The Thrive to Survive
Experience An Adventure From the Comfort of Your Couch

There is no question that many of us seek the thrill for adventure as we endure the grind of our daily lives and dream of ways in which we can fulfill that longing. For many of us, the most exciting part of our day is our drive home from work. Luckily, that thrill which we seek can be achieved from the comfort of our living rooms by tuning into Remote Survival, sixty minutes of non-stop dream fulfilling adventure.

Remote Survival is a reality competition television series which involves two contestants who are dropped in the middle of the wilderness and tasked with trekking through dense forests, icy waters, steep mountains, and the many other dangers that the remote wild presents, to reach an extraction point which they are escorted to safety from. To add to the excitement, neither contestant have any relevant wilderness experience. For this reason, each is assigned a survival expert who is in constant communication with them through an audio device, and monitors their every move from a live stream video feed taken by a drone that follows them, as well cameras that are attached to the contestant and set up throughout the course. In terms of reward that this competition offers, it may be the greatest reward that any reality competition series can offer - the reward of living. Beyond presenting the viewer with a nail biting viewing experience, Remote Survival leaves the viewer with knowledge, skills, and inspiration that will carry on away from the living room.

Contestant ties together a shelter
in preparation for a long night.

One of the major takeaways from watching Remote Survival is that beyond its entertainment factor, the viewer can learn a skill such as tying a knot in a real world scenario. In one episode, a contestant is in a situation where it is essential that he swim across a lake while avoiding wetting his survival equipment. In order to keep his equipment from getting wet, he is instructed by a survival expert to build a raft by tying together a collection of logs he has gathered. At first, the contestant is clueless on how to tie even the simplest of knots, but with guidance from the survival instructor he manages to tie multiple knots and build a sturdy raft. Throughout this process, the viewer is able to listen in on the step-by-step process the instructor gives, as well as watch the process from the point of view of the contestant. By viewing this process in a way similar to an instructional video found online, the viewer is left with their own knowledge on how to tie a knot in a survival situation along with the entertainment factor incorporated.

Contestant swims across icy river with camera gear attached

Another skill which can be learned by watching Remote Survival is the skill of starting a fire with minimum supplies. It can be agreed that fire is essential in the survival of the outdoors, from cooking to keeping warm it has many significant uses. During the episode "Rising Tide" which features a thirty-two year old Woman trekking through the frigid wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, the contestant encounters a situation where starting a fire is the deciding factor between life and death. After a long day of hiking which includes a swim across an icy river, darkness begins to fall and the temperature plummets. Her instructor insists that it is imperative she start a fire as soon as possible, but with limited supplies, she begins to panic. Her instructor calms her down and talks her through how to start a fire using only sticks and stones, and after several attempts she manages to get a fire started and warm herself up. Similar to how the viewer is taught how to tie a knot by watching the contestant tie the raft together, the viewer in this situation learns how to start a fire with minimum supplies. This invaluable skill in starting a fire can be applicable to the viewer in many real world situations, thus adding to the benefits of watching Remote Survival.

On top of offering the viewer knowledge of important skills, this television show inspires its viewers to head out into the wilderness, which in turn leads to exercise. Remote Survival shows the raw beauty of nature by taking the viewer on an adventure through the wilderness in the eyes of the contestant. Aside from the awe-inspiring beauty of the footage shown, the show is also inspirational in the sense that the viewer can relate to most of the contestants. For example, take the thirty two year old woman from the episode "Rising Tide", who also happens to be a Mother.. Being the age she is and the fact that she is a parent and has no experience in survival, many viewers can relate to her and be motivated to go out and experience the wilderness for themselves. Wilderness adventure also includes exercise, so on top of gaining an appreciation for nature, one will be motivated to get in shape.

Survival expert Cliff Hodges monitoring his contestant

As tempting as Remote Survival makes it to venture out into the wilderness, it also touches on the dangers that the wilderness presents. As beautiful as the dense wild of the Pacific Northwest and the never ending deserts of Utah are made out to be, the show does an excellent job at portraying the dangers of these places. In one episode, when a contestant is traversing the dry desert plains of Utah, they encounter a scorpion. The contestant is fascinated by this scorpion but is quickly warned by their survival expert that this particular scorpion is highly poisonous and could kill them. This gives the viewer a reality-check of the small but deadly dangers that can easily be overlooked in the wild. For all of those inspired to go out into the wild on their own, it is important to take note of these dangers that are presented throughout Remote Survival and remember that the adventure this show presents could lead to unwise risk taking. This unwise risk taking can result in situations that require expensive search and rescue operations, serious health consequences, and worse (Peisner). For example, in 2010 a hiker inspired by a similar survival television show set out on a solo trip in the Canadian wilderness with little more than an axe, and wound up freezing to death (McCafferty). This example is not meant to stray people from exploring the wilderness, but to simply warn them of the true dangers which Remote Survivor does an excellent job at presenting its viewers, which could potentially save someones life.

Adventure, knowledge, inspiration, and life skills are all included in an episode of Remote Survival and are reasons why this show goes beyond simple television. The adventure it takes the viewer on is an adventure that will leave its impression on the viewer for a life-time. In this show, like many reality TV shows, "ordinary" people are placed in exotic, unfamiliar surroundings where they are pitted against the elements (WebMD). Those of us who seek the thrill for adventure also seek the exotic and the unfamiliar, and if one wants an adventure that meets that criteria, then look no further than Remote Survival.

Works Cited

McCafferty, Keith. "Death by Survival" Field and Stream, Sept. 2010, pp. 42-45. Vocational and Career Collection, http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-bloomu.klnpa.org.

WebMD. "Why Do We Tune In To Reality TV?"CBS News, 17 Aug. 2005, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-do-we-tune-in-to-reality-tv/

Peisner, David. "Special Report: The Dangerous Side of Survival TV" TV Guide, 29 Oct. 2014, http://www.tvguide.com/news/survival-tv-special-report-1088519/