Alone Australia

Alone Australia is an Australian survival reality television competition series on SBS which premiered on 29 March 2023.^[1] It follows the self-documented daily struggles of 10 individuals as they survive alone in the wilderness for as long as possible using a limited amount of survival equipment. The participants are isolated from each other and all other humans, with the participants having to self-document and film their experiences themselves. They may "tap out" at any time or be removed due to failing a medical check-in. The contestant who remains the longest wins a grand prize of $250,000.

Alone Australia
Genre	Reality Survival
Based on	Alone
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	35
Production
Executive producer	Riima Daher
Running time	60 minutes (including ads)
Production company	ITV Studios Australia
Original release
Network	SBS
Release	29 March 2023 (2023-03-29) – present

In early 2022, an Australian version was announced by SBS following the success of the American version on the network and its streaming counterpart SBS On Demand. The series is produced by ITV Studios Australia, with the first season taking place around a remote lake in Tasmania's West Coast^[2] during winter 2022. The American version of the show also airs on Pay-TV channel A&E via Foxtel.^[3] An Alone pop-up channel began broadcasting on Foxtel on 24 February 2023 and ceased broadcasting on 20 March 2023.^[4]

The first season was won by Gina Chick after surviving 67 days alone, making her only the second female and oldest contestant in the history of the Alone worldwide to win.^[5] The second season was won by Krzysztof Wojtkowski, surviving 64 days alone without eating meat.^[6] In June 2023, the series was nominated for the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program,^[7] but it lost to The Australian Wars.^[8]

Casting for Season 4 began in February 2025.^[9]

Format

Contestants are dropped off in a remote wilderness area, far enough apart to ensure that they will not come in contact with one another.^[1] The contest typically begins in mid-to-late autumn; this adds time pressure to the survival experience as the approaching winter causes temperatures to drop and food to become scarce. Although terrains may differ in each contestant's location, the drop-off zones are assessed in advance to ensure a similar distribution of local resources is available to each contestant.

Contestants each select 10 items of survival gear from a pre-approved list of 40, and are issued a kit of standard equipment, clothing and first aid/emergency supplies.^[10] They are also given a set of cameras to document their daily experiences. Attempting to live off the land for as long as possible, the contestants must find food, build shelter in order to survive while enduring deep isolation, physical deprivation and psychological stress of being alone.

Contestants who wish to withdraw from the competition for any reason (referred to as "tapping out") may signal a rescue crew using a provided satellite telephone. In addition, medical professionals conduct periodic health checks on the contestants and may, at their discretion, disqualify and evacuate anyone they feel is unable to continue participating safely. The last remaining contestant wins a $250,000 cash prize.^[11]

Episodes and results

Series	Location	Episodes		Originally released		Days Lasted	Winner	Runner-up
				First released	Last released
1	South West Tasmania, Australia	12		29 March 2023 (2023-03-29)	25 May 2023 (2023-05-25)	67	Gina Chick	Mike Atkinson
2	South Island, New Zealand	11		27 March 2024 (2024-03-27)	29 May 2024 (2024-05-29)	64	Krzysztof Wojtkowski	Suzan Muir
3	West Coast Range, Tasmania, Australia	12		26 March 2025 (2025-03-26)	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA

Season 1 (2023)

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	Aus. viewers
1	1	"The Drop"	29 March 2023 (2023-03-29)	212,000[a][12]
"Travellers, there is no path. Paths are made by walking." - Antonio Machado
2	2	"Fired Up"	29 March 2023 (2023-03-29)	212,000[a][12]
"There's no harm in hoping for the best as long as you're prepared for the worst." - Stephen King
3	3	"Unforced Error"	5 April 2023 (2023-04-05)	193,000[13]
"Hunger is the handmaid of genius" - Mark Twain
4	4	"Head Games"	12 April 2023 (2023-04-12)	N/A
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places." - Ernest Hemingway
5	5	"Spent"	19 April 2023 (2023-04-19)	233,000[14]
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how" - Friedrich Nietzsche
6	6	"Sink or Swim"	26 April 2023 (2023-04-26)	231,000[15]
"The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle." - Pierre de Coubertin
7	7	"Trapped"	3 May 2023 (2023-05-03)	230,000[16]
"There's something to be said for hunger: at least it lets you know you're still alive" - Margaret Atwood
8	8	"Severed"	10 May 2023 (2023-05-10)	229,000[17]
"Solitude, isolation, are painful things, and beyond human endurance" - Jules Verne
9	9	"Making Moves"	17 May 2023 (2023-05-17)	203,000[18]
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." - Thomas Edison
10	10	"The Dark of Night"	24 May 2023 (2023-05-24)	245,000[b][19]
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go" - TS Eliot
11	11	"The Storm"	24 May 2023 (2023-05-24)	245,000[b][19]
"By endurance we conquer" - Ernest Shackleton
12	12	"The Reunion"	25 May 2023 (2023-05-25)[c]	123,000[20]
Hosted by Amanda Keller, the ten contestants meet to discuss their Alone experience.

Notes

1. Figure averaged across both premiere episodes
2. Figure averaged across both finale episodes
3. The Reunion was made available to stream on 24 May 2023 on SBS On Demand immediately after the broadcast of the final two episodes on SBS. The reunion was broadcast the following day on SBS

Results

Name[21]	Age	State	Occupation	Status	Reason for Elimination
Gina Chick	52	NSW	Rewilding Facilitator	Winner - 67 days	Winner
Mike Atkinson	45	NSW	Solo Adventurist	64 days (medically evacuated)	Low blood pressure and malnutrition
Michael Wallace	43	NSW	Vet and Bush Regenerator	32 days	Missed family
Kate Grarock	41	ACT	Wildlife Biologist	22 days	Missed family
Chris Bakon	39	TAS	Army Veteran	12 days	Wanted to leave on a high after experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder
Duane Byrnes	35	NSW	Wildlife and Environmental Officer	10 days	Struggled with isolation
Peter Athanassiou	31	NSW	Hunting Guide	3 days	Struggled to find food; fell and injured knee
Jimmy Lassaline	22	SA	Farmhand and Engineering Student	2 days (medically evacuated)	Developed COVID-19, which caused his heart to beat at twice the usual rate
Beck Henog	42	VIC	School Teacher	2 days	Missed family; could not start a fire due to wet materials
Rob Kelly	41	VIC	Planning and Environmental Manager	2 days	Missed family

Season 2 (2024)

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	Aus. viewers
13	1	"Episode 1"	27 March 2024 (2024-03-27)	262,000[22]
"Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it" - Donna Tartt
14	2	"Episode 2"	3 April 2024 (2024-04-03)	287,000[23]
"The most important factor in survival is neither intelligence nor strength but adaptability" - Charles Darwin
15	3	"Episode 3"	10 April 2024 (2024-04-10)	314,000[24]
"Necessity is the mother of invention" - Richard Franck
16	4	"Episode 4"	17 April 2024 (2024-04-17)	305,000[25]
"Life is a circle. The end of one journey is the beginning of the next" - Joseph M. Marshall III
17	5	"Episode 5"	24 April 2024 (2024-04-24)	253,000[26]
"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on" - Franklin D. Roosevelt
18	6	"Episode 6"	1 May 2024 (2024-05-01)	264,000[27]
"Anywhere the struggle is great, the level of ingenuity and inventiveness is high" - Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin
19	7	"Episode 7"	8 May 2024 (2024-05-08)	298,000[28]
"The triumph can't be had without the struggle" - Wilma Rudolph
20	8	"Episode 8"	15 May 2024 (2024-05-15)	304,000[29]
"Hunger is a powerful reorganiser of the conscience" - Margaret Atwood
21	9	"Episode 9"	22 May 2024 (2024-05-22)	276,000[30]
"Now is the winter of our discontent" - William Shakespeare
22	10	"Episode 10"	29 May 2024 (2024-05-29)	345,000[31]
"As man disappears from sight, the land remains." - Māori Proverb
23	11	"Reunion Special"	29 May 2024 (2024-05-29)	214,000[31]
Hosted by Hamish Blake, the ten contestants meet to discuss their Alone experience.

Results

Notable among the Season 2 contestants was Leanne, the wife of Season 1 contestant Rob.

Name[32]	Age	State	Occupation	Status	Reason for Elimination
Krzysztof Wojtkowski	39	VIC	Aquaculturalist	Winner - 64 days	Winner
Suzan Muir	54	VIC	Wilderness Adventure Guide	63 days	Homesick
Andreas Lundin	42	NSW	Personal Trainer and Subsistence Hunter	57 days	Lost 30% body weight, not willing to risk health and sanity
Tamika Simpson	51	QLD	Off-Gridder and Former Police Officer	53 days	Did not want to kill animals for food
Rick J. Petersen	58	QLD	Survival Educator and Former SAS Soldier	38 days	Missed family
Jack	55	NSW	Tradesman and Wild Game Hunter	16 days	Lack of food
Chace Leitch	27	QLD	Defence Force Combat Engineer	10 days	Missed family, wife pregnant
Jason Allwood	36	NSW	Youth Worker and Jungai	8 days	Mental health concerns, lack of food
Leanne Mitchell	41	VIC	World Heritage Aboriginal Programs Officer	4 days	Missed family
Mike Hayes	60	NSW	Resilience Coach	2 days (medically evacuated)	Chest pain

Season 3 (2025)

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	Aus. viewers
24	1	"Episode 1"	26 March 2025 (2025-03-26)	214,000[33]
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver
25	2	"Episode 2"	26 March 2025 (2025-03-26)	214,000[33]
"We will either find a way or make one" - Hannibal
26	3	"Episode 3"	2 April 2025 (2025-04-02)	258,000[34]
"We are the sum total of our hungers" - A. W. Tozer
27	4	"Episode 4"	9 April 2025 (2025-04-09)	244,000[35]
"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul" - John Muir
28	5	"Episode 5"	16 April 2025 (2025-04-16)	247,000[36]
"We mortals, men and women, devour many a disappointment between breakfast and dinner-time" - George Eliot
29	6	"Episode 6"	23 April 2025 (2025-04-23)	261,000[37]
"The most effective way to do it, is to do it" - Amelia Earhart
30	7	"Episode 7"	TBA	TBD
31	8	"Episode 8"	TBA	TBD
32	9	"Episode 9"	TBA	TBD
33	10	"Episode 10"	TBA	TBD
34	11	"Episode 11"	TBA	TBD
35	12	"Episode 12"	TBA	TBD

Results

Name[38]	Age	State	Occupation	Status	Reason for Elimination
Ben Grieger	38	SA	English Teacher
Corinne Ooms	38	TAS	Food Safety Consultant
Karla Pound	35	QLD	Expedition Leader
Muzza (Murray) James	63	VIC	Bushman
Shay Williamson	30	New Zealand	Professional Trapper
Tom Covell	33	NSW	Ecologist
Yonke van Geloven	52	VIC	Farmer & Permaculturalist	31 days	Lack of food and frustration with needing to film
Ceilidh Marigold	34	QLD	Disability Services Officer	19 days (medically evacuated)	Suspected UTI
Eva Angophora	31	NSW	Rewilding Facilitator	17 days	Lack of food
Matt Allwood	31	WA	Indigenous Youth Worker	16 days	Missed family

Reception

Critical reception

The series received positive reviews in its first season. David Knox of TV Tonight rated the series 4½ out of 5 stating, "Above all, there’s nothing else like this on television and that -alone- makes it worth checking out".^[39] Wenlei Ma of News.com.au gave a positive review stating, "That insight into human nature at its limit is the gem in this series."^[40]

Viewership

Although overnight ratings for the first two episodes, played as double episode, averaged 212,000 viewers, total numbers reached 761,000, an increase of 138%, making it one of SBS's most watched series for 2023.^[41] The third episode averaged 195,000 viewers overnight, and reached 791,000 in total numbers.^[42] The fourth episode averaged 205,000 viewers overnight, and reached 826,000 in total numbers.^[43]

See also

• Australia portal
• Television portal

• Australian Survivor
• List of Australian television series
• Survivorman
• Wilderness survival