I Shouldn't Be Alive

I Shouldn't Be Alive
Also known as	Alive (UK)
Genre	Documentry, Docudrama, Survival, Biography
Created by	Darlow Smithson Productions
Narrated by	Qarie Marshall and Eric Meyers
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	5 (4 aired)
No. of episodes	46
Production
Executive producer(s)	John Smithson
Running time	60 minutes (with adverts)
Broadcast
Original channel	Discovery Channel (2005–2006) Animal Planet (2010–Present)
Original run	October 28, 2005 (2005-10-28) – present
External links
Website

I Shouldn't Be Alive (also known as Alive in the UK) is a documentary television series that airs on multiple networks in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Australia, India and Pakistan. I Shouldn't Be Alive is made by Darlow Smithson Productions, a UK-based production company.

The show features accounts of individuals and groups caught in dangerous scenarios, presented both through interviews and dramatic reenactments. The main focus is how the survivors survived and the decisions they made that kept them alive; not who survived and who died.

Furthermore, it has been renewed for a fifth season that began July 6, 2011.

Production

The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on October 28, 2005. Season 3 also airs in high definition on HD Theater. All episodes can now be seen in HD on DirecTV, Dish Network, or Verizon Fios. The show airs on Channel 7 in Australia and on Channel 4 in Britain.

On March 5, 2007, the Discovery Channel canceled^[1] the series and made it part of the "Discovery Classics" series. The show was broadcast on the Science Channel starting in early 2008. It was picked up in 2010 by Animal Planet and new episodes started to air along with the old.

Episodes

Season 1 (2005–06)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	1	"Shark Survivor"	Survivors: Brad Cavanagh and Deborah Scaling Kiley. Deceased: Mark Adams, John Lippoth and Meg Mooney	28 October 2005
In October 1982, 5 people got caught in a tropical storm. When their yacht sinks, they must survive in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on a raft with no survival equipment. To their absolute horror, they find the area of the ocean to be infested with sharks.
2	2	"Lost in the Snow"	Survivors: James, Jennifer and Clayton Stolpa	4 November 2005
In late December 1992, James and Jennifer Stolpa, and their 5 month old son Clayton attempted to travel to a funeral. On the way there, they miss the sign that leads to the city and instead drive into an uninhabited national park which is closed for the winter.
3	3	"Escape from the Amazon"	Survivors: Yossi Ghinsberg and Kevin Gale. Missing: Markus Stamm and Karl Ruprechter	11 November 2005
In December 1981, Yossi Ghinsberg (Israeli), Kevin Gale (American), and Markus Stamm (Swiss), are three young friends who went to the Bolivian Amazon, where they encounter Karl Ruprechter, a man with promises of an Indian village. After a brief river rafting trip, Markus notices he has trench foot and the group splits up. Kevin and Yossi continue rafting while Markus and Karl hike back into the jungle.
4	4	"Swept Away"	Survivors: Saul Kinderis and Larry Kaiser	18 November 2005
2 friends went kayaking in the Strait of Georgia. When the tide comes in, 1 friend (who was very inexperienced) falls from his kayak and fears that he will end up in the Pacific Ocean.
5	5	"Kidnap in the Killing Fields"	Survivors: Chris Moon, Mr. Houn and colleague	25 November 2005
In 1995, Chris Moon, a former British army officer involved in demining Mozambique, accidentally stepped on a landmine and blew off his leg. 2 years earlier, he was kidnapped by a murderous group of Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
6	6	"Jaws of Death"	Survivor: Greg Rasmussen	2 December 2005
In 2003, biologist Greg Rasmussen crashed his plane in the African savannah. With his legs broken in 6 different places and in a state of intense pain and loss of leg mobility, he has to make it alive past lions and other dangerous predators.
7	7	"Trapped Under a Boulder" "Trapped by a Boulder"	Survivors: Warren Macdonald and Geert van Keulen	10 March 2006
In April 1997, Warren Macdonald headed for the remote island (Hinchinbrook Island) off the coast of Queensland, where he met Geert, a Dutch man on a deserted beach. Halfway up a mountain, a one ton slab of granite hits the environmentalist and pins him down to the bed of a creek. The Dutchman must find help for his new friend before the rain drowns him.
8	8	"Ice Cave Survivor"	Survivors: Michael and Matthew Couillard	17 March 2006
In January 1995, a U.S. Air Force officer and his son went on a skiing trip to Turkey. When a snowstorm arrives, they lose their way and the father must choose between staying with his son or finding help.
9	9	"Shipwrecked"	Survivors: Mark Sorensen and Rob Ruznak	24 March 2006
In 1995 2 cousins go on a fishing trip on the Gulf of California but a thunderstorm rolls in and they get shipwrecked on a deserted island.
10	10	"Alaskan Avalanche"	Survivors: Dave Nyman and Jim Sweeney	31 March 2006
In April 1989, Dave Nyman and Jim Sweeney are scaling a sheer ice-wall in an Alaskan mountain. Jim falls and is badly injured, and Dave is forced to ski down. Dave returns to Jim after a talk with some tourists and they both eventually survive 7 avalanches and a large crevasse together. A passing aircraft sees his SOS signal, but the pilot damages the landing gear while landing.
11	11	"Lost at Sea" "Adrift in the Dark"	Survivors: John and Jim Hawley; and Bill and Jens Lundy	9 June 2006
In September 1997, 2 friends, who sought to repair their relationship with their fathers, planned a fishing trip with their fathers in Mexico. However, an unexpected storm leaves them stranded in the middle of the Gulf of California.
12	12	"Crash in a Volcano" "Escape from the Volcano"	Survivors: Craig Hosking, Chris Duddy and Mike Benson	16 June 2006
In November 1992, 3 men, while filming a volcano from their helicopter, crashed after the helicopter lost control. Trapped in a crater of the Kilauea volcano and surrounded by unclimbable ridges and poisonous gases, they must send 1 of them to radio for help.
13	13	"Lost in the African Bush" "Crashed in the Desert"	Survivors: Carl du Plessis, Neb Graorac, Mike and Lynette Nikolic, Costa Markanadatos (died years later in a unrelated flying accident)	23 June 2006
In March 2000, 5 survivors of a private plane crash must survive the dangers of the desolate African wilderness. With 2 severely injured, some of the group must wander off to find rescue, but theres no civilization for hundreds of miles.

Season 2 (2006)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	14	"Nightmare Canyon" "Life or Death in Frostbite Canyon"	Survivors: Justin and Jeremy Harris	10 November 2006
In November 2003 Justin and Jeremy Harris – two brothers – went canyoneering in Utah's Canyons. They expect the trip will take no more than 8 hours, but when freezing temperatures come, Justin breaks his leg and can't continue, and Jeremy has to hike out of the canyon alone to find help.
2	15	"Frozen at 20,000 Feet"	Survivors: Anthony Hollinshead, Nigel Vardy and Steve Ball	17 November 2006
In April 1999 3 British climbers get caught in a snow storm near the summit of Mt. McKinley. After a night in a cave, 1 climber develops snow blindness and another volunteers to go down to base camp but breaks both his legs in a fall.
3	16	"Trapped Under the Ice"	Survivors: Neil and Blake Stanfield	24 November 2006
In June 2003, Blake Stanfield and his aged dad Neil go kayaking in the Alaskan wilderness. Everything goes fine until they run into some ice on the river, and they soon find themselves swept underneath. They barely survive this only to be stranded in a wilderness of grizzly bears.
4	17	"Into the Heart of Darkness" "Lost in the Rainforest"	Survivors: Dave Boyer and Crystal Ramsey	1 December 2006
In August 2002, a man and woman, once dating, headed for the Amazon rain forest but got lost in the jungle. Crystal Ramsey, a sufferer of depression, tries to convince Dave Boyer, a 7th grade science teacher, that they have to slit their wrists so they won't die from the elements. They have to survive the dangers of the jungle and hold on to their sanity as they find their way home.
5	18	"Blood in the Water" "Terror on the Zambezi"	Survivors: Clive, Brenda, Arthur and Fay Taylor and Alistair Gellatly	8 December 2006
In April 2004 Arthur Taylor, Alistair Gellatly, Arthur's wife Fay and parents Clive and Brenda become stranded in the hippo- and crocodile-infested Zambezi River when their watercraft is rammed by a mad hippo and sinks. Arthur, Fay, Clive and Brenda become stranded on a submerged sand flat in the middle of the river, and the Alistair swims for the shore only to be mauled by a crocodile. Alistair faces driver ants and other nasty land predators, and the others have to survive for 2 days at the constant risk of being eaten alive by crocodiles and hippos.
6	19	"Dive Into Danger"	Survivors: Melissa Armstrong and David Tomlinson	15 December 2006
In March 2002 when filming for a documentary they were making 2 divers Melissa Armstrong and Captain David Tomlinson became stranded in the Pacific Ocean when their boat drifts away from them As they believe help is not coming they decide to swim for shore miles away or die trying
7	20	"A Walk into Hell" "Horror in the Grand Canyon"	Survivors: Guy Davis, Earl and Loren Pace, Andy Davis, Joel Kieper, Mark Coons and Jordan Winegar. Deceased: David Phillips	22 December 2006
In June 1996, a group of 5 teenage scouts and 3 adult guides hiked into the Grand Canyon during a heat wave. As their water runs out and the older members collapse in exhaustion, 3 of the teenagers set out on their own to reach the Colorado River.

Season 3 (2010)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	21	"Trapped in the Canyon"	Survivors: Danelle Ballengee and Taz	January 15, 2010
In December 2006, two-time adventure racing world champion Danelle Ballengee suffered a pelvis-shattering 60-foot fall and 2 nights in sub-freezing weather in a canyon near Moab, Utah, accompanied only by her dog Taz.[2] Her skeleton is split into two and some large blood vessels in her pelvis are damaged. In the end, Taz leads the rescuers to Danelle, saving her life.
2	22	"Date from Hell"	Survivors: Brandon Day and Gina Allen. Deceased 1 year earlier: John Joseph Donovan	January 22, 2010
In May 2006, Brandon Day and Gina Allen were going on a tour of the San Jacinto Mountains, but they wander off the trail and become stranded and alone for 4 days fighting for their lives.
3	23	"Nightmare on the Mountain"	Survivor: Bram Schaffer	January 29, 2010
In 1995 Bram Schaffer, an 18 year-old elk hunter, was mauled by a grizzly bear in Montana. His severely injured parts of his thigh were ripped off the bone and he must get off the mountain during a large storm. Other hunters assist Bram during the ordeal, providing medical care and carrying him to a camp, eventually resulting in his survival.
4	24	"Crushed and Alone"	Survivor: Ken Hildebrand	February 5, 2010
In January 2008, Ken Hildebrand was collecting beaver traps in the Canadian Wilderness. When he loses control of his quad bike, it topples over and crushes his legs. His survival gear is out of reach. He must survive for 4 days in negative temperatures.
5	25	"Boys Adrift"	Survivors: Troy Driscoll and Josh Long	February 19, 2010
In April 2005, Troy Driscoll and his friend Josh Long attempted to go shark fishing in a less than seaworthy boat. When a riptide drags them into the Atlantic ocean, they face extreme dehydration, hunger, and weather for 6 days while awaiting rescue, watching helplessly as other boats pass by without seeing them.
6	26	"Fear in Freefall"	Survivor: Will Slattery. Deceased: Jimmy Simplicio, Manny Sanchez, Milt Burton, Jean Roman (Student) and Jorge Melendez (Pilot).	April 2, 2010
In May 2005, Will Slattery, his 2 friends, and the 2 other passengers and pilot suffered a freak accident during a skydiving trip. When their plane gets caught by a storm, it crashes into the shark infested waters of Costa Rica.
7	27	"Shattered on Impact"	Survivors: Clive English, Graham Child, Adam Pope, Mumba Chikungu (who later died of an unrelated illness)	April 9, 2010
4 animal conservationists crash their plane into the Zambian wilderness. With 3 severely injured, 1 man treks off into the wilderness to find help. The others must fight against the elements and the very animals the men have dedicated themselves to protect.
8	28	"Lost in the Outback"	Survivor: Theo Rosmulder	April 16, 2010
In July 2008, Theo Rosmulder, an amateur treasure hunter, wanders off into the Western Australian Outback after he found a gold nugget and got carried away. He must survive 5 days of physical exhaustion and the threat of heart failure.
9	29	"Blizzard of Death"	Survivors: Dennis and William Spann, Clay Lancaster, 13 Kyrghiz guides, 6 government officials. Deceased: 1 Kyrghiz guide (Horse tender) and Helicopter pilot	April 23, 2010
In March 2004, 3 amateur hunters and their 20 local guides become stranded in the remote mountain wilderness of Kyrgyzstan when their trapped vehicle falls into a large snow drift after their hunt. Then, just as they believe they have been saved, the rescue helicopter goes out of control and crashes not far from where they were originally trapped. The pilot and the guide tending the horses die in the crash and the others are left lost in a barren, mountainous nightmare.
10	30	"Avalanche of Terror"	Survivor: Ken Jones	April 30, 2010
In January 2003, Ken Jones, a British climber, is caught in an avalanche in the Carpathian Mountains and falls off a 75ft cliff. With a shattered pelvis and broken femur, he crawls for 7 miles to reach the nearest road in temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit (−15 degrees Celsius).

Season 4 (2010–11)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	31	"A Dad's Worst Nightmare"	Survivors: Matthew and Shannon McGough	October 13, 2010
July 1998. After an overnight camping trip in the Australian Outback, a man and his daughter get stranded on their way back after taking a wrong turn.
2	32	"Shipwrecked Family"	Survivors: John and Jean Silverwood; Ben, Amelia, Jack and Camille Silverwood	October 20, 2010
In 2005, a family embark on the sailing trip of a lifetime. Halfway into the trip, they run aground on a rocky reef in the South Pacific. Huge waves buffet the boat and flood the cabins and the father is seriously injured when the mast collapses.
3	33	"Trapped on a Ledge"	Survivor: Charlie Hench	October 27, 2010
September 2007. A man falls off the side of a mountain during a personal hiking expedition and lands on a small ledge at 9000 feet.
4	34	"Crashed in the Rockies"	Survivors: Justin Kirkbride, Larry Dimond and Tommy Robbins; 7 USAF airmen.	November 3, 2010
January 2002. After crashing into a remote mountainside in the Rocky Mountains, a pilot hikes for hours in waist-deep snow to save his two injured friends. The Air Force helicopter sent to rescue him crashes shortly after he boards it.
5	35	"Death in the Sea of Cortez"	Survivors: Joseph Rangel and Jose Luis Ramos Garcia. Deceased: Lorenzo Madrid	November 10, 2010
Three men are stranded on a deserted island in the Gulf of California and are forced to hike for 12 days to the northern shore attract passing fishermen.
6	36	"76 Days Adrift"	Survivor: Steven Callahan	November 17, 2010
Main Article: 76 days at Sea 1982. Steven Callahan is shipwrecked from his boat and survives for 76 days on a small liferaft at sea.
7	37	"Alone in the Amazon"	Survivor: Benedict Allen. Deceased: Allen's dog Cashoe	November 24, 2010
1985. After his canoe was smashed, Benedict Allen is stranded in the Amazon rainforest for 28 days. He is forced to kill and eat his dog Cashoe with a machete to survive.
8	38	"Vacation Nightmare"	Survivors: Brandon and Brandy Wiley, Silke Friedebold, Alvaro Zuniga and Michael Packard. Deceased: 2 pilots and Adolfo Strassburger	December 1, 2010
In November 2001, eight people are plunged into the Costa Rican jungle when their plane hits clouds and falls out of the sky.
9	39	"River of Fear"	Survivor: David Whittlesey	January 5, 2011
In November 1991, a rafter is stranded when his raft capsizes in the Colorado River. While scaling a cliff to evaluate the situation a handhold breaks and he plummets into the river knocking out 4 teeth, also breaking 2 toes after a rock falls on his foot. He must survive alone on a sandy alcove in the dead of winter for a full week.
10	40	"Killer Crevasse"	Survivor: Jim Davidson. Deceased: Mike Price	January 12, 2011
In June 1992 the mountaineering expedition of two best friends goes terribly wrong when one falls into an 80 foot crevasse, dragging his partner with him.
11	41	"Hike into Hell Canyon"	Survivors: Linda Forney and her dog Cocoa Gin	January 19, 2011
In August 1975, a woman traveling with her dog took a walk to a nearby village via the canyon, only to take a wrong turn along the way. With little supplies, she and her dog survive for 21 days in rising temperatures and sweltering heat.
12	42	"Death Climb"	Survivor: Jamie Andrew. Deceased: Jamie Fisher	January 26, 2011
In January 1999, two friends are trapped on a ledge in the French Alps when a surprise snowstorm blows in.
13	43	"A Family's Desert Hell" "Hell in the Desert"	Survivors: Roger Sargeant, Shelly Hubbard (now Sargeant), Michaela and Tiffany Hubbard	February 2, 2011
In August 2002, a family are looking for a place to test their new firearm in the Arizona Desert. Their truck gets stuck on a wash and they become lost and spend the next 2 days wandering around where gangs of criminals attempt to run them over and leave them to die.[3]
14	44	"Ocean Disaster"	Survivors: Steve Conway, Travis Wright, Steven Guy, Ross Busby, and Joseph Savana. Deceased: Roger Stone	February 9, 2011
June 2008. Skipper Steve Conway, safety officer Roger Stone, and their four-student crew of Texas A&M participate in the annual regatta when their sailboat capsizes in the dead of night. One man sacrifices himself to save two students trapped in the cabin, and the survivors struggle to survive 26 hours in open water.
15	45	"Left for Dead on Everest" "Everest Death Zone"	Survivor: Lincoln Hall	February 16, 2011
In May 2006 climber Lincoln Hall reaches the peak of Mt. Everest but on the way down he develops cerebral edema. Stuck in the death zone, as known to climbers, and starved of oxygen, he is stranded at 28,000 feet. However nobody knows of his situation and he can only dream of an imminent rescue.
16	46	"A Father's Deadly Dilemma" "Snowmobile Nightmare"	Survivors: David Hunt and Leia Hunt-Hans	February 23, 2011
In March 2003 David Hunt and his 11 year old daughter Leia are en route via snowmobile to their cottage in Maniwaki, Quebec, Canada. Their snowmobile flips throwing David into a ravine. He eventually climbs out, but his knee is shattered and he can't continue. It's up to Leia to save her dad's life and to stay alive.

Season 5 (2011)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	47	"Avalanche!"	Survivors: Sam Kavanagh, Matt Schuyler, Chris Maki, Jason Thompson. Deceased: Blake Morstad	July 6, 2011
In Montana, five skiers are ravaged by a massive avalanche on New Year's Day, 2005. One man lies dead in the snow, and another suffers a gruesome compound fracture to his leg. The friends must fight to keep him alive until a rescue helicopter can land.
2	48	"Blood on the Mountain"	Survivors: Matthew Briggs and Little Dog.	July 13, 2011
On March 20, 2009 in New Zealand, 33-year old Matthew Briggs, traveling with his dog Little Dog, loses balance, slides down a hill and falls 15 feet onto rocks, breaking his ankle and wrist, and sustaining deep cuts to his thigh. He camps for a week and then using his tent poles as a walking stick, he is forced to hobble for two days to a nearby hut and is found by two hunters. [4]
3	49	"Christmas Horror"	Survivors: Marni Sheppeard and Sonja Rendell.	July 27, 2011
Two hikers in New Zealand take a risky detour around an ice wall, eventually becoming stuck on a potentially unstable rock ledge for 8 days, including Christmas Day.
4	50	"First Date Nightmare" "Trapped in a High Place"	Survivors: Jeremy Colenso and Rachel Kelsey.	July 22, 2011
Two climbers on a first date in the Swiss Alps nearly summit a mountain, but are stopped by ice. A massive storm has formed in the valley below, and the climbers are forced to descend through the treacherous conditions. They end up trapped on a ledge.
5	51	"Climb out of Hell"	Survivor: Jordan Nicurity.	September 30, 2011
November 2009. A man, climbing a cliff, falls 20 feet and shatters his pelvis. He is forced to crawl more than a mile and climb a steep cliff to survive.
6	52	"'Til Death Do Us Part"	Survivors: Tom and Lynda Bosworth.	September 30, 2011
July 2009. An off-road adventure goes terribly wrong when an elderly couple's jeep rolls, leaving them stranded in the rugged canyons of New Mexico. They face a grueling four-day hike out of the area, and when one of them becomes too weak to continue the other is forced to continue on to save his dying companion.

Season 6 (2011)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	53	"Chasm of Death"	Survivors: Ben Gowans, Clay Craig and Jason Cox.	October 7, 2011
A hike in Leprechaun Canyon, Utah turns into a nightmare when three friends take a wrong turn and end up trapped deep in a slot canyon on one of the most technical routes in the area. The situation takes a tragic turn for the worse when one of them, attempting to climb out, falls 70 feet and sustains a severe head injury. The men must fight to keep him alive in the cold of night and heat of day, deep in a canyon with no way out.
2	54	"Volcano Vacation Hell"	Survivor: Gilbert "Dewey" Gaedcke	October 7, 2011
A man on a sightseeing trip becomes lost on a volcano. He must fight to survive in an inhospitable lava plain.
3	55	"Dive of Terror"	Survivor: Robert Hewitt	October 14, 2011
A Navy diver on a recreational diving trip is dragged out to sea by a rip current.
4	56	"Escape from Bear Mountain"	Survivors: David Akers and Gary Nall	October 14, 2011
Two friends have to hike out of the wilderness after their plane crashes and badly injures both. They are in bear country and encounter several bears on their way out.
5	57	"Perfect Storm"	TBA	Delayed
TBA
6	58	"Lost in the Jungle"	TBA	Delayed
TBA

References

1. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
2. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Arizona BLM Lands. Wildernet.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-28.
4. ^ Mad Pom's latest adventure | Articles | New Zealand Tramper: hiking and walking community information. Tramper.co.nz (2009-03-17). Retrieved on 2011-07-28.

External links

• Official website
• I Shouldn't Be Alive at the Internet Movie Database
• Motivational Speakers Bureau – hire Yossi Ghinsberg