In case you’ve been living semi-underground for a couple of years (like one contestant this season!
Whoever lasts the longest wins the $500,000 prize.
It’s the ultimate man vs. nature challenge.
The cast of ‘Alone’ season 8. Back row: Biko, Colter, Jordan, Tim, and Matt. Front row: Clay, Nate, Michelle, Rose, and Theresa.A+E
Or, more accurately, manandwomanvs.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why did you all decide to compete onAlone?
THERESA: It was a heck of a challenge.
Also, the money was a big factor, plain and simple.
But I’d always wanted to do one unsupported, and you don’t just get this opportunity.
ROSE: Same for me.
It was the challenge of it.
This is the ultimate challenge.
What was harder than you expected?
ROSE:I don’t think anything was really harder.
I knew it was going to be hard.
I was ready for it to be hard.
We all wanted that challenge, and we knew how hard it was going to be.
The fishing was bloody harder than I was expecting it to be.
Not that I think fishing is easy, but with that shallow water, it was something else.
MICHELLE:I fish a lot and I’ve never struck out so incredibly in my whole life.
Countless hours I spent fishing and caught one rainbow trout.
Was this more of a physical or mental challenge?
MICHELLE:[Being alone] was the easy part for me.
I love being by myself.
If you’re a super extrovert and don’t have those introvert qualities, that can be really challenging.
THERESA:I’m actually a bit of the opposite.
You have no solo time at all.
At the end of the day, it turned out I had no trouble.
ROSE:I enjoy being alone.
Being in a retail position and teaching youth, I always have such heavy demands on me.
It was nice to not have that; it was like a weight lifted.
Nobody expects anything of you and the only person you’re really answering to is yourself.
How difficult was filming yourselves while surviving?
THERESA:That was hands down my least favorite part.
I was terrible at that.
ROSE:Cameras were hard.
MICHELLE:You’re giving me flashbacks, Rose.
And not good ones.
THERESA:And then to carry the camera equipment.
Hunting and fishing were so difficult at this location.
How did you feed yourselves?
MICHELLE:Let’s see, bugs.
I found some fish parts on the beach.
Lots of different edibles.
Lots of rose hips.
As many berries as possible because you get a lot of sugars from that.
You’re kind of eating everything in sightincluding your own mucus.
All my students loved that part.
I found a lot of ants.
Everybody says they have this flavor or that flavor; I didn’t find any of that.
Forage items, tons of rose hips, berries, pine bark.
You’re really scavenging everything you could find out there.
And then I was lucky enough to snare a rabbit.
I ate a lot of wild onions.
I must’ve smelled like an onion; it was coming out of my pores.
MICHELLE:And let me give a shoutout to Rose with the hare.
So, the fact that she caught two hares in a snare, hello?
High-five to Rose from afar.
How did it feel finally catching that rabbit?
ROSE:I can’t even explain it.
So, I had the belief that I could do it.
I trap critters all the time, that’s what I do.
Theresa nearly drowned when she swam into the freezing lake to run a fishing line and got tangled.
And Rose was being hunted by a grizzly.
How did you all persevere and keep from tapping out when times got tough?
He was very strategic in what he was doing.
Did you all feel any extra pressure to be the first woman to win it all?
THERESA:For me, no.
I have never really put any kind of any thought into that.
ROSE:It was just a personal challenge.
There weren’t really any pressures from the outside world.
It was just, “I really want to do this.
I want to complete this.”
So no, I don’t think so.
MICHELLE:I didn’t feel any pressure there.
I just want to shout out the level of gratitude that I have that I met these women.
I feel very lucky.
THERESA:Absolutely, one of the most wonderful parts to come out of this.
What was leaving like and how do you look back on your performance?
MICHELLE:I got beat to hell out there.
I was pretty ravaged; my whole body was covered in bruises.
I lost 22 pounds from my already tiny body.
I was having physical symptoms that were sketchy.
My blood wasn’t clotting; I was blacking out more and more frequently for longer and longer periods.
I was having chest pains.
ROSE:I wasn’t ready to go.
Thirty-seven days is nothing when you’re out there.
There’s so much more that I wanted to do.
I wasn’t understanding why I was losing circulation to my feet…
I kept thinking I can figure this out and I’ll be fine.
When I got home, I lost circulation in my hands.
We now know it’s a syndrome that I have that probably the starvation kind of kicked in.
Now I’m very proud of myself.
Rose, what was it like going on this show as a mom?
Were your kids scared?
The roles are reversed.
My son thinks that I’m the coolest mom, which is really fun.
I can’t believe you did that!"
So, it was kind of neat to have the shoe on the other foot.
I went through their teenage years, and they did that to me!
It was good payback.
Theresa, your living shelter was so amazing (see the video above).
Had you built one before?
Was it as comfy as it looked in there?
THERESA:It was absolutely as comfy as it looked in there.
I took warm water baths every three days.
I have built, in the past, a couple of semi-subterranean shelters, but nothing of that complexity.
I hear you’re all going on vacation together?
THERESA:In like what, four weeks?
Finally, would you go back onAlone?
THERESA:Hell yes, without a doubt, [I’d go] tomorrow.
Alone’s season 8 finale airs Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Videos courtesy of the History Channel.
