Outlast is a new eight-part reality series on Netflix, where contestants are battling to win a huge $1 million prize.
In Outlast, 16 lone-wolves try to outlast the Alaskan wilderness with only one rule: they have to be part of a team to win. But no one gets voted out in this series, and the only way out is to give up and withdraw from the competition!
Players can change teams at any time, which means it's a recipe for unexpected alliances, drama, and potential backstabbing, so not only do they have to survive the wilderness but they have to try and impress other team members.
Teams have to form a successful camp in order to survive Alaska and the harsh conditions. The series was filmed in the fall meaning there's rain, freezing temperatures and bears as winter draws closer.
This intense competition series has brought together fans of extreme sport, hunting and survival.
Here's a rundown of everyone competing in Outlast...
Amber Asay
Amber is 34-years-old and lives in Phoenix, Arizona. She turned her life around after struggling with addiction and being shot in the face by the man she loved, and healed from this by taking on some extreme challenged.
She has journeyed into the desert with a shaman for three days with no gear, explored the Enchantments, one of the most grueling treks in North America which clocks 26 miles in a day, and has since taken up long-haul hiking, also known as thru-hiking.
Speaking about applying for Outlast, she told Netflix: "I feel as if my entire life experience has shaped me into a resilient, adaptable human being. What I have had to overcome in the past has shown me that with the right mindset, anything is possible."
Andrea Hilderbrand
51-year-old Andrea lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and grew up in the middle of a national forest. She enjoys competing in Crossfit competitions, extreme survival sports and endurance races. In addition to this, she's also completed various mountaineering expeditions.
Speaking to Netflix about surviving in Alaska, Andrea said: "I have a literal shed full of trophies showcasing all the sports I’ve competed in through the years… and I’d say 90% of them are first place, not participation trophies. I’ve been at 20,000 feet yacking from altitude sickness on the side of a crevasse-covered mountain, starving, dehydrated and pressed on for another 10+ hours to summit and get back down to basecamp.
"I’ve lost 10 pounds in an 11-hour period racing my mountain bike 100 miles at altitude. I can go on and on with stories of times when I pushed myself beyond what should have been possible. I can tough it out with the best of them."
Angie Kenai
Angie is a 33-year-old woman from San Antonio, Texas, and is a former member of the Texas State Guard. Now, she's an EMT who is also an avid climber, fisher and hunter. She can work with weapons such as axes, knives, rifles, handguns and slingshots. She also has a shark tattoo to remind herself of her next big goal: catching a shark!
Speaking about her experience, Angie said: "I have respect for the land and the wildlife. I have lived my life with many obstacles — abuse, PTSD, bullying — and the skills I have learned to overcome them can be applied in every aspect of this exciting new challenge."
Brian Kahrs
Brian is 59 years old from Holiday, Florida. He grew up during the height of the Cold War, and nuclear attack drills were a daily occurrence at his school. He joined a survival group as a teenager, and he never looked back.
Speaking about joining Outlast, Brian said: "As a young man I realized that I was born with a natural ability to suffer, and so I did. Over my long hard life I have learned to accept and embrace overwhelming adversity with composure, like a cow standing in the rain.
"I actually delight in discomfort and use the pain as fuel. My hands and my back have always pulled me through difficult times and in the Alaskan wilderness they will, once again, carry the day."
Corey Johnson
28-year-old Corey started out as a model in NYC but decided to move back to his hometown of Parker, Colorado to follow his true passion: the outdoors. Since then, he’s been teaching himself how to live in the wilderness alone, and is currently planning a 50-day survival mission.
He also builds shelters, fishes, and hunts bear, waterfowl, elk and whitetail. He’s come face-to-face with a mountain lion, and prides himself on knowing how to read animal behavior.
Corey told Netflix: "A lot of things I’ve learned about the outdoors have been from getting in the field on my own. I’m excited to see how much I’ve learned in Colorado and how it translates into the backcountry of Alaska."
Dawn Nelson
43-year-old Dawn is from Creston, Washington and was raised in the moutains. She was diagnosed with cancer while pregnant with her daughter; and after a C-section, a mastectomy and numerous reconstructive surgeries, Dawn is tougher than ever. She’s also a former corrections officer, a published author, a phlebotomist and a lab assistant at a small-town hospital. She and her husband are currently raising their daughter on a cattle ranch.
Dawn has opened up about Outlast, saying: "It was never the surviving part that worried me. It was the social part. I knew if someone pissed me off, I’d make bear bait out of them."
Javier Colón
42-year-old Javier was raised in the Rust Belt and is now a seasoned traveler with years of international outdoor experience. He’s taken a 31-day backpacking journey across Spain, completed a two year, 18,000 mile solo bicycle tour from Canada to Tierra Del Fuego and a solo bicycle tour of 1,000 miles around the entire island of Iceland.
He also lives off-the-grid and survives with limited resources, which makes him think he's the perfect candidate for Outlast. Javier said: "Alaska is no different than any other location on Earth. If there’s fresh water and things to eat, I can survive. Typically, our only danger is the human animal. If I can avoid troubles with them, I should be fine."
Jill Ashock
Jill is 40-years-old and from New Haven, Kentucky. She has worked as a private investigator and firefighter and teaches wilderness survival, plant ID and self-confidence classes. In addition to this, Jill is a professional angler and has been ranked first in her state for archery. She’s also built and designed several houses, including the one she lives in.
In an interview, Jill said: "There hasn’t been anything that life has thrown at me, stampeded over me or attempted to drown me in that I haven’t proudly survived. What can Alaska possibly have to test me with that I haven’t had to face and overcome, in some shape or form, already?"
Joel Hungate
33-year-old Joel from McCordsville, Indiana who is an engineer, health care and technology innovator and a mountaineer. He was the first to ascend a peak in a remote region of Western Mongolia: To rescue a person injured in a rock slide,
Speaking about taking on the challenge, Joel said: "I believe the generalist is a dying breed we sorely need to resurrect. The more experiences and perspectives you have, the more dots you can connect, the more interesting, adaptable and innovative you can be — and nowhere is that more critical than in a survival setting.
"But most importantly, all the skills in the world are nothing without a mindset and foundation that you can count on regardless of your circumstances. I know I can face whatever awaits me in Alaska with a heart of gratitude no matter the circumstance."
Jordan Williams
25-year-old Jordan professionally honed his survival skills in the US Marines and feels at home in a jungle, the desert and amphibious and mountainous terrains. He's from Fort Collins, Colorado.
Jordan says: "I can tolerate challenging circumstances. Whether it’s sunshine or rain, I rely on my training to make decisions that can push me ahead of my competition. Another skill set I can bring to the game is the social element. I can use my social skills as leverage if the opportunity presents itself."
Lee Ettinger
57-year-old Lee Ettinger is from Bigfork, Montana. He served eight years in the United States Marine Corps with deployments in a Special Operations Qualified Advance Landing Unit. Lee also lived for five years in rural Japan while working for the Japanese government, and is founder and CEO of Better Living Products.
Lee says: "Marines don’t quit! I’ve been in extreme cold-weather training before, have lived for extended periods in harsh outdoor conditions with little to no food and I’ve always been able to overcome those obstacles. When I was five years old, my brother, Jay, was hit by a car.
"He had severe brain injuries and became a quadriplegic, confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Even though his condition was very daunting, he never gave up. He approached each day with the mindset of: ‘What can I do today?’ versus ‘What can’t I do anymore?’ My brother taught me that, in life, anything and everything is possible."
Justin Court
La Grange, Kentucky's Justin Court is 44-years-old, an avid bowhunter and has worked as a guide in Montana. He’s also a black belt in jiujitsu who’s survived an avalanche, surfed all over the world and broken his share of bones, so he's been through a lot!
Speaking about Outlast, he simply said: "I train every day to be hard to kill."
Nick Radner
Nick is a high-school teacher and wrestling coach. He recently climbed Mount Shasta solo and has traveled all over the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevadas and Northeast United States. He is 36-years-old and lives in Tampa, Florida.
When speaking about applying, Nick was very honest! He said: "I’m actually not confident I can survive out there. Although I really look forward to the challenge of it, I’m not an idiot. Alaska is terrifying. It’s killed men for thousands of years. Alaska is real. I can’t wait to see it, though."
Paul Preece
Paul considers himself a professional hunter and fisherman and passes on his love for the outdoors by teaching skills to youth and novice hunters each season, as well as guiding veterans on whitetail bowhunting trips. He is 47-years-old from Knoxville, Tennessee.
He told Netflix: "I’ve had a unique life, growing up in eastern Kentucky, that most people outside of very rural areas would struggle to deal with, from being homeless as a child to living in an old coal camp.
"Many nights, I went to bed hungry and cold growing up. I’ve been blessed that those days are left in my childhood, but equally blessed that they are forever etched into my DNA. I believe Alaska will throw everything she has at me, but I’ve been unknowingly preparing for this all my life."
Seth Lueker
At 19-years-old, Seth enlisted in the Marine Corps and was stationed in Hawaii, where he learned combat survival and land navigation. Now, at 31-years-old, he wants to put the skills he learned growing up in Winchester, Virginia to the test.
Seth says: "My unique skill sets are my determination, my levelheadedness, communication skills and ability to improvise. Also, I’m too dumb to die."
Timothy Spears
33-year-old Tim attributes his love for the outdoors to his late grandfather, who once took him on a three-week trip to Canada to hunt, camp and survive in the wilderness. Now that he lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, he’s been exploring the Colorado Trail and wants to put his skills to the test.
Speaking about Outlast, Tim said: "My ability to survive, my tenacity, my love for nature and my drive to conquer the unconquerable. I love being in the woods, and this seems to be my most immense challenge yet."
