What Happens To Alone Contestants After The Show?

When watching "Alone," it sometimes seems like the contestants immediately leave the show and head home after being out in the wilderness for several weeks, or several months, as was the case with the only woman to win "Alone," who holds the record for one of the longest stays. However, it's not quite that simple. With many of the contestants facing starvation, dehydration, and poor mental health, they need serious medical attention when the show ends. 

Thankfully, the team behind "Alone" didn't leave their contestants to figure it out, well, alone. Instead, they take care to ensure all of their contestants, no matter how long they stay, are mentally and physically alright before shipping them back home. 

Leftfield Pictures produces "Alone." The President of Leftfield Pictures, Shawn Witt, was interviewed by Reality Blurred and explained some of the aftercare they provide the contestants after their time in the wilderness. He mentioned that the most important part of the process is actually listening and adjusting the care to fit the contestant's needs. "Aftercare is something that we've really heightened over the years," Witt said. "We're hearing from them, we're listening to them, we want to know what they need."

Physical health is a huge concern when people are coming out of their solitude on "Alone." Contestants face extreme weather, starvation, and dehydration. Starvation and dehydration are two major concerns. When your body gets severely dehydrated, it can affect your heart muscles, and even kidneys. Unfortunately, drinking as much water as you can to make up for it will only cause a loss of electrolytes and may end up making your situation worse. The same goes for starvation. As showrunner Ryan Pender explains in the same interview with Reality Blurred, "You don't want [to be] just giving them a burger and a beer after they come out after 60 days. You can't do that."

To help them recover with minimal health problems or pain, it's important that the contestants slowly ease themselves out of starvation mode. Ryan Pender and his team make sure the "Alone" contestants do it properly. "You have to keep them in starvation and slowly pull them out of that, based on a diet mimicking what they were eating out there. You bring them out of starvation slowly."

Even for the contestant who spent the shortest amount of time on "Alone," there was a health check before he was allowed to return home, though the re-feeding program wasn't as necessary, and likely didn't take the two weeks that many contestants need.

Physical health isn't the only concern when you're out in the wilderness for long periods of time alone. Being left on your own, and facing harrowing situations, can lead to declining mental health as well. According to Pender, "They're provided journals to write down their thoughts. They speak to a psychologist."

But the help doesn't stop just because the contestants return home. The production team ensures that it's easy for those who've been on the show to get follow-up appointments with doctors and psychologists. While the contestants don't have to use these resources, they want to make sure they're available if the contestants need them.

Additionally, "Alone" contestants have the chance to communicate with all other participants from any season, giving them the chance to talk about their experiences with someone who went through something similar. "We didn't always do that," Pender said, "but it was something we learned based on listening, and it's made a world of difference."