Varun Patel
‘Win the Wilderness’ is a BBC show which proves to be one of the more unique reality television concepts that anybody might have witnessed. It can be loosely grouped under the survivalist reality series sub-genre, but that would not be completely fitting.
‘Win the Wilderness’ is a competition between six British couples. The couples are made to live in a house on top of a hill, nestled in the wilderness. Their central aim is to impress the owners of the property. The couple that manages to woo the owners walks away with full ownership of the remote and peaceful property! While the deal certainty sounds inviting, the couples have to endure various challenges in order to win. They must display their ability to survive in the forest, without urban luxuries. They must also be up for a challenge since Mother Nature has a knack of pulling up multiple surprises. Along the way, the couples must also survive the emotional burden that living in the wild can have.
Where is Netflix’s Win the Wilderness Filmed?
The first question that viewers must have had, before even starting to watch ‘Win the Wilderness,’ would have been regarding the location of the house on the hill. It certainly seems to be a zen place to live in.
Ose Mountain, Alaska
‘Win the Wilderness’ transports the British couples to the Alaskan wilderness. The property that the contestants fight for is located on Ose Mountain. In fact, the entire Ose Mountain is a part of the property that the couples stand a chance to win! It is situated roughly 80 miles northwest of Mount McKinley.
Ose Mountain Alaska 145 air miles SW of Fairbanks. Living off the Grid in a Log House of 30' X 40 ' tri-level. pic.twitter.com/cI5qPAwvek
— Duane Arthur Ose (@Ose2Osemtnak) May 7, 2016
Ose Mountain is named after the owners of the property: Duane and Rena Ose. Duane arrived at Ose mountain on a whim and used the Homestead Act of 1964 to stake a claim to the property. The Oses are the last homesteaders in all of America. Watch the following video to get an idea of how Duane Ose managed to use the act to stake a claim to Ose Mountain:
As you can see, Ose mountain is home to various wild animals like bears, moose, and lynxes. Hence, living in Ose mountain is not as much of a cakewalk as it may appear to be. In fact, Duane and Rena Ose used to make a living by selling lynx pelts.
The Ose mountain is certainly a paradisial place for nature lovers. As mentioned, it is home to various exotic animals. For instance, wolverines (the animals, not the superhero) can be found here.
As you can make out from the above picture, winters at Ose Mountain are quite different from the summers: the season during which ‘Win The Wilderness’ is filmed. If you are a vegetarian, there are ways other than hunting by which you can forage for food, like picking berries (the contestants were made to consume black bear stew at a point on the show).
Getting “network” at Ose Mountain can be tough. Hence, if you are an Instagram addict, the place is probably not suitable for you. The Oses rely on satellite internet.
Read More: Best Survivalist Series on Netflix
