Kumari Shreya
USA Network’s ‘Race to Survive: Alaska’ is an entertaining reality show that pits some of the best survival experts against each other in a bid to win $500,000. Despite working in teams of two, traversing Alaska’s beautiful yet dangerous terrain is far from easy. As they overcome the various challenges nature and the competition present, only one duo to reach their destination the fastest will be crowned the winner. The show’s premise is as thrilling as it is hard and poses plenty of difficulty to its participants. However, many people cannot help but wonder if the show is as legitimate as it seems or if the events are somehow scripted.
Race to Survive: Alaska is Not Scripted
No, we do not believe that ‘Race to Survive’ is scripted. Several aspects of this particular competition series might seem far too dangerous and unrealistic to some, yet they are precisely what the participants like and thrive in. One of the most significant contributors to the series is none other than Alan Bishop, who worked hard as a co-executive producer to make the show a reality despite the harsh and unrelenting circumstances.
“There was no off button for the cast in this series,” Bishop told USA Insider while talking about the production of season 1. “They had some downtime when they were waiting for production to move, but they were still in the elements. They were still surviving. We wanted the cast in the game from the moment they started until the moment one of them ended up winning the competition.” Given the harsh terrains of Alaska and the unpredictable weather patterns, the crew did find some difficulty in effectively filming the journey of its participants but tried to ensure that this did not impact the show’s events.
Jumping from one location to another as the show’s format demands is also not easy to pull off. “A lot of times, we would have weather come in, and the area we were going be in, we weren’t able to use,” Bishop shared. “Like when our [equipment] airplane is flying, and you only have so much fuel that you can put into that airplane and the area you’re supposed to land on is completely inaccessible for seven days, then you have to switch runways. And you have to say, ‘OK, where can we do what we wanted to do, knowing that we can access this?'”
Knowing the lengths the showrunners went through to make the experience as realistic and thrilling as possible, the competition seems legitimate. Additionally, one of the biggest arguments supporting the USA Network series being the real deal is its cast. Even a minor digging reveals that the people taking on this challenge are already well-established survivalists. Whether it’s climbing the seven summits or traversing through dense forests, every cast member in season 1 of the show had plenty of experience when it came to surviving in the wild.
Due to the showrunners’ transparent efforts and the contestants’ expertise, we believe the events in ‘Race to Survive: Alaska’ are pretty authentic. The documentation of the 100-mile-long journey that the cast members undertake presents some unique challenges that might be for everyone, though that is perhaps what makes the show such a joy to watch.
Read More: Where is Race to Survive Alaska Filmed?
