An Alone Australia contestant suffered a medical emergency in the New Zealand desert during the launch of the second season of the brutal reality series.
In the grueling show, 10 survivors are dumped in the wilderness of New Zealand’s South Island, where they must survive their competition for a chance to win $250,000.
The show has been billed as the most brutal and authentic reality show in history, as the contestants are left alone in the wild and must film themselves.
And their second series got off to a very tense start on Wednesday when a competitor suffered a shocking medical emergency.
Mike, the 60-year-old resilience coach from New South Wales, who is the oldest in the cast, began experiencing chest pains while trying to light a fire for the night.
Alone Australia contestant Mike (pictured) suffered a medical emergency in the New Zealand desert during the launch show for the brutal reality series’ second season.
The second series of the show got off to a very tense start on Wednesday when resilience coach Mike, 60, from New South Wales, suffered a medical emergency when he gasped while starting a fire.
The former Waratahs player and rugby coach began huffing and puffing as he tried to light the wood in his campfire.
He commented on how quickly the ambient temperature of the South Island lakeside forest was falling as he became accustomed to living in the wild climate.
Mike then began sputtering and coughing before struggling to stay upright between two trees in a disturbing moment.
Later that night, Mike was in such agony that he used the emergency satellite phone to call the show’s medical team, who rushed across the lake to his aid.
The first episode, which aired on SBS, ended on a cliffhanger with the medical team racing to get to Mike as it remains to be seen if he will continue in the competition.
Elsewhere in the episode, the other survivors attempted to orient themselves in their new surroundings while scattered throughout the New Zealand wilderness.
Mike began to sputter before struggling to stay upright between two trees. Later that night, he used the emergency satellite phone to call the show’s medical team.
In the grueling show, 10 survivors are dumped in the wilderness of New Zealand’s South Island, where they must survive their competition for a chance to win $250,000.
Leanne, 41, a Barkandji woman from Mildura, found the wetness of the landscape very different to the dry red earth of her own country as she adapted to the climates.
Vegetarian Tamika, 51, also speculated on how long she could last in the wild while still staying true to her “plant-based” ethic.
He admitted that it might be necessary to eat meat, but said he would prefer not to kill an animal that raises its young and would prefer to start by eating fish.
The other survivors who spent their first night in the wild also included personal trainer Andreas, 42, and Defense Forces engineer Chace, 27.
They were joined by game hunter Jack, 55, youth worker Jason, 36, fish farmer Krzyasztof, 39, and former SAS soldier Rick, 59, who decided to take a dip in the icy water of the lake after his first night alone.
Elsewhere in the episode, the other survivors attempted to orient themselves in their new surroundings while scattered throughout the New Zealand wilderness.
Vegetarian Tamika (pictured), 51, speculated about how long she could last in the wild while staying true to her ‘plant-based’ ethic as she struggled with the idea of killing animals.
In the grueling show, 10 survivors are dumped in the wilderness of New Zealand’s South Island, where they must survive their competition for a chance to win $250,000.
The first season of Alone Australia made headlines last year after becoming SBS’s most-watched original series.
Based on an American format, the Australian version, whose first season was filmed in Tasmania, garnered more than a million viewers in half of its 11 episodes.
In the season one finale, Gina Chick was crowned the series winner after braving the elements to survive in the grueling wilderness for 67 days.
Only Australia is currently available to stream exclusively on SBS on Demand.