‘Alone’ Contestants Don’t Go Home Immediately After Tapping Out

In the History Channel’s competition reality show, Alone, 10 contestants are dropped off in the remote wilderness with 10 survival supplies and an emergency kit. The contestants battle to be the last contestant to “tap out.” The last contestant standing walks away with a $500,000 cash prize. When a contestant taps out, they are officially eliminated from the competition, but they don’t immediately go home. An elaborate aftercare process is in place to ensure all contestants walk away from the contest unscathed. So, exactly what happens to Alone contestants when they tap out? 

How and why do ‘Alone’ contestants leave the competition? 

When someone signs up to compete on Alone, they know they are competing against other people, though they will never actually see them during the competition. There are no elimination-style games that viewers see on shows like Survivor. Instead, contestants can “tap out” willingly. They may be removed from the competition for other reasons, too. 

In the case of an Alone contestant voluntarily tapping out, they use a satellite phone provided to them to withdraw from the competition. According to a Reddit user, contestants can pull out for various reasons, but most have willingly left the competition due to illness, injury, loneliness, and mental fatigue. Once they tap out, they are picked up and taken out of the wilderness. 

Not every eliminated competitor leaves the competition on their own, though. Production team members periodically check on contestants and may decide a medical need warrants pulling the contestant from the competition. Contestants have been medically evacuated from the wilderness for low body weight, bad vital signs, and sudden illnesses. 

What happens when an ‘Alone’ contestant taps? 

Unlike more traditional game shows, where contestants compete and then head home, often within the same day or week, Alone has a pretty intense protocol designed to help contestants reenter society once they’ve tapped out. Because contestants on Alone spend so much time on their own with limited resources, the production team does a lot of work with the contestants after they are removed from the competition. Reality Blurred spoke with Shawn Witt, president of Leftfield Pictures, last month. He explained how contestants are cared for when their time in the wilderness is over. 

First, every contestant must meet with a doctor immediately upon exiting. Some contestants, specifically those pulled from the competition for medical reasons, are transported to hospitals for a medical workup. Other contestants will see a doctor in an outpatient setting. 

The contestants are also reintroduced to food slowly over time. The process can take upwards of two weeks. How long a contestant stays depends on their immediate needs following their time in nature. Once they are cleared to head home, they are sent off, but there is more aftercare. Contestants meet with psychologists and can continue care once they return to their regular lives. Contestants are also encouraged to connect with others from the show to share their experiences. 

The season’s winner gets the same treatment. Season 9 winner Juan Pablo Quiñonez, a survival specialist, spent 78 days in the wilderness of Labrador before being declared the winner of Alone season 9. He was removed from the rough terrain and cared for the same as those who opted to tap out of the competition. 

Season 10 of Alone is currently airing on the History Channel. The season finale will air on August 17.