IMHO "Out of the Wild" (1.1): Push it down and run like hell. Plus, Jake's Take!

Last night, The Discovery Channel finally added an out gay guy to their lineup: Jake Nodar.  As part of network's Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment, Jake and eight other participants were dropped off in the middle of the Alaskan bush with minimal supplies and told to find their way back to civilization. So how did it go? And more importantly, how did Jake represent?

I'm a big fan of Survivor, but I have to say, I found this a very refreshing change of pace. I've spent a great deal of time in Alaska and done some hiking there and Out in the Wild does a good job of capturing the awesome, overpowering sense of place that defines the state.

Jake somewhere that is definitely not Alaska

I appreciated watching the, let's call them "Adventurers", make mistakes I definitely would've made, such as going up and over the mountain as opposed to going around it like they were supposed to. I also appreciated that Penny Jo was the most experienced hunter and that Jake was as athletically adept as anyone. I always enjoy seeing stereotypes upended.

The seriousness of the Adventurers' situation quickly became apparent as the group went without food for several days and couldn't start a fire at first. How bad did it get? The bright spot was when they caught a mouse to eat. For NINE people! And those folks on Survivor: Tocantins think they have it rough. Ha. 

One thing that cracked me up was the narration insisting that the Adventurers faced certain death if they didn't find their way to the first shelter or get some food. Um, not so much thanks to that handy red button that summons a FREAKING helicopter to whisk anyone away who had had enough. 

Despite that little nitpick, I quite liked the show and love the fact that Jake bagged the mouse that was their only food!

BTW, that fox fur Jake picked up at the start of the episode? I hear it plays an interesting role in the last episode!

Speaking of Jake, Mr. Nodar has graciously consented to give us his take on each week's episode so without further ado, AfterElton.com presents Jake's Take!

Hot mess.

Those are the two words that best describe what I witnessed on last night’s episode of Out of the Wild. It has been close to six months since we were dropped off into Alaska’s interior, and all sorts of memories (some of which I had hoped to permanently forget) came rushing back.

The day we departed started with a rather large breakfast. Soon after, we were frisked twice (I requested a third frisking) to ensure we weren’t smuggling anything, brought out to the nearby lake, put onto a plane, and took off.

The flight was breathtaking, to say the least; as we touched down, the joy of the beautiful flight gave way to that sinking feeling you get in the pit of your stomach moments before you hurl.

In hind sight, did we make a lot of mistakes? Of course … but that had to be expected. We aren’t survival experts, by any stretch of the imagination, and we had nine people trying to find their places in the group, everyone trying to offer up their own ideas and, of course, everyone knew they were right (although I actually always was).

It was clear that we didn’t realize the severity of the situation those first few days; however, a few days without food (and deodorant) quickly started to change that.

We had some “hunters” in the group, but as you saw last night, the real hunter was none other than yours truly. I would love to try to butch that hunting tale up a notch or two, but the fact is I smacked a small rodent with my boot. When I tell the tale over drinks at the bar, I make the mouse out to be very large and aggressive with bloodthirsty fangs.

This is not the mouse eaten by Jake!

After feasting on the mouse, which did taste just like chicken, we had a full night sleep to prepare for the upcoming fifteen-mile hike. I don’t know about you, but I was shocked on that fourth morning when we learned Penny Jo had decided she couldn’t go on.

What would we do without our hunter? Will we survive? Who’s going togive me my nipple piercing? All these questions filled my head when Iheard the news.

Can someone here do nipple piercings?

So who’s going to make it back to civilization? Who’s got what it takes and who’s going to quit?

Tune in next week to see if this gay is going to stay.

To learn more about Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment visit the show's website.