No food, no shelter, no fresh water — one man alone in the wild for seven days with only his wits and stamina to sustain him. Each episode of Survivorman finds survival expert Les Stroud abandoned in a remote location with little more than the clothes on his back — and 50 pounds of camera gear.
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Kalahari
Premieres Fri, Aug. 10, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Just when you think it can’t get any hotter, Les Stroud finds out it can. In this episode, Les dips his toes in the scorching red sands of the Kalahari Desert — one of the most extreme climates on Earth.
Leave it to Les “Survivorman” Stroud to come up with inventive ways of surviving the arid air and the oppressive heat in the Kalahari. With temperatures on the sand reaching 140 degrees Fahrenheit, Les has to tread carefully.
Zooming around the sand dunes is a fun way to get into the desert. But Les is driving a gasoline-challenged truck — one that runs out of gas by mid-afternoon. There, with his truck and 50 pounds of camera gear, he has to survive the heat of the Kalahari with just a few items.
Of course, he has his multi-tool and some items found in the truck, including a couple of empty pop cans, a nearly finished jar of peanut butter, a can of jam and a couple of buckets. He also has a single ostrich egg.
In these parts, a person needs to drink a gallon of water a day to stave off the debilitating effects of dehydration. Les will be there for a week, with only enough water for four days. In addition to the heat, he must watch out for an array of dangerous critters, like deadly scorpions and the highly venomous Cape cobra and puff-adder snakes.
Les learns early that the best way to avoid the heat of the day is to do what the Bushmen of the Kalahari do. Find some shade, and just sit still. The nights are another matter. Temperatures can drop down to as low as 44 degrees Fahrenheit.
Amazon
Premieres Fri, Aug. 17, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
The phrase “It’s a jungle out there” takes on a whole new meaning when Les Stroud pays a visit to one of the densest, deepest parts of the Amazon jungle. For seven days, Les “Survivorman” Stroud will test his mettle, his will and his ingenuity — everything he’s got — to survive in one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
But first he will learn a few tricks of the trade, from a tribe considered to be the most violent society in the history of the world — the Waorani. Until 40 years ago, these people lived naked in a culture of vendettas and revenge, where 60 percent of the deaths among the tribe were attributed to homicide. The other 40 percent? Dangers in the jungle. Like jaguars.
Les is brought deep into the jungle in a dug-out canoe, and dropped off with no food, no water and few survival items. He’ll have to make due with just a bit of fishing line, a can of pop, one match with some “fire dust,” a hat and, of course, his trusty multi-tool.
If that sounds tough, he’s also hauling 50 pounds of camera equipment to record every excruciating moment of his jungle odyssey. At least he’s been taught a few tricks from the Waorani tribe, who sent him on his way with a blow gun, fire stick, machete and spear.
In the jungle, the rain and humidity never cease. But at least it keeps the moths and bats away at night. When it’s not raining, Les has to constantly fight off sweat bees and watch every step he takes. Poisonous spiders, army ants and caterpillars that can kill a person with just one touch seem to be at every turn. One of the biggest challenges is starting and keeping a fire going. And, of course, the threat of a jaguar always looms.
Labrador
Premieres Fri, Aug. 24, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
For this episode, Les Stroud goes to the dogs — literally. Our intrepid Survivorman relies on seven Inuit sled dogs (Labrador huskies) to pull his dog sled into the wilds of Labrador. He embarks on this dangerous journey at the tail end of winter, when the weather is the most unpredictable.
Not to mention the dogs. There’s no cruise control on these puppies.
Although snowmobiles are the main mode of travel in Labrador, dog sledding is still alive and well. Les kicks off his journey with the motorized transportation, then switches to the traditional. But driving a team of seven dogs is not as easy as it looks. Snowmobiles don’t have minds of their own. Dogs do. He’s constantly breaking a sweat trying to control them. And in this environment if you sweat, you die.
It’s not just the dogs he has to contend with. This time of year, the weather is very unpredictable. For this trip, Les has brought along a survival kit, including fishing supplies, various tins, duct tape and rope. Of course, he also has his multi-tool and a .22 rifle. The three things a person should never do without in the Labrador forests in winter? An axe, matches and a pair of snowshoes.
African Plains
Premieres Fri, Aug. 31, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
The plains of South Africa conjure up images of beauty — and danger. In this episode, Les Stroud lands here for an arid adventure that would make even the most seasoned safari traveler sweat. And not just because of the heat.
It’s a sweltering 104 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. But for Les Stroud, the ultimate Survivorman, it is where he will survive for one week with only a few tools, his wits, 50 pounds of camera gear and his imagination. Not to mention his ability to keep cool, especially when faced with some of the most deadly animals on the planet.
Coming in by hot-air balloon gives Les a bird’s-eye view of the majestic beauty of the landscape, where giraffes run with their young, and herds of zebra graze under a big sky. But when Les gets dropped, he must contend with other kinds of wildlife: hungry lions and leopards and dangerous hippos. Not to mention venomous snakes and scorpions. Appreciating wildlife takes on a whole new meaning.
It's the rainy season in this part of Africa, and Les soon experiences it firsthand. When he's not dealing with the suffocating heat on the plains, he's tackling with downpour after downpour. At least the latter is a source of water. The wicker basket from the hot-air balloon makes for a great shelter, but it doesn’t keep away the mosquitoes.
Every day Les moves to a new location, each with its dangers. One area is filled with black mambas, the largest venomous snake in Africa. Packs of lions roam another. By the second day, he’s run out of water. Staying hydrated in this heat is essential, and Les manages to find a small creek, with a bonus: cattails to munch on.
Alaska
Premieres Fri, Sept. 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Alaska … Land of the Midnight Sun, and at this time of year, there's only about four hours of twilight — night —meaning that Mother Nature can play tricks with your body's clock.
This time Survivorman decides to demonstrate survival by sea kayak in an ocean bay called Taroka Arm — literally "black bear" — for good reason. At this time of year, the salmon are active and are one of the black bear's favorite foods. Black bear and grizzlies that live in this area are among the largest in the world and gorge themselves on the silver salmon during this period.
The bay is flanked by snow-capped mountains on all sides with spectacular waterfalls and glaciers that are actively calving into the ocean, leaving chunks of ice floating around. It's a beautiful sight, but one that can be deceivingly dangerous should you get too close.
A light drizzle is falling as Les paddles into a calm fiord. This coastline has the second highest tides in the world, second only to the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada. Cobblestone is the bed of choice along this stretch, but Les has built a shelter of flotsam combed from the beach.
Food is the next order of business and Les lucks out in a tidal bay full of sea lettuce, bladderwrack, goosetongue and wild celery — so much that he dubs it "Bounty Bay." However, caution needs to be exercised because bear-tracks and scat are everywhere, reminding him of the ever-present dangers of life in Alaska.
More Season 2 episode descriptions coming soon!