the history channel Solo: Frozen Season one episode six advances the countdown clock to 24 days, meaning the three remaining survivors have passed the halfway point. The first season began with six Only veterans and three, all women, continue to compete for a share of the $500,000 prize.
The sixth episode, “On Thin Ice”, finds the three survivors dealing with fresh snow, sub-zero temperatures, and food shortages.
Callie Russell, 34, Montana – Season 7, survived 89 days
30 days left: The last time we saw Callie, she was incredibly sick, but she’s holding it. She is dehydrated from vomiting and plans to take some time to take care of herself. She is proud of herself for breaking through the wall of disease and is taking a smoke bath with fir branches to cleanse her system.
He lost his two brothers when he was younger and now his mission is to celebrate and enjoy life. Many of his life choices are in honor of his brothers. “Losing them makes me want to never take a day for granted,” says Callie.
28 days left: It’s very windy and it was windy all night before. Still, time to check out the cheat line. She can’t eat the mussels after they make her sick and relies on another source of protein to keep her competitive. Her body is weakening, but she remains hopeful. It’s getting harder and harder to keep your toes warm due to lack of calories.
The first trap is empty, but continue to check your traps. Finally, she scores a victory! She has caught a red squirrel and is thankful for the food. However, she is sad about taking her own life even though it is necessary.
As a teenager, she was angry at the world for taking her two brothers away. (One died in a car accident and the other committed suicide.) She was also angry at the way we treated animals and the planet, and that anger led her down the path of self-destruction. It was thinking about her siblings that made her get out of that and live her life to the fullest. She now she accepts all the challenges.
She skins the squirrel to keep the skin intact. Intact skin can be sewn in places and used as a bag.
Callie decides to cook and eat the squirrel in one sitting. She hopes that a squirrel a day will stay in the competition.
26 days left: Callie is like a little girl when she shows off fresh snow. She will help you to be able to spot animal tracks.
She goes to check her traps and comes out empty. She has only eaten mussels and a squirrel in the last 10 days, and she hopes everyone else is safe and well. Callie thinks that Michelle is probably doing just fine since she normally lives on the coast. She also wishes Woniya well, calling Michelle and Woniya her “survival sisters”.
Callie hopes to show girls and women that women can successfully live off the land. She believes that women communicate and flow with nature in a different way than men.
She cooks up some broth while taking a short but sweet tour of her haven she calls Driftwood Castle. Her heart is there and she wants to stay, but food is still a problem.
25 days left: Callie wonders what to do. She is not going to get any food, but she wants to stay. She asks the fire what to do and of course she doesn’t answer.
She decides to sleep under the stars tonight, even though there is snow on the ground. She will be colder but it will be worth it. The desert heals her and gives her nuggets of wisdom and truth.
Callie moves her sleeping bag out of her shelter and will spend the day reflecting on her experience.
8:30 pm: The stars are amazing, but the temperature dropped to only 9 degrees.
24 days left: morning comes and she freezes as she watches the stars fade from the sky. She has come to the conclusion that she will stay if there is an animal in her trap. If not, she will leave. She really hopes she’s caught something because she really wants to stay.
You are asking too much of your body to go on without eating. So, it depends on the land. If there is an animal or a fish, you can stay.
Woniya Thibeault, 45, California – Season 6, survived 73 days
30 days left: the tide is low enough to collect more mussels. His mussel farm only has one meal of mussels left and he believes that mussels are the key to survival here. Today is her mom’s birthday and he plans to honor her at dinner, which is why she really wants to collect a lot of mussels today.
She was raised by her single mother to respect nature, and she can’t remember a time in her life when she “wasn’t deeply involved with the natural world.”
He manages to harvest a pot full of mussels and replenishes his mussel farm.
He goes off to explore his area and picks up some blueberries as he begins his walk. Woniya concentrates on looking for signs of a bear or a fox.
This has been a much more difficult season than Only season six and can’t stop thinking about home and love. She thinks the area wants her to be there, but it’s a daily chore to convince herself to stay because of homesickness for her. She admits that she wasn’t mentally prepared to miss home this time.
27 days left: She makes an offering to the ancestors and says a short prayer. Later, she checks her mussel farm and looks for more mussels. She expects six pots of mussels, and Only he informs us that he is burning 300 calories an hour while digging them up.
She is excited to find two sea urchins and plans to have a midday feast.
A short time later, he has harvested four pots of mussels and three incredibly delicious sea urchins. She shows the five roe lengths of a hedgehog, and Only tells us that it is actually showing the unit of the sea urchin that produces the spawn. It has a creamy consistency and he eats it raw before going back to work harvesting more mussels.
She finds what she calls the sea urchin jackpot and is excited that it is a major source of fat. This is a real moral boost.
26 days left: Woniya points out that the landscape is changing and it’s getting much colder. There are no tracks near the camp, so he plans to search for tracks closer to his traps.
It will be more difficult to get firewood and other supplies, but it will be easier to follow the trail with the snow. He is also thinking of his fellow survivors and wishing them well. He assumes that Mark has a bear and hopes that Callie has a porcupine.
He reaches his last trap and discovers that he has caught a rabbit. It’s the second one this season and she’s super excited. She is part white and part brown, so she was in the middle of shedding.
Woniya wishes that everyone could experience what it feels like to get food after going without it for a while. She feels like an incredible gift.
That night she cooks her rabbit and is ready for a big feast. She is going to eat three sea urchins, some mussels and her rabbit.
Woniya confesses that she didn’t feel like she deserved to be a winner on her first outing. Since then, she has worked to change her mental state and get rid of that nagging feeling of self-doubt. This time she believes that she is worthy.
Michelle Finn, 47, Maine – Season 8, survived 21 days
29 days left – 21 days is a big milestone for Michelle because she retired after 21 days in season eight. She has lost 14 pounds, but she doesn’t think this weight loss compares to what she did in Only season eight (He had lost 21 pounds at this point in season eight and was only 98 pounds.)
Michelle isn’t sure she can survive the remaining days, but hopes she can if she gets more of her traps.
She sets off with her bow to check her traps. As she walks, she thinks of the people who have inspired her: her grandmothers. She sees a grouse and shoots. Michelle hits it and is glad that she heard several birds, which means there are more to hunt in her area.
He takes it back to his camp and cleans it up to make a stew. She shows off his pants, noting that they still fit him well. Michelle confesses that she has always had problems with not feeling good enough and that she suffered from anorexia because of it. Fortunately, she is now in a good place, mentally. Going into the woods and healing with nature really helped.
She spots a jay while cooking, takes a drink and fails.
26 days to go: Michelle decided to carve a chess set to fill her free time at night. She hopes that her fellow survivors are comfortable, enjoying the fire and eating something delicious. She also hopes that they are safe and having the time of their lives.
She shows off a teddy bear she carved and hopes to be an inspiration to others. “Representation does matter,” says Michelle. Women are not necessarily encouraged in this community, but these opportunities should be open to all.
“We need more people from all backgrounds, from all different interests, and from all different abilities to break down some of those barriers,” Michelle says, adding, “The more voices there are, the better.”
She carves four bears: two kings and two queens.