HUN Chapter 25: The Shocking Premiere

While Lin Yu'an struggled against nature and solitude at Chilko Lake, far away in the civilized world thousands of miles distant, an uproar surrounding Season 8 of "Alone" had completely erupted.

It had been more than a month since Lin Yu'an set foot on that pristine wilderness.

The first episode of "Alone: Grizzly Mountain" finally premiered officially during prime time on the History Channel amid great anticipation.

As the program began, that familiar opening sequence and the desolate yet stirring background music made countless loyal fans of "Alone" boil with excitement!

Aerial shots swept over the magnificent yet harsh scenery of Chilko Lake, then the camera switched to a close-up of a roaring grizzly bear! Contestants struggling to build shelters in torrential rain and tense moments of being startled by unknown creatures, paired with stirring background music, instantly captured the audience's attention.

Then the ten contestants, carrying their respective equipment, were dropped off one by one by helicopter into this unknown territory called "Grizzly Mountain."

When the camera focused on Lin Yu'an, this young face from the East, many domestic and international viewers cast curious glances.

He was the only Asian contestant this season, and a Chinese person at that.

On the first day after landing, Lin Yu'an didn't rush to build a temporary overnight shelter, but spent a great deal of time surveying the surrounding environment.

Through the recording from the camera on his shoulder, viewers saw how he carefully identified directions, searched for water sources, and preliminarily assessed potential shelter locations.

Over the following days, viewers witnessed his stone house construction plan, which seemed somewhat luxurious to others.

He transported stones of various sizes and used a felling axe to cut down some small trees as temporary supports and filling materials.

Meanwhile, the program also interspersed scenes showing the initial circumstances of the other nine contestants.

The experienced veteran Ron quickly used waterproof tarp and surrounding fallen logs to build a textbook-standard A-frame shelter and successfully started a fire.

Kayla, an Inuit huntress from Alaska, discovered some edible berries on the first day and began setting traps for hunting small prey.

However, not everyone went smoothly.

A young contestant named Jack, due to overconfidence, chose a location near the lake that seemed scenic but was actually damp and windward for building his shelter.

On the first night, sudden rain and low temperatures left him in a sorry state. His shelter was nearly flooded, forcing him to relocate overnight, consuming tremendous energy and leaving his mood somewhat dejected.

Another middle-aged woman named Susan accidentally sprained her ankle on the third day while searching for food.

Although the injury wasn't particularly serious, in such an isolated environment, restricted mobility was undoubtedly fatal. The camera recorded her pained expression and confusion about the future.

The cruelty of "Alone" was fully displayed in the first episode.

On the fifth day of the program, due to improper shelter construction, several days of failure to effectively obtain food, plus fear of loneliness and the unknown, the young contestant Jack shed tears in front of the camera and finally pressed the yellow distress button, becoming the first contestant to quit this season.

When the helicopter took him away, his dejected figure made many viewers sigh with emotion.

Then, on the morning of the seventh day, Susan, who had sprained her ankle, after two days of struggle and attempts, found that her injury hadn't improved.

Instead, it showed signs of worsening. She realized that if she continued to persist, she might face more serious consequences. Ultimately, she also helplessly chose to quit.

Just seven days in, and two had been eliminated! This result made many viewers marvel at the program's cruelty and authenticity.

Against this backdrop, Lin Yu'an's "slow pace" and "long-term planning" displayed in the first seven days appeared particularly prominent.

He didn't rush to hunt large prey, nor did he become anxious due to initial food scarcity.

Besides building the stone house, he also spent considerable time by the stream attempting to make simple fish basket traps and began paying attention to plant resources around him that could be utilized.

Fortunately, the resources around him were relatively abundant, and he successfully discovered North American Jerusalem artichokes.

Although his stone house shelter was far from complete by the end of the seventh day and his food sources remained unstable, his methodical demeanor and survival philosophy that seemed to aim at taking root in the wilderness had already begun to spark heated discussions among American online audiences.

"Honestly, I don't think highly of that Chinese kid. He seems to have obtained little food in the first seven days, and the stone house project is too massive."

"I feel the same, but his mindset is really stable, not like Jack who collapsed so quickly."

"Sigh, two have already been eliminated, the competition is really fierce! This Lin you two are discussing will definitely quit later too."

"Shut your damn mouths! Lin will definitely be the final champion!"

Meanwhile, when the subbed resources of "Alone" Season 8 Episode 1 appeared on Bilibili, domestic audiences who loved wilderness survival were having a carnival!

Especially when they saw Lin Yu'an, their compatriot, the bullet comments and comment section were instantly flooded.

[Ahhhhh! (Voice crack!) Finally a Chinese person participating in Alone! Lin Yu'an! Go for it!]

[Starting so hardcore? Building a stone house directly? Not looking for food? What kind of godly operation is this?]

[Bullet comment protection! Hope Brother An can hold steady, never choose to quit! (Bah bah bah, can't set up flags)!]

[Is this a Chinese-American or a Chinese person? Are foreign moons necessarily rounder? Insisting on going abroad.]

[Please! You must persist! Want to see Brother An doing infrastructure in the wilderness!]

[Am I the only one who noticed Brother An boiled ginger pieces? How can you swallow that stuff!]

[The person above, that's Jerusalem artichoke, also called ghost ginger or foreign ginger. Although it's called ginger, it's not ginger, hey, single rhyme!]

Bilibili UP masters also quickly took action, with various analysis videos and clip videos emerging endlessly.

Some analyzed Lin Yu'an's shelter site selection and construction ideas, while others provided science education about the environment and wildlife of the Chilko Lake region.

Bilibili was very satisfied with the first episode's viewership ratings and online feedback.

With just seven days of content, two contestants were eliminated. This fast-paced opening successfully captured the audience's attention.

Lin Yu'an's distinctive opening approach also successfully created topics and suspense.

The first episode ended with Lin Yu'an facing the camera, using charcoal to mark and modify his handmade bark map, carefully planning the subsequent construction steps for the stone house and marking the locations of Jerusalem artichokes.

This ending filled countless viewers with infinite imagination about Lin Yu'an's upcoming actions.

They urgently wanted to know what kind of challenges this young man would encounter in the crisis-ridden Grizzly Mountain in the days to come!

In Austin's apartment, Aliya, accompanied by nanny Martha, also watched the premiere broadcast for the first time.

When she saw Lin Yu'an on camera, her tears could no longer be held back!

When she saw Lin Yu'an facing the loneliness of the wilderness alone and working hard to search for food, her heart tightened even more.

"Martha, look at him... he's lost weight..." Aliya's voice choked as she looked at Lin Yu'an on the screen.

Martha gently patted her shoulder, comforting her, "Dear, he's a true warrior. He's fighting for you, and you should be proud of him."

"I know... I know..."

Aliya wiped her tears, her eyes filled with pride, heartache, and endless longing.

"He can definitely do it. He promised me he would return safely with victory!"

[NEXT CHAPTER]