‘Alone Season 10’ Finale Recap: [Spoiler] Wins
It’s time to close the books on another season of Alone. Season 10 of the History Channel reality series wrapped up on August 17 with an emotional finale that saw two contestants make the tough decision to tap out. That left one person the winner (and $500,000 richer) after surviving 60+ days on the shores of Saskatchewan’s Reindeer Lake. So, who won Alone Season 10? Keep reading to find out.
[Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the Alone Season 10 finale]
Mikey taps out first in the ‘Alone’ Season 10 finale
Just three of Alone Season 10’s original 10 contestants were still in the game heading into the finale. When “By Any Means” begins, Mikey Helton, Wyatt Black, and Alan Tenta have all spent 53 days alone in the wilderness. All are strong contenders to take home the show’s top prize – they’ve already lasted nearly two months in the wild. But cold, hunger, and isolation are beginning to take their toll.
Heading into the competition, it seemed Mikey was at a skills disadvantage compared to some of the other contestants. He got lost early on and soon started complaining of hunger. But the carpenter from Georgia also had a strong motivation to stay in the competition. He wanted to win the half-million-dollar prize and use the money to help care for his autistic son. That motivation to care for his family has kept him going so far. But in episode 11, Mikey’s determination to win it all for his family collides with the harsh realities of winter survival.
On Day 55, Mikey’s due for a medical check. Things aren’t looking good. He’s beginning to show signs of cold injuries, and the medics are clearly concerned.
“God, I can’t believe this. I can’t get pulled,” Mikey says as the show’s safety and survival team confers outside his shelter. “After I’ve come so far and missed so much.”
A medical tap looks inevitable. But whatever the medics think, Mikey realizes it’s time to go home.
“I think I’m done,” he says when they return to his shelter. “Y’all’s decision or not, I think I’m done … I’m officially tapping out.”
It’s a difficult choice. But Mikey knows that if he stays longer, he risks serious injury. He’s not willing to make that sacrifice. And even though he didn’t win the competition, his time on Alone has taught him a valuable lesson. It’s time to reconsider what he wants out of life and to focus more on his loved ones.
“I don’t have to have $500,000 to make more time to spend with my family,” he says.
Did Wyatt or Alan win ‘Alone’ Season 10?
With Mikey’s exit, only Alan and Wyatt remain in the competition.
Wyatt’s mental game is still strong. And physically, he’s still doing relatively well, thanks to his success with fishing earlier in the competition. But hunger is a constant concern, and his attempts at ice-fishing are a bust. And with temperatures having dipped to the single digits, the cold is becoming increasingly painful. Then, his shelter nearly catches fire. Though he averts disaster, it’s a wake-up call.
“It’s getting harder and harder every day to stay here,” he says. Long days with nothing to do are starting to wear on him. And his body is getting weaker. “The cold’s winning,” he says.
Meanwhile, Alan doesn’t have things any easier. He’s lost a significant amount of weight and, like Wyatt, the long hours in his shelter with nothing to occupy his mind are getting harder to cope with.
“At this stage, the grind is on,” he says. “I’m in my shelter a lot … Boredom is beginning to creep into my mind. It’s just more difficult to stay positive.”
By day 64, Wyatt has reached his limit. He’s lost his gill net in a storm. Plus, fierce winds make gathering water and chopping firewood difficult. While he knows he won’t win the $500,000 if he taps, he realizes he’s “accomplished everything I need to.”
“I did have a lot of self-healing I needed to do,” he says. (Wyatt has spoken candidly about his issues with alcohol in recent episodes.) “Mentally, I feel whole. I feel complete. I’ve done everything I needed to do out here. My body’s letting me know it’s time.” He’s tapping out, and he’s at peace with that decision.
“I’m leaving here a different person,” he says. “No question about it. And I’m good about it … this way my therapy.”
Wyatt’s tap-out means that Alan is the winner. But he doesn’t know that yet. On day 66, he’s worried about his upcoming medical check. Given how skinny he is, he thinks there’s a good chance the medics will pull him for starvation. And he’s not sure he has the mental strength to continue.
“[I’m] wanting to go home,” he tells the team when they arrive at his camp. “I think physically I’m almost at the end of my rope … I really miss my wife.”
As he’s speaking, his wife Lisa walks up behind him and grabs his arm. “You won, you won,” she tells her stunned husband. “You did it.”
“I’m more excited about seeing you than actually winning right now,” he confesses. “It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
He’s going home with a new appreciation for his family.
“Experiencing this really enables me to understand how important my family is to me and how important it is to tell them how much they mean to me,” he says. “It just solidifies how much I have and how lucky I am … my Alone experience is the pinnacle of my adventure seeking.”
‘Alone’ Season 10 tap-out order
Now that Alone Season 10 is over, here’s the final tap-out order and how long each contestant lasted.
- Lee Ray DeWilde (18 days)
- Ann Rosenquiest (19 days)
- Luke Olsen (20 days)
- Jodi Rose (22 days)
- Cade Cole (23 days)
- Tarcisio “Taz” Ramos Dos Santos (40 days)
- Melanie Sawyer (43 days)
- Mikey Helton (55 days)
- Wyatt Black (64 days)
- Winner: Alan Tenta (66 days)
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