Alone Season 4: Lost & Found
- Location
- Quatsino Territory, Vancouver Island, near Port Hardy, British Columbia
- Aired
- June 15, 2017 to August 17, 2017
- Prize
- $500,000 USD (split between the winning pair)
- Status
- Complete
Read more about this season
How the season was won (reveals the winner)
Brothers Jim and Ted Baird, freelance outdoorsmen from Toronto, Ontario, were dropped separately on Vancouver Island and reunited at their shared camp on Day 10. They built a canoe-style boat to fish their lake and relied heavily on their chosen gear, including a recurve bow, gill net, and crosscut saw, to sustain themselves through the fall into winter. As food grew scarce in the final stretch, they survived partly on limpets scavenged from the shoreline, and tensions between the brothers frayed but held. They ultimately outlasted the second-place Brockdorff father-son team by one day, tapping out on Day 75 as the last team standing to become the first Canadians to win Alone and split the $500,000 prize.
No other Alone season asked its cast to find each other first. Season 4's seven pairs were dropped separately on Vancouver Island and had to navigate to a shared camp before the real game even started, and Jim and Ted Baird did not link up until day 10. From there the Toronto brothers ran the franchise's only team win: 75 days at Quatsino Territory, a canoe style boat built to work their lake, and a food system anchored by a recurve bow, a gill net, and shoreline limpets when the fall turned lean.
The margin deserves more respect than it usually gets. Pete and Sam Brockdorff, the father and son runners up, went out jointly on day 74, one day short, when Pete's severe GERD from prolonged food deprivation made continuing impossible. A team format means every camp carries two bodies, two morales, and two sets of physical limits, and it only takes one of the four failing to end either side of the final. Read that way, the Bairds' one day win is closer to a coin flip finish than the standings suggest, and their real achievement was keeping two people viable off one camp for two and a half months while tensions frayed without ever breaking the partnership.
Our take: this is the most structurally underrated win in the US run. Shared labor let the brothers operate gear no solo contestant can fully exploit, a 12 foot gill net checked constantly, a one man crosscut saw used at two man pace, but it also doubled every mouth to feed and every chance of a run ending injury or tap. The show never tried the format again, which leaves the Bairds, the first Canadians to win Alone, as the only answer a one off question will ever get.
The cast
Alex Ribarnot sourcedMontville, Maine, USA
Brad Richardsonnot sourcedFox Lake, Illinois, USA
Brody Wilkesnot sourcedKentwood, Louisiana, USA
Brooke Whipplenot sourcedFox, Alaska, USA
Chris Wilkesnot sourcedHattiesburg, Mississippi, USA
Dave Whipplenot sourcedFox, Alaska, USA
Jesse Bosdellnot sourcedSkowhegan, Maine, USA
Jim Baird10 items →Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Josh Richardsonnot sourcedFox Lake, Illinois, USA
Logan Ribarnot sourcedLiberty, Maine, USA
Pete Brockdorff2 items →Poolesville, Maryland, USA
Sam Brockdorff2 items →Poolesville, Maryland, USA
Shannon Bosdellnot sourcedWrangell, Alaska, USA
Ted Baird10 items →Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Listed alphabetically on purpose. Results on individual profiles are hidden behind a tap, so it's safe to browse.
Gear trends this season
Season 4's gear record is defined by its format before its items. Of the 14 people who competed in pairs, only 4 have any recorded gear, and just one team's list is complete, because partners chose their ten items together and shared them. The Baird brothers' documented kit is the clearest picture of what packing for two looks like: a 50 plus pound draw takedown recurve, a 12 by 4 foot gill net, 3.5 pounds of snare wire, a 3 foot one man crosscut saw, and a 12 by 12 tarp, with pemmican rations as the buffer.
The Brockdorffs' partial record adds one telling detail, a doubled up tarp setup, and the pattern across both recorded camps is shared labor gear. Nets that need constant checking, doubled shelter material, and team scale cutting tools all pay off precisely because there are four hands to use them. That mirrors what the solo seasons' data shows in miniature: passive food systems and heavier building tools correlate with long runs everywhere, they just become the obvious play when a format hands you a second worker.
The five teams with nothing recorded are their own data point. Several pairs were broken up by an evacuation or tap before both partners even reached the shared camp, and short runs on a one off format left almost nothing for later sourcing to recover. Season 4 is the strongest argument in the catalog for reading gear records as artifacts of how a season went, not just what the cast packed.
Full results table (placements, days lasted, tap-out reasons)
- Winner. Jim Baird75 days
Outlasted everyone
- Winner. Ted Baird75 days
Outlasted everyone
- 2. Pete Brockdorff74 days
Jointly tapped out with son Sam after Pete developed severe GERD from prolonged food deprivation.
- 2. Sam Brockdorff74 days
Jointly tapped out with father Pete.
- 3. Dave Whipple49 days
Tapped out jointly after wife Brooke reached exhaustion and mental fatigue.
- 3. Brooke Whipple49 days
Exhaustion and mental fatigue.
- 4. Chris Wilkes14 days
Homesickness and guilt about being away from family.
- 4. Brody Wilkes14 days
Tapped out jointly when brother Chris tapped out.
- 5. Shannon Bosdell5 days
Medical evacuation due to a lower back injury.
- 5. Jesse BosdellN/A
Eliminated when brother Shannon was medically evacuated before the pair linked up.
- 6. Alex Ribar2 days
Cited insufficient mental preparation for the isolation.
- 6. Logan RibarN/A
Eliminated when father Alex tapped out before the pair linked up.
- 7. Brad Richardson1 days
Medical evacuation due to an ankle injury.
- 7. Josh RichardsonN/A
Eliminated when brother Brad was medically evacuated before the pair linked up.
| Place | Contestant | Days | Why they left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Jim Baird | 75 | Outlasted everyone |
| Winner | Ted Baird | 75 | Outlasted everyone |
| 2 | Pete Brockdorff | 74 | Jointly tapped out with son Sam after Pete developed severe GERD from prolonged food deprivation. |
| 2 | Sam Brockdorff | 74 | Jointly tapped out with father Pete. |
| 3 | Dave Whipple | 49 | Tapped out jointly after wife Brooke reached exhaustion and mental fatigue. |
| 3 | Brooke Whipple | 49 | Exhaustion and mental fatigue. |
| 4 | Chris Wilkes | 14 | Homesickness and guilt about being away from family. |
| 4 | Brody Wilkes | 14 | Tapped out jointly when brother Chris tapped out. |
| 5 | Shannon Bosdell | 5 | Medical evacuation due to a lower back injury. |
| 5 | Jesse Bosdell | N/A | Eliminated when brother Shannon was medically evacuated before the pair linked up. |
| 6 | Alex Ribar | 2 | Cited insufficient mental preparation for the isolation. |
| 6 | Logan Ribar | N/A | Eliminated when father Alex tapped out before the pair linked up. |
| 7 | Brad Richardson | 1 | Medical evacuation due to an ankle injury. |
| 7 | Josh Richardson | N/A | Eliminated when brother Brad was medically evacuated before the pair linked up. |
Alone Season 4: where are they now?
What each contestant walked away to, from the bios and outcomes in my records. The rundown names final placements, so it sits behind a tap.
Open the post-show rundown (names the winner and final results)
Jim Baird won the season after 75 days.
Co-winner with brother Ted; freelance writer, mineral prospector, and wilderness guide; first Canadians to win Alone.
Ted Baird won the season after 75 days.
Co-winner with brother Jim; the pair built a canoe-style boat to fish their lake.
Pete Brockdorff left on day 74 (jointly tapped out with son sam after pete developed severe gerd from prolonged food deprivation.).
Father/son team; oldest contestant of the season.
Sam Brockdorff left on day 74 (jointly tapped out with father pete.).
Dave Whipple left on day 49 (tapped out jointly after wife brooke reached exhaustion and mental fatigue.).
Husband/wife team, the only non-sibling/non-parent-child pairing besides the Whipples themselves.
Brooke Whipple left on day 49 (exhaustion and mental fatigue.).
Chris Wilkes left on day 14 (homesickness and guilt about being away from family.).
Brother pair with Brody Wilkes.
Brody Wilkes left on day 14 (tapped out jointly when brother chris tapped out.).
Grew up hunting and providing meat for his family from a young age; keen interest in primitive skills.
Shannon Bosdell left on day 5 (medical evacuation due to a lower back injury.).
Brother pair with Jesse Bosdell; the two never linked up at camp before Shannon's evacuation.
Jesse Bosdell Eliminated when brother Shannon was medically evacuated before the pair linked up..
Never reached camp/linked up with his brother before the team was pulled.
Alex Ribar left on day 2 (cited insufficient mental preparation for the isolation.).
Father/son team with Logan Ribar.
Logan Ribar Eliminated when father Alex tapped out before the pair linked up..
Grew up in the Maine woods; skilled in shelter-building and tracking; never linked up with his father before the team was pulled.
Brad Richardson left on day 1 (medical evacuation due to an ankle injury.).
Brother pair with Josh Richardson; blacksmith who specializes in hand-forged knives and tools.
Josh Richardson Eliminated when brother Brad was medically evacuated before the pair linked up..
Never linked up with his brother before the team was pulled; first team eliminated of the season.
Episode guide
Open the episode guide (recaps include tap-outs as they happened)
E1 · Divide and Conquer
June 15, 2017 · Days 1-2
The format flips: seven two-person family teams are split up, with one member dropped at a base camp and the other 10 miles away with only a compass bearing to reunite them. Survival starts before the pairs even find each other.
- First and only team/pairs season
- One teammate must navigate 10 miles overland to reach the other
E2 · Hell on Earth
June 22, 2017
The hiking teammates fight through Vancouver Island's brutal bush while their partners hold down camp on dwindling energy. Some pairs start strong; others are already fraying before they reunite.
E3 · Margin of Error
June 29, 2017
Reunited teams discover that two mouths are harder to feed than one. The partnership dynamic cuts both ways: shared labor, doubled caloric need, and no privacy to fall apart in.
E4 · The Last Mile
July 6, 2017
The remaining linkups conclude while exhaustion sets in across the board. It took the first successful team eight days to reunite, and three teams never manage it at all before exiting.
- Three teams ultimately tapped without ever linking up
E5 · Double or Nothing
July 13, 2017
The mental weight of the format claims the Ribar cousins, who exit early after concluding they weren't prepared for what the island demanded. The remaining pairs recalibrate their commitment.
Out this episode: Alex Ribar, Logan Ribar
E6 · Thicker Than Water
July 20, 2017
An ankle injury to Josh Richardson forces the father-son Richardson team out; in the pairs format, one body failing ends two runs. Family loyalty is the season's blessing and its tax.
Out this episode: Brad Richardson (medical), Josh Richardson (medical)
- First pair eliminated by a single member's injury
E7 · Hooked
July 27, 2017
Fishing becomes the surviving teams' economic engine, but the work takes its own toll. A lower back injury to Shannon Bosdell ends the Bosdell brothers' run on the same one-out-both-out rule.
Out this episode: Shannon Bosdell (medical), Jesse Bosdell (medical)
E8 · Flare-Up
August 3, 2017
Isolation pressure now works on relationships instead of individuals. The Wilkes brothers tap out together, pulled home by family guilt, proving the format's emotional leverage.
Out this episode: Chris Wilkes, Brody Wilkes
E9 · My Brother's Keeper
August 10, 2017
Down to the final pairs, endurance becomes a negotiation between partners rather than a solo choice. The Whipples exit at day 49 when Brooke reaches empty, leaving two teams in the hunt.
Out this episode: Dave Whipple (day 49), Brooke Whipple (day 49)
E10 · Flesh and Blood
August 17, 2017 · Days 74-75
The Brockdorffs bow out at day 74, with Pete's severe acid reflux tipping a joint decision that the prize wasn't worth the damage. Brothers Jim and Ted Baird take the win at 75 days and split the $500,000.
Out this episode: Pete Brockdorff (day 74, medical), Sam Brockdorff (day 74)
- Jim and Ted Baird win as a team after 75 days
- Only co-winners in franchise history
E11 · Tales From the Island
August 17, 2017
A retrospective special collecting unaired moments and behind-the-scenes material from the pairs season. Not a competition episode.
Facts worth knowing
Open the facts (they discuss results by name)
- The only team season in franchise history: seven pairs of family members instead of ten solo contestants.
- Each team started separated, with one member navigating roughly 10 miles by compass bearing to reach the other; the fastest successful linkup still took eight days.
- Three of the seven teams tapped out without ever reuniting.
- If either team member exited, both were out, and three pairs were eliminated by one partner's injury or health issue.
- Winners Jim and Ted Baird (brothers) lasted 75 days and split the $500,000 prize.
- Runners-up Pete and Sam Brockdorff (father and son) lasted 74 days, one day short.
- Filmed back in Quatsino Territory on northern Vancouver Island, the Season 1 and 2 region.
Viewer's notes
Open the notes (they discuss runs by name)
- This is the format experiment season; expect relationship drama layered on survival rather than pure solo endurance.
- The opening two episodes (the separated navigation phase) are unique in the franchise and worth watching even if you skip the middle.
- The Baird brothers were already known to Canadian audiences for wilderness expedition films; their teamwork is a masterclass in shared labor division.
- The one-day margin between winner and runner-up is the closest finish in the show's history.
- If you prefer classic solo Alone, watch Seasons 3 then 5 and treat this one as a spin-off.
Alone Season 4 FAQ
Where was Alone Season 4 filmed?
Alone Season 4 was filmed at Quatsino Territory, Vancouver Island, near Port Hardy, British Columbia.
When did Alone Season 4 air?
Alone Season 4 premiered on June 15, 2017 and wrapped on August 17, 2017, running 11 episodes.
How many contestants are on Alone Season 4?
14 contestants started Alone Season 4. Each one has a profile page with their background and sourced gear list.
What is the prize on Alone Season 4?
The Alone Season 4 prize is $500,000 USD (split between the winning pair).
Who won Alone Season 4?
Reveal the answer (names the winner)
Jim Baird and Ted Baird won Alone Season 4 together, competing as a pair.
What gear could the Alone Season 4 cast bring?
Each contestant chose 10 items from the show's approved selection list, plus standard clothing and safety equipment that does not count toward the ten. Every sourced loadout is on the contestant profiles above.
Wondering what the cast was allowed to bring? See the full gear list of every selectable item, the rules behind it, or browse the gear database.