tv

If there was one prepper tv show that I would recommend, it would be The Colony.  I can’t remember how I stumbled upon it.  But it was one of the first series I watched when I first started in preparedness.  And although I believe the survivors were stacked because of their skills, I believe the show offers a lot of great insight into surviving SHTF.

The Colony was a reality series that aired on the Discovery Channel. It follows a group of people who must survive in a post-apocalyptic environment.  The Colony first aired on July 21, 2009 and ran for 10 episodes.

Post-Apocalyptic Los Angeles

The series takes place in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles.  This prepper tv show was billed as a  controlled experiment to see if 10 volunteers can rebuild society.  The scenarios surrounding the show was “designed by past historical disasters and models of what the future would look like in a pandemic disaster.”

The show kicks off with six volunteers who go through sleep, food and water deprivation to just get things started.  They are then allowed 15 minutes in an abandoned department store to find what they can carry, including food. After they gather their supplies, they make the long trek to their survival shelter called “The Sanctuary,” an 80,00 square foot warehouse that sits on a 3 ½ acre plot of land.

Check out a Street Map view of “The Sanctuary.”

The Sanctuary has no running water or electricity. It also boasts a ton of openings and weak points that need to be secured. In one segment, the survivors have to test the toilet and make sure that they will actually flush waste.  Not having that ability would mean a setup that no one would have wanted.

Prepper TV Show Talent

No prepper tv show is complete without it’s set of talent.  The Colony, Season 1, has some really great characters too!

• Morgan – Aerospace Engineer
• John C – Computer/Electrical Engineer with IBM
• Allison – Emergency Room Nurse
• Michael – Handyman
• George – Doctor
• John V – Machinist

These survivors start off the season, but are soon joined by 4 more survivors.

• Joey – Contractor
• Leilani – Martial Arts Instructor
• Amy – Marine Biologist
• Vladimir – Mechanical Engineer

The new survivors cause the other six to be a little suspicious.  But after some tense moments, they seem to all click together.  One of the pivotal points is a shared meal.

Dr. Miatta Snetter, a psychologist, psychotherapist and post-traumatic stress disorder specialist, who consults as an expert on the show, shares, “In many cultures, a shared meal is a key step in integrating newcomers.  A shared meal is important to building bridges.”  The survivors enjoy their meal after a prayer that is given by John V.

One of the unfair advantages that the survivors have are the tools and supplies that seem to be readily available in the “Sanctuary” warehouse.  At one point, they find 20 batteries, an inverter, wire and connectors to connect them all in parallel.  They also have the tools necessary to make this all happen.  One other thing they have plenty of is containers for water.  Although the containers are dirty, they have plenty of big buckets to hold water.

Learning from Prepper TV Shows

But the show offers more advantages that are helpful.  

First, you get to see the mental toll that surviving has on the group.  As the survivors struggle with their new reality, they are stressed and it shows.  One survivor, Michael, seems to be on edge as he has to cut cigarettes and coffee like he’s used to.  One scene towards the end of episode 1 shows Valdimir crushing up some coffee beans and making coffee for the group.  This is a welcome drink for someone like Michael.

Another reason this pepper tv show is valuable to see is the way the group handles some of the basics of survival.  At the start, the group realizes they need water.  A group of survivors goes to the LA river to get water while the rest is cleaning up and organizing.  Once the water is back to “The Sanctuary,” John C helps to make a water filter with sand and charcoal and at least ge the water to a point they can boil it to deal with the rest of the bacteria. The result is potable water for the group!

Further Reading: WATER – WAPI – What Is It and Why Do You Need One

Along with water, the group realizes they need security.  From the first evening, they setup a  watch rotation.  This proves helpful as “The Sanctuary” is approached by two marauders on motorcycles on the second night.  This causes Michael to sort of lose it and allows Leilani a chance to help him understand that they are in his head.  She says, “Now they have you riled up not thinking.  If you went outside and got hurt, what good would that have done for us…you have to think about that..”  Again Dr. Miatta Snetter shares,  “An attack from outside can reveal the cohesiveness of a group or it exposes the weak links…Anger can be difficult to control, it’s  a useful survival response, but can also be destructive.”

The episode ends with John C, naked and taking a shower in the rain.  He says, it’s “the first time I laughed since we got here.”  It goes to show how important the little things can be in a survival situation.

No More Show Spoilers for You!

There are other things that I can point out, but then I would be spoiling this great prepper tv show for you!  No, you need to watch it.  You should watch all the episodes.  Besides being a great show to watch, you can learn something if you watch with an open mind.

I hope you take a moment to watch The Colony.  It is a great prepper tv show in a time when there aren’t very many good ones to choose from.  You can watch the series on YouTube.

Peace,
Todd