Life Below Zero Explained

Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	22
Executive Producer:	Joseph Litzinger Scott Sandman Nick Bunker
Camera:	Multiple
Company:	BBC Studios
Channel:	National Geographic
First Aired:	^[1]

Life Below Zero (styled as Life Below Zero° on the title card) is a documentary television series that illustrates the daily and seasonal activities of subsistence hunters as they make their living in remote areas of Alaska. Produced by BBC Studios, the show airs on National Geographic.

Each episode pays on average 2000-4500$ (usd) to each actor per episode^[2] Some sources call this a reality tv series; the people earn money from appearing in it.^[3]

Plot

The show follows people living in the remote areas of Alaska, surviving off the land, making money through various ventures, as well as dealing with the many different challenges that come with living so remotely in such an unforgiving environment.^{[4] [5]}

Main characters

• Sue Aikens – a -year-old (born July 1, 1963) woman and the sole resident of the Kavik river camp in northern Alaska. The camp is located directly adjacent to the Kavik River, 197 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Her motto is "If it hurts, don't think about it."^[6]
• Chip and Agnes Hailstone – live with their seven children on the Kobuk River in Noorvik 19 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Chip lived in Kalispell, Montana, before moving to Alaska. Agnes is Native Alaskan, an Inupiaq born in Noorvik, and is the one member of the cast who has spent their entire life in Alaska, as well as the longest-resident. She has family ties to the land that extend thousands of years and knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation. Although Agnes is more the focus of the Hailstones' segments, her whole family comes to the screen with her.^[7]
• Glenn Villeneuve – moved from Burlington, Vermont, to Alaska in 1999. He lives alone in Chandalar, 200 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska, and 65 miles north of the Arctic Circle.^[8] Later he is joined by his wife and children.
• Jessie Holmes – lives in Brushkana, Alaska, where he is a fisherman, hunter and dogsled racer living alone with his 40 sled dogs.^{[9] [10]}
• Andy Bassich – lives on the Yukon River^[11] near Eagle, Alaska, with his 25 sled dogs. He came to Alaska after moving from Washington, D.C., with his wife, Kate Bassich. Andy and Kate divorced in 2016. Andy's girlfriend, Denise, has now joined him at his homestead.
• Erik and Martha Mae Salitan – a young couple, well versed in wilderness living, who live 67 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Wiseman, Alaska.^[12]
• Ricko DeWilde – an Alaskan Athabaskan who moves into his family's remote abandoned cabin near Huslia, Alaska. Later, he has his young children visit to begin teaching them about subsistence living.

Broadcast

The show premiered on Sunday night.^[1] It switched to Tuesday night beginning in Season 4.^[13] It currently shows on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
	67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program	Oliver Standfast Lynch, Benji Lanpher, Terry Pratt, Simeon Houtman, and Mark St. Marie (for: "Darkness Falls")		^[14]
	68th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards		Mike Cheeseman, John-Thomas Griber, Simeon Houtman, Danny Day, Ben Mullin, and Chris Multop (for: "Breaking Through")
2017	69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards		Mike Cheeseman, John Griber, Simeon Houtman, Terry Pratt, Danny Day, and Ben Mullin (for: "Loaded")
Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program		Ian Richardson, Tony Diaz, Eric Michael Schrader, and Matt Mercer (for: "River of Rage")
2018	70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program	Danny Day, John Griber, Mike Cheeseman, Simeon Houtman, Terry Pratt, Rob Gowler, David Lovejoy, and Ben Mullin
Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program		Eric Michael Schrader, Tony Diaz, Matt Mercer, and Jennifer Nelson (for: "The 11th Hour")
2019	71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program	Travis Shakespeare, Joseph Litzinger, Kevin Tao Mohs, Nicholas Bunker, Scott A. Sandman, Crofton Diack, Daniel Espy, Chris Multop, Rob Pollard, and Brad Carper
Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program		Mike Cheeseman, Danny Day, David Lovejoy, Ben Mullin, John Griber, Benji Lanpher, and Terry Pratt
Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program		Tony Diaz, Matt Mercer, Jennifer Nelson, Eric Michael Schrader, and Michael Swingler (for: "Cost of Winter")
2020	72nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program	Michael Cheeseman, Danny Day, and Dwayne Fowler (for: "The New World")
Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program		Matt Edwards, Jennifer Nelson, Tony Diaz, Matt Mercer, Eric Michael Schrader, and Michael Swingler (for: "The New World")
2021	73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program	Danny Day, John Griber, Simeon Houtman, Ben Mullin, Michael Cheeseman, David Lovejoy, Brian Bitterfeld, Tom Day, Jeffrey Alexander, and Josh Fisch
		Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program	Tony Diaz, Matt Edwards, Jennifer Nelson, Eric Michael Schrader, and Michael Swingler
		Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera)	Tony Crowe
2022	74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program	Danny Day, Michael Cheeseman, and Simeon Houtman		^[15]
		Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program	Michael Swingler, Tony Diaz, Matt Edwards, and Jennifer Nelson

External links

• Official National Geographic website

Notes and References

1. Web site: New Series "Life Below Zero" Explores the Incredible Lives of Six Alaskans Living Off the Land and Off the Grid in the Country's Most Vicious Climate. The Futon Critic. April 24, 2013. April 10, 2017.
2. Web site: Life Below Zero, Season 23 . Nat Geo TV . November 21, 2023 .
3. Web site: Life Below Zero Cast, Death, Net Worth, Salary . NetWorthMag . Alaska TV Shows . November 16, 2023 . November 21, 2023 .
4. Web site: Life Below Zero | National Geographic Channel. https://web.archive.org/web/20130505104328/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/life-below-zero/. dead. 5 May 2013. National Geographic Channels. December 2, 2013.
5. Web site: Meet the Cast of Life Below Zero | National Geographic Channel. National Geographic Channels. December 2, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021438/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/life-below-zero/collections/meet-the-cast-of-life-below-zero/. December 3, 2013.
6. Web site: Sue Aikens - Life Below Zero Article. May 2, 2013. July 16, 2018. National Geographic Channels. https://web.archive.org/web/20171219022402/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/life-below-zero/articles/sue-aikens/. December 19, 2017. dead.
7. Web site: Chip & Agnes Hailstone - Life Below Zero Article. May 2, 2013. July 16, 2018. National Geographic Channels. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222143737/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/life-below-zero/articles/chip-hailstone/. December 22, 2017. dead.
8. Web site: Glenn Villeneuve - Life Below Zero Article. October 22, 2013. July 16, 2018. National Geographic Channels. https://web.archive.org/web/20171212123808/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/life-below-zero/articles/glenn-villeneuve/. December 12, 2017. dead.
9. Web site: Jessie Holmes – Life Below Zero Article. November 2, 2015. July 16, 2018. National Geographic Channels. https://web.archive.org/web/20180101203433/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/life-below-zero/articles/jessie-holmes/. January 1, 2018. dead.
10. Web site: Jessie Holmes Iditarod Profile. 13 January 2013 . January 28, 2021.
11. Web site: Andy Bassich - Life Below Zero Article. May 2, 2013. July 16, 2018. National Geographic Channels. https://web.archive.org/web/20171125071310/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/life-below-zero/articles/andy-bassich/. November 25, 2017. dead.
12. Web site: Erik Salitan - Life Below Zero Article. May 2, 2013. July 16, 2018. National Geographic Channels. https://web.archive.org/web/20171221033404/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/life-below-zero/articles/erik-salitan/. December 21, 2017. dead.
13. Web site: Gleason. Meg. A New Season of Life Below Zero: The Thaw Premieres Tonight!. https://web.archive.org/web/20141109023505/http://tvblogs.nationalgeographic.com/2014/11/04/a-new-season-of-life-below-zero-the-thaw-premieres-tonight/. dead. 9 November 2014. Nat Geo TV Blogs. April 10, 2017.
14. Web site: Life Below Zero. Emmy Award. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 16, 2015.
15. Web site: Emmys 2022: Complete Nominations List. July 12, 2022. Jordan. Moreau. Variety. July 12, 2022.