Alone Season 9: Labrador (marketed on some platforms as "Alone: Polar Bear Island")

Ten survivalists are dropped into the remote boreal forest along Labrador's Big River and race to secure shelter, fire, and food before the harsh conditions set in. Several early leaders emerge as skilled fishers and hunters, while at least one contestant spends days just searching for a workable camp. No one leaves yet, but the toll of solitude and instant food scarcity is already visible.

• Benji builds a tenkara fishing rod and starts catching brook trout almost immediately
• Jessie has a black bear come within about 100 feet of her camp on day one
• Juan Pablo improvises a stove out of salvaged cans and clay
• Igor spends four days wandering before settling on a shelter site near the drop zone

The episode catches up with the four survivalists not featured in the premiere as they build their own camps from day one, while the season's early frontrunners keep refining their fishing and shelter setups. The emotional and physical toll of isolation becomes too much for the youngest competitor, who cannot get past the guilt of killing an animal for food. He becomes the season's first person to leave the competition.

Out this episode: Jacques Turcotte (day 15)

• Jacques Turcotte becomes the season's first tap-out on day 15
• Tom dyes his hair to make custom fishing flies and starts catching multiple trout
• Adam builds a moss-insulated lean-to and catches 11 fish with an improvised pole
• Teimojin constructs an elaborate shelter with an underground fire-pit 'ground chimney'

With nine survivalists remaining, the group focuses on turning temporary camps into long-term, weatherproof shelters as autumn conditions set in. Several contestants land their first successful kills of the season, small wins that provide both nutrition and a psychological boost, while others begin noticing early signs of malnutrition and shelter problems. No one leaves this episode, but the physical cost of the competition starts to show.

• Jessie sets fifteen snare lines and lands her first squirrel
• Igor has lost nineteen pounds in twelve days before finishing a proper log cabin
• Adam finishes a stone-and-clay fireplace with a wattle-and-daub chimney
• Juan Pablo finds a fresh track from a bear he estimates at over 400 pounds

As the group pushes past the two-and-a-half-week mark, several contestants finally land their first big-game kills, using patience and improvised traps to bring down beavers for much-needed fat and protein. But the sustained caloric deficit catches up to one competitor, whose heart and back symptoms grow serious enough that he decides the risk of permanent injury outweighs staying in. Eight survivalists remain by the episode's end.

Out this episode: Igor Limansky (day 20)

• Benji lands and smokes a beaver, and a bear later raids his gut pile
• Terry finally relieves days-long constipation and shoots a beaver after eight days of watching it
• Teimojin gets his first protein in two weeks with a grouse kill
• Igor taps out on day 20 after losing 25 pounds

Food finally starts coming easier for several survivalists, with successful beaver and rabbit harvests and steadily improving shelters. That abundance turns dangerous when contaminated meat gives one contestant a severe gastrointestinal illness he can't shake, forcing him to leave despite his recent hot streak. It's a reminder that in Labrador, a good week of hunting can carry hidden risks.

Out this episode: Benji Hill (day 27, medical)

• Benji harvests both a beaver and a grouse before falling seriously ill with giardia
• Adam kills several squirrels with precision shots and self-treats a stomach illness with birch bark tea
• Juan Pablo builds a fishing dock and catches six brook trout in a single day
• Tom catches an 875-calorie snowshoe rabbit in one of his traps

With seven survivalists left, the group settles into a steadier rhythm of hunting, trapping, and shelter upgrades, though food is still far from guaranteed. One contestant faces a small but emotional dilemma after killing a weasel purely out of frustration, questioning whether the kill was worth more as a moment of connection with wildlife than as food. No one leaves this episode, but the toll of isolation is increasingly on display.

• Terry processes another beaver and starts eating brain matter for extra nutrients
• Teimojin builds a second, smaller shelter near the beach to use as a smokehouse and bear deterrent
• Jessie completes her large 'Hodge Podge Lodge' shelter with a central fire pit
• Juan Pablo kills a weasel he later regrets taking, planning to give the fur to his partner

As the competition pushes past a month, hunting increasingly shifts toward smaller game like grouse and squirrels while contestants shore up their shelters against the coming cold. A serious fall injury and a separate case of severe physical decline both come to a head in this episode, with one contestant pulled by the show's medical team after dramatic weight loss and worsening symptoms. It's a stark signal that the season's back half will be defined as much by health as by hunting skill.

Out this episode: Terry Burns (day 42, medical)

• Terry is medically evacuated on day 42 after losing 49 pounds
• Tom suffers a serious fall onto a stump, injuring his back near his kidney and ribs
• Adam finds a floating dock and salvages nails and boards to improve his shelter
• Teimojin lands his first squirrel after several missed shots

The physical damage from weeks of calorie deficit reaches a breaking point for two more contestants, one battling accumulated injuries from falls and another suffering a violent stomach illness that won't let up. Both leave within a few days of each other, narrowing the field to four survivalists. Meanwhile, the remaining competitors land a string of notable kills that briefly ease the pressure of dwindling food.

Out this episode: Tom Garstang (day 43), Jessie Krebs (day 46, medical)

• Karie lands her first muskrat for about 800 calories
• Adam kills a snowshoe hare worth over 800 calories on his first shot
• Tom taps out on day 43 due to accumulated injuries
• Jessie is medically evacuated on day 46 after repeated vomiting

Winter arrives in force, freezing the rivers and shutting down fishing just as food reserves are already thin. One of the four remaining survivalists, having lost over 50 pounds, decides continuing further would risk permanent damage to his body and chooses to leave rather than push his limits any further. That leaves only three competitors to face the coming winter.

Out this episode: Adam Riley (day 52)

• Rivers freeze over, ending fishing for the remaining survivalists
• Karie switches from shooting to trapping and snares a frozen squirrel
• Juan Pablo marks day 50 and begins planning a 20-day fast
• Teimojin builds bird traps aimed at catching ravens after losing 44 pounds

All three finalists grind through the harshest stretch of the Labrador winter yet, relying on stored fat, small kills, and insulation upgrades to stay alive. Falls, fatigue, and dwindling food are constant threats, but for the first time in several episodes nobody leaves the game. It sets up a tense final stretch between three competitors who have each found very different ways to keep going.

• Teimojin chips a tooth eating bone and builds an insulated 'ice castle' shelter upgrade using reindeer moss
• Karie takes a fall while gathering firewood but lands her first squirrel in days on day 59
• Juan Pablo continues his 20-day fast and endures 51 mph wind gusts without an active fire
• All three remaining survivalists make it through the episode intact

In the finale, the three remaining survivalists push their bodies to the absolute limit as winter tightens its grip on Labrador. Two of them, both suffering severe weight loss and weakening strength, ultimately decide it's time to step away rather than risk permanent harm, while the third overcomes a dangerous stove malfunction to reach the end of the competition alone. His girlfriend's surprise appearance during a routine medical check reveals that he has outlasted everyone else to win the season.

Out this episode: Teimojin Tan (day 63), Karie Lee Knoke (day 75)

• Juan Pablo survives a toxic paint-fume stove malfunction on day 64 and rebuilds it with safer materials
• Teimojin taps out on day 63 after a 54 lb weight loss
• Karie Lee taps out on day 75, leaving Juan Pablo the sole remaining survivalist
• Juan Pablo is revealed as the winner on day 78 after 78 days in the wilderness, becoming the show's first Latino winner