Sam Larson, the winner of season 5 of the show Alone, had an unforgettable experience when he was announced he was the only person who had not tapped out from the show.
On day 60 of the show, his wife, Sydney, became the person to tell him he was the winner. Now, imagine the adrenaline rush he got when the person he loved the most just said he’d won the thing he’d always longed for.
Day 60 Surprise: Wife Reunited with $500k Prize-Winning Survivor!
Unexpectedly on day 60 of surviving, Larson’s wife showed up in the camp. Then she told him that he was the last person standing and the winner of the $500k prize.
Just an incredible moment for him, as he reunited with his wife after sixty days and claimed the prize money.
That was not the only highlight of Sam’s day, as he also made history. Larson, who was just 24 years old then, became the youngest winner of the most difficult and challenging History Channel show, Alone, defeating other contestants.
He successfully survived sixty days in the Khentii Mountains of Mongolia in the cold temperature eating grasshoppers, snails, leeches, mice, voles, and many more.
There, he hadn’t anticipated that a vast territory of dangerous Siberian pit vipers would reside in the mountains.
Furthermore, firewood was the most challenging part for him. The area where he had dropped had limited hardwoods. So, he was limited to primary willow, which burnt extremely fast.
Five weeks later, he had to trek up to a quarter mile from his shelter to get enough firewood and warm up. As a result, he was in the woods for over eight weeks.
At the time, he ate grasshoppers, minnows, snails, leeches, mice, voles, and small birds. He took the challenge to sixty days.
Despite all these difficulties, he managed to be the last person standing and took home the prize money.
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Sam’s Wife Was Pregnant with Their First Child during His First Stint of the Show
Season 5 was the second stint of Sam on the show. He had previously gone to season 1 of the show, and at that time, he was 22.
One day when he was carving a canoe paddle in his apartment garage, he got a call from a casting assistant.
She told him that she had read one of his blog articles and wondered if he was interested in auditioning for the show. She revealed the idea of the show to him and even told him about their challenge.
Their challenge was staying in the wilderness for as long as possible. There was no camera crew, so the participants would film their entire experience.
She also added that the last person standing after the others had “tapped out” via satellite would win the prize money worth $500K.
So, after being selected from a group of several thousand, he began his journey in British Columbia during the brutal winter.
After lasting over seven weeks, Sam decided to tap out. At that time, his wife was pregnant with their first child. So, he tapped out to be with his wife.
Surprisingly, despite leaving the show early, he finished second. He revealed on his website that the experience he gained there was quite the “gut check,” but it showed him that he had become comfortable living in the wilderness.
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Sam Larson Married Sydney When He Was Just 20 Years Old
Sam Larson posted a picture of him and his son on Instagram when he turned 30. “I got my first ‘call’ to try out for ALONE when I was 21,” he penned in the caption.
He said that he got married at the age of 20. Then, Sydney was pregnant when he went to the survival show.
The reality TV star decided to return home to be with his pregnant wife from the show. Larson welcomed his first child, Alaska Larson, at the age of 22.
Larson has a son and two daughters. After their son, they welcomed their second child Everest Larson in 2017. Then, the couple welcomed their third child, Wren Larson, on October 2, 2020.
In 2021, his son, Alaska, was diagnosed with a rare and terminal neurological disease called Batten Disease. Then, it was confirmed that Everest also had the disease.
The family has started a GoFundMe page in order to collect funds for the treatment needs, as one trip to see the doctors at a hospital specializing in the said disease cost between $2,000 to $5,000.
