Returning: Alone Australia

Season 2 of hit survival series Alone Australia premieres on SBS in late March.

This time, 10 Australian survivalists will be dropped into the extreme and wild terrain of New Zealand’s South Island (Aotearoa’s Te Waipounamu), where they face the ultimate test of human will.

Participants are again completely isolated from the world and each other, stripped of modern possessions, contact and comforts, left to self-document their experience.

The last one standing at the end of 10 episodes wins $250,000 courtesy of SBS sponsors.

SBS Head of Unscripted Joseph Maxwell said: “Alone Australia became the breakout TV hit of 2023 and most successful original show in SBS history. The series is unique. It’s real, unfiltered and authentic and this struck a chord with viewers. We’re so thrilled to premiere a second season in which the stakes are raised even higher and for Australia to get to know and love our new cast.”

ITV Studios Australia’s Chief Content Officer, Beth Hart, said: “The success of Alone Australia has been extraordinary. Australian audiences have completely resonated with this very human survival experience, amplified by the sheer isolation and unknown wilderness. This year we have upped the ante. ITV Studios Australia is truly excited for season two to be unveiled, as this year’s participants face the fiercest challenge yet in the breathtaking but brutal South Island of New Zealand. The nail-biting stories, ten new survivalists and extreme conditions will not disappoint!”

Challenged by the merciless forces of nature, hunger, and perhaps the toughest challenge of all: loneliness, who will survive the longest?

Dehydration, starvation, relentless rain, snow, freezing subantarctic fronts, Roaring Forties winds and the always imminent threat of tree avalanches, earthquakes, and landslides. These are just some of the hurdles they face in their mission to outlast everyone else.

With no camera crews or help from the production team, they must fend for themselves, sourcing food, water, shelter, and warmth using only their wits, 10 carefully selected survival items, and the natural resources at hand. And for the first time on Alone Australia, participants are permitted to hunt with bow and arrow. With wild pig, possum, tahr and red deer for the take, this raises the stakes and the intensity in their quest for sustenance and survival.

Unable to contact other participants and unaware of who remains in the competition, the 10 must battle their own emotional, psychological, and physical limits. Self-documenting their struggles, triumphs, and daily survival, this is the ultimate test of endurance, with only three ways to exit – voluntary tap out, medical extraction or as the winner.

This season, delve deeper into each episode with SBS Audio’s companion podcast Alone Australia: The Podcast – hosted by Alone Australia Season 1 winner Gina Chick and SBS Presenter and Alone superfan Darren Mara. Listen in weekly from Friday 29 March as they debrief each episode. They’ll unpick every success, mistake, near-miss, and lesson learnt with special guests including S2 cast, S1 alumni, series creators and well-known fans of the show. Catch the podcast on SBS On Demand, SBS Australia on YouTube, the SBS Audio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

It will also be available with subtitles in five languages: Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Traditional Chinese and Korean, and with audio description for blind or vision-impaired audiences.

Hosted by Alone Australia Season 1 winner Gina Chick and SBS Presenter Darren Mara, Alone Australia: The Podcast launches Friday 29 March. Catch the podcast weekly on SBS On Demand, SBS Australia on YouTube, the SBS Audio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Wednesday 27 March at 7.30pm on SBS.