Channel 4’s Alone asks contestants to survive alone in the Canadian wilderness for as long as possible and the last person standing will be given £100,000. The contestants must source their own food, build their own shelter, and keep their brains occupied.
That is a pretty big challenge to most people (spending 24 hours alone at home would be impossible for me), but it proved to be somewhat easy for winner Tom Williams, who actually wanted to stay longer.
The 40-year-old was a super fan of the American version of the show, which lasts a lot longer – an average of 65 days, which is a lot longer than 35 days it took Tom to win.
‘I was itching the days onto a tree, which I took pleasure in doing, and knew I’d only done 35,’ he explained to Metro.co.uk.
‘It was a real mental shift getting that call to say “Congratulations, you’re leaving in an hour”. It was hard having to leave this world I created.
‘I kind of wanted to push myself further out of my comfort zone and test my limits. I wanted to experience sleep deprivation and extreme hunger to see what I could handle.
‘If I’m being honest, there was never a point where I felt close to quitting. I was really comfortable.’
In fact, it sounds like Tom had a lovely time – he made dice to play solo games, enjoyed recalling random conversations from his childhood, and even had fish stored up for future days.
‘I found myself just with this beautifully clear mind. All I thought about was shelter, water, food, body and nothing else. It was really lovely. You’re living this simple, blissful experience,’ he recalled.
‘That’s exactly how our brain chemistry evolved to live. I think it’s really good for us to experience boredom and not have constant stimulation. I don’t meditate, but I lived in this meditative state out there.
‘I took great joy in simple experiences like fishing. Every time I cast it was like pulling a handle on the slot machine. I remember eating duck, and it was better than any triple Michelin star meal.’
Now he’s back living in busy Lisbon with his wife Eleanor and six-year-old son Ed, things are more hectic once again: ‘I certainly want to slow down.
‘Before I was like this is how happy I can feel, but now I know actually there’s this state of bliss that I experienced out there. It’s possible to feel even happier than I thought. I had some of the highest highs and lowest lows.’
One of the lows came from a shock injury.
‘I was carrying 50 kilos of rocks and my back started hurting,’ he explained.
‘I was just lying there for a couple of hours because it hurt to move.
‘I felt like I’d made a critical mistake. I found some Willow Springs, which is a natural aspirin, and it actually genuinely helped.
‘My health improved in there in some ways. I have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) but it went while I was there, and in the 11 months since I’ve been home I haven’t experienced it.’
One reason Tom signed up was to eliminate a personal point of embarrassment. He runs a travel company, which offers desert island experiences that allow people to pretend they’ve been placed in the middle of nowhere and have to fend for themselves, and customers would often ask how long he’d survived. One day was his answer up until his participation. Now he can brag about his impressive stint.
‘I still don’t feel like I can call myself an adventurer,’ he surprisingly admitted.
‘I have imposter syndrome. It’s something I’ve had all my life, but the experience has helped me have it less. I can say I’m proud of myself. My self-confidence has definitely been boosted.’
Upon exiting, he wasn’t just flung back into the real world with 100k in his pocket instead he was slowly reintegrated into modern life.
‘We were on a strict re-feeding programme. I lost three stone in there but put I’d put on about that much weight before I joined by eating double cream and coconut oil.
‘When you’re back in the real world your senses are so heightened. I remember the hotel room mini fridge felt so loud that I had to unplug it.
‘I couldn’t talk to someone for longer than 10 minutes as it was too exhausting.’
Of course, his family was one thing he did miss but was spurred on by their encouragement.
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Ed told Tom before he left that he should partake in the extreme adventure as ‘because to try is good’.
The words were ringing in his ears throughout the experience, and he even itched them onto a piece of wood as a constant reminder.
He got to return home as the winner and quickly got to work spending his cash prize. He put a deposit down on a Tesla car, but Eleanor convinced him that the money would be better spent elsewhere.
‘We’re going to use it to get on the property ladder,’ he revealed.
Stream the entire series of Alone on Channel 4 now.
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