narrator: In the wild, the right skills
can make the difference between life and death.
[fire crackles] - Ahh!
narrator: Now, some of "Alone's" best competitors
are taking on a new mission.
- This is like some "Indiana Jones" type stuff.
narrator: They'll have just three days...
- Oh!
narrator: And limited tools...
- Here's the fun part.
narrator: For a build challenge devised
by one of their own. - Time is ticking.
narrator: At stake for the winner...
- Whoo! narrator: Bragging rights.
- You guys have your work cut out for you.
narrator: Tonight's challengers--Lucas Miller,
39-day survivor from season one...
- I caught a fish! [exclaims]
narrator: Britt Ahart,
35-day survivor from season three
and runner-up from season five...
- Look at that.
One cast. Boom.
narrator: And Callie North,
72-day survivor from season 3.
- ♪ Da da daaa ♪
Oh, yeah.
narrator: Let the challenge begin.
- Not messing around.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Hey, guys.
Amós here from "Alone" season seven.
I was at Great Slave Lake for 58 days.
I think we got fish.
First line on the shift.
Now I have come up with a really cool challenge
for Britt, Callie, and Lucas.
[tapping] - [rolls tongue]
[tense music]
- [gasps] - Hmm.
- Got an envelope.
- It says, "Your challenge is build a bridge."
- That's actually kinda cool.
- I'm no engineer, but I do like a good challenge
that pushes your ingenuity, so I'm excited about that.
- All right, so let's dig in and see what we got for tools.
A saw--makes sense.
Oh, cool. Rope.
Looks strong and sturdy.
Check this out.
It's one of these augers that they have
for drilling holes in things.
And the last tool is...
feels like a blade.
♪ ♪
It is.
[hums theme to "2001: A Space Odyssey"]
♪ ♪
It's a parang.
It's a blade originally from Malaysia.
They're incredibly useful for cutting, chopping.
This is gonna help me a lot with a bridge.
- "To complete this challenge, your build must be
"at least 12 feet in length,
"must use natural materials as cordage,
"and be sturdy enough to cross the bridge five times,
and you may only use the tools in this box."
It's gonna be pretty tough, but I'm definitely up for it.
- So let's pack this stuff up and let's go build a bridge.
- Let's get started.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Challenge is build a bridge,
so I got my partner in tow.
Actually, I guess he's leading the charge.
So I know for certain that I want to create a bridge.
I could carry it on my shoulder,
drag it through the woods.
So I'm thinking something that's light
but really durable.
And my first inclination is to go with bamboo.
And the cool thing I like about the bamboo
is how portable it is.
All right. Let's get in here.
The taller stalks I want are deeper in there,
so I'm gonna push my way through,
start cutting some down.
There's one.
♪ ♪
- In Peru, there are villages that weave grasses
to create bridges, and bamboo is a kind of grass
that happens to thrive really well down here in hot Georgia.
So there's a really great precedence
for this kind of bridge.
So I was thinking of something that I could create
that I could lay across this, lash it together,
and have these be, like, my under-supports
and then have my walking portion
actually attached to the top.
♪ ♪
All right. All right.
It's coming along.
So what I wanna do
is I'm gonna be attaching all these pieces
using what's called a marlinspike hitch.
So I'm grabbing the rope here,
spinning it around to a loop,
and then laying it back on itself.
I give myself pretty good chances of winning this.
I know that both Lucas and Callie
have some building skills
but nobody has bamboo, so whatever they have,
it's gonna be cumbersome.
[tense music]
- Now I just have to decide where I wanna build a bridge.
I have a little area where the outflow of the pond is,
and I think that's maybe where I wanna put it.
So the base of it, I wanna have two very tall,
straight pieces of wood that are similar in diameter.
So I have this really small grove of spindly fir trees,
which is perfect for what we are wanting to do.
They basically grow with this very high canopy
'cause they're competing for light.
I feel so lucky to have all these resources.
I literally cannot imagine what Lucas is gonna be using--
[laughs]
To build his bridge down in the desert.
Okay, so I have my two spines,
and basically what I'm gonna do
is create four posts-- two on either side--
and then I'm gonna lay ribs down.
Okay, so let's hammer these bad boys in.
♪ ♪
This is awkward.
Got a log that's halfway under the water.
This is a problem.
The spines of the bridge are too weak
and dipping into the water.
I'm gonna have to rethink my whole plan.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Loba.
I have an idea, and it's called a Leonardo da Vinci bridge.
It's a material-rich bridge using lots of straight logs
that interconnect.
These are all just simple, interlocking
Lincoln-Log-type pieces
that create a support structure unto itself.
These things are so strong
that you could drive cars across them easy,
which is really interesting, because it requires no cordage
and no nails or screws or any sort of pegs.
I'm just going big.
It's possible that this is actually what takes me out,
but I think it's the only thing
that could potentially beat Callie and Britt's creativity
and possibly impress Amós.
♪ ♪
I only need 20 straight oak logs,
7-8 feet long.
This is an incredibly difficult build.
This is a lot of material prep.
It's a lot of cutting.
This is a lot of notches.
This is not easy.
[grunts]
I think I'm doing okay,
but I gotta stay moving.
♪ ♪
- Yesterday, I realized
my bridge couldn't support my weight.
I'm sorry, tree. Your time has come.
So instead of just having two posts
on either side of the water with beams running across,
I'm actually gonna have four more posts in the middle.
And then I'll thread cross beams through them
that the beams of my bridge can rest on,
lifting them out of the water.
So I've never used an auger before,
but no better time than now.
I'm gonna get my gloves.
I'm actually gonna be augering two places,
the top and the middle, because in the top,
a rope is gonna go through them.
Good enough.
Now I'm gonna have to be doing some hammering of my posts,
so I wanted to make a little hammer.
Cool.
♪ ♪
The next step that I'm gonna need to do
is threading these branches through holes
in the bottom of the vertical posts.
They'll add support and lift my bridge beams.
Now the test.
We'll see if this will hold.
♪ ♪
Okay.
Sturdy.
♪ ♪
- Okay.
So it begins. The first pieces.
This is gonna be a long process of figuring it out.
Again, I'm taking on a project that I've never done before.
It's like shooting from the hip.
So it's really important that I stack these logs
in the correct way so that friction and gravity
interconnect them and hold them all together.
So this one goes underneath like so--
in theory.
♪ ♪
Time's ticking, and I'm not done yet.
Okay. This ain't right.
♪ ♪
I've been working on my bridge.
I've been so proud of it,
and I'm building it upside down.
♪ ♪
It should be creating an arch this way
instead of an arch this way.
So I'm gonna have to disassemble it right now.
We got some time, right?
Right. Right.
Right.
♪ ♪
Okay. So you come out.
♪ ♪
- While I was hoping this wasn't going to happen,
I'm looking down here,
and all, like, the really green small pieces
that shriveled up just from the heat
that dried them out and shrunk them.
It's intense in the midday.
But you can see the difference between the ones that stayed
and the ones that shriveled.
So I'm gonna go through here
and replace all the shriveled ones
or all the ones that look like that.
♪ ♪
Wow. [sighs]
It's a lot different when it's up off the ground.
Looks like it's bowing.
♪ ♪
It that gonna support me?
♪ ♪
I don't think it would hold me when I got to the middle.
It might just fold right up on me like a Venus flytrap.
[bamboo cracks]
That's gonna snap. Shoot.
Yeah.
[exhales]
It's trial and error, baby. Trial and error.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- So today is day three of our bridge challenge,
and I need to make a bunch of natural cordage.
That was a part of the task that Amós set out.
♪ ♪
And so I have these really beautiful
nice, long strips of the inner bark of cedar,
and I'm just gonna break them up.
I found it from a fallen tree in the forest,
and it's perfect for making cordage.
I'm gonna take two ends and overhand knot.
Then what I'm gonna do is pinch with my left hand
and with my right hand, I'm gonna twist.
And then grab the lower string with my middle finger and turn.
Twist, turn.
So we're creating a nice rope here.
♪ ♪
Okay, so you can see we have this really nice--
I've made a ton of cordage here.
Super strong.
♪ ♪
I'm gonna use this cordage
to secure the spines of my bridge.
Perfect.
That is so securely in there.
♪ ♪
- So yesterday I was having difficulty with my bridge
because I felt that it was too weak to hold me.
So I'm gonna have to find a solution to that or else,
you know, I'm not gonna win this challenge.
As you can see, I went and got more pieces of bamboo.
I got some really big stuff
that's gonna do a whole lot better
than these flimsy ones under here
that started to buckle
the second I raised it up like--
that's not holding anything.
So these are definitely gonna be able to hold my weight.
♪ ♪
I'm probably gonna give these two pieces a try.
♪ ♪
Yeah.
I like that stability much more.
So the next thing I need to do is create my own cordage
from this yucca plant.
This is my total haul.
I might come back for more, but this is probably
gonna make a good amount of cordage.
♪ ♪
I'm just gonna tie this off so it doesn't unravel.
All right, so the next thing I'm gonna do
is lash my crossing pieces
to my support beams.
I'm feeling pretty good about my chances
of winning this challenge, too, by the way.
With each lashing that I add--
♪ ♪
- It's "make it or break it" day.
I built it upside down the first time.
Let's try this one, see what...
Don't you do it.
♪ ♪
Ow.
♪ ♪
[wood creaks]
Oh, I missed.
♪ ♪
[grunts]
Don't you go anywhere.
♪ ♪
It's fallen down a few times.
I'm learning.
Check out where the joints connect.
Pretty good.
This whole bridge is probably gonna weigh
about 1,000 pounds when it's done.
Why pay membership to a gym
when you could just build your own Leonardo da Vinci bridge?
♪ ♪
Time's ticking, and I'm not done yet.
I've worked so hard and this thing could come
crashing down at any moment.
- So the sun's going down.
I'm gonna use what I have here
because I'm not building the bridge
to come in third place. I wanna win.
- I feel like I've grown so much in this week.
I started out this week never having used an auger.
Now I feel like an auger pro.
[branch cracks] - Okay.
You don't wanna come?
♪ ♪
Yeah.
It's starting to get late.
- I know that both Lucas and Callie
have some building skills, but I don't know.
I'm feeling pretty good. The home stretch.
♪ ♪
- Okay, so we got our cross pieces on,
and I have officially run out of time.
♪ ♪
- I'm calling it.
♪ ♪
- It's judgment day for this challenge.
The challenge is a bridge.
I thought it was going to be an interesting challenge.
I sent them an auger, saw,
a parang machete, and some rope.
The requirements are: it is at least 12 feet long,
use natural cordage,
and be able to walk on it at least five times.
I'm looking forward to seeing
what kind of ideas they come up with.
♪ ♪
- So I got my tape measure measured out...
and the bridge had to be 12 feet.
My bridge measures 12'8".
I'm really proud.
I mean, this thing is portable.
Didn't have to be fixed.
It's not staked into the ground.
All right, so I'm gonna bring this out to this little gully
to test it out.
I don't wanna slam this thing all the way across,
so I'm gonna use some of the natural cordage
that I have so I can kinda lower it down.
Or get caught in a tree.
♪ ♪
[crash, crunch]
Oh, my God.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- I don't wanna slam this thing all the way across,
so I'm gonna use some of that natural cordage that I have
so I can kind of lower it down.
♪ ♪
[crash, crunch]
Oh, my God. [exhales]
Natural cordage.
That's pretty strong, but that's a lot of stress
it's putting over there.
All right, here's the moment of truth.
♪ ♪
I got faith in my build.
♪ ♪
That's two times.
[bamboo snaps] Ooh!
That's an old piece.
♪ ♪
That's three.
I think it's safe to say this thing is pretty good.
♪ ♪
And number five.
There you go.
Pretty confident I can take first with this build.
♪ ♪
- Okay, it's come to the end of the line.
Let's give it a measure.
♪ ♪
16 feet.
So 12 feet is actually way up here,
which I'm really happy about.
I've already shown you how I've used the natural cordage.
So now let's test walking over the bridge five times,
which I know for a fact is gonna be no problem.
[dog squeaks]
Here's once across. Come on.
♪ ♪
Twice across.
Three times across.
Four times across.
And five times across.
I know I have some stiff competition,
but this bridge is sturdy, it's beautiful,
and honestly, you can't beat the view.
♪ ♪
- We got a good-looking bridge on our hands.
What's interesting besides the fact
that it provides good shade for Loba here
is that it uses interlocking logs.
Look at that. No cordage necessary.
Okay, so we're gonna find out how long this bad boy is.
♪ ♪
And it is--
it's close to 19 feet.
Check.
All right, it's time for the first walk across.
I haven't walked across this thing yet.
Okay, the logs are shifting.
I feel like this is like some "Indiana Jones" type stuff.
This is probably the sketchiest part
where it's thinnest, but no problem.
♪ ♪
Easy.
Come on. Come on.
And that was five times.
Good girl.
A truly primitive bridge, made completely out of wood,
no cordage.
A little nod to Leonardo da Vinci.
What do you say, Loba?
[dog panting] I think it's a winner.
♪ ♪
- Well, congratulations, everyone.
A bridge is not an easy thing to do.
I thought they were very creative approaches
to the challenge.
First Britt.
I really enjoyed watching you
do your bridge out of bamboo.
Bamboo is one of the strongest fibers we know,
so I thought that was a really good approach
to the challenge.
But it seemed like you were being careful
walking on the bridge.
And Callie, I really enjoyed watching you
pay attention to detail.
It's aesthetically pleasing.
The structural integrity of the bridge
is very secure.
You were very confident walking on it five times.
You knew it was going to work.
And Lucas, I very much enjoyed
watching you build your da Vinci bridge.
It's a really awesome approach in a survival situation
if you don't have cordage.
But one of the requirements was to use natural cordage.
Your bridge didn't have any,
so even though it's an awesome design,
you didn't stick to the rules.
Callie's and Britt's builds have checked all the boxes.
While Lucas' bridge was ingenious,
he didn't use natural cordage.
So it was a hard decision.
I enjoyed all the builds, but Britt and Callie,
I really think that the winner is...
♪ ♪
Callie.
Your bridge was awesome, very well designed.
It's really beautiful and functional.
I really enjoyed watching you build your bridge,
so your bridge the winner of this challenge.
- I won the bridge challenge.
Oh, my gosh. Ah.
Thank you for recognizing the hard work,
and on to the next challenge.
♪ ♪