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ShowsAloneSeason 7
Aired summer 2020 · First Colby Donaldson season, Canadian Arctic

The Arctic

Season seven opened the Colby era at Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories — the show's most demanding environment yet. Colby Donaldson joined as host, adding a structural element without disrupting the self-filmed, wilderness-first premise.

Filmed
Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada
Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada
Premiered
Jun 11, 2020
History Channel · June 2020
Format
Solo survival · self-filmed · hosted
First hosted season; Colby Donaldson joins as series host
Cast size
10 players
10 individual survivalists
Host
Colby Donaldson
seventh season at the helm
On this page
  1. 01The take
  2. 02The shape of the season
  3. 03Where it sits in the canon
  4. 04What to watch for
  5. 05Adjacent in the canon
  6. 06Also appears in
01The take

The Arctic.

The Arctic raised the environmental stakes to their highest point yet.
02The shape of the season

A rhythm worth tracking.

Season seven opened the Colby era with the show's most demanding environment yet. Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories puts survivalists into genuine sub-Arctic conditions — the shelter requirements alone are more intensive than any previous location, and the caloric math is unforgiving. Colby Donaldson joined as host without disrupting the self-filmed, no-crew-on-location core of the format. The Arctic run demonstrated that the show could absorb a hosting addition while keeping the wilderness as the primary character.

03Where it sits in the canon

The #03 slot.

Slot #03 of 12 in the Alone Editor's Canon. The seasons on either side show what I ranked it against.

No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
04What to watch for

3 moments, no spoilers.

  • Ep 1 · First look at the Arctic

    The opening drop sequence establishes the location's scale immediately. Pay attention to how gear choices differ from temperate-climate seasons — the margin for error in the Arctic is narrow from day one.

  • Ep 3 · Shelter and fire discipline

    By the third episode the gap between survivalists who respect the cold and those who underestimate it becomes visible. The Arctic punishes small mistakes faster than any previous location.

  • Ep 6 · Mid-season resource check

    A reliable mid-season marker for this location. The question of whether caloric intake can match energy expenditure in subzero conditions becomes the season's central tension.

06Also appears in

Cross-references.

Alone S7 — The Arctic — tiered.tv