There are several things that went wrong in Outlast, Netflix’s brand-new survival reality show that premiered on March 10, 2023. Produced by Grant Kahler, the premise of the series is sixteen contestants are dropped off at an Alaskan forest and whoever survives till the end wins a total prize money of one million dollars. Battling nature’s harshest elements, the participants go through the extreme conditions using their respective skills.
The reality series is based on a 2013 survival horror game of the same name.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of the show, let us take a quick rundown of the sixteen contestants that participated in the series: Amber Asay, Andrea Hilderbrand, Angie Kenai, Brian Kahrs, Corey Johnson, Dawn Nelson, Javier Colon, Jill Ashock, Joel Hungate, Jordan Williams, Justin Court, Lee Ettinger, Nick Radner, Paul Preece, Seth Lueker and Timothy Spears.
The participants were divided into four teams. Team Charlie consisted of Andrea, Angie, Nick and Seth, Team Delta consisted of Dawn, Joel, Jordan and Paul, Team Alpha consisted of Amber, Jill, Justin and Lee; and finally, Team Bravo consisted of Brian, Corey, Javier and Tim.
4 Things That Went Wrong in Outlast
No Structure
The minute the game started, teams were randomly assigned among the participants. This led to confusion and disorientation since they knew absolutely nothing about each other. Disagreements started to rise soon after. Since they were left in the wilderness on their own, it should have been essential to place each member according to their strengths so that everyone had a fair chance to showcase their respective skills and talents.
Moreover, the women in each team were overwhelmed by the ‘alpha’ males who refused to listen to them and take the important advice that they offered. Each step of the way, women had to prove themselves for the team’s approval which was at times highly misogynistic.
Unnecessary Rule
The only major rule that the participants had to follow was that they had to remain in a team to win the cash prize. It seemed simple and easy in the beginning, but it became a really hard task to work as part of a team eventually. Either the inexperience of certain players shook the morale of other participants, or dominant personalities started to clash. Either way, the rule, in my opinion, was unnecessary, and it should not matter if one is able to stay in a team or not. If an individual is able to survive solely based on their skills then they should not be forced to leave the competition.
Unfair Means
The game started to take a rather twisted and sinister turn after the first five episodes. There were no rules mentioned that stealing and threatening were not allowed; however, a person’s moral ground should have stopped them from crossing the boundaries. Team Alpha consisting of Justin, Jill and Amber, played an aggressive game which clearly was the wrong approach. They stole Team Delta’s sleeping bags and left them to fend for themselves in the low temperatures. They also destroyed Javier’s campsite and raft solely out of pettiness. It was gruesome and extremely hard to watch the participants do as they pleased in the wilderness.
Lack of Rules
The most upsetting aspect of the series was how the production team did not interfere during Team Alpha’s barbaric actions. There was nothing to stop the contestants from harming and attacking their opponents. Due to getting targeted multiple times, certain individuals left the game. On the other hand, Brian left because of the toxicity that Team Alpha was spreading. The teams that were left with fewer teammates were helpless and received no help whatsoever from anyone.
Also Read: 8 Survival Shows Like Outlast Which Will Prepare You to Face the Wilderness
Which Team Should Have Won?
If the game was solely based on survival skills, Javier Colon from Team Bravo would have definitely won the series. He has led a nomadic life for many years and was the most experienced person among the participants. From building shelter to forging and hunting, he knew everything about how to survive mother nature’s most brutal forms.
However, his team was doomed to fail from the beginning. His teammates were Corey and Tim, who were exceptionally inexperienced and whiny. They refused to learn and lacked the patience and understanding to operate in a team. Additionally, both of them left the competition early on simply because they could not endure the unforgiving environment anymore. Meanwhile, Brian was experienced, and he intended to stay for a long time, but Team Alpha’s brutal activities drained him mentally. He decided that he could not take any more of the cruelty and quit the game, leaving Javier behind alone with no team.
Helplessly, Javier was left with no choice but to request Team Charlie to join them. Nevertheless, his intense speech did not work on the calculative contestants, and he was forced to shoot his flare.
Outlast is now streaming on Netflix. Did you watch the show yet? Which one was your favourite contestant? Let us know in the comments below!
Also Read: Meet the Outlast Cast Members! Where are They Now?
I feel like there was some mental illness and personality disorders on team alpha. Obviously, this would have been discovered in any vetting process. Netflix is guilty of exploiting contestants with mental illness in Outlast for profits. The acts perpetrated by alpha could have led to real violence. I support the contestant that left the show out of protest, but the show was ruined by team alpha and their antics. It’s difficult to blame the contestants though. I hope they receive psychological help. Netflix knew what they were doing when they chose the members who ended up on team alpha.
Was sick of watching such a program.putting sick mental people who put others life at stake is not entertaining at.stopped to watch half way and hope there wont be another season..people complain the world is more and more violent.how can we promote this?
Netflix pay more attention of what you offer please!