100 Days Wild who owns the land

The Discovery Channel show 100 Days Wild was initially advertised as 5 strangers going to Alaska to join a couple intending to build a community at their Wild homestead. Early episodes teased the audience with a struggle of bushcraft skills versus a harsh Alaskan environment on a tight timeline and a raw look at the human drama guaranteed in such circumstances.

As the show has progressed, many on social media have expressed views that the show they thought they would see ended up being an overproduced and scripted melodrama. Viewers have complained about a shift in focus away from life in the Wild to the same kind of contrived drama seen on many shows on other networks.

This is an initial compilation after piecing together bits of information from locals in Fairbanks, Manley Hot Springs, and Nenana. I have not yet been able to speak with anyone who worked on the show, but would love the opportunity.

Timeline

Three cast along with crew were seen in Nenana and departed by boat at various times between September 10th and September 13th, 2019. This must have been Gerrid and crew in one group, and Evan and Christine with crew in another group.

Adam and Discovery Channel crew were in Manley Hot Springs and departed during the same time frame.

The date of Oliver’s arrival isn’t clear at this point.

After Oliver was asked to leave the show, he stayed at the Roadhouse in Manley Hot Springs and the Sophie Station Suites in Fairbanks for an estimated two weeks while he was said to be living in the Wild. I received a tip that Oliver may have left Alaska at this point before returning to the Wild, but I am awaiting confirmation.

A family member of Adam’s disclosed that all of the cast were back from Alaska sometime in December.

Camps and the “Discovered” Cabin

Property records confirm local reports that “Birch Camp” and the “discovered” cabin on the show are on the same small property. The cabin had been listed by Fairbanks real estate agents in 2018. Ownership was transferred before filming in 2019. It would have been known to all crew and cast at least as early as initial work on the “Goahti” shown being built by Adam and Evan.

The show claims that “Birch Camp” is 10 miles from “Basecamp”. Property records confirm the actual distance is approximately 3 miles.

The area around Manley Hot Springs is heavily traveled by snowmobiles and dog mushers in winter. This guarantees the surrounding area is actively trapped by locals. I received details about Manley residents with trapping claims in the area, but have not received permission to publish their names.

Manley locals report an above average snowfall year, making it easy to see where people come and go. There is a main snowmobile trail connecting Manley with Tanana and Nenana. Those who traveled through the area in mid-late December tell a story consistent with Oliver’s camp also being located on the same property as “Birch Camp” and the “discovered” cabin. Trail use and fresh snow also suggests the camps were vacated by the 3rd week of December.

Were they even there 100 days?

Assuming it took Gerrid some time to travel by canoe from Nenana, the likely start date for the Wild would have been September 13th-15th.

Snowmobilers who were in the area of the multiple camp property were in the area the week before Christmas. If we assume the cast and crew left just before then, we arrive at a date around December 18th. September 13th to December 18th is 97 days. It’s possible that they were there 100 days, but it is also possible that they left earlier in December.

It is known in Nenana and Manley Hot Springs that Andrew broke through the Tanana River ice and sunk a snowmobile with 2 other locals in the first week of December. He was seen in Manley multiple days between then and Christmas without any film crew. This suggests they were done with filming as early as December 1st. In that scenario, total time in the wild would have only been 80 days.

I have not yet confirmed Oliver’s return after his hiatus in Fairbanks. If he was there 100 days, it was on a different timeline than the others.

Flying Boats

Manley residents report that two or three Discovery Channel boats were flown to Manley by helicopter the third week of October. It is known that the river was impassible by October 17th due to heavy ice conditions. Other boat captains in the area speculated with some confidence that the film crew was unprepared for ice, and were stranded.

Crew Presence

Approximately two dozen crew were seen in Manley Hot Springs at various times. They are known to have been staying at the local Roadhouse, and interacted with locals regularly.

Additionally, the crew had a rented a large cabin immediately adjacent to the “Birch Camp” and “discovered” cabin.

Illegal Hunting

Court records show Gerrid was tried and convicted of criminal violation of hunting regulations in an incident coinciding with the 2nd to last day of moose season.

The charges are consistent with a non-resident hunter shooting an undersized bull. Non-residents in the area the show was filmed have the following minimum restriction:

One bull with 50-inch antlers, or antlers with 4 or more brow tines on at least one side

Experienced hunters have expressed that the moose killed on the show looked staged. They point out details like the level of apparent rigor mortis and the the eyes. It seems likely that the oddness of the scene wasn’t from a staged moose, but from the illegally hunted moose.

It’s been discussed that the moose Oliver is shown scavenging in the show was from an unrelated group of hunters from Fairbanks.

In the episode showing the hunt, Andrew is shown shooting the moose. In that hunting zone, any bull moose is legal quarry for resident hunters.

Hunters I spoke with said that it’s very common that bulls will come out at dusk, and are killed in higher numbers at this time. One explanation suggested multiple times was that the moose was probably shot at night, left there, then the rest was filmed the following morning. This provides one plausible explanation as to why there is so little footage of the shot and kill.

The question that needs to be asked is why was Andrew shown shooting the moose?

This leads to murky ground. If Gerrid shot the moose illegally, then the proper course of action would be the immediate surrendered of the entire animal to Alaska Fish & Game. Since the moose is shown being taken back to “Basecamp”, it doesn’t seem this was done. Surely a production with dozens of crew would include guides looking after the legalities of the show. Changing the hunter on screen has potentially dark implications. Was this covered up long enough to get the footage?

One other possible explanation is that there is footage of Gerrid shooting the moose the night before, but other edits were made to change the story of the hunt and the shooter. This still wouldn’t explain why the illegal kill wasn’t immediately surrendered.

What’s going on with 100 Days Wild?

There’s a good chance it wasn’t 100 Days, but maybe it was.

It’s confirmed that at 4 of the survivalists were shacked up next door to the crew, who no doubt had access to food and other amenities. The locations and distances in the show are mostly faked. With multiple camps on the same property and crew next door, it almost sounds like a Hollywood set.

With so many clearly falsified moments, it is hard not to wonder how much of the rest of the show was faked. The more I pulled back the curtain, the more it smelled like a kettle of fish.

Sources

I am a citizen journalist with only 3 years experience in Alaska. As time goes on reality TV seems more and more like a negative influence on the state. Like the history of gold and oil, the these shows mine various cultures and subcultures and profit is extracted and sent “Outside”, which is the common term used for the Lower-48. None of the locals I spoke with report being paid, and weren’t aware of any locals being hired. UPDATE: At least 2 Fairbanks residents worked on the show. Still no reports of anyone from Manley Hot Springs or Nenana being hired.

Most of the locals didn’t want much to do with discussions of TV shows, and tend to see them as a joke or embarrassment. Despite the apparent distances between the villages and Fairbanks, there don’t seem to be more than 2 degrees of separation between anyone, and nobody was keen to get involved in the messes of people from “Outside,” or as many Alaskans like to say, “Cheechakos”.

Maybe Hollywood interlopers should treat Alaska better or stay out. The disregard for wildlife and hunting regulations is not new to these shows or to Discovery Channel.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this piece, including all who didn’t know, but knew who would.

Where are the people from 100 Days Wild now?

Is 100 Days Wild staged?

What is the point of 100 Days Wild?

Where in Alaska is 100 Days Wild filmed?