I Shouldn't Be Alive

I Shouldn't Be Alive
Genre	Documentary, Docudrama, Survival, Biography
Created by	Darlow Smithson Productions
Narrated by	Qarie Marshall and Eric Meyers
Original language	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	58
Production
Executive producer	John Smithson
Running time	60 minutes (with adverts)
Original release
Network	Discovery Channel (2005–2006) Animal Planet (2010–2013)
Release	October 28, 2005 (2005-10-28) – February 24, 2012 (2012-02-24)

I Shouldn't Be Alive is a documentary television series that airs on multiple networks in the United States, Canada, the U.K., the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, India, Iran, Pakistan, South Africa and the Philippines. I Shouldn't Be Alive is made by Darlow Smithson Productions, a UK-based production company.

The show features accounts of individuals and groups caught in dangerous scenarios, presented both through interviews and dramatic reenactments. The main focus is how the survivors survived and the decisions they made that kept them alive.

The show is currently casting on Animal Planet.com.

It was announced on August 4 that I Shouldn't Be Alive was canceled by Animal Planet.

Production

The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on October 28, 2005. Season 3 also airs in high definition on HD Theater. All episodes can now be seen in HD on DirecTV, Dish Network, or Verizon Fios. The show airs on Channel 7 in Australia and on Channel 4 in Britain.

On March 5, 2007, the Discovery Channel canceled the series and made it part of the "Discovery Classics" series. The show was broadcast on the Science Channel starting in early 2008. It was picked up in 2010 by Animal Planet and new episodes started to air along with the old.

As of October 2012, production of the show is currently on hiatus. However, reruns of I Shouldn't Be Alive continue to air weekdays at 10AM (Eastern). As of February 2013 casting is occurring for the show through Animal Planets website.

Episodes

Season 1 (2005–06)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	1	"Shark Survivor"	Survivors: Brad Cavanagh and Deborah Scaling Kiley. Deceased: Mark Adams, John Lippoth and Meg Mooney	28 October 2005
2	2	"Lost in the Snow"	Survivors: James, Jennifer and Clayton Stolpa	4 November 2005
3	3	"Escape from the Amazon"	Survivors: Yossi Ghinsberg and Kevin Gale. Missing: Markus Stamm and Karl Ruprechter	11 November 2005
4	4	"Swept Away"	Survivors: Saul Kinderis and Larry Kaiser	18 November 2005
5	5	"Kidnap in the Killing Fields"	Survivors: Chris Moon, Mr. Houn and Mr. Sock	25 November 2005
6	6	"Jaws of Death"	Survivor: Greg Rasmussen	2 December 2005
7	7	"Trapped Under a Boulder" "Trapped by a Boulder"	Survivors: Warren Macdonald and Geert van Keulen	10 March 2006
8	8	"Ice Cave Survivor"	Survivors: Michael and Matthew Couillard	17 March 2006
9	9	"Shipwrecked"	Survivors: Mark Sorensen and Rob Rusnak	24 March 2006
10	10	"Alaskan Avalanche"	Survivors: David Nyman and James Sweeney	31 March 2006
11	11	"Lost at Sea" "Adrift in the Dark"	Survivors: John and Jim Hawley; and Bill and Jens Lundy	9 June 2006
In September 1997, 2 friends, who sought to repair their relationship with their fathers, planned a fishing trip with their fathers in Mexico. However, an unexpected storm leaves them stranded in the middle of the Gulf of California.
12	12	"Crash in a Volcano" "Escape from the Volcano"	Survivors: Craig Hosking, Christopher Duddy and Mike Benson	16 June 2006
13	13	"Lost in the African Bush" "Crashed in the Desert"	Survivors: Carl du Plessis, Neb Graorac, Mike and Lynette Nikolic, Costa Markanadatos (died years later in an unrelated flying accident)	23 June 2006

Season 2 (2006)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	14	"Nightmare Canyon" "Life or Death in Frostbite Canyon"	Survivors: Justin and Jeremy Harris	10 November 2006
In November 2003 Justin and Jeremy Harris – two brothers – went canyoneering in Utah's Canyons. They expect the trip will take no more than 8 hours, but when freezing temperatures come, Justin breaks his leg and can't continue, and Jeremy has to hike out of the canyon alone to find help.
2	15	"Frozen at 20,000 Feet"	Survivors: Anthony Hollinshead, Nigel Vardy and Steve Ball	17 November 2006
In April 1999 3 British climbers get caught in a snow storm near the summit of Mt. McKinley. After a night in a cave, one climber develops snow blindness and another volunteers to go down to base camp but breaks both his legs in a fall.
3	16	"Trapped Under the Ice"	Survivors: Neil and Blake Stanfield	24 November 2006
In June 2003, Blake Stanfield and his aged dad Neil go kayaking in the Alaskan wilderness. Everything goes fine until they run into some ice on the river, and they soon find themselves swept underneath. They barely survive this only to be stranded in a wilderness of grizzly bears.
4	17	"Into the Heart of Darkness" "Lost in the Rainforest"	Survivors: Dave Boyer and Crystal Ramsey	1 December 2006
In August 2002, a man and woman, once dating, headed for the Amazon rain forest but got lost in the jungle. Crystal Ramsey, a sufferer of depression, tries to convince Dave Boyer, a 7th grade science teacher, that they have to slit their wrists so they won't die from the elements. They have to survive the dangers of the jungle and hold on to their sanity as they find their way home.
5	18	"Blood in the Water" "Terror on the Zambezi"	Survivors: Clive and Brenda Kelly, Arthur and Fay Taylor and Alistair Gellatly	8 December 2006
In April 2004 Arthur Taylor, Alistair Gellatly, Arthur's wife Fay and parents Clive and Brenda become stranded in the hippo- and crocodile-infested Zambezi River when their watercraft is rammed by a mad hippo and sinks. Arthur, Fay, Clive and Brenda become stranded on a submerged sand flat in the middle of the river, and Alistair swims for the shore only to be mauled by a crocodile. Alistair faces driver ants and other nasty land predators, and the others have to survive for 2 days at the constant risk of being eaten alive by crocodiles and hippos.
6	19	"Dive Into Danger"	Survivors: Melissa Armstrong and David Tomlinson	15 December 2006
In March 2002 when filming for a documentary they were making 2 divers Melissa Armstrong and Captain David Tomlinson became stranded in the Pacific Ocean when their boat drifts away from them. When they believe help is not coming, they decide to swim for shore miles away or die trying.
7	20	"A Walk into Hell" "Horror in the Grand Canyon"	Survivors: Guy Davis, Earl and Loren Pace, Andy Davis, Joel Kieper, Mark Coons and Jordan Winegar. Deceased: David Phillips	22 December 2006
In June 1996, a group of 5 teenage scouts and 3 adult guides hiked into the Grand Canyon during a heat wave. As their water runs out and the older members collapse in exhaustion, 3 of the teenagers set out on their own to reach the Colorado River.

Season 3 (2010)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	21	"Trapped in the Canyon"	Survivors: Danelle Ballengee and Taz, her dog	January 15, 2010
In December 2006, two-time adventure racing world champion Danelle Ballengee suffered a pelvis-shattering 60-foot fall and 2 nights in sub-freezing weather in a canyon near Moab, Utah, accompanied only by her dog Taz. Her skeleton is split into two and some large blood vessels in her pelvis are damaged. In the end, Taz leads the rescuers to Danelle, saving her life.
2	22	"Date from Hell"	Survivors: Brandon Day and Gina Allen. Deceased 1 year earlier: John Joseph Donovan	January 22, 2010
In May 2006, Brandon Day and Gina Allen were going on a tour of the San Jacinto Mountains, but they wander off the trail despite the sound of a rushing waterfall and become stranded and alone for 4 days fighting for their lives.
3	23	"Nightmare on the Mountain"	Survivor: Bram Schaffer	January 29, 2010
In 1995 Bram Schaffer, an 18 year-old elk hunter, was mauled by a grizzly bear in Montana. His severely injured parts of his thigh were ripped off the bone and he must get off the mountain during a large storm. Other hunters assist Bram during the ordeal, providing medical care and carrying him to a camp, eventually resulting in his survival.
4	24	"Crushed and Alone" "Crushed by Quad Bike"	Survivor: Ken Hildebrand	February 5, 2010
In January 2008, Ken Hildebrand was collecting beaver traps in the Canadian Wilderness. When he loses control of his quad bike, it topples over and crushes his legs. His survival gear is out of reach. He must survive for 4 days in negative temperatures and coyotes trying to eat him.
5	25	"Boys Adrift"	Survivors: Troy Driscoll and Joshua Long	February 19, 2010
In April 2005, Troy Driscoll and his friend Josh Long attempted to go shark fishing in a less than seaworthy boat. When a riptide drags them into the Atlantic ocean, they face extreme dehydration, hunger, madness, and weather for 6 days while awaiting rescue, watching helplessly as other boats pass by without seeing them.
6	26	"Fear in Freefall"	Survivor: Will Slattery. Deceased: Jimmy Simplicio, Manny Sanchez, Milt Burton, Jean Roman (Student) and Jorge Melendez (Pilot).	April 2, 2010
In May 2005, Will Slattery, his 2 friends, and the 2 other passengers and pilot suffered a freak accident during a skydiving trip. When their plane gets caught by a storm, it crashes into the shark infested waters of Costa Rica. Now Will faces jellyfish stings and drowning in 24 hours.
7	27	"Shattered on Impact"	Survivors: Clive English, Graham Child, Adam Pope, Mumba Chikungu (who later died of an unrelated illness)	April 9, 2010
4 animal conservationists crash their plane into the Zambian wilderness. With 3 severely injured, 1 man treks off into the wilderness to find help. The others must fight against the elements and the very animals the men have dedicated themselves to protect.
8	28	"Lost in the Outback"	Survivor: Theo Rosmulder	April 16, 2010
In July 2008, Theo Rosmulder, an amateur treasure hunter who got out of heart surgery, wanders off into the Western Australian Outback after he found a gold nugget and got carried away. He must survive 5 days of physical exhaustion and the threat of heart failure without the aid of medication.
9	29	"Blizzard of Death"	Survivors: Dennis and William "Spook" Spann, Clay Lancaster, 13 Kyrghiz guides, 6 government officials. Deceased: 1 Kyrghiz guide (Horse tender) and Helicopter pilot	April 23, 2010
In March 2004, 3 amateur hunters and their 20 local guides become stranded in the remote mountain wilderness of Kyrgyzstan when their trapped vehicle falls into a large snow drift after their hunt. Then, just as they believe they have been saved, the rescue helicopter goes out of control and crashes not far from where they were originally trapped. The pilot and the guide tending the horses die in the crash and the others are left lost in a barren, mountainous nightmare.
10	30	"Avalanche of Terror"	Survivor: Ken Jones	April 30, 2010
In January 2003, Ken Jones, a British climber, is caught in an avalanche in the Carpathian Mountains and falls off a 75ft cliff. With a shattered pelvis and broken femur, he crawls for 7 miles to reach the nearest road in temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit (−15 degrees Celsius).

Season 4 (2010–11)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	31	"A Dad's Worst Nightmare"	Survivors: Matthew and Shannon McGough	October 13, 2010
July 1998. After an overnight camping trip in the Australian Outback, Matthew McGough and his 5 year old daughter Shannon get stranded on their way back after taking a wrong turn. They survive for 8 days on limited supplies after Matthew's car is burned up in an accident.
2	32	"Shipwrecked Family"	Survivors: John and Jean Silverwood; Ben, Amelia, Jack and Camille Silverwood	October 20, 2010
In 2005, John Silverwood, his wife Jean and his four children Ben, Amelia, Jack and Camille embark on the sailing trip of a lifetime. Halfway into the trip, they run aground on a rocky reef in the South Pacific. Huge waves buffet the boat and flood the cabins and John is seriously injured when the mast collapses.
3	33	"Edge of Death"	Survivor: Charlie Hench	October 27, 2010
September 2007. 49-year old Charlie Hench falls off the side of a mountain during a personal hiking expedition and lands on a small ledge at 9000 feet. He is found when his friend Dave Grah, whose brother got lost in a storm 30 years earlier, hiking on the same pass, has a hunch that Charlie is in the same spot.
4	34	"Crashed in the Rockies"	Survivors: Justin Kirkbride, Lawrence Dimond and Thomas "Tommy" Robbins; 7 U.S. Air Force personnel	November 3, 2010
January 2002. After crashing into a remote mountainside in the Rocky Mountains, pilot Justin Kirkbride hikes for hours in waist-deep snow (all the while looking for a cellphone signal) to save his two injured friends. The Air Force helicopter sent to rescue Justin crashes shortly after he boards it.
5	35	"Death in the Sea of Cortez"	Survivors: Joe Rangel and Jose Luis Ramos Garcia. Deceased: Lorenzo Madrid	November 10, 2010
In September 2000 3 men are stranded on a deserted island in the Gulf of California and attempt to hike to the northern shore for 12 days to attract passing fishermen. They rely on scraps they collect in the island in order to survive.
6	36	"76 Days Adrift"	Survivor: Steven Callahan	November 17, 2010
Main Article: 76 days at Sea 1982. Steven Callahan is shipwrecked from his boat and survives for 76 days on a small liferaft at sea. It's up to his wits and his quick thinking if he wants to get out of this unforgiving ocean.
7	37	"Alone in the Amazon"	Survivor: Benedict Allen. Deceased: Allen's dog Cashoe	November 24, 2010
1985. After his canoe was smashed Benedict Allen is stranded in the Amazon rainforest for 28 days and faces dehydration, starvation, and malaria. He is forced to kill and eat his dog Cashoe with a machete to survive.
8	38	"Vacation Nightmare"	Survivors: Brandon and Brandy Wiley, Silke Friedebold, Alvaro Zuniga and Michael Packard. Deceased: 2 pilots and Adolfo Strassburger	December 1, 2010
In November 2001, newlyweds Brandon and Brandy Wiley, their new friend Michael Packard, and 5 other people are plunged into the Costa Rican jungle when their plane hits clouds and falls out of the sky, killing the pilots and a passenger. The survivors have to survive violent animals and a cold rainy night.
9	39	"River of Fear"	Survivor: David Whittlesey	January 5, 2011
In November 1991 David Whittlesey is stranded when his raft capsizes in the Colorado River. While scaling a cliff to evaluate the situation a handhold breaks and he plummets into the river knocking out 4 teeth, also breaking 2 toes after a rock falls on his foot. He must survive alone on a sandy alcove in the dead of winter for a full week.
10	40	"Killer Crevasse"	Survivor: James Davidson. Deceased: Mike Price	January 12, 2011
In June 1992 the mountaineering expedition of best friends Jim Davidson and Mike Price goes terribly wrong when Jim falls into an 80 foot crevasse, dragging his partner with him. Jim survives the fall because of Mike slowing it down. Jim has to climb out without Mike, who died of his injuries, or he'll die in the night.
11	41	"Hike into Hell Canyon"	Survivors: Linda Forney and her dog Cocoa Gin	January 19, 2011
In August 1975, 25-year old Linda Forney, with her dog Cocoa Gin, took a walk to a nearby village via the canyon, only to take a wrong turn along the way. With little supplies, she and her dog survive for 20 days in rising temperatures and sweltering heat.
12	42	"Death Climb"	Survivor: Jamie Andrew. Deceased: Jamie Fisher	January 26, 2011
In January 1999, Jamie Andrew and his friend Jamie Fisher are trapped on a ledge in the French Alps when a surprise snowstorm blows in. Because of the harsh weather, the rescue helicopter can't land which leaves Fisher dead and Andrew frostbitten.
13	43	"A Family's Desert Hell" "Hell in the Desert"	Survivors: Roger Sargeant, Shelly Hubbard (now Sargeant), Michaela and Tiffany Hubbard	February 2, 2011
In August 2002 Roger Sargeant, his girlfriend Shelly and her 2 daughters Michaela and Tiffany are looking for a place to test their new firearm in the Arizona Desert. Their truck gets stuck on a wash and they become lost and spend the next 2 days wandering around where gangs of criminals attempt to run them over and leave them to die.
14	44	"Ocean Disaster"	Survivors: Steve Conway, Travis Wright, Steven Guy, Ross Busby, and Joseph Savana. Deceased: Roger Stone	February 9, 2011
June 2008. Skipper Steve Conway, safety officer Roger Stone, and their four-student crew of Texas A&M participate in the annual regatta at the Gulf of Mexico when their sailboat capsizes in the dead of night. One man sacrifices himself to save two students trapped in the cabin, and the survivors struggle to survive 26 hours in open water, battling the heat of day, the cold of night and haunted by the distant unmanned oil rig in the horizon.
15	45	"Left for Dead on Everest" "Everest Death Zone"	Survivor: Lincoln Hall (Died of Mesothelioma 20th March 2012)	February 16, 2011
In May 2006 climber Lincoln Hall summits Mt. Everest but on the way down he develops life threatening cerebral edema. Sherpas, themselves at risk in the low oxygen death zone, assist his descent but abandon him at 28,000 feet when he falls unconscious and is believed beyond help. During the night Lincoln, his death already announced, awakens and that morning is found by Dan Mazur and his group of climbers during their summit attempt.
16	46	"A Father's Deadly Dilemma" "Snowmobile Nightmare"	Survivors: David Hunt (Jonathan Phillips) and Leia Hunt-Hans	February 23, 2011
In March 2003 David Hunt and his 11 year old daughter Leia are en route via snowmobile to their cottage in Maniwaki, Quebec, Canada. Their snowmobile flips throwing David into a ravine. He eventually climbs out, but his knee is shattered and he can't continue. It's up to Leia to save her dad's life and to stay alive.

Season 5 (2011)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	47	"Avalanche!"	Survivors: Sam Kavanagh, Matt Schuyler, Chris Maki, Jason Thompson. Deceased: Blake Morstad	July 6, 2011
In Montana, five skiers are ravaged by a massive avalanche on New Year's Day, 2005. Sam suffers a gruesome compound fracture to his leg and Blake (who triggered the avalanche) is killed by blunt-force trauma. The three remaining friends fight to keep Sam alive through a growing storm, but his leg is starting to decompose and the rescue helicopter can't land in the weather.
2	48	"Blood on the Mountain"	Survivors: Matthew Briggs and Little Dog.	July 13, 2011
On March 20, 2009 in New Zealand, 33-year old Matthew Briggs, traveling with his dog Little Dog, loses balance, slides down a hill and falls 15 feet onto rocks, breaking his ankle and wrist, and sustaining deep cuts to his thigh. He camps for a week and then using his tent poles as a walking stick, he is forced to hobble for two days to a nearby hut and is found by two hunters.
3	49	"Christmas Horror"	Survivors: Marni Sheppeard and Sonja Rendell.	July 27, 2011
Two hikers in New Zealand take a risky detour around an ice wall, eventually becoming stuck on a potentially unstable rock ledge for 10 days, including Christmas Day. They are unable to escape the ledge because of several days of rainfall and a whole night of snow.
4	50	"First Date Nightmare" "Trapped in a High Place"	Survivors: Jeremy Colenso and Rachel Kelsey.	July 22, 2011
Two climbers on a first date in the Swiss Alps nearly summit a mountain, but are stopped by ice. A massive storm has formed in the valley below, and the climbers are forced to descend through the treacherous conditions. They end up trapped on a ledge.
5	51	"Climb out of Hell"	Survivor: Jordan Nicurity.	September 30, 2011
November 2009. A man, climbing a cliff, falls 20 feet and shatters his pelvis. He is forced to crawl more than a mile and climb a steep cliff to survive.
6	52	"'Til Death Do Us Part"	Survivors: Tom and Lynda Bosworth.	September 30, 2011
July 2009. An off-road adventure goes terribly wrong when the Bosworths' jeep rolls, leaving them stranded in the rugged canyons of New Mexico. They face a grueling four-day hike out of the area, and when Lynda becomes too weak to continue Tom is forced to continue on to save his dying wife.

Season 6 (2011-12)

Episode # (Season)	Episode # (Series)	Episode title	Outcome	Original airdate
1	53	"Chasm of Death"	Survivors: Benjamin Gowans, Clay Craig and Jason Cox.	October 7, 2011
A 2002 hike in Leprechaun Canyon, Utah turns into a nightmare when three friends take a wrong turn and end up trapped deep in a slot canyon on one of the most technical routes in the area. The situation takes a tragic turn for the worse when Ben, attempting to climb out, falls 70 feet and sustains a severe head injury. The others must fight to keep him alive, deep in a canyon with no way out.
2	54	"Volcano Vacation Hell"	Survivor: Gilbert "Dewey" Gaedcke	October 7, 2011
In July 2005 a man on a sightseeing trip becomes lost on a volcano. He must fight to survive in an inhospitable lava plain with only his video camera to keep him sane. Several planes passed off, without noticing Gilbert.
3	55	"Dive of Terror"	Survivor: Robert Hewitt	October 14, 2011
In 2006 a Navy diver on a recreational diving trip is dragged out to sea by a rip current off the coast of New Zealand. He desperately tries to find a way to survive the open water and to be seen by rescuers. His fate relies on the ocean's currents if they were to take him back to shore or adrift the open sea.
4	56	"Escape from Bear Mountain"	Survivors: Dave Akers and Gary Nall	October 14, 2011
In July 2010 two friends have to hike out of the wilderness after their plane crashes in Alaska and badly injures both with Gary a fractured skull and Dave a 2 ribs and a collarbone broken. They are in bear country and encounter several bears on their way out while they face their injuries and hypothermia. They must get to a nearby river that can lead them to civilization.
5	57	"Lost in the Jungle"	Survivor: Ken Wilson	February 17, 2012
In 1993 a young man on a sightseeing trip through the Mayan ruins wanders away from his tour group. With temperatures rising above 100 degrees and the denseness of the jungle he ends up in a 19 day fight for survival with nothing but his sheer willpower as he tries to find his way out.
6	58	"Perfect Storm"	Survivors: Lt. Col. Dave Ruvola, Lt. Col. Graham Buschor, Jim Mioli, and Tech. Sgt. John Spillane. The stranded fisherman was rescued by the coast guard. Missing and Assumed Deceased: Arden "Rick" Smith	February 24, 2012
Halloween 1991. In an attempt to rescue a stranded fisherman during a storm, a Coast Guard helicopter experiences a breakdown and crashes into the North Atlantic Ocean. Now it is the rescuers that need rescuing. They are out at sea for 1 night after their helicopter gets pulled down by strong winds. The men battle waves ten stories high, relying on each other to stay alive.

External links

• Official website
• I Shouldn't Be Alive at IMDb