The Happy Camper: Canadians Win Big on History Channel’s Alone Show

October 30, 2023

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The winner of Season 10 of HISTORY Channel’s Alone�was interviewed by the Happy Camper along with other contestants. Read more about this season.

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A big congratulations to Alan Tenta from the Columbia Valley in BC, Canada. As the winner of Alone�s season 10 on the HISTORY Channel, he outlasted nine other competitors in the northern Saskatchewan wilderness to win the $500,000 US prize. Last year in season nine�Juan Pablo Qui�onez from Manitoba won by surviving 78 days alone. The Canadian Baird brothers, Jim and Ted from Ontario, won on season four, lasting 75 days. That�s pretty darn cool for Canada! This is still HISTORY Channel�s biggest show, with its largest following�and Canadian contestants make up less than 10 per cent of the people who apply to be on.

Alan lasted for a total of 66 days, huddled in a shelter of moss and sticks, eating mostly fish and berries. He�s an outdoor education high school teacher at David Thompson Secondary School (DTSS) and his students were the ones to push him to give the show a try.^{The HISTORY Channel}

I�ve got to say, I was pumped for Alan to win. I�m a proud Canadian, and I have also worked in outdoor education for many years, so it was heartwarming to see him win and share his experience with his students.

I was also ecstatic to see another Canadian come in a close second�Wyatt Black of Bracebridge, Ontario. The cold got to Alan and Wyatt near the end, but Alan was able to muster just another two days.

I asked them both if they could be on my KCHappyCamper Whiskey Fireside Chat on YouTube. They agreed, but they suggested I also ask the third contestant�Michael �Mikey� Helton of Georgia, US. He was still hanging on during the last episode of the show, and his motivation for applying was humbling�he wanted to win the cash to provide for his autistic son. Unfortunately, Mikey had to tap out on Day 55.^{The HISTORY Channel}

Alan, Wyatt and a bunch of others from the show wanted to help Mikey. Contestant Luke Olsen organized it all and started a GoFundMe after the show aired. Mikey may have lost, but in the long term, he and his son gained immensely. The money raised for him�plus the faith restored in humanity by all his friends�was an incredible experience for all.

Wyatt, who has that tough-skinned but soft-souled charisma, said it best during our chat with the three of them. �It�s like being a comrade in World War II where, yeah, you might have shot down the last plane, but man we were in the same f�ing war together. It�s that kind of respect,� he said.^{The HISTORY Channel}

Check out the interview. I believe it�s one of my best because, by the halfway mark, I doubt any of them cared if I was still recording. They were just having a good time together, sharing past moments of being out there in the northern Canadian wilderness and reminiscing the memories they will cherish forever. For the most part, I just sat back and listened, sipping my whisky and watching how Canadian and American survival contestants can go beyond the camera and star power to rejoice in spending time in nature while helping a comrade in arms.

Watch the Whisky Fireside Chat: Alone Season 10�s Alan Tenta, Wyatt Black and Mikey Helton.

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