‘Alone’ Season 9 ups the ante as Montreal physician Teimojin Tan faces polar bears

Contestants on Season 9 of Historical past’s Alone, the outside survival actuality present not like anything on tv, face a brand new risk that is likely to be essentially the most unnerving but.

The courageous rivals will as soon as once more be dropped right into a distant area — allowed to carry solely 10 survival objects from a pre-approved checklist — and can work to outlast each other to say the $500,000 grand prize.

However, this season, they received’t simply be doing the looking; for the primary time ever, they’ll even be the hunted.

The distant wilderness of Labrador, the place Season 9 takes place, has loads of challenges to beat, together with the distinctive risk of polar bears.

This season options two Canadian contestants, considered one of them being Teimojin Tan.

Tan, 31, grew up in Montreal and has travelled the world. When he was 17, he joined the Canadian Military Reserve and took a particular curiosity in Chilly Climate Warfare and Survival. From there, he pursued medical college and is now engaged on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario within the areas of emergency and hospital medication.

He additionally makes a speciality of wilderness medication, utilizing his medical coaching and data of Indigenous medicines and practices to show folks the way to put together for and to beat sickness and harm in distant, austere environments.

The ten objects Tan chosen to carry on his survival journey had been a sleeping bag, an axe, a multitool, a ferro rod, a two-quart pot, a bow and arrows, paracord, trapping wire, fishing line and hooks and emergency rations.

International Information spoke to Tan over the telephone about his expertise in Labrador (the present has already accomplished manufacturing, however no spoilers right here!), how his coaching helped him within the wild and the way actual the specter of polar bears felt whereas on the market on their own.

International Information: Up till this level, what’s the largest survival problem you’ve executed?
Teimojin Tan: I’ve executed a number of solo journeys, usually two weeks at a time, some in tropical environments and a few in colder environments as nicely.

Sometimes in these conditions, you may carry no matter you need. You possibly can carry emergency rations, you may carry your axe, your noticed, all these items which can be greater than your 10 objects [brought to Alone].

Wanting again in your Alone expertise, would you could have modified any of the ten objects you introduced with you?
For the precise setting I used to be in, I’d not have modified my selections. I used to be very snug with my objects. The axe that I introduced on the market I’ve had for nearly 10 years now, so it was like an previous pal. Though a few of my gear wasn’t the latest or the most effective… I’d put it via the wringer within the army, in order that they had been objects I trusted.

What did you do to organize to be on the present?
Any preparation for a hunt or expedition that requires you to hunt, your data and abilities must be up-to-date and actually precision-sharp. I’d been practising with my recurve bow I’ve been taking pictures for seven years, so simply a number of goal apply and analysis on fishing and fishing strategies. I practised a number of primitive trapping strategies, too.

My metabolism may be very quick and it’s actually arduous for me to placed on weight so I went on an all-American weight-reduction plan and placed on a further 20 kilos earlier than I left for the present.

What was the largest problem you confronted on the present?
For me, not like a few of the folks on the present, I hadn’t hunted earlier than. I’d shot my bow many instances for goal apply however by no means deliberately to take one thing for meals. To do this is extremely daunting. Not solely from a ability perspective, but additionally from a taking-a-life perspective. To take the lifetime of a cute, fuzzy animal was an enormous, big problem.

Even excited about the way to [trap and kill] totally different animals was a problem as nicely. Taking a look at their behaviours and their patterns and placing your self between these patterns to get the kill.

How did your learnings about Indigenous medicines assist you to on the present?
I feel, extra so than something, the spirit of Indigenous communities is that you simply discover the essence of the group as quickly as you enter it. Every little thing is tremendous completely satisfied and everybody is absolutely grateful for what they’ve. And since they face restricted assets, the power to adapt and overcome is really inspirational.

Understanding somewhat bit in regards to the vegetation native to that space was additionally useful, too, as foraging is such a big a part of the survival on the market.

Talking of foraging, how a lot time did you spend doing that?
Whilst you’re ready for a specific animal to come back into your entice or a fish to get in your hook, it’s nicely price your time to simply look to see what meals are round you. I’d say I spend a great 30 to 40 per cent of my time on the market foraging.

Did you get lonely?
I’ve such a fantastic help system, such a loving household, many who’re massive followers of the present. So the kind of help they gave me made me really feel as if they had been proper there with me. I spent a number of time excited about what they’d say to me, what recommendation they’d give me. And listening to family members who’d just lately and distantly handed. I spent a number of time speaking to them.

How did your expertise within the military and as a physician assist you to put together?
So within the military, you need to push arduous and work as a crew and you need to know the way to adapt and improvise when issues get robust. Being assured in your abilities and being assured that you simply’ll determine it out was a fantastic profit to me.

With regard to medication, a number of what I selected to carry and the way I meant to function on the present was very intentional. The most typical diseases and accidents had been all the time on the forefront of my thoughts. Taking a look at what gear I had that I might repurpose into medical gear additionally labored in my favour.

This yr had a curveball — the specter of polar bears. Had been you afraid?
Once they inform you the common polar bear is 3 times the burden of a typical Canadian black bear, they usually inform you there are polar bears in search of you out for meals at a time once they’re making an attempt to achieve as a lot weight as they will earlier than winter, yeah, the hairs on the again of my neck had been standing, particularly at the start.

We did see indicators of bears round and I all the time tried to maintain a bow or one thing in my hand to guard myself.

What was the scariest or most unnerving scenario you confronted?
Waking up in the midst of the night time and having the specter of a bear at your toes was positively the scariest half. And constructing a shelter with the intention to win this present… it needs to be one heck of a construction and that doesn’t occur in a single day.

Many people on the market, and plenty of previous contestants, have an open door so the bears can simply stroll proper in and take a sniff. There’s additionally wolves and different animals that you simply simply don’t know what they’re able to. Listening to them at night time, particularly at first, was very scary.

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This interview has been edited and condensed.

‘Alone’ Season 9 premiered on Could 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Historical past. New episodes air at that very same time each Thursday. It is usually obtainable for streaming on StackTV.