble hooks. I was happy with my 10 items.
Would you do it again?
Would I do it again? Yes.
Taz Ramos | 40 days
What has the whole experience taught you about yourself, and how has it changed you?
It’s a whole journey, really. Very transformational. Participants were not immune to the transformational power of the experience.”…
And you know you learn a lot through the experience. Like many of the participants, you wish to be able to go back to that kind of experience. The approach you take when you go through, of course there are some adjustments that one would make just to stay longer. There are these small lessons and bigger lessons that you take to approach this way or focus more on this or more on that.
At the end of the day, it’s a true survival experience. It’s a show, yes, but it’s a true survival experience. A lot of us want to go there and thrive, and it’s great if the environment allows you to do that.
In retrospect, what’s the most critical thing needed to make it all the way?
A lot of resources, a lot of fish, a lot of food really. And that’s exciting. But at the end of the day, the show is about survival. And like season 10, the winner was really in the survival mode.
You have to set yourself up to get to that point of pure survival — that you have enough food, enough protection, to last you as long as you can.
What, if anything, would you do different?
The food access was good; the name of the game of that season was fish. And a lot of us spent a lot of energy and time searching for that big game but the geography — the topography of the place — it wasn’t easy to find those things. If you had a moose on your island you did but if you didn’t you didn’t. If on your island you don’t have big game… But how do you know what you don’t have? You don’t know so you just know by going through the experience.
I had the right tool for that season but I underutilized my canoe. I should have been in the canoe 24/7. I should have been on that canoe fishing, fishing, fishing in deep waters.
I was very happy with my experience all around.
What insights would you contribute for future contestants?
Stay in the suck; stay in the moment of pure survival. Just stay there, stay as warm as you can. Instead of being afraid of being pulled out. I was at day 40, I didn’t have food anymore; I could stay 20 more days — I wasn’t starving. Stay one day after another. Stay warm, stay dry, I had a good shelter.
I was set to stay, its just the logical.. my logic was that I will fast for like 10 perhaps 20 days.
How did your mind interact relative to your body?
The logical brain tries to make sense of everything but you don’t know really what nature is going to bring you the next day, the next hour, etc. So that would be the only thing — stay more with your heart and forget a little bit more of the logic. That’s what I would do to myself, for a new opportunity.
It was an incredible experience man.
