Alaska: The Last Frontier

Love parts of the show but the alpha-male driven Atz (who drives the show's direction) is an egomaniac. His insistence on promoting his self-centered son, Atz Lee - who spent half his life away but came back to be on the show (and is a moron) weakens the production. Add his wife Jane and I sometimes change the channel. Read their history and watch the first few years when Atz Lee arrived and see the 'transformation' folks. Many of the rest of the family are wonderful. Otto and his clan are great, unpretentious, and intelligent. Eiven and Eve are salt of the earth and just a joy to watch and listen to... solid people. Charlotte is a sweetie. Bonnie (Atz's wife) is a sweetie and it is obvious she just watches the two alpha's and keeps quiet. Ironically Atz Lee's brother (Nikos and Shane) appear well rounded, intelligent and down to earth... suggest they feature them and cut the stupid son...

I actually watch this show because I am entertained by it and the family characters are amusing.

But, let's face it, the show is contrived and staged.

Every week, we are treated to the next "Gotta get this done before winter" emergency fulfilled with an old "insert recycled item here" Example: Using an old semi flatbed to make a cow feeding station. After using a 100K bulldozer to move the bed, we will use commercial lumber that mysteriously appears to make the paddocks. Along with acetylene torches and various other power tools. Where do they get the tanks of acetylene? I guess they take the family barge to town?! But wait, why didn't they just BUY a feeding station? After all, they are multi-millionaires?

I read the other reviews for this show and almost laugh. I love this show. Its a way of life that has been lost.

We get everything we want from Walmart or some other big box store. The truth is, if the lights went out tomorrow, 95% of Americans wouldn't make it a few months much less survive. I'm speaking for myself also. Its almost comical that people think its a "killing" show. Where do they think Walmart and Kroger get meat? The Kilcher's are incredibly humane and do NONE of the inhumane things that are done on Beef and Chicken farms. Oh yeah, I've never killed an animal before much less gone hunting, so I'm no redneck justifying their killing. People lose touch with the reality of provision in today's first world society.

This is a fantastic show, it is clean, and there are always people helping and giving to others whether friends or neighbors. No one's ever battling it out or gossiping about their closest loved ones. There is some language, but its always bleeped and mostly in tense situations. I was even more excited since I watched the first season on Netflix and come to find out there are more!

And about the theme song. Don't know who wrote it, and the words may be dumb, but I like Jewel, and I think it is cool that Atz Lee is singing in it.

How many "cattle drives" and "hunting and fishing for survival" can Discovery milk from this show? I used to love this show due to the family dynamic. I loved the way the relationships between the Kilchers were not always flowery but that human emotions would erupt and then the family would work it out. But now it is just hard to watch the same themes play out every season. I think the biggest put-off for me is the narrating. I dislike the way that moments are made up to be more dramatic than they actually are (e.g., hunting for survival, the flare and how much "danger" the girls were in, the fake predator threats, etc). I do like Eivan's projects. I do like the Christmas gift making and giving. I like the idea of the homesteading lifestyle but don't act like these people don't have cell phones, a grocery store isn't nearby, other people don't live nearby, and please don't think your audience is a bunch of idiots (if you are filming someone, they are not in real danger because there is a cameraman right there with a communication device and don't forget about the rules and regulations about filming safety). Don't Bear Grylls me again Discovery.

I enjoy watching this show sometimes. At other times it drives me crazy. Year after year after year they have problems with their new calves getting mauled or frozen to death. They are penned up in a tiny pen with three feet of mud and cow poop in the spring and 4-5 feet of snow in the winter. These people have A LOT of money. Why in heaven't name don't they BUILD A BARN to put the cows and calves in and keep them safe until spring. It's NOT good for cows to stomp around in a mud pit. Those poor cows! Charlotte goes on and on about how much she loves animals. WHY DON'T YOU BUILD A BARN??? The men spend their time building cabins they aren't going to live in, so they have the time. Geez, if you can't bring yourself to do it for the animals, HIRE SOMEONE!