On Alone, Women Are Constantly Underestimated: ‘Still Breaking Through Glass Ceilings’

The survival show Alone US has exploded in popularity over the last few years, with the Alone Australia spinoff producing one of the greatest female winners, Gina Chick, in 2023. Chick spent 67 days alone in the Tasmanian wilderness to emerge victorious, but yet, the franchise continues to have more male than female competitors. In fact, Alone US Season 1 featured only 10 male contestants fighting for their survival, with no women to be seen.

Australian Katie Rydge is on Season 12 of Alone US (titled Alone: Africa), and as one of two women trying to stay alive in the Great Karoo desert in South Africa, she admits the 'glass ceiling' — where women are faced with an invisible barrier to advance — is very much still around in the survivalist world. "Women are phenomenal survivalists, and I think that we have a different style and a different approach to survival to what men do. But I also think that gender imbalance, I think that also just speaks to how the survival skills industry and the native connection industry is really dominated by men," Rydge tells Refinery29 Australia. "Women are still breaking through glass ceilings. And it might sound crazy to think that that's even true in the world of survival skills, but I do think that's a thing."

While there may be less women in the survivalist space, Rydge also points out that we could be hearing fewer stories about the female survivalist space because the media doesn't cover it as much. Having representation on Alone is an essential step to champion those thriving in the space.

"Gina [Chick's] a friend of mine... in my world, there are a huge amount of women who do survival skills, who are getting into hunting, who do wilderness, solo immersions, vision quest, all that sort of things. It's just that we have responsibilities — our families and our kids — so it's a bit trickier for women to get out there and leave home and go and do shows," Rydge points out. "I think [having to be resilient] gives women a particular type of edge, I really do think it does... but ultimately, it's always going to be about skills. Women and men and [other] genders would approach survival in their own unique way. But really, if you can't make a fire, you can't make a fire."

Alone has typically chosen cold climates for their survivalists to live in, such as Tasmania and New Zealand's Fiordland for Alone Australia, and Patagonia and the Arctic Circle for Alone US. For the 12th season of Alone US, producers threw a curveball with the hot climate of the South African desert — which may put Rydge ahead of the pack. She hails from Emerald Beach, Gumbaynggirr Country in NSW, and has spent the past 17 years guiding groups to the Yolngu's remote Aboriginal community in North East Arnhem Land.

"Survival in The Karoo in South Africa is like being out back of Mount Isa in Outback Queensland. It's super, super dry. I think it's comparable... I think it gave me a bit of an advantage. But regardless, I think [it's] definitely a tough environment," Rydge says. When she first visited the Yolgnu Tribe, she says she was "adopted" into a family, and has been working with the community ever since, developing skills that have helped her not feel so "alien" to the land. "I think [my background] helped me look into the environment and work out what was possible," she explains. "I think that attitude is the biggest thing, feeling like you aren't an alien. You don't need to be in opposition to the land that you're surviving on. I think that's something a lot of modern-day humans struggle with... I think the work I've done with Indigenous Australians has really helped me to feel like there's a sense of belonging to the wild country that I'm moving on out in South Africa and I think that helped."

Part of the draw to watching a show like Alone is that the competitors put their lives on the line to see how far they can push the human body. While each contestant is given a radio and the ability to "tap out" when it's getting to be too rough, the remote location means it can sometimes take hours for a medic to arrive. In South Africa, there are dangerous predators around — such as baboons, rhinos, and poisonous snakes — plus extreme temperatures, low-quality water, threats of flash floods and more. Rydge confirms contestants are aware of what's at stake, but she was confident she would be able to manage. "That's very genuine, that you're in situations where if you're not careful, you can end up in some sort of a life-threatening situation," she says. "I felt very steady, just because I've done so much, I've done a lot of other shorter survival things, and I've done a lot of time out in very remote communities. I'm wilderness first aid trained, I didn't really feel like I was very worried about having an emergency that I couldn't handle, and they do have a lot of securities [in place]."

Production runs like clockwork and makes sure they are available to be contacted by any contestant 24/7, and Rydge praises the way they handle safety. "They have a really amazing team, first aid team and security team waiting... but it can still take them quite a few hours to get out to us," she adds.

To prepare for Alone US, Rydge put on 15 kilos of weight and muscle, and focused heavily on training. "You've also got to be really, really fit by doing a lot of strengthening and working out a lot. I was going to a physio, doing Pilates, [for] mobility... I was anticipating a loss of muscle," she says. "In those couple of months leading into leaving to go to South Africa, it's crazy, there's just so much to get ready in terms of the gear that you need to take, plus all the skills you want to try catch up on and the energy of going to such a big event like that."

Although some of Rydge's competitors have suffered from illnesses in South Africa, such as acute colitis, severe dehydration and depression, she seems to be going from strength to strength. While the contestant remains tight-lipped about how far she gets on Alone: Africa, fingers-crossed her background with the Yolgnu Tribe helps her join Chick on the winner's podium.