Ultimate Survival Alaska is an American reality competition television 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. In May 2015, the series was canceled after three seasons.
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 Austin Manelick Brent Sass Dallas Seavey Marty Raney Matt Raney Tyrell Seavey Tyler Johnson Willi Prittie
Season 2 (2013/14) 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.
ContestantTeamPlacingDallas Seavey Endurance1stEddie AhyakakSean BurchGrady Powell Military2ndJared OgdenRodolfo ReyesMarty Raney Mountaineers3rdTyler JohnsonThomas GinnYote Robertson Woodsmen4thTina "Timber Tina" ScheerJimmy Gaydos
Results TeamContestantsPosition (by leg)1234567891011EnduranceDallas Seavey, Eddie Ahyakak, Sean Burch2nd3rd3rd2nd1st2nd2nd2nd1st1st1st1stMilitaryGrady Powell, Jared Ogden, Rudy Reyes1st4th1st3rd3rd3rd1st3rd2nd3rd2nd2ndMountaineersMarty Raney, Tyler Johnson, Thomas Ginn3rd2nd2nd1st2nd1st3rd1st3rd2nd3rd3rdWoodsmenYote Robertson, Tina "Timber Tina" Scheer, Jimmy Gaydos4th1st
The Woodsmen Team was eliminated after missing Extraction due to Jimmy's injury. Rudy left the competition after Episode 7 due to an injury. 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. ContestantTeamPlacingBen Johns Endurance1stDallas SeaveyLel ToneScott "Cluck" McCleskey Lower 482ndKasha RigbyJames SweeneyDaniel Dean Military3rdJared OgdenGrady PowellTyler Johnson Alaskans4thMarty RaneyVern Tejas
Lower 48 & Military finished tied with 3 points each. However Lower 48 took 2nd place based on 2nd-place finishes: 4-3.
Results TeamContestantsPosition (by leg)12345678910111213Number of pointsEnduranceBen Johns, Dallas Seavey, Lel Tone1st1st3rd3rd2nd4th2nd2nd1st4th1st4th1st6Lower 48Scott "Cluck" McCleskey, Kasha Rigby, James Sweeney4th4th2nd1st3rd3rd3rd1st2nd2nd4th1st2nd3MilitaryDaniel Dean, Jared Ogden, Grady Powell2nd2nd4th2nd1st1st4th4th3rd1st3rd3rd4th3AlaskansTyler Johnson, Marty Raney, Vern Tejas3rd3rd1st4th4th2nd1st3rd4th3rd2nd2nd3rd2
Leg 13 was worth 2 points. 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
Season Two
Season Three
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."
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