Alone Season 5: Redemption
- Location
- Khonin Nuga valley, Selenge Province (near Züünkharaa)
- Aired
- June 14, 2018 to August 16, 2018
- Prize
- $500,000 USD
- Status
- Complete
Read more about this season
How the season was won (reveals the winner)
Sam Larson, a wilderness skills instructor from Lincoln, Nebraska, won Alone Season 5 ("Redemption") by surviving 60 days alone in the Khonin Nuga valley of Mongolia's Selenge Province, the longest of the season's ten returning contestants. He had previously competed on Season 1, where he finished as runner-up after tapping out at 55 days; for his second attempt he overhauled his kit, trading his old DIY axe and canvas sleeping bag for a Hults Bruk axe and a much warmer -60°F rated sleeping bag, and carrying flour and trail mix rations instead of a fishing kit or bow. The field narrowed as runner-up Britt Ahart tapped out at day 56 and third-place Larry Roberts tapped out at day 41, both citing missing their families, leaving Larson as the last person still in the field. He was awarded the $500,000 prize for outlasting all nine other contestants.
Sam Larson had already lost this show by a single day. Season 1 ended for him at 55 days, one short of Alan Kay, after a storm hit right at the goal he had privately set for himself. Season 5, cast entirely with returning players and subtitled Redemption, gave him the rematch, and what he did with it says everything about how he understood his first loss: he did not train harder, he repacked. Out went the DIY axe and canvas sleeping bag, in came a Hults Bruk felling axe and a bag rated to minus 60. Most tellingly, he dropped active food gathering slots entirely in favor of flour and trail mix.
That rations first bet is still one of the most contrarian winning strategies in the franchise. In Mongolia's Khonin Nuga valley, rather than gambling on hunting or fishing success in unfamiliar terrain, Larson bet on calories he could count with certainty before he ever left home. It made his season quiet by design, and it worked precisely because the endgame turned mental: runner up Britt Ahart went home at day 56 missing his family, and third place Larry Roberts left at day 41 for the same reason. Neither man's body failed. Larson just did not give himself a version of the game where homesickness could win the argument.
There is a neat symmetry in how the Redemption premise resolved. Roberts, a former season 2 runner up, could not repeat his close finish, while Larson turned his own near miss into a title at 60 days, becoming one of the very few contestants ever to return and win outright. Our read: second chances on this show do not reward the same run done better, they reward people who correctly diagnosed why the first one ended. Larson's diagnosis, that his season 1 loss was about margins of comfort and certainty rather than skill, was exactly right.
The cast
Brad Richardson1 items →Fox Lake, Illinois, USA
Britt Ahart10 items →Mantua, Ohio, USA
Brooke Whipple1 items →Fox, Alaska, USA
Carleigh Fairchild1 items →Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Dave Nessianot sourcedSalt Lake City, Utah, USA
Jesse Bosdell1 items →Skowhegan, Maine, USA
Larry Roberts1 items →Rush City, Minnesota, USA
Nicole Apelian10 items →Raymond, Washington, USA
Randy Champagne1 items →Boulder, Utah, USA
Sam Larson10 items →Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Listed alphabetically on purpose. Results on individual profiles are hidden behind a tap, so it's safe to browse.
Gear trends this season
Season 5's gear record is a lesson in source archaeology. All ten contestants were returning players, 9 of 10 have at least something recorded, but only 3 lists are actually complete, and six contestants survive in the data as a single item each, usually the make and model of their knife mentioned in a bio interview. The site keeps those thin records thin instead of back filling them with plausible guesses, which is why this season's table looks so lopsided.
What the three complete lists show is a genuine strategy fork. Sam Larson spent two of his ten slots on rations, flour and trail mix, while skipping a fishing kit and bow entirely, a carried calories bet almost nobody else in franchise history has made that starkly. Britt Ahart took the opposite side with a bow plus fishing kit and no ration slots, and Nicole Apelian effectively packed three passive food systems at once, fishing kit, gill net, and trapping wire. A returning cast with a season of hindsight each did not converge on one answer; they split harder than the rookies of season 1 did.
Across the 9 contestants with any record, knives show up 7 times and multitools 4, but that skew mostly measures which details survived into interviews rather than what was actually packed. Treat this season's pattern as testimony filtered through patchy sources, and lean on the fully documented casts when you want the real meta.
Full results table (placements, days lasted, tap-out reasons)
- Winner. Sam Larson60 days
Outlasted everyone
- 2. Britt Ahart56 days
Missed his family.
- 3. Larry Roberts41 days
Missed his family.
- 4. Dave Nessia36 days
Said it "just felt right" to tap out.
- 5. Randy Champagne35 days
Loneliness.
- 6. Brooke Whipple28 days
Loneliness.
- 7. Jesse Bosdell24 days
Medically evacuated for constipation / possible fecal impaction after eating pine material.
- 8. Nicole Apelian9 days
Medically evacuated after a multiple sclerosis (MS) attack.
- 9. Brad Richardson7 days
Had no food the whole time.
- 10. Carleigh Fairchild5 days
Medically evacuated for a fish hook injury in her hand.
| Place | Contestant | Days | Why they left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Sam Larson | 60 | Outlasted everyone |
| 2 | Britt Ahart | 56 | Missed his family. |
| 3 | Larry Roberts | 41 | Missed his family. |
| 4 | Dave Nessia | 36 | Said it "just felt right" to tap out. |
| 5 | Randy Champagne | 35 | Loneliness. |
| 6 | Brooke Whipple | 28 | Loneliness. |
| 7 | Jesse Bosdell | 24 | Medically evacuated for constipation / possible fecal impaction after eating pine material. |
| 8 | Nicole Apelian | 9 | Medically evacuated after a multiple sclerosis (MS) attack. |
| 9 | Brad Richardson | 7 | Had no food the whole time. |
| 10 | Carleigh Fairchild | 5 | Medically evacuated for a fish hook injury in her hand. |
Alone Season 5: 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)
Sam Larson won the season after 60 days.
Winner; returning contestant from Season 1, where he finished runner-up after tapping out at 55 days; wilderness skills instructor and writer.
Britt Ahart left on day 56 (missed his family.).
Returning contestant from Season 3.
Larry Roberts left on day 41 (missed his family.).
Returning contestant from Season 2.
Dave Nessia left on day 36 (said it "just felt right" to tap out.).
Returning contestant from Season 3, where he lasted 73 days in Patagonia.
Randy Champagne left on day 35 (loneliness.).
Returning contestant from Season 2.
Brooke Whipple left on day 28 (loneliness.).
Returning contestant from Season 4, where she competed jointly with husband Dave Whipple.
Jesse Bosdell left on day 24 (medically evacuated for constipation / possible fecal impaction after eating pine material.).
Returning contestant from Season 4, where he was paired with brother Shannon Bosdell; U.S. Army veteran.
Nicole Apelian left on day 9 (medically evacuated after a multiple sclerosis (ms) attack.).
Returning contestant from Season 2 (57 days, 4th place); PhD ethnobotanist, author, and MS advocate.
Brad Richardson left on day 7 (had no food the whole time.).
Returning contestant from Season 4, where he was paired with brother Josh Richardson; blacksmith/knifemaker.
Carleigh Fairchild left on day 5 (medically evacuated for a fish hook injury in her hand.).
Returning contestant from Season 3.
Episode guide
Open the episode guide (recaps include tap-outs as they happened)
E1 · Redemption
June 14, 2018 · Day 1
Ten returning contestants, all non-winners from earlier seasons, get a second shot in the Khonin Nuga valley of northern Mongolia. Familiar faces meet completely unfamiliar terrain, and old wounds drive new strategies.
- First all-returnee 'Redemption' season
- First season filmed in Asia
E2 · The Haunting
June 21, 2018
The veterans discover experience doesn't transfer cleanly; Mongolia's forest-steppe has different food, different predators, and different rules. Early psychological ghosts from their first runs resurface fast.
E3 · The Serpent
June 28, 2018
Venomous snakes and aggressive wildlife raise the stakes around camp. The cast balances food work against new hazards their previous seasons never taught them.
E4 · Mongolia's Wrath
July 5, 2018
Continental weather hits with a violence the coastal veterans haven't seen: heat, storms, and hard temperature swings. Shelters and nerves both take damage.
E5 · The Bowels Of Hell
July 12, 2018
Physical breakdown starts compounding; digestive trouble, injuries, and caloric deficits grind the field down. The redemption narrative meets the ugly middle stretch of every Alone season.
E6 · Of Mice And Men
July 19, 2018
Small game and smaller margins define the food economy as contestants trap rodents and birds to stay in the fight. The valley gives calories out in coins, not windfalls.
E7 · Desperate Measures
July 26, 2018
With reserves gone, the remaining survivalists take risks they'd have refused in week one: longer ranges, bigger projects, thinner safety margins. Some bets pay off and some accelerate the end.
E8 · Slayer II
August 2, 2018
Deep-run isolation does its familiar work on the finalists' minds. The episode title nods to a contestant's bow; the content is the loneliness that experience can't inoculate against.
E9 · Starvation's Shadow
August 9, 2018
The last contestants are visibly hollowed out, rationing energy for the few tasks that still matter. Medical checks become the biggest threat left standing.
E10 · Cold War
August 16, 2018 · Days 56-60
Britt Ahart taps at 56 days, and Sam Larson, the Season 1 runner-up who lost by a single day, completes his redemption arc by winning at 60 days. Larson's patient, low-output strategy becomes a template for later winners.
Out this episode: Britt Ahart (day 56)
- Sam Larson wins at 60 days, completing the Season 1 redemption story
- Larson's conserve-everything strategy influences later seasons
Facts worth knowing
Open the facts (they discuss results by name)
- The first all-returnee season: every contestant was a non-winner from Seasons 1-4.
- Filmed in the Khonin Nuga valley, Selenge Province, northern Mongolia, near Züünkharaa; the franchise's first Asian location.
- Winner Sam Larson (25, Nebraska) lasted 60 days, avenging his 1-day Season 1 loss to Alan Kay.
- Runner-up Britt Ahart lasted 56 days.
- Three medical evacuations: Jesse Bosdell (day 24), Nicole Apelian (day 9), and Carleigh Fairchild (day 5).
- Carleigh Fairchild, who lasted 86 days in Patagonia, was pulled at day 5 here, the starkest same-person swing in show history.
- Aired June 14 to August 16, 2018 on History.
Viewer's notes
Open the notes (they discuss runs by name)
- Watch Seasons 1-4 first; the entire season is fan service built on knowing the cast's original runs.
- Sam Larson's win is the payoff of the franchise's longest character arc, five seasons in the making.
- Carleigh Fairchild's day-5 medical exit after her 86-day Patagonia run is the season's hardest moment and a lesson in how much luck matters.
- Larson's minimal-movement strategy here is the clearest on-screen demonstration of the 'calorie conservation beats production' school.
- Mongolia's small-game economy makes this the best season for trapping technique close-ups.
Alone Season 5 FAQ
Where was Alone Season 5 filmed?
Alone Season 5 was filmed at Khonin Nuga valley, Selenge Province (near Züünkharaa).
When did Alone Season 5 air?
Alone Season 5 premiered on June 14, 2018 and wrapped on August 16, 2018, running 10 episodes.
How many contestants are on Alone Season 5?
10 contestants started Alone Season 5. Each one has a profile page with their background and sourced gear list.
What is the prize on Alone Season 5?
The Alone Season 5 prize is $500,000 USD.
Who won Alone Season 5?
Reveal the answer (names the winner)
Sam Larson won Alone Season 5, lasting 60 days.
What gear could the Alone Season 5 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.