The Alone Season 5 Cast: Where Are They Now

Spoiler note: this post covers who won Alone Season 5.

Season 5, subtitled Redemption, was the show's first all-returnee season. Every one of the ten contestants had competed before and came back for a second attempt, this time in the Khonin Nuga valley of Mongolia's Selenge Province, the franchise's first location outside the Americas. The season premiered June 14, 2018, the prize was the standard $500,000, and the winner was Sam Larson at 60 days. Full season context is on our Season 5 page.

Here is the whole cast, ordered by placement, with days lasted and which earlier season they came from.

Contestant	Placement	Days	Returning from
Sam Larson	1	60	Season 1
Britt Ahart	2	56	Season 3
Larry Roberts	3	41	Season 2
Dave Nessia	4	36	Season 3
Randy Champagne	5	35	Season 2
Brooke Whipple	6	28	Season 4
Jesse Bosdell	7	24	Season 4
Nicole Apelian	8	9	Season 2
Brad Richardson	9	7	Season 4
Carleigh Fairchild	10	5	Season 3

The winner and the top of the field

Sam Larson was the Season 1 runner-up who tapped out at 55 days in his first attempt, and he came back with a rebuilt kit and a colder-rated sleeping bag to win the whole thing at 60 days, aged 25. Since the show, he has kept working in wilderness education through his company Woodson Wilderness Education, written an introductory guide to wilderness living skills, and as of mid-2026 is reported to be serving as a pastor in Nebraska.

Britt Ahart, back from Season 3, made it to day 56 before tapping out because he missed his family, his second deep run in a row. He later returned to the franchise a third time for the Alone: The Skills Challenge spinoff.

Larry Roberts, the Season 2 veteran, lasted 41 days and left for the same reason as Ahart, missing his family. Dave Nessia, who had lasted a remarkable 73 days in Patagonia on Season 3, went 36 days in Mongolia before tapping out, saying it simply felt right to leave. Randy Champagne of Season 2 rounded out the top five at 35 days, done in by loneliness.

The middle and the early exits

Brooke Whipple had competed on the paired Season 4 with her husband Dave; solo in Mongolia she reached 28 days before loneliness ended her run. Jesse Bosdell, the Army veteran who was paired with his brother Shannon on Season 4, made 24 days and was medically evacuated with severe digestive trouble after eating pine material.

Nicole Apelian, who famously lasted 57 days on Season 2 while managing multiple sclerosis, was evacuated on day 9 after an MS attack. She has stayed one of the most visible alumni of the whole franchise, working as an herbalist and wilderness skills instructor and authoring plant medicine and foraging books, including The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies.

Brad Richardson, the blacksmith paired with his brother Josh on Season 4, went without food for his entire stay and tapped at day 7. Carleigh Fairchild of Season 3 had the shortest run, evacuated on day 5 with a fish hook injury to her hand.

Why this cast still matters

A redemption season only works if the field is strong, and this one produced one of the cleaner winner arcs in the show's history, a Season 1 runner-up closing the loop five seasons later. If you want to see how Larson's 60 days stacks up against every other champion, our winners page lists all of them, and the FAQ covers how returnee seasons differ from regular casting. For the gear side of the redemption story, the Season 5 page breaks down what each contestant carried the second time around.