While I'm usually pretty busy watching new shows and movies, the 2025 TV schedule has slowed down in November, with many shows on break and set to return in the new year. It has given me time to check out shows I'd missed out on or check out things I wouldn't have otherwise, and by some strange twist of my TikTok algorithm, I've ended up watching Alaskan Bush People with my Netflix subscription.
It all started with a few clips on my TikTok account, and a week later, I've binged through the two seasons on the platform and am continuing my watch with my HBO Max subscription. It's a show I never would've dreamed of checking out before now, but I thank the algorithm for sending it my way.
What Is Alaskan Bush People About?
Billy Brown had long dreamed of living off the grid in the Alaskan wilderness, and Alaskan Bush People was his best attempt to achieve that goal with the help of his family. Together with his wife, Ami, and their children, Matt, Bam Bam, Bear, Gabe, Noah, Bird, and Rain, the show centered on their efforts to build "Brown Town," a community they hoped to slowly but surely establish as they lived out in the country.
Living in the Alaskan Bush is not easy, and the first two seasons of Alaskan Bush People (out of fourteen total) showcase how much work can go into the simplest task. There are also dangers from wild animals, food scarcity, and medical emergencies that can become life-threatening when the nearest doctor is an hours-long boat ride away. Those who tune in will see all of that in the first two seasons, and a lot more if they also decide to press on.
How I Found Out About Alaskan Bush People
While more recently I've learned of a number of troubles that have befallen the Brown family in recent years, I first learned about them through TikTok clips of the boys flirting with women, running through the woods like wolves, and punching fish. It intrigued me, and was entertaining to watch in short bursts, and the more I watched, the more I wondered how this family could successfully survive in the Alaskan wilderness.
The simple answer is that they aren't particularly adept at it. There are many times when I'm shaking my head at a plan that leads to a massive accident that could've been easily avoided had someone taken a beat to think it through. Of course, I'm saying that from my couch in the comfort of my warm home, and it's not like I've ever tried or wanted to live off the grid.
I guess the point I'm making is that no one in Alaskan Bush People is an accomplished survivalist with a ton of bushcraft skills. The Brown family likely does a bit better than the average Joe living in the lower forty-eight states attempting the same things, but I would also wager there are people living in the Alaskan Bush who have it figured out much better than they did in the show.
Alaskan Bush People's Early Seasons Play Out Like Tragic Comedy (To The Point Some Might Wonder If Its Fake)
While I've gotten to the point where they're more established in later seasons, the first two seasons of Alaskan Bush People on Netflix play out like a tragic comedy. It seems like just when something starts to go right for them, something else goes wrong in the worst possible way. Boats sink, posses are rounded up, and bears attack. Just about anything bad that could happen to this family does, to the point I was skeptical about how much of this drama was scripted.
I've watched enough 90 Day Fiancé to know there's always some creative editing or prodding to make a moment appear much more dramatic than it actually was. Every reality show has its accusations of being "faked," as does Alaskan Bush People.
While I can't speak with certainty to the validity of some moments, I would say, as someone who is experienced in watching reality television, that I can feel when a moment was set up by the production to drive a narrative, and the Brown family is undergoing a real struggle. For example, I don't think Bam would intentionally clip the dock and risk damage to their $5,000 ship, not to mention any damage a town would make them pay for the damage. Do I get a bit suspicious when I don't see a family member and bear they're allegedly pursuing in the same camera shot? Absolutely, but I would say this show features more reality than some critics would give it credit for.
The Drama Is Constant, Sometimes For Silly Reasons
I think, more than anything else, what has me hooked and committed to watching Alaskan Bush People is that the drama in this show is constant. Whether it's getting windows off an old shack or a standoff with a bear at gunpoint, the editing keeps this show chugging along and always gives the feeling that the stakes are high.
It may not be worthy of inclusion on the Best Reality TV shows list because the series has since ended, but damn, I'd consider it one of my favorites I've seen. Again, I'm saying this as someone who never would've dreamed I'd be watching the series prior to this, and may just go down the rabbit hole of checking out other survivalist shows like Alone. I have seen quite a bit of Naked And Afraid, and while that's also some compelling television, it's not quite my cup of tea. Based on the fact that I like Alaskan Bush People, I'm willing to guess I'm not a huge fan of the nudity.
As mentioned at the start of this, the first two seasons of Alaskan Bush People are up and available to view on Netflix. After that, readers can head over to HBO Max to watch the entire series and go on this journey with me without first being exposed to it via TikTok.
