Fans of survival shows were initially thrilled when ‘Outlast’first premiered on Netflix. The series shares a similar premise withAlone’on the History Channel, where participants must survive in the wild with minimal supplies. InOutlast, players must contend with harsh climates, build shelters, and find food to sustain themselves.Outlastexecutive producerGrant Kahlerexplained the conditions as"The most awful environment to try and be in. You can’t get dry. Your feet stay wet for weeks. You can’t light a fire… and of course, there’s the bears.”However, unlikeAlone, where each participant must survive independently,Outlastdivides its 16 players into four teams.
On the surface, the idea of surviving as part of a team may seem more manageable, but the reality of the situation quickly proved otherwise, leaving viewers shocked and dismayed duringthe first season,which aired in March 2023. The show introduced a twist: there were no rules, except for one — participants must remain part of a team. If a player found themselves without a team, they had 24 hours to join another, or they would be eliminated.The last team standing would win a one-million-dollar prize.
A Brutal Competition Between Participants
What started as excitement over a new survival show rapidly turned into anger as viewers watched not just a battle against the elements but a brutal competition between participants. By the fourth episode of the first season, the intensity of the show reached a peak.Jill Ashock, Justin Court, and Amber Asay,members of Team Alpha, made a controversial decision to steal the sleeping bags of Team Delta. In the freezing wilderness of Alaska,Team Delta faced a night of unbearable cold, risking hypothermia, which ultimately forced them to quit.Before leaving the competition, however, they exact revenge by destroying Justin’s raft, forcing him to swim back in the icy waters.
This act earned Team Alpha a notorious reputation, marking them as some of themost ruthless villains in reality TV history, as their actions directly endangered the lives of others. But this wasn’t their only reprehensible act. When Javier Colon from Team Bravo, the sole remaining member of his team, attempted to join Team Delta, Jill and Amber sabotaged his shelter. Although Javier rushed back to save his camp, it was too late. Meanwhile, Amber further compounds his troubles by destroying his raft.
Such actions enraged viewers, who were appalled by the lack of morality displayed by some participants. It’s uncertain whether the producers were truly taken aback by what unfolded or if they were secretly pleased by the controversy, but one thing was clear—Outlastquickly became a hot topic of conversation.
Bayo’s “Dirty” Tactics Test the Boundaries of Fair Play in Outlast Season 2
With the second season premiering on Netflix on September 4, anticipation was high to see if the new participants would follow in the footsteps of the previous contestants.Would they resort to similar tactics to eliminate other teams, or would they play a fairer game?
The answer came swiftly within the first two episodes. Bayardo (Bayo) Hernandez, a 51-year-old contestant, decided to visit Team Bravo’s camp, ostensibly to check on how they were doing. Zach Owens, 33, accompanied him, unaware of Bayo’s true intentions. At first, Team Bravo welcomed the visitors, who brought with them a squirrel head and mushrooms. However, while Zach was engaging with the Bravo team members, Bayo brazenly took their pot and a few cans right before their eyes.
“Got them, confiscated them… part of the game, Yep,” Bayo declared, leaving the Bravo team bewildered. Zach quickly returned to Team Alpha to report what had transpired. Fearing retaliation from Team Bravo, the members of Team Alpha decide to return the stolen items. They met with two players from Team Bravo, who had come to retrieve their belongings and handed them the stolen item, apologizing for what had happened. Team Bravo asked them then to vote Bayo out as a gesture of goodwill, and they almost immediately agreed to do so.
This incident demonstrated that thenew contestants had grasped the consequences of unethical behavior and were reluctant to repeat the mistakesof the previous season’s players. Jill Ashock, for instance, faced significant backlash, even deleting her social media accounts. Yet, she remained unrepentant about her actions.“You have to sleep with what you did out there, and I don’t have any guilt for the way I’ve played the game,” Jill toldE! News. “It was a game. When you play a board game with someone, and you hop over someone else’s checker and take their piece, you don’t apologize and take them out to dinner because you feel guilty for that. I really don’t have remorse for any way that I played the game.”
Bayo, on the other hand, felt deeply hurt when one of his teammates expressed doubt about his commitment to the team’s best interests. When all his other teammates decided to expel him from the group, Bayo chose not to seek out another team and instead shot his flare gun, signaling his exit from the game. Unlike the first season, where sabotage was rampant, none of the other players in the second season resorted to stealing essential survival items.
Outlast Season 2 Offers Lessons in Wilderness Survival and the Human Spirit
While it may still be too early to determine whether the remaining contestants will maintain their integrity in the episodes to be released on September 11,the first six episodes suggest that this season’s participants are less inclined toward backstabbing and sabotage.
This shift has made the game this season a far more enjoyable experience for viewers. Audiences can better connect with the players, learn about their personal stories, and appreciate their skills in the wilderness — whether it’s starting a fire, hunting for food, or building a raft.
While the first season ofOutlastmight go down as one of the most outrageous and brutal series in reality TV history,season two offers a refreshing return to humanity and decency.Of course, there will still be disagreements, conflicts, and moments of frustration — such tensions are inevitable when people are cold and hungry — but viewers won’t witness the same level of cruelty, bullying, or theft of essential survival items.
Outlastremains a compelling show, not only for its lessons in wilderness survival, such as how to set traps for rodents, build a shelter, construct rafts, or identify safe mushrooms to eat — but perhaps even more so for what it reveals about the human condition. It teaches viewers about struggle, perseverance, compassion, loyalty, and the value of friendship. Season 2 ofOutlastis available to stream on Netflix.
Outlast (2023)
Outlast is a 2023 reality TV show where 16 survivalists are dropped into the Alaskan wilderness with one rule: they must work in teams to win. As they face harsh conditions and challenging terrain, tensions rise and alliances shift, revealing the true nature of survival in the wild where cooperation and competition collide.
