Alaska: The Last Frontier

However cornball it might sound... I like programs like "Alaska -- the Last Frontier", with intelligent people behaving sensibly.

I should point out that these people /do not/ lead a "subsistence" lifestyle, which would require that they make everything they need. They have access to power tools (some of them Very Large) and store-bought supplies in an emergency. Still, it's sobering to see people who spend most of their time doing the work needed to support themselves, rather than in vain pursuits.

Otto is the unintentional star. He's extremely intelligent and has an ironic, self-deprecating sense of humor. (The sequence in which he blows up a stump and brags about it is classic.) The show would be merely "good" without him.

As for the "excessive" killing... If you're not a vegetarian, you have no right to complain. The domestic animals have led uncaged lives, and are killed humanely. (I loved it when Otto had his son kill a favorite cow that wouldn't have made it through the Winter. Instead of the animal dying on its side, it ends up on its back, with its legs angled in "dead cockroach" position.)

I'm 66 years old and have heard theme songs for scores of TV shows. "Alaska -- the Last Frontier" has absolutely the worst. The lyrics and melody are either consciously cornball C&W -- or the writers are idiots. They've got to be kidding... (It seems he song was written and sung by Atz Lee! My condemnation nevertheless stands.)

"Sometimes it's blood, sweat, and tears On Alaska, the last frontier. But life is simple, life is good, When you're livin' like you should. Hey! Hey! Sometimes it's struggle 'n strife Fathers, sons, brothers, wifes. But we're makin' our way, And yes, we'll stay Right here! On Alaska, the last frontier!"

How about "Life is simple, life is good, when you've got takeout Chinese food." Well, it is, isn't 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 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.

Go to google earth and look up Kilcher road, Homer. Ak. You can then spot their houses. There is even a Kilcher tour on trip adviser They are less than an hour away from a safeway and Homer, Ak. a popular tourist town. They are rural, yes, but not at all cut off from the outside world. Maybe the grandfather was a pioneer but these people are not Their neighbors post this about them all the time if you bother to go look. I think that Life below Zero shows people who are really out on the edge. I first saw Sue Akins on Sarah Palins Alaska. Sha was introduced there as having The farthest out hunting camp of all and upper class alaskans knew about the place It was actually Sarah Palin who started the whole Alaske reality show craze. She was out to publicize Alaska and she did it. The Tanina river and the Brooks range are also pretty far out places so that show is more interesting. it all comes down to asking if you can put yourself it their place. Do you see yourself surviving independently out in the Alaskan wilderness? Good. Then you are hooked. I think i will limit it to taking a cruise to Alaska.

The first 2-3 seasons were pretty good when they were airing original footage . The producers spend MUCH too much time showing and reshowing and reshowing footage that aired on previous episodes . I'm now on season 4 episode 6 and there has barely been any original footage in all these 6 episodes. I keep fast forwarding hoping for something new .

The cast is great ! It's educational and interesting . The only problem is the producer airing the same footage over and over , ESPECIALLY in this season . I'd like to know if this is how it's going to be in all future seasons . I guess I'll just keep watching and fast forwarding .