Prizmi Tripathi
Nat Geo’s hit docu-series ‘Life Below Zero’ has been keeping the audiences hooked, since its inception on May 19, 2013. Over thirteen seasons, the survival show has produced shed-loads of insightful, thrilling, and entertaining content by following the ups and downs in the daily lives of people who live on the wilderness of Alaska’s wild frontier.
It also showcases how they strive to survive when the temperature falls minus 50 degrees, and the danger from grizzly bears and other wild animals lurk in the background. One of the original dare-devils of the four-time Emmy winning show is Sue Aikens, who is returning in the fourteenth season. Curious to know more about her personal life? Let’s take a peek behind the curtain!
Sue Aikens: Age and Where is She From?
Susan Aikens was born on July 1, 1963, in Mount Prospect One, a small village located in Elk Grove and Wheeling Townships in Cook County, Illinois. The 57-years-old’s grandparents were from Scotland. As a kid, Sue traveled a lot because of her mother and father. When she was just 12 years old, Sue’s parents moved to a rural area located 80 km north of Fairbanks, the largest city in the nation’s northwest extremity, Alaska. When she still used to play with her sock monkey toy and Tigger doll, Sue was forced to brave the Alaskan wilderness and swap her toys with guns and bats, as her mother left her all alone in the Last Frontier.
A sucker for adventure, Sue took all the challenges and hardships in her stride and emerged triumphant against the extreme living conditions of the state. She also lived in Oregon for a while but her inclination towards leading a nomadic lifestyle brought her back to Alaska, where she has spent more than three decades now (on and off), but she is open to exploring different locations for life is a big joyride and what fun it is to settle at one place forever! For the last 17 years, Sue has been the only person living in the Kavik river camp, which lies 317 km north of the Arctic Circle and over 500 km from Fairbanks.
Sue Aikens: Life Below Zero Journey
Sue has been a cast member of the survival series since its commencement in 2013. The first season saw the Northern Alaskan invite the viewers to witness her challenging yet adventurous life, as she takes down some of the wildest species in the last frontier and fends for her own food and supplies before the terrifying winter sets in. Over the years, Sue has managed to entertain and educate the audience on what it means to leave the contemporary life and bask in the freedom of Alaska, but not without its perils. She has fallen many times but only to get back up and say “Not today, Satan.”
Back in February 2017, Susan sued the network over an incident that took place in 2015, during the filming of the fifth season. Susan claimed that one of the producers, Aaron Mellman, caused her mental distress and endangered her life by pushing her to “go into the overflow” on her snow-machine instead of an Argo ATV to hunt for ptarmigan. Her snowmobile crashed with an ice heave and she was thrown far away from her snow-machine, and she sustained serious injuries. Susan also alleged that Mellman was more interested in taping her pain instead of getting her to safety at a temperature 15-20 degree below zero.
Sue Aikens’ Husband and Kids
Although Sue has disclosed very little about her personal life, we have done some sleuthing around the internet to bring to you, the details of her personal life. It has been reported that Aikens has tied the knot not once, nor twice but thrice. However, life had different plans for the brave-hearted Alaskan as none of the relationships worked out at the end. Sue’s first husband reportedly passed away due to a brain tumor.
Years later, Sue found love, again, when she met a British barber named Eddie James Aikens. On June 13, 1987, the couple walked down the aisle and Sue moved to Portland, Oregon to live with her husband. The married couple welcomed two adorable children – a boy and a girl. In 2004, the couple decided to part ways after 17 years of marriage and Sue relocated to Alaska. Following their divorce, the two remained good friends until Eddie passed away in 2009. As of today, Sue’s kids are in their thirties and live in different parts of America. In October 2016, Sue flew down to Chicago to attend her son’s wedding. Here’s a picture of Sue and her son, on the joyous event!
I slipped the collar last week to see my Son wed his girl. Congrats to them both, yay!! You cant take the Idgie out of this tomato 🙂 pic.twitter.com/F67UsHq2BU
— Sue Aikens (@SueAikens) October 2, 2016
Her daughter is the eldest among her two kids and the mother-daughter duo often take out time from their busy schedules to hang out and have fun. Like mother, like daughter, eh?
She is also a grandmother and loves to spend time with her grand-kids, every chance she gets. Her daughter gave birth in January 2020 and Sue made sure she was present to welcome the new member. Here’s a series of pictures including one of the grandma and the adorable little munchkin!
In 2019, Sue’s Instagram account was packed with pictures of her and her boyfriend, enjoying life in their fifties. Oh, she was careful enough to not spill his name. So, are they still together? You may ask. Well, they are still dating and Sue is hoping he would pop the question soon. Until he does, bless this beautiful picture of the two on a dinner date!
Where is Sue Aikens Now?
As of today, Sue is having the time of her life in the wilderness, with no one to disturb her but her one true companion, snow fox Slinky. Here’s a picture Sue shared of the beautiful animal on a morning walk as the sun rises in the background.
She still runs Kavik River Camp and if not for the pandemic, from June through September, Sue would have given accommodations to people who want to have a taste of the Alaskan life. Sue likes to take each day as it arrives. During the pandemic, she invested her time in appreciating all the goodness in her life and has worked towards becoming a better person.
Now that she is gearing up for another season of ‘Life Below Zero,’ a fan asked her “When are you leaving the camp? Will they follow you with the show?” To which Sue replied, “The State is still getting the lease auction up so I am trying my best to be here. I am readying cabin for if I lose. Show follows what i do so.” In her free time, she repairs her snowmobile and renovates her cabin. Well, we really hope all good things come in the way of this badass explorer.
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