Does teamwork make the dreamwork? That’s the $1 million question on Outlast, Netflix’s intense new reality competition, produced by Jason Bateman (all eight bingeworthy episodes drop March 10). In this series, 16 “lone wolf” survivalists must “outlast” each other in the Alaskan wilderness, in order to win the hefty prize pool. But there’s a catch, of course. To win the cash, they must be part of a team. No easy feat for the assembled alphas.
A New Twist
This show is basically Survivor on steroids, with a couple major differences. Nobody will be walking around in bikinis, eating coconuts and hooking up with each other. The Outlast contestants were dropped on Alaska’s remote Chicagof Island in the middle of November, with a hatchet knife, tarp, wool blanket, flashlight, bow, medical kit, flint, two tin cups, a map and bear spray. (Feels a lot like Alone, except… in teams?) Not only does this rugged area have the highest population of bears per square mile of any place on Earth, the players will be dealing with the harshest elements of the wilderness and freezing, rainy temps.
Unlike other reality shows where contestants are voted off, the only way out on Outlast is to quit by shooting off a flare, be medically evacuated, or…die trying.
MEET THE LONE WOLVES
To make it all the way, the survivalist must build a Lord of the Flies-like society, which means ever-changing alliances (they can switch teams at any time), fluctuating power balances, and natch, backstabbing. If the bios provided by Netflix are any indication, the cast is gonna be bat-shit cray and a lot of fun:
Amber, 34, turned her life around with the help of the wilderness after struggling with addiction and being shot in the face by the man she loved.
Andrea, 51, is a “real life Lara Croft” who has been known to intimidate her co-workers at the plant where she works as an engineer.
Angie, 30, is proficient with an ax, knives, rifle, handguns and a slingshot, and the shark tattoo on her arm is a reminder of her next goal: to catch a shark.
Brian, 59, always the class clown, nicknamed Macgyver because he’s great at using what he has available to solve any problem – no matter how wacky.
Corey, 28, is a former model (there’s always one on these shows) and is great at reading animal behavior ever since he came face to face with a mountain lion.
Dawn, 43, is a former corrections officer and cancer survivor. She has no feeling in her right hand but considers herself “bent but not broken.”
Javier, 42, had to relearn how to walk after a drunk driver nearly killed him in a crash. He’s a bicycle enthusiast and has pedaled 18,000 miles over several continents.
Jill, 40, is a professional angler, ranked 1st in her state for archery, has built and designed several houses (including her own) and raised three children. A Jill of all trades, if you will.
Joel, 33, an engineer and mountaineer with a notable first-ascent in a remote region of Western Mongolia, survived a rockslide and still successfully summited.
Jordan, 25, is a young Marine with an admitted gigantic ego. His motto is “put up or shut up.” Let’s see it bigshot!
Justin, 44, is a hillbilly and bowhunter and a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. He’s survived an avalanche, surfed the world and broken his share of bones. He says he’d “rather have a broken bone than a broken heart.” Aw. He’s doomed.
Lee, 57, is a Marine with deployments in a Special Operations Qualified Advance Landing Unit, volunteering for Advanced Combat Skills training and was Airborne qualified. Lee also lived in rural Japan for five years working for the Japanese government. Sounds CIAish.
Nick, 36, a high-school wrestling coach with a dark sense of humor, who solo-climbed Mt. Shasta in Northern California.
Paul, 47, worked in the mining industry and hunts big game in order to provide additional substance for his family.
Seth, 31, another Marine, considers himself “too dumb to die” and “lovable,” which explains why grandmas love him so much.
Timothy, 33, a CrossFit junkie, is conquering the Colorado Trail, running local trails as often as possible. He’s an avid bowhunter stalking massive elk and deer through the rugged Rocky Mountains.
Drama for Days
Between the type-A cast and the unforgiving environment, Outlast promises to be the wildest, darkest adventure competition ever. The show’s tagline perfectly sums up the vibe: “The enemy isn’t mother nature, it’s human nature”.
“There’s no law here,” one stunned contestant stammers. The trailer shows another competitor complaining of being “tired, cold, wet and hungry,” and another calling their new frienemies “crooked dirty bastards.” Someone else worries his throat will be slit. At least one unresponsive contestant is choppered out.
Outlast looks juicy, hysterical and twisted, just the way we like our reality shows. As one survivalist says in a teaser, “See you at the finish line, you weak-ass motherfuckers.”
