I was on a TV show which left me stranded on a deserted island for forty days

We spoke to Alex Apple who was in the running to win a million dollars

Born in Nashville, studied at Texas Christian University, worked in Burlington, Alex Apple is an all-American reporter who is one of the biggest rising stars of our generation.

At age 25, he has been nominated for an Emmy Award, written articles for Politico and Associated Press, was the reporter Bernie Sanders announced his presidential campaign to, and, as of Tuesday night, is the star of MTV’s newest reality show Stranded with a Million Dollars.

According to Alex, Stranded is the survival show for our generation, and its cast is comprised of ten men and women aged 18 to 28. The show is shot completely by drone or handheld video camera, an unexpected twist to the survival game.

With no one there to offer any assistance, these cast members are forced to fend for themselves. Knowing no one when they arrive, the cast collectively finds a box with a million dollars cash inside. If they are able to last all 40 days without giving up, the money is theirs. If they want to buy tarp, flint, or any other possible survival necessity, however, it will come out of the prize money, and each item cost thousands of dollars. Since all decisions are made by a majority vote, tensions rise and resentment grows among Stranded cast mates.

As he travels all over the country to promote Stranded, Alex sat down and spoke with me about the show.

How did you end up on Stranded?

I have always loved Survivor and have spent hours going through cast members’ audition videos on YouTube. I love to see what they do to make themselves stand out. So, one night when I was deep in a YouTube hole, I saw a casting call for “untitled survival adventure show.” Without hesitation, I sent in paragraph and head shot. Low and behold, I landed a preliminary interview and went out to LA. I looked at it as an adventure and unique opportunity, something I wanted to experience while I was young.

How did you prepare yourself to be stuck on an island after you were cast?

I was cast in two weeks or less, so there really was not much time to prepare. I already knew how to start a primitive fire, and that ended up being my “best survival skill.” I tried to read up on other things, but, until you are in a survival scenario, there is no way to learn these skills.

Did you know any other cast members before coming on the show?

No. I did not know my cast mates until we landed on the beach when filming started. We had no prior knowledge of who was going to be on the show or what the rules of the show were going to be.

What was the most surprising rule?

Probably that if you could just last for the whole forty days then you could win the money and/or split the money with anyone else remaining on the beach. There was no voting off system, but it still behooves you to have people go home. It turned into a “Hunger Games style show” where you made alliances when necessary but the end goal was to be alone on the beach on day forty.

Were there any show crew members around at all?

No. I don’t think there has ever been a TV show like this before because it was filmed almost entirely with drones. The moments that were not shot by drones were done with hand held cameras. These cameras were our own video diary, and our entries depended on how often we, as contestants, wanted to put in an entry.

What was your game strategy?

I knew that I had to create an alliance that would be able to control the game. When you have an opportunity to buy everything that comes in,  I knew that I had to be in the majority in order to make decisions. Because this is a new game and the fact that we are all so young, none of us had the whole survival thing figured out unlike someone who had been a Navy seal.

You establish relationships real quick when you are trying to survive with someone. Everyone was going though the same harrowing experience, but, eventually, camp would break into groups that are essentially good versus evil in a lot of ways. You need to work together to enhance your chance of survival, and alliances eventually form over the course of the show. That being said, everyone brought their own perspective of strategy.

What was the hardest challenge you faced?

Approaching starvation for sure. It is much more of a mental test than it is a physical one. Each hour on the show covers four days. You get to see the drama, but we would get incredibly bored. Sometimes that boredom will drive people crazy. You are wet. You are starving. All you have to do is think about how miserable you are and you are done. The mind doesn’t think it can handle what it can. When your mind is occupied, you can push yourself a lot farther.

I was the first one to wake up a lot of the time, and those mornings were when my mind and mood would fluctuate so heavily. Getting past those difficult and trying moments, I found out a lot about my own strength, finding an inner confidence. I would constantly remind myself that the reward at the end of the tunnel was getting to go home and see my family. Just telling myself that it would one day come created a finite, tangible finish line.

From the entire experience, what was the take-away?

People always say “you will appreciate that one day,” and, as a young people, we often do not learn that lesson until until we go through a trying scenario. On the island, I learned to appreciate my own blessings. The benefit of doing the show is how drastically it increased my appreciation for everyday things. I remember when they handed me my phone, I had forgotten how thin it felt in my hand. When I opened my suitcase, I was so happy to see my clothes.

I also really realized how much I cared for my girlfriend, Hannah. I have experienced nothing like those first two weeks after the show. I was so grateful for everything and everyone. It is truly a blessing to have had those moments of realization about things that I had just taken for granted. I hope that that never leaves me.


For more, check out Alex Apple on MTV’s Stranded with a Million Dollars, Tuesdays at 10/9 c.

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