NEW DISCOVERY Series 100 DAYS WILD Spotlights Seven Strangers Who Strive To Build A Self-Sustaining Community in Alaska
August 6, 2020
Have you ever wondered if you could give up your connected way of life and live off the land where you lay your head each night? To thrive in a tightknit community living off the land might seem like a nightmare for some, but there is a group of people who find it exhilarating to use the Earth’s natural resources to create a way of life. Many of us have found our universe shrink in the last couple of months and people are relying on others in their communities to make sound decisions for everyone’s safety. Now more than ever, being able to live together is vital to our survival.
Discovery’s new series, 100 DAYS WILD, spotlights a new generation who leave their homes and every creature comfort behind as they set out to take on a vast expanse of Alaska. They must work together to establish a self-sustaining colony where they make their own rules all before winter arrives.
The group has never met in person - let alone worked together - before deciding to join one couple who have set up an off-grid outpost and are looking for individuals to create their new community. They come from completely different backgrounds -- including an Army vet, a sporting goods salesman, a homesteader and a mountain man. They only have 100 days to work together to hunt, gather, and build before the brutal, arctic freeze. They won’t survive winter if they can’t survive each other.
Rooted in the idea of nomadic living, these brave few are leaving our modern world with its conveniences and complications as they run toward a new way of life and their shared dream of self-sufficiency. Anthropological evidence shows individuals who embrace a hunter-gather lifestyle -- living off the land for survival by sharing natural resources they harvest to build and sustain their community - have higher levels of physical health and well-being. Each member of the group has a desire to test their ability to thrive, and not just survive, out of their comfort zone and in a completely different environment. Can they overcome their differences and support each other during a daunting 100-day sprint before winter?
100 DAYS WILD premieres Friday, August 21pm at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. In addition to watching the show on Discovery, viewers can stream 100 DAYS WILD by downloading the Discovery GO app. Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #100DaysWild and follow Discovery on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest updates.
In the Tanana Valley, an untamed corner of Alaska 200 miles away from civilization, a small band of hearty souls are looking to carve out a new life. For the last five years, group founders Jennifer and Andrew have searched for others tough enough to forge a self-sustaining colony in the last frontier. The pair know that new people bring fresh ideas and innovative skills, but the founders have their own rules and expectations of how to live in this unforgiving environment. Enter Adam, Oliver, Gerrid, Christine, and Evan, five strong-minded, independent pioneers. They’ve come to Alaska to build the life they’ve been dreaming about in the lower 48 but none of them are used to being told what to do and how to do it.
As temperatures plunge, this band of seven is looking to harvest the Tanana Valley’s extensive natural resources of moose, salmon, bear and grouse. To make that happen they’ll need to build four winterproof outposts throughout the river valley. The goal is to hunt and gather enough to last through the sub-zero temperatures. “Successful communities have a shared value system” explains, Andrew .
And while there is no established leader and everyone is said to be equal, those egalitarian ideals are quickly tested by the harsh realities of surviving Alaska. If they can’t figure out the rules, they will fail. All must be playing the same game to succeed.
Friendships are borne, romances are developed, personalities clash. While they came together around the shared dream of a self-sustaining community, they all soon learn that may be the only thing they have in common.
100 DAYS WILD is produced for Discovery by Talos Films. For Talos Films, Julian P Hobbs, Elli Hakami and Peter Goetz are executive producers. For Discovery, Michael Gara is executive producer and Jessica Mollo is associate producer.
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About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder,diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 88.3 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.
About Discovery
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player, Food Network Kitchen and MotorTrend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media; a landmark natural history and factual content partnership with the BBC; and a strategic alliance with PGA TOUR to create the international home of golf. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the forthcoming multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.