In 2023, Netflix saw a long list of hit series, which easily drew in viewers and left them craving more. Right at the top were reality TV shows, captivating the audiences’ attention by inviting them to root for specific contestants and fully engage with what they are put through. Dating or makeover shows, what is clear is that competitions of any kind tickle the viewers’ brains and can lead to a serious obsession. Because of this, the survival competition, Outlast, would have had a great foundation to become one of the best TV shows on Netflix, but instead, it apparently was oblivious to the dark and twisted corners of the human mind, sending it straight into the abyss.
Despite justified backlash and the disbelief that the show would be continued, the survival show has now returned for a second season. While the assumption that it would turn into the same mess as Season 1 was anything but far-fetched, the release of Outlast Season 2 shocked audiences with an unexpected approach. Without further ado, let’s dive into the thicket of the questionable Netflix show.
Outlast Is Netflix’s Newest Survival Show
Outlast is a survival show that sends 16 contestants into the wilderness of Alaska, where they have the chance to participate in the competition and win a prize of $1 million. As hinted in the title of the show, the premise is that the contestants have to try and survive with barely any tools and outlast the rest of the participants. There are many shows and movies about survival, but this show can be considered unique compared to others, and it has something to do with its rules. This word could be regarded as foreign to the show because, fundamentally, Outlast doesn’t have any rules.
There is no structure or end date to which the contestants can cling. The only guideline they have to follow if they want to win the money is that there can be only one winning team, and to take the prize home, you have to be a part of a team in general. If someone gets kicked out of their group or decides to leave them, that contestant either has to find a new team or else they will be eliminated.
Outlast Season 1 Faced Massive Backlash
The premise of Outlast would have been promising, as the requirement of creating teams instead of being left to fight alone offered an intriguing foundation to see which contestant takes on a certain role or task and, above all, how the intense setting of fighting for survival triggers certain aspects of human behavior. And it certainly triggered something.
Instead of highlighting the difficulties and the highs of working together in a team setting, Season 1 of Outlast suddenly turned into its own remake of The Hunger Games. No, Katniss Everdeen didn’t suddenly fall from the sky and let some arrows fly through the air, but the contestants made sure that the menacing atmosphere of the movie’s arena was brought straight to the forests of Alaska.
Don’t be fooled by the premise because the number one priority wasn’t to figure out how to use and appreciate nature and offer interesting insights into survival skills. It certainly would have been nice, but unfortunately, the contestants’ number one priority was to unleash their wrath on each other. Raiding the camps and stealing gear led to the conclusion that they took the “no-rule rule” seriously.
As if the fundamental mean-spirited atmosphere and constant altercations weren’t upsetting enough, those contestants who opted for the most evil methods to prevail were the ones who were shown the most. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that viewers weren’t having it. While they expected a show that could potentially teach them a thing or two about survival, they were left with unnecessary warfare and nasty sabotage, wiping out even the tiniest desire for the show’s continuation.
Outlast Season 2 Takes a Drastically Different Approach
Despite completely missing the mark with its first season, somehow, either by the grace of the universe or maybe by actually admitting that human behavior is more complex than previously thought, Season 2 of Outlast was recently released on Netflix. The ground rule is the same: 16 survivalists have to split into groups of four, and the last team standing will receive a $1 million prize.
The season naturally kicked off by choosing the teams, which unfortunately qualifies as one of the cringe-worthiest moments in history. One by one, the members are picked as though they are back in school waiting to join a team for Dodgeball, and when it comes down to the last two, the disappointment and awkwardness between the contestants is impossible to deny. Apart from this massive trigger of embarrassing memories, the beginning of the show seemed to go rather well as the teams split and started their fight for survival.
After settling down, Outlast Season 2 almost fell back into old habits when one of the contestants, in true Season 1 fashion, just barged into another team’s camp and confiscated (some would maybe rather call it stealing) some of their equipment. It truly was a reminder of how messed up the Outlast opening season was before. However, a few months and a couple of societal rules later, Outlast did a complete 180.
Against the contestant’s belief, and especially against the audience’s belief, the decision to steal caused some detrimental repercussions. Completely unexpected, the other team members returned the stolen goods and collectively voted their teammate out. It is difficult to say who was more shocked by those consequences, the contestant or the audience, since it is the opposite of what happened in Season 1. This new season is a breath of fresh air, as it focuses much more on the contestants and their personal struggles instead of letting them start a war. This time around, the Netflix show doesn’t put the team members into the role of the antagonist but finally lets nature itself step into this role, allowing the use of survival skills to take center stage.
Ultimately, Outlast is a rollercoaster through the lows and highs of human interaction. Even though it wasn’t planned, the survival show has turned into an educational show, which showcases the insanely wicked places humans dare to go to when their survival instinct kicks in, but it also finally focuses on what the technical side of getting by in the wilderness looks like. Outlast is streaming on Netflix.
