With no running water, electricity, or the typical resources that might be found in a common home, the Alaskan Bush People are the epitome of hard living. One of the more unique shows on the Discovery channel, Alaskan Bush People has quickly gained popularity over the last few years as a reality television show. Centered on a husband and wife who married early, moved often, and decided to settle down and have kids, they sound like a normal couple. However, this is far from the truth. After deciding that Alaskan wilderness was the place for them to truly become free by living off the land, they moved to the distant state for good in order to become completely self-sufficient.

While capturing viewers with ways of life that are anything but ordinary, the nine members of the Brown Family live fully off the grid. Sophomore Whitney Moran, when asked what she thought of the show, said “their duck hunting was interesting, if not a bit odd, and it’s also strange that they don’t use any money with their lifestyle.” This is further proof to audiences that their lives are full of intriguing behaviors. Billy Brown and his wife Ami have seven children— two girls and five boys— and they all inhabit a one-room cabin deep in the Alaskan “bush.” They often do not have any contact with outsiders for weeks or months at a time. They live as a “wolf pack,” are very supportive of one another, as well as loyal and loving. The bond their family has is unlike many others. When you are forced to work together and rely on one another to survive, I suppose it brings family bonding to a whole new level.

Solving problems is their specialty. They do so by working hard and working well. Surviving in the wilderness is not something that anyone can do. The Browns “hunt, fish, and trap” often to help provide for their family and truly take advantage of their environment. When explaining their prime motivation for living in the solitude of wilderness, Billy Brown stated, “We explore, we wander, we live. If you think about it, it’s like the life we [as humans] were meant for.” With this in mind, the ways this family gets by day-to-day are a prime example of the resilience of humans and the potential for home in the heart of the woods.

When they do go into town, they utilize one of their most important skills, bartering. Because bartering is usually difficult, compromise does happen at times, but agreeing on a price with locals for a service or product can be hard. Offering anything from his boys’ helping hands to payment by fish, the Browns have covered many costs by using almost anything but actual money. Creativity also comes to mind when describing them and their bartering skills. Additionally, it must have taken true innovation, with a bit of a hard work and ingenuity to create the cabin they live in today, which is not only structurally sound, but also insulated, providing protection against weather in the cold of Alaska.

Mr. Gorr, a history teacher at AAHS, described his own opinion about the show. He said, “The show is interesting for sure, but I don’t always think that it’s reality necessarily. To have substance to any reality show, there has to be some form of ‘drama’ or problems. I like the fact that Alaskan Bush People is similar to the show Survivor and that it is family-oriented, but at the end of the day, reality TV is going to be reality TV— intriguing, but perhaps not always based on truth.” With a different perspective, Senior Peyton Haifley stated, “I find the show inspirational and touching. Not everyone can do what they do and still be as strong a family as they are. They are truly amazing.”

In any case, the show will continue to draw in haters, fans, and those in between as people remain perplexed by the lives of the Brown family and their “stakes of survival” by choice. Essentially, they all have the same desire for success with survival, but in the end, they each possess their own quirky personalities and abilities that all contribute to progress. Life with any family is all the more loving and supportive when there is an acceptance of differences and a discussion about the benefits and problem-solving skills that result from these distinctions.

Citations:

“About Alaskan Bush People.” Discovery Channel. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

Crafts, Barbie. “The Brown Family from ‘Alaskan Bush People’ Catapults to Celebrity Status.” AXS. European Safe Harbor, 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.

Hawks, Asa. “Is Alaskan Bush People Fake?” Starcasm.net. N.p., 03 July 2015. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.

Kim, Jiilo. “Alaskan Bush People Plot Summary.” IMDb.com. Amazon, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.