Alaska: The Last Frontier

Everytime someone says " homestead " take a drink. Every time something endangers their most cherished anything or their precious food supply , take a shot.

Do not mix these up. I think they get paid to say " homestead" three or more times per minute

I actually watch this show because I am entertained by it and the family characters are amusing.

But, let's face it, the show is contrived and staged.

Every week, we are treated to the next "Gotta get this done before winter" emergency fulfilled with an old "insert recycled item here" Example: Using an old semi flatbed to make a cow feeding station. After using a 100K bulldozer to move the bed, we will use commercial lumber that mysteriously appears to make the paddocks. Along with acetylene torches and various other power tools. Where do they get the tanks of acetylene? I guess they take the family barge to town?! But wait, why didn't they just BUY a feeding station? After all, they are multi-millionaires?

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.

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?

Really phenomenal show that documents the life of families surviving in the wilds of Alaska. This is not Sarah Palin's Alaska; this is the real deal and the people involved are intelligent and responsible custodians of the land they inhabit; unlike most of us.

It's great to see people who hunt and gather and display 100% respect for the seriousness of their responsibility. The animal slaughter scenes are rough for some people but they do it without any "sport" whatsoever and with full disclosure of the significance of the killing and the importance of the circle of life. Otto's wife is a long-time vegetarian and she discusses her views on the killings including her understanding of it's necessity. The folks who rated this 1 star because of "the killing" are probably just extremists so please disregard them. I'm no hunter myself, but I am a omnivore and I know where my meat comes from as I do my best to buy only local, non-mass produced meats.

I find it highly hypocritical for anyone to criticize the slaughter portions of this show and then turn around and eat meat from a restaurant or buy some from a grocery store with no connection to the animal's welfare or the process involved to feed them. This show will help you understand what consuming meat really means and the real cost.