DISCLAIMER: I know nothing about the film industry, the making of Alone, or laws and regulations pertaining to filming and access to film locations. I am just using a bit of critical thinking in my assessment of this thread.
Yes, we all know Alone is a reality show. And it is likely that none of us know what ACTUALLY goes on behind the scenes, except for the contestants, producers and support personnel, or other REAL insiders. And the producers probably have hundreds of hours of footage to work into the total of 15 or so hours that viewers see, so they can manipulate the story to say whatever they want it to say.
However, I for one believe that the show is made to be as real as possible, within the constraints set forth by the History Channel, show producers, the governments of the filming locations, liability insurance, lawyers, what viewers want to see, etc. Any safety constraints are controlled by two factors: One, the medical personnel are required to check up on the contestants regularly so they don't end up with any deaths or permanent health problems or injuries (for example, frostbite and starvation). And two, each contestant has a satellite phone so they can call and tap out or request help, as seen this season with the guy that has heart problems. As shown in a previous season, when snow conditions prevented the helicopter from flying at night, the support personnel are not immediately on hand to rescue a contestant who called for rescue (though this could be staged to increase the dramatic value). The show has been pretty up front with these two factors as far as I can remember. I have no doubt that as soon as someone died, the show would be canceled completely. No one is going to make money off a canceled show.
As far as getting into Canada during COVID restrictions; the locations are undoubtedly chosen well in advance of filming in order to determine possible contestants, obtain proper licensing or permits for filming and land usage, arrange for the logistics of the entire filming process, determine specific locations for each contestant, and whatever else goes into the making of the show. Therefore, there would have been contracts agreed upon between the entities involved, ie. History Channel and national and/or local governments involved in Canada; many high profile contracts have penalties for not upholding the agreement. I do not know if this would apply to this particular situation, but I would not put it outside the realm of possibility.
I would be lying if I said money had nothing to do with it; money had everything to do with it. History wants to make money, contestants want to win money (Alone has FAR better odds of winning than the lottery or gambling, but I bet 98% of us have tried one or both). I would be surprised if the contestants that don't win didn't receive at least some compensation, because how many people can afford to quit work for weeks or months at a time without at least some payout?
Another thing to consider would be the so called "boot camp" prior to filming, which could have been done in such a way that it counted as a quarantine period prior to entering Canada. And if the contestants are considered "temporary employees" of History and History had prearranged assignments in Canada, or some such work-around to make them essential personnel, instead of tourists going to camp or hunt, then Canada would be obligated to allow them into the country. That is just the way things are. Also, I believe the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) covers intellectual property, so that might play a role as well. Any decent lawyer could make that case. Throw in some "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine", and its a deal. That is just the nature of the beast.
As far as not being able to kill bears, if that is a local law or regulation, participants are obligated to follow such rules. Half of the state in which I live now requires brook trout to be catch and release only; if I don't follow the rules, I may have to pay the price. And I am not internationally televised. So why would a tv show allow contestants to to break the law when everyone will see it?
But in the end, I am rooting for Clay Hayes; any time the general public is exposed to the wonderful world of traditional archery is a win in my book, and I think Clay Hayes is as good an ambassador of the sport as anyone. There appears to be a deer getting smoked when the opening sequence runs; I hope Clay is the one who got it. I start each episode knowing it is reality tv and to take it for what its worth; it is the only tv show currently that I care to watch each episode of. I guess if I didn't enjoy the show, I would just not watch it and not care one way or the other about what other people think about it.
Topic: ALONE (Read 16824 times)
