Random Behind Scenes Facts About NatGeo's Life Below Zero (14 items)

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  (#4) Amazon Delivers To Wiseman, Alaska

  Wiseman, Alaska is not as remote as the show might like you to believe. There are roads that connect to major cities, and you can buy necessary supplies only 13 miles away. And, to top it off, Amazon delivers to Wiseman — and Amazon has pretty much everything these days. Locals say that small towns like Wiseman are often subsidized by oil corporations, sometimes even owning the houses, and while the townspeople do hunt, it's mostly many of them have modern conveniences, like DirectTV and snowmobiles.

  There's no electricity, to be sure, but most people have generators or solar panels. Regardless, bears aren't menacing Wiseman citizens who have no connection to the outside world. A person who worked on the show noted that they never film in places without access to food, water, and other amenities. 
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  (#2) The Kavik River Camp Is Basically A Glamper's Paradise

  Sue Aikens may live by herself in a tent, but she's not nearly as isolated as Life Below Zero claims she is. The Kavik River Camp is exactly that — a camp, or at the very least, "glamping" or glamour camping. The camp features wifi, phones, and "all services you'd expect to find in a big city." You can even buy Kavik River Camp apparel and souvenirs.

  At a cost of $350 per night, Aikens is doing pretty well for herself, especially after her fame at the hands of National Geographic. She can accept credit card payments, coordinate tours and travel, and otherwise help guests experience the Arctic. Though she's presented as being very isolated in the off-season, the Kavik River Camp is open year-round. 
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  (#7) Chip Hailstone Has Raised A Lot Of Criticism

  Some people aren't fans of Chip Hailstone, saying that he uses and exploits his wife Agnes. To be fair, he legally can't hunt on the land since he's not a native Inupiaq. However, to some viewers, Agnes has become "a subservient puppet with Chip pulling her strings." A major criticism is that the show portrays Agnes killing way more game than the family needs, although it's highly unlikely that the Hailstones actually need to live off the land (the Hailstones's net worth is estimated to be pretty high).

  Apparently, Chip wouldn't be the first white person to try to take advantage of the oil money paid to native Inupiaqs. 
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  (#6) It's Not Below Zero Everywhere, All The Time

  Yes, of course it's cold in Alaska. But the summers are in the 60s and 70s — sometimes even the 80s. And winter isn't as bad as you probably think. Anchorage is warmer in the winter than Chicago, and the southeast part of the state is also pretty warm. In places like Fairbanks, further from the ocean, it can indeed get below zero, sometimes negative 30. The dry cold, however, means that -30 isn't as bad as it seems. Temperature in Alaska varies quickly, though, and a short drive can give you climate whiplash. 

  Parts of Alaska do see well over 100 inches of snow, but Anchorage has the same yearly snowfall as Burlington, Vermont. 
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  (#9) Chip Hailstone Is Heading To Jail After A Weird Legal Battle

  Chip Hailstone has been fighting the courts for some time now. In 2012, he was convicted of perjury and lying to a police officer. Though Chip appealed the conviction, he was sentenced to 15 months in jail in July 2017. So, if you've watched the show and wondered why Agnes and the kids were on their own, there's your answer.

  The story surrounding Chip's conviction is, however, a little strange. First, Chip asked for a restraining order against a state trooper, saying that his daughter had reached towards the trooper and he put her in a hold. That incident, according to Chip, made him and his family fearful. Secondly, Chip claimed that a neighbor aimed a gun at his family. Who knows what the real story is, but Chip was convicted for perjury for both of those statements. 
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  (#15) Native Alaskans Take Issue With A Lot Of Alaska Reality Shows

  Other than Deadliest Catch, it looks like most Alaskans aren't fans of the many reality shows that plague the state. Alaska is often portrayed as so remote that it's stuck in another century, or that the people who live there are backwoods rednecks. A cast member from Ultimate Survival Alaska claimed that if you go off the road, "you're putting your foot on ground that has never been walked before by any human being."

  Not only does that sound a little ridiculous, it actually is ridiculous. The state has been mapped and is managed by state troopers, and other than protected land, it's pretty likely that you're going to see someone's house or yard. Most of Alaskans, in fact, live in urban areas, not the bush (two-thirds of the population live in Fairbanks, Juneau, or Anchorage). Yet that hasn't stopped networks from exploiting the wilderness; MTV has even created a show called Slednecks. Just by the name, that sounds like one that Alaskans won't be fans of. 

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