Ultimate Survival Alaska


Ultimate Survival Alaska was an American television reality competition series produced by Brian Catalina Productions that premiered on the National Geographic Channel on May 12, 2013. The series was executive produced by Brian Catalina, Kristina Wood, John Magennis, Claire Kosloff, Victoria Levy, and Peter Goest.
Ultimate Survival Alaska focused on survivalist men and women who were dropped off in the Alaskan wilderness where they compete with each other in various wilderness races. The survivalists were dropped off by aircraft in the Alaskan wilderness where they compete in races through Alaska's unpredictable weather, barren landscapes, and hostile predators. The series was cancelled after season 3.

Series overview

Season 1 (2013)

In the first season, 10 episodes document the survivalists' experiences at specific location points during the race. The main goal in each episode is to survive using minimal gear, and to reach a certain destination point within 72 hours.

Cast

The second season had 13 episodes and focused on four teams of survivalists with different areas of expertise: woodsmen, mountaineers, military veterans, and endurance athletes. Each team had the task of reaching an extraction point faster than the other teams. There were multiple drop off and extraction points with different terrain for each leg of the contest. In Season 2, the time limit to reach the end of each leg was reduced down to 60 hours.

Teams

The contestants were divided into four teams of three.
ContestantTeamPlacing
Dallas SeaveyEndurance1st
Eddie AhyakakEndurance1st
Sean BurchEndurance1st
Grady PowellMilitary2nd
Jared OgdenMilitary2nd
Rodolfo ReyesMilitary2nd
Marty RaneyMountaineers3rd
Mountaineers3rd
Thomas GinnMountaineers3rd
Yote RobertsonWoodsmen4th
Tina "Timber Tina" ScheerWoodsmen4th
Jimmy GaydosWoodsmen4th

Results

  1. The Woodsmen Team was eliminated after missing Extraction due to Jimmy's injury.
  2. Rudy left the competition after Episode 7 due to an injury.
  3. Leg 11 was double-length, shown over two episodes. The placements listed in the first column reflect the order teams arrived at the leg's halfway point.

    Season 3 (2015)

Teams

For season 3 the series remains with the format of four teams of three. Italicized contestants are returning contestants from previous seasons.
ContestantTeamPlacing
Ben JohnsEndurance1st
Dallas SeaveyEndurance1st
Lel ToneEndurance1st
Scott "Cluck" McCleskeyLower 482nd
Kasha RigbyLower 482nd
James SweeneyLower 482nd
Daniel DeanMilitary3rd
Jared OgdenMilitary3rd
Grady PowellMilitary3rd
Tyler JohnsonAlaskans4th
Marty RaneyAlaskans4th
Vern TejasAlaskans4th

  1. Lower 48 & Military finished tied with 3 points each. However Lower 48 took 2nd place based on 2nd-place finishes: 4-3.

    Results

  2. Leg 13 was worth 2 points.
  3. James Sweeney withdrew from the competition after Leg 7 due to pain in his back and worry that he had damaged his artificial hip.

    Episode list

Season One


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Season Two


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Season Three


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Critical reception

David Hinckley of the Daily News gave the second season a satisfactory review, saying "things do look consistently harsh and cold, which should satisfy most people who would watch a show about Alaska. The only thing that really looks warm is that big old bear in the brown coat, and he doesn’t look like he’s interested in sharing any of the insulation."