‘Alone’ Season 10 Episode 3: Why [Spoiler] Tapped Out

And then there were eight. The number of survivalists fighting for their chance at $500,000 on season 10 of History Channel’s reality series Alone shrunk by two in the June 22 episode. “Growing Pains” saw the first tap outs of the season, and the people who chose to go home may not have been who viewers expected. 

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Alone Season 10 Episode 2.] 

‘Alone’ Season 10 contestant Lee Ray DeWilde taps out 

The Alone Season 10 contestants have been on their own in the Canadian wilderness for 10 days when episode 3 begins, and the reality of their situation is beginning to sink in. Already, several have experienced serious setbacks, including Cade Cole, who lost all his arrows, putting the hunter from Wyoming at a major disadvantage, and Mikey Helton, who was suffering from a nasty bout of food poisoning at the end of episode 2. But surprisingly, neither Cade nor Mikey taps out in this episode. 

Instead, the first person to go home on this season of Alone is Lee Ray DeWilde, a 50-year-old pilot from Huslia, Alaska. Lee grew up living off the land in a remote part of Alaska, which seemed to put him in a good position to go far in the competition. And he had early success crafting a net, fishing pole, and raft, which helped him catch multiple fish early on. But he hasn’t consistently been able to catch enough fish to make up the calories he’s burning as builds the cabin he hopes will be his permanent shelter on the shores of Reindeer Lake in Saskatchewan. 

“While working on the shelter, I haven’t had much food,” he says on day 17. “How long can I stay out here only eating vegetation?” 

The answer? Not much longer. By day 18, he’s fading fast. 

“I can’t do the starvation thing … I’ve worked as hard as I’ve ever worked, with no food, and my body is just, I don’t have the reserves,” he says as he tries to sleep in his now-finished cabin. 

In hindsight, Lee wishes he’d spent less time building his cabin, which took a ton of energy. But at this point, he’s not going to punish his body further. After another failed attempt at fishing, he decides to tap out. 

Even though he’s going home earlier than he would have liked, Lee says he’s learned a lot about himself and his own shortcomings through his time on Alone.

“This experience has taught me so much,” he says as he leaves his camp. “And I feel I still have more work to do.”  

Ann Rosenquist also decides to go home 

Lee isn’t the only Alone contestant who decides it’s time to go home in this episode. Ann Rosenquist, a 56-year-old off-the-grid organic farmer from Wisconsin, also taps out. 

Like Lee, Ann has been struggling to get enough food to eat. Though she kills a grouse in this episode, she’s mostly been surviving off of berries and other plants. Unfortunately, she’s not getting enough calories. Ann makes a last-ditch attempt to attract a moose. If she could shoot such a big animal, she’d have enough food to sustain her for a while. But the hunting doesn’t pan out, in part because she’s already weak from hunger. 

“I’ve never felt like this ever in my life. It seems like I can’t do anything,” she says. “It’s kind of disturbing.”

On day 18, she decides it’s time to go home. But she’s not happy about it. 

“It’s a very hard decision,” she says as she waits for the boat to arrive. “And it feels like it’s too early. I don’t want to go. I really like it here. But I think it’s a huge accomplishment to even be where I’m at. I can’t believe I’m here. It’s a gift.”

New episodes of Alone air Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on History Channel. 

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