Zachary Fowler, a boatbuilder from Appleton, survived 87 days in the Patagonia region of South America to earn $500,000 on the TV show “Alone” on the History Channel.
Fowler grew up in Vermont and came to Maine to pursue an interest in boatbuilding. He put down roots when he was 21, purchasing a 2½-acre parcel of wooded land in Appleton. Zach and his family started a self-sufficient lifestyle living in a yurt.
Fowler and other contestants on the show were scattered in the rugged Patagonian terrain miles from one another. They never saw each other during the competition, and were tasked with videotaping themselves. There were no camera crews. The only human contact came from medical personnel, who checked in for signs of starvation. The last person standing would walk away with the half-million-dollar prize. After 87 days surviving alone eating only 63 fish and 2 birds, the producer and Zach’s wife showed up to tell him that he was the winner.
He sat down for a one-on-one Community Voices chat with the Kennebec Journal’s Drew Bonifant at Colby College.
Read more: Mainer survives alone for 87 days in Patagonia, wins History Channel contest
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