Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 279,647 playable programmes from the BBC

Win the Wilderness: Alaska

Series 1

Episode 1

Duration: 58 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Two Northern IrelandLatest broadcast: on BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Following six British couples as they compete for the ownership of an extraordinary home in the Alaskan wilderness. Situated over 100 miles from the nearest road, the three-storey property is the home and legacy of Duane and Rena Ose, the married couple who spent over 30 years building it. Now both in their 70s, and with their children unable to take it on, the Oses are searching for a couple to inherit their life’s work.

Travelling deep into the Alaskan wilderness, the destination of the hopeful couples is Lost Lake Wilderness Camp. Here they will live together and face four keys tests, each based on the Oses’ own experiences in the wild. Whichever couple impresses most on each test earns a flight to see Duane and Rena’s home on Ose Mountain and experience life there first hand.

Upon arrival at camp, the couples are met by CJ, a local survival expert who has been entrusted by the Oses to scrutinise and assess each couple. After receiving instruction about the perils of the local wildlife, namely bears, the first test is revealed to the group. Provided with canvas sheets, ropes and minimal instructions, the couples must use the surrounding forest to build the shelters they will live in during their time in the Alaskan bush.

Battling the harsh Alaskan elements, the couples decide to work together and eventually all of them manage to construct their shelters. The next morning, after CJ reports back his observations to Duane and Rena, the Oses invite one couple to make the 100-mile journey by bush plane to their home. From the moment they touch down, the couple have 24 hours to prove themselves to Duane and Rena. If they demonstrate their potential to their hosts, they will make it onto the Oses’ shortlist for new owners and return to the wilderness camp. If they don’t, Duane and Rena will send them straight back to the UK. After showing them around, the couple are put to work by the Oses, felling trees to make firewood and bringing in the harvest.

Back at Lost Lake, CJ has been joined by two local search and rescue experts to give the remaining couples a lesson in surviving cold-water shock. One volunteer from each couple must jump fully dressed into the cold waters of Lost Lake, before working with their partner to create a fire and stave off hypothermia. With CJ closing observing, one of the couples within the group struggles to get their flame going under the pressurised conditions.

The following day, the couple who spent the night on Ose Mountain wake up to face Duane and Rena’s verdict. After 24 hours trying to impress their hosts, it is down to the Oses to decide whether their dream of owning a home in Alaska is over, or whether the couple’s Alaskan adventure has only just begun. Show less

Contributors

Colourist:
Sharney Adams
Location Manager:
Robert Toohey
Runner:
Seth Waldo
Camera Assistant:
Bryan Whitton
Researcher:
Olaide Sadiq
Assistant Producer:
Victoria Hepburn
Producer:
Tracey Smyth
Producer:
Warren Atkins
Producer:
James Callum
Director:
James Callum
Producer:
James Nutt
Director:
James Nutt
Off-line editing:
Mark Townsend
Off-line editing:
Joe Gaster
Production Coordinator:
Amy Browning
Production Manager:
Robyn Hale
Director:
Ben Archard
Executive Producer:
Dan Adamson
Executive Producer:
David Clews
Executive Producer:
Andrew Mackenzie-Betty
Executive Producer:
Nic Patten
Production Company:
Twofour Broadcast

About this data

This data is drawn from the data stream that informs BBC's iPlayer and Sounds. The information shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was/is subject to change and may not be accurate. More