the history channel Only season nine episode two concentrates on the four survivors who did not appear in the season premiere. The first episode showed events from days one to four, while “Aftermath” stretches the timeline to day 15.
Broadcast on June 2, 2022, episode two includes the first hint of the season.
Tidbits thrown in over the course of the second episode include that an average of 30 inches of rain hits the east coast of Labrador each year and it rains an average of 108 days. Participants will need to be careful of giardia (a parasite) in the water and lack of hydration can cause dizziness. And, each participant is allowed up to nine arrows and regulations allow fishing to be done with just one fly rod or dip net.
On Day 1, Teimojin Tan, 31, from Quebec City, CAN, explains that he is committed to doing less work while achieving his goal of finding a good place to shelter. He has a background in primitive survival techniques and served six years in the Canadian Armed Forces. Teimojin believes that his medical training gives her an advantage over his competition.
As a doctor, you need to make well thought out decisions. That should help you survive in these inhospitable conditions.
Day 7: Teimojin continues to work on his shelter. His daily task is to dig a fire pit at least a foot deep. He explains that sleeping up high with a low fire pit keeps a shelter warmer, and with the temperature dropping it’s critical that he finish this project. He has designed the well so that there is a chimney in the ground and will use river clay to fortify it.
If he wins, he’ll use the $500,000 to pay off his student loans and renovate his mom’s house. Teimojin does not have a goal in mind for how many days he can last in the desert.
AK resident Homer Terry Burns (age 30) describes the Only experience as “living life amplified”. On day 2, Terry sees a common seal. He is happy to see him, but he is surprised that he has made it all the way to Labrador.
His experience as a commercial fisherman in Alaska has made him strong. Terry loves going on backpacking adventures on his own, but he’s never broken the 30-day mark on his own.
You have set up a simple shelter using your tarp as a temporary cover. Terry collected tinder for a fire but unfortunately left it outside so it’s all wet. He heads out to look for dry wood, but fails to find any before the rain falls. The few he finds are not enough to keep a flame burning and he is forced to spend the night without a fire.
Day 6: Terry is much better than day two and his fire roars as he drinks freshly boiled water. He hasn’t built a permanent shelter yet and gets to work building a simple A-frame cabin. He admits he’s not a shelter builder, but he’ll enjoy working with his hands in the middle of nowhere.
He used to work exhausting hours and lived with little to no sleep until he was involved in a 17-vehicle crash in September 2011. Terry was hit head-on, yet escaped uninjured. That changed the focus of his life.
Terry’s vast fishing experience gives him confidence that he can catch something from the nearby river. He hooks a strong fish and holds out for quite a while before he finally catches it. She is a beautiful brook trout that he plans to eat for dinner.
Our first look at Tom Garstang, a 35-year-old from Earlysville, VA, is on day 3. He’s tired of blackberries and sets out to locate the game. Tom lives on a 325-acre farm and runs a prescribed fire program. He calls himself a “creative” person and was born in South Africa. He spent summers in the bush with his father (a conservationist) and learned to be a patient/observant hunter by watching animals.
He is an expert in hunting and has a girlfriend at home who will be greatly missed.
Tom’s first attempt to kill a squirrel with a bow and arrow is successful. He apologizes to the squirrel and takes him away to make squirrel stew. Tom watches for predators as he eats due to the change in wind.
We circle back to Tom on the 8th and he is busy making flies. He cuts off some of his green hair that he specifically dyed earlier. Only so it would have bright colors to attract fish to their flies. (I think he is the first contestant to have done this in Only story.) She has also dyed some of her hair pink, but that part has faded to almost her normal light brown hair color.
Tom’s collection of fishing gear includes parachute cords, the squirrel tail, his own hair, and hooks. He didn’t grow up with a lot of money and is used to improvising.
Tom heads to the river and catches some trout. “So far, I’m crushing it,” says Tom, proudly showing off his fish.
All 10 competitors are still out in the wild when we catch up with Adam Riley, 36, of Fayetteville, AR on Day 5. He doesn’t like taking selfies and admits he can’t believe he has to film himself while on Only.
Adam has an unusual job; he is one of 100 or more in the US who works as a full-time alpaca shearer. Also, he is a carpenter for a tree house.
Adam is an expert at hunting and fishing, and he spent 90 days alone crossing the ocean on his sailboat. That helped prepare him to spend time alone in Only.
He wants to use the $500,000 prize money to help his family. He left his girlfriend, dog, and family behind to enter because he believes he can win. “It’s going to be tough on my body, but if I can do 10 years of financially worthwhile work in 90 days, I’m willing to push my body to its absolute limits to make that happen for me,” Adam explains.
His shelter is a modified shed with a window and fir branches on the roof to keep out the rain. The side walls of the shelter are made of moss which provides excellent insulation. After finishing the construction, she places a picture of her dog and his girlfriend on top of her bed.
Day 11: Adam’s house looks great and he is ready to roam around for food. He comes across some bear dung and confesses that his dream is to kill a black bear. However, Labrador black bears are quite aggressive and are busy stocking up for the winter. Going after one is not for the faint of heart.
He sees a grouse and shoots, but misses. He is disappointed and is torn between trying again at the risk of losing an arrow. Adam’s second shot also misses and he sets off to find his arrows. He is unsuccessful and now he has lost two of his nine arrows.
Day 12: You’re determined to make a decent fishing rod, hopefully about 7 feet long. While working on the pole, he explains that he was bullied as a child and found solace in the woods. He kept that love of the desert growing up.
Adam laughs as he catches fish, happy about his success with his new rod. He catches 10 small fish and one big fish.
Although he misses his family, the goal of earning the $500,000 and helping his family keeps him going. His elderly parents do not have any retirement income and he would use the money to help them.
On the 10th, Jacques is still busy fishing, proudly holding up his brook trout and calling it “amazing” before giving his future meal a kiss. He kills and cleans her fish right away so she won’t be left in pain.
Jacques did not have a great childhood and threw himself into the outdoors as an escape. His shelter includes a rock fire and he cooks his trout while suggesting that everyone pursue his passions. He loves being a part of Only but he has no idea how long it will last.
The trout is absolutely delicious and he feels like he is killing to survive on his own. However, he admits that he has a strong desire to be with his girlfriend who farts and his puppy who bites. (I’m sure his girlfriend isn’t going to love that description!)
Day 12: Jacques is surprised at how fast he is losing weight. He thought he’d gotten fat for the challenge, but he’s pretty down. (He has lost 10% of his weight.) Jacques cuts more wood and explains that whatever happens, anyone who participates in Only a different person comes out.
He sees a squirrel, shoots and misses it. Shoot again and this time it’s a kill. Jacques apologizes and thanks the dead squirrel for feeding him. He hates killing squirrels and feels sad about his death.
“Usually I don’t have a problem killing things, as long as it’s done respectfully. But right now, it’s really bugging me,” admits Jacques. Maybe if he wasn’t alone, he wouldn’t hit him so hard.
Day 14: Jacques sits up at night and keeps thinking about the squirrel he killed. He feels bad, and believes that at this moment the only relationship he has with the living beings around him is to hurt them. He realized that his best moments are when he is with his girlfriend and his dog. “I don’t know what I’m chasing here,” says Jacques before turning off the camera for the night.
Day 15: Not surprisingly, Jacques becomes the first Only contestant of the ninth season to tap.