As Lin Yu'an struggles against nature and solitude at the Chilco Lakefront,
the noise surrounding the eighth season of "Alone in the Wilderness," far away in the civilized world, has already exploded completely.
It has been over a month since Lin Yu'an set foot on that original wilderness.
The first episode of "Wilderness Solo Living: Grizzly Mountain" finally aired during prime time on the History Channel in the United States, eagerly anticipated by all.
From the start, the familiar opening and the intense and emotional background music got the blood of countless loyal fans of "Alone in the Wilderness" pumping!
Aerial shots swept over the majestic and harsh scenery of Chilco Lake, and then the camera switched to a close-up of a grizzly bear roaring!
The embarrassing figures of contestants struggling to build shelters in torrential rain, and the tense moments of being disturbed by unknown creatures, accompanied by stirring background music, immediately captured the audience's attention.
Afterward, ten contestants, each carrying their own equipment, were dropped one by one by helicopter into this unknown domain called "Grizzly Mountain."
When the camera turned to Lin Yu'an, the young face from the East, many domestic and international audiences cast curious glances.
He is the only Asian contestant this season, and he's a Chinese national.
On the first day after landing, Lin Yu'an didn't rush to set up a temporary overnight shelter but spent a lot of time surveying the surrounding environment.
Through the footage recorded by the camera on his shoulder, the audience saw how he carefully determined the direction, looked for water sources, and initially assessed potential shelter sites.
In the following days, the audience witnessed his seemingly extravagant plan to build a stone house, which seemed a bit over the top to others.
He carried stones of various sizes, used a logging axe to fell some small trees for temporary support and filling materials.
At the same time, the show also alternated by highlighting the early situations of the other nine contestants.
Experienced veteran Ron quickly used waterproof tarpaulins and fallen trees around him to set up a textbook-standard A-frame shelter and successfully started a fire.
Kira, an Inuit female hunter from Alaska, discovered some edible berries on the first day and began setting traps to hunt small game.
However, not everyone had a smooth ride.
A young contestant named Jack, due to overconfidence, chose a seemingly scenic but actually damp and windy spot near the lake to build a shelter.
On the first night, unexpected rain and low temperatures left him in a mess, his shelter nearly flooded, forcing him to relocate overnight, consuming a lot of energy and leaving him somewhat downcast.
Another contestant, a middle-aged woman named Susan, twisted her ankle on the third day while searching for food.
Though the injury wasn't particularly severe, in such an isolated environment, limited mobility was undoubtedly fatal, and the camera recorded her pained expression and confusion about the future.
The harshness of "Alone in the Wilderness" was fully displayed in the first episode.
On the fifth day of the show, due to improperly built shelters, several days of ineffective food sourcing, coupled with fear of loneliness and the unknown.
The young contestant Jack was brought to tears on camera, ultimately pressing the yellow rescue button, becoming the first contestant of the season to quit.
When the helicopter picked him up, his lonely figure left many viewers sighing.
Soon after, on the morning of the seventh day, Susan, with the twisted ankle, found that her injury hadn't improved after two days of struggle and attempts.
Instead, it showed signs of worsening, and she realized that if she continued to persevere, she might face more serious consequences. Ultimately, she reluctantly chose to quit.
At the start of the seventh day, two people had already been eliminated! This result left many viewers marveling at the program's harshness and realism.
In such a scenario, Lin Yu'an's "slow rhythm" and "long-term planning" displayed during the first seven days stood out.
He did not rush to hunt large prey and wasn't anxious about the initial food shortage.
Besides building his stone house, he spent considerable time by the stream trying to make simple fish traps and began to note usable plant resources around him.
Fortunately, the resources around him were relatively abundant, and he successfully discovered North American Jerusalem Artichoke.
Although by the end of the seventh day, his stone house shelter was far from complete, and his food sources weren't stable,
he exhibited an orderly demeanor and a seemingly wilderness-rooted survival philosophy, which began to spark heated discussion among audiences on American networks.
"Honestly, I don't have high hopes for that Chinese kid; it seems like he hasn't sourced much food in the first seven days, and the stone house project is too massive."
"Me too, but his mindset is genuinely steady, not collapsing as quickly as Jack did."
"Ah, two are already eliminated, the competition is intense! This Lin you're discussing surely will quit later too."
"Shut your damn mouths! Lin must be the final champion!"
At the same time, when the first episode of the eighth season of "Alone in the Wilderness" appeared on Bilibili, the domestic audience who loved wilderness survival experienced a frenzy!
Especially when they saw the figure of their compatriot Lin Yu'an, the bullet chats and comment sections were instantly flooded.
[Aaaaaah! (Voice cracking!) Finally a Chinese person participating in Alone in the Wilderness! Lin Yu'an! Go for it!]
[Starting so hardcore? Building a stone house straight away? Not looking for food? What kind of immortal operation is this?]
[Bullet screen protection! Hope Brother An can hold on, don't choose to quit! (Spit, spit, no jinxing!)]
[Is he a Chinese-American or Chinese? Does the moon abroad have to be so round? Has to go abroad.]
[I beg! You must hang in there! Want to see Brother An do some infrastructure building in the wilderness!]
[Am I the only one who noticed Brother An's boiled ginger pieces? How can you eat that!]
[Upstairs... That's a Jerusalem artichoke, also known as ghost ginger, sunroot, although it's called ginger it's not ginger, hey, single rhyme!]
Bilibili's content creators quickly got into action, producing all sorts of interpretation and highlight videos ceaselessly.
Some analyzed Lin Yu'an's shelter location and construction plan, while others provided scientific information about the environment and wildlife around Chilco Lake.
Bilibili was very satisfied with the first episode's viewership and online feedback.
Just seven days of content eliminated two contestants, and this fast-paced start successfully captured the audience's attention.
Moreover, Lin Yu'an's unique starting method also successfully created topics and suspense.
The first episode concluded with Lin Yu'an facing the camera, using charcoal on a self-made bark map, marking and altering.
Planning the subsequent construction steps of the stone house in detail and marking the location of the Jerusalem artichoke.
This ending left countless viewers filled with endless imagination about Lin Yu'an's subsequent actions.
They were eager to know what challenges this young man would face in the perilous Grizzly Mountain in the coming days!
In Austin's apartment, Aliya, accompanied by the nanny Maggie, also watched the premiere of the show at the first opportunity.
When she saw Lin Yu'an on camera, she could no longer hold back her tears!
Seeing him face the solitude of the wilderness alone, and toil hard to find food, her heart ached intensely.
"Maggie, look at him... he's gotten thinner..." Aliya choked as she looked at Lin Yu'an on the screen.
Maggie gently patted her shoulder, comforting her, "Dear, he's a real warrior, he's fighting for you, you should be proud of him."
"I know... I know..."
Aliya wiped her tears, her eyes filled with pride, heartache, and an endless longing.
"He will make it, he promised me he would come back safely with victory!"
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(To all shareholders, the first round of recommendations has been successfully selected! See the picture!)