Yahoo Lifestyle 
Alone Australia: Everything you need to know about the SBS reality show
The groundbreaking survival series is sure to be a must-watch.
Alone Australia is set to take the nation by storm with its groundbreaking 11-part documentary series, premiering exclusively on SBS and SBS On Demand, with a double episode on Wednesday, 29 March, at 7.30pm. Weekly episodes will then air Wednesdays at 7.30pm.
This cult-hit survival show has already captured audiences worldwide, and now it's Australia's turn to witness the ultimate test of human will. With no scripts, camera crews, or engineered challenges, Alone Australia promises to be unlike anything we've seen on our screens before.
So what do we know about this exciting new series? Let's take a closer look.
Surviving in the wild in total isolation
Alone Australia throws ten brave Aussies in the deep end, stranded in the remote wilds of Western Tasmania, completely isolated from the outside world and each other.
Stripped of all modern possessions, contact, and comforts, they will be challenged by the unforgiving forces of nature, hunger, and most of all, loneliness. Their task? To document the experience as they push themselves to their absolute limits, all in a bid to be the last one standing and win the grand prize of $250,000.
Participants will rely completely on themselves for food, water, shelter, and warmth, using only what's in their pack and what the habitat around them provides.
With no knowledge of how many others remain or what their competitors are up to, every attempt, every mistake, every near-miss, loss, and lesson learned will be self-documented by each brave storyteller for viewers to witness.
RELATED:
Dave Hughes opens up on 'near-death' plane experience: 'Lucky'
Questions raised over new British TV show in Australian outback
Aussies stunned by underwater scene after fish weren't biting
Only when they've reached their personal or physical limits will they 'tap out,' leaving just one survivor to claim the grand prize.
According to SBS Head of Unscripted, Joseph Maxwell, Alone Australia delves into the human experience, exploring what pushes and motivates us as individuals in the face of challenges.
"At its core, it's about people – what it is that challenges us, drives us, and motivates us as human beings," he said, "The relentless effects of nature, hunger, and solitude, result in a very real examination of who we are as people."
First-ever Australian version of global hit series
The US and Scandinavian iterations of the series have captivated Aussie audiences with unprecedented success, emerging as the top-rated factual franchise in the history of SBS On Demand, with over 10 million hours watched.
As we gear up for the highly anticipated local version of the show, the Aussie contestants are set to impress with their diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. From school teachers to farmers, meditation leaders to biologists, and even an army veteran and solo adventurist thrown into the mix, it's sure to be an exciting group of survivalists.
Not just another reality show
ITV Studios Australia Head of Factual, Ben Ulm, and Executive Producer, Riima Daher, calls Alone Australia the real deal. It's not just another reality show but a true documentary series that captures the raw and authentic experiences of each participant.
“There are no production tricks, just ten individuals making ten self-shot documentaries," he explains, "Every thought, new idea, creation and interaction. Every nostalgic reflection, every wobble, and every victorious celebration is right there on camera, captured by each lone, brave storyteller for us to witness.”
Who will survive the longest in this intense and unforgettable battle against the elements? You'll have to tune in to find out.
Cast
Beck is a secondary school Science and STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics teacher and grandmother. She's the matriarch of her small family; her partner, four children, two grandchildren and a plethora of farm animals. An "earth mother", Beck grew up with camping and fishing playing a constant role in her life.
She feels more at home in the outdoors than anywhere else, and she consciously steers her time in favour of being out bush and throwing out a rod as often as possible. She's excited to embrace this opportunity to represent women in their 40s and First Nations women of the LGBTQI+ community and, most importantly, to be an inspiration to her children and grandchildren.
Chris lives a self-sufficient coastal lifestyle alone with best friend Billy, his loyal Jack Russell, his extensive vegetable plot and his chooks. A retired war veteran of Iraq living with PTSD, Chris finds being alone with nature, on the coast and away from the lights and sounds of the city incredibly restorative.
An avid fisherman, abalone and crayfish free diver, and self-sustaining beach, ocean and spear fisherman, Chris started creating and sharing content around his fishing escapades as a way to connect with people going through similar trauma after service. His goal is to push himself to his limits and, in doing so, to demonstrate to others like him that anxiety disorders do not have to define or inhibit activity and that submerging oneself in nature can be a powerful and effective healer.
Duane, 35, Wildlife & Environmental Officer, NSW
Duane is a fun-loving Wildlife and Environmental Officer and keen recreational surfer. His career has spanned from the military to the Fire Service and now to the land, where he traps animals for research. Duane is a fun-loving Wildlife and Environmental Officer and keen recreational surfer.
A proud First Nations man and father of two, Duane is constantly seeking a deeper connection to Country and sees Alone as the perfect opportunity to live as his ancestors did and to bring his family closer to their heritage.
He has a profound appreciation and awe for how his ancestors thrived on Country for thousands of years, and he hopes to be guided by their footsteps through this experience.
Gina, 52, Rewilding Facilitator, NSW
Rewilding facilitator, bushcraft teacher, meditation leader, barefoot nomad, singer, dancer, and primitive huntress... for this multidisciplinary creative, the bush is where Gina feels most at home.
Living off the grid in a tin shack with no running water or power, Gina oscillates between the quiet of her secluded coastal property home life and a very loud and colourful work life, running large group rewilding courses and camps for adults and children.
After navigating her way back through serious trauma and loss in her life, Gina doesn’t scare easily; any fears she has about testing herself are very practical ones.
Jimmy, 22, Farmhand & Engineering Student, SA
At 22 years of age, Jimmy is the youngest of the 10, but by no means the least experienced. He’s been hunting since he was five years old and has spent most of his years since learning to self-provide from the land through practice, trial, and error.
Jimmy is completing a Civil Engineering course but prefers farmhand work to being confined to buildings and offices on campus in the city. He’s a very active member of the small farming community he lives in and volunteers as a CFS firefighter.
At home, Jimmy raises, butchers, and processes his own livestock and grows his own fruit and vegetables on the property.
Kate, 41, Wildlife Biologist, ACT
Kate grew up in regional South Australia and left school early to start a five-year military career in the Royal Australian Navy before leaving to study science at university.
After a PhD she’s now Dr Kate; a wildlife biologist and expedition leader, working in remote parts of Australia to discover new species of plants and animals. She has spent a career learning about Australia’s unique flora and fauna.
Kate has practised bushcraft since she was a little girl, building shelters, finding water, making spears, weaving baskets and lighting fires. Frustrated that the local scouts would not accept her because she was a girl, Kate spent a lot of time immersed in nature on family camping trips.
Kate now lives in the ACT with her partner Elsie. They recently welcomed their first child, a baby girl. She is Kate’s biggest joy, so leaving behind her six-month-old to hopefully inspire her when she grows up has been a big decision for Kate. She also hopes to inspire many more girls to embrace a love of science and biology, to enjoy the outdoors and to seize every opportunity that is a challenge.'
Michael, 43, Vet & Bush Regenerator, NSW
Michael lives with his wife and two children on over 500 acres, running the family farm and tending to his livestock; 120 sheep, 14 cattle, six donkeys, and one horse, as well as 175 000 bees and fruit and vegetable crops.
With a Bachelor of Veterinary Science, Bachelor of Applied Science - Medical Radiation Technology - Nuclear Medicine, Diploma of Conservation and Land Management and a Certificate IV in Business Management Diploma as tertiary credits, Michael worked as a veterinarian in his own practice for 14 years before selling the business to focus on his farm as well as his new passion – bush regeneration.
He is a committed Christian man who takes his faith seriously. In spite of the fact that he enjoys the quiet of his own company, Michael‘s beliefs will be a source of strength to him at times when isolation and loneliness prove toughest.
Mike, 45, Solo Adventurist, NSW
Mike lives on the central north coast of NSW with his wife, two children and his chocolate labrador Ollie. Up until recently, he was a full-time pilot in the Australian Defence Force. He has also put his skills to the test outside the military during many extended private expeditions around the world. He likes to test his survival theories in extreme environments, which have ranged from arctic colds to the extreme heat of middle eastern desserts.
The extreme outdoors, photography and filming are his passion – this is what led Mike to resign from the military and its secure income to pursue his dream of setting and completing his own solo expeditions and filming them to share the experience with others.
Mike has completed three major self-funded and self-filmed expeditions; one across the Kimberley, another across a Saudi Arabian desert with his own camels, and the other an 1846 shipwreck survivor escape scenario along the Far North Queensland coast in a self-constructed dugout canoe.
As soon as Peter’s fine motor skills were developed enough to hold a tool in his hands, he was out hunting and fishing with family, learning the skills, dexterity, and smarts of the craft as well as the intricacies of the physical and mental game. He has refined these skills over many years of practice and carried them through into adulthood, making him the much sought-after hunting guide that he is today.
As the lead guide on his hunting expeditions, Peter has worked across a wide range of terrains and in a variety of weather conditions, survival situations and natural environments and is confident in his experience, knowledge, and abilities when it comes to the safety and survival requirements of this challenge.
Peter has never gone hunting without his rifle or bow, or his chosen survival equipment so this Alone experience will be an all-new experiment for him in largely untested waters.
Rob, 41, Planning & Environmental Manager, VIC
Rob is a proud family man who lives regionally with his partner, teenage son, and baby girl. He cherishes his role as a father and places critical value on raising his family with an appreciation and understating of Country through lived exposure and experience – fishing, camping, and hunting as a family as often as possible.
In addition to his work as a Planning and Environmental officer, Rob guest lectures at universities on Indigenous knowledge systems from around the world. He is a proud First Nations man and has worked with Indigenous communities in Australia for 20 years on conservation land management.
Rob will never describe himself as a survival expert – he remains humble about his abilities and recognises there is always so much more to learn. With Indigenous knowledge systems being experiential and heavily shaping Rob’s education, he strongly subscribes to the proven practice of teaching and learning being an immersive communal effort in attaining the knowledge and skills required to thrive on Country.
Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.
Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.
