“You want me to watch a TV show about socially clueless people who are forced to live and survive in the wilderness?” “Yes! It was such a great show, I loved it!” This was an actual conversation that I have had many times with my friends trying to encourage them to watch one of my favorite reality TV shows. In previous blog posts, I talked about some of my favorite TV shows, and this blog will be about another show on my list called Snowflake Mountain. This reality TV show has earned a spot on my list of must-watch shows because the contestants participating grow in more ways than one and accurately present what happened while filming. This is the perfect show to watch if you are trying to get interested in the reality TV genre because it is relatively short, but it is very action-packed and exciting.
Snowflake Mountain follows a group of 11 privileged early 20-year-olds as they live in the wilderness and are forced to overcome their own challenges. When the show first starts, the 11 contestants were told that they would be going to an all-inclusive deluxe resort villa on an island; however, they quickly realize that they “are not in Kansas anymore” when they find themselves in the middle of the woods. After meeting the hosts of the show, two former military soldiers and “wilderness experts” Matt and Joel, the contestants’ luggage is blown up by the hosts because “You don’t need all that to survive in Meet Matt and Joel the wilderness.” Throughout the show, the contestants learn how to survive in the wilderness, obtain basic life skills such as cooking and taking care of themselves and being independent. At the end of the show, the person who has made the most progress, determined by the contestants, receives the grand prize of $50,000. There is a catch to the show: contestants are free to leave the campsite at any time, but each time someone leaves, the prize pot is reduced by $5,000. So, these spoiled individuals must learn to shape up or ship out if they want a chance at the $50,000.
Now that we know what the show is about, it is important to meet our contestants before we dive into my list of reasons to watch this incredible show.
With that being said, here are my top reasons to watch Snowflake Mountain:
- The Comedy
This is something I cannot say enough about this show – it is so funny. To start, I think there is something comical about adults who do not know how to function in society. None of these contestants have jobs, and many of them have admitted to wanting to party for the rest of their lives because it is easier than having a job. Furthermore, I do not think I have laughed harder at some of the one-liners from this show. The contestants keep everything they say and do so real 100% of the time, which just adds to the comedy. One prime example of this is when Photo Source contestants get into an argument about who has grown and who hasn’t since they have been at the campsite. Solomon gets into a heated argument and yells, “I’m growing! I have gone to the bathroom outside in a wood box. What more do you want from me?” Personally, I find this hysterical because this was his logic in a heated argument with another contestant. But, he is right, he has technically grown. It is also funny to watch the contestants compete in the wilderness challenges. For example, one of my favorite challenges to watch is the one where the contestants have to start a fire just from friction and twigs. The contestants struggle with it and laugh at themselves, but they are enjoying doing the challenge.
- The Heart-Warming Moment
Though the contestants compete against one another for the prize of $50,000, they also form friendships that they have carried with each other after the show. The people also learned to care for one another and empowered one another during challenges. For example, one of the challenges was to climb to the top of a tall tree, but a few of the contestants did not think they could do it because of their fears of height or the fear that they were too overweight and would fall. The other contestants cheered them on, reassured them that could do it, and supported each person on their individual climbs up the tree. Every time someone rang the bell at the top of the tree, everyone celebrated that person and their personal victory. Also, the individuals on this show also came out of the experience being the best person that they could be. They no longer were entitled, spoiled, lazy people but were motivated to change and be better.
(Video: Climbing a Tree – Snowflake Mountain)
- The Theme of Hard Work Pays Off
This show highlights the theme of hard work like no other show I have watched. The people competing in this show were thrown into the wilderness and had to survive with basic life necessities. I know I would not be able to do that if I were in their position, so just participating and not leaving right away shows hard work. Also, the contestants had to endure harsh conditions in the wild while overcoming challenges they faced in everyday life. This group of people had never worked together with other people for a common goal, but they also have never had to be independent and look after themselves in a normal environment let alone the wilderness. In the end, all their hard work paid off when the group concluded the show by climbing a mountain together and showing what skills they learned. The group of contestants went from being spoiled and lazy to learning independence and how to take care of themselves and other people. The show changed their attitude and outlook on life and inspired the contestants to make a change in their lives outside of the show.
(Video: Liam and Rae Share How They Are Grateful for Snowflake Mountain)
In this week’s blog post, I shared with you one of my favorite TV shows, Snowflake Mountain, and my top three reasons to watch it: it’s funny, heart-warming, and teaches the lesson that hard work pays off. This show never fails to put me in a good mood, and I really enjoyed watching it all the way through. More importantly, though, this show teaches simple lessons like accountability, self-belief and motivation, independence, and responsibility that have stuck with the contestants and show the viewers that people can make these changes in their life as well. The show demonstrates that these are all lessons that can be learned at any point in life. I would highly recommend this show to anyone who likes reality TV but also likes watching heartwarming coming-of-age shows. I will say to err on the side of caution because this show does use extensive foul language; nevertheless, it is still an enjoyable show to watch.
