Outlast: The Jungle may very well end up being the best reality TV airing show on the 2026 TV schedule, right now. That's all thanks to twists, turns and tense confrontations that remind me of the era when reality competition shows first burst out on the scene in the 2000s. The survival game encourages participants to engage in shady behavior like stealing, which I something I've had questions about. And, now, we know the previously unspoken rules of how it works, thanks to a former contestant.
Ben Orndorff, a member of Team Alpha on Outlast: The Jungle, held a Q&A on Instagram and discussed some of the behind-the-scenes details on the series, which is currently available with a Netflix subscription. According to Orndorff, while teams are allowed to steal supplies and items from others, there are ground rules as to how it could happen per the game. He explained:
So, the rules are, essentially, you can steal from any other camp but you can't take anything out of anybody's hands. And if they see you, then you're not allowed to take it.
That explains a lot, because I was never sure what was stopping camps from mass invading and stealing from others besides basic human decency and good sportsmanship. To keep things as spoiler-free as possible, I will say the reason I wondered was due to one team that seemed like it would do exactly that, if it were allowed.
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This strategy is a welcome change of pace from other modern reality television shows, most of which might forbid certain underhanded tactics for survival. Outlast seems to thrive on the concept that the game is more about survival than anything else. Teams battle it out for a chance to split a million dollars, but need at least two people in their group to make it to the end.
Those who are fans of Survivor and are feeling lost following the Season 50 finale would arguably feel right at home watching this show, which puts contestants in the Alaskan wilderness in previous seasons. It has the same elements I appreciate about Alone, with the caveat being that people must finish the game as a team to advance and win.
With Outlast: The Jungle being the first time the show has shifted to a tropical setting, I do hope future seasons, assuming they happen, stick with the tropical climate. As someone who has watched a lot of survival wilderness shows, tropical survival is just more entertaining to watch, since contestants can be active for longer stretches and have more resources to rely on for food. And, of course, I'm eager to see how the "stealing" method factors into contestants' strategies as time goes on.
Check out Outlast: The Jungle in its entirety on, and I'm encouraging anyone who enjoyed it to tell a friend so we can get this show the attention that it deserves! Honestly, this was the reality show I didn't know I needed in my life.
