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Nicole Apelian On Being One Of First Three Women on ‘Alone’ — First Person Taps Out

By Danielle McGaw
Published on: 15:35 PST, Apr 24, 2016

April 21 was the season 2 premier of the hit History Channel reality show, Alone. Nicole Apelian is one of 3 women to be on the show this year. Season 1 of Alone featured only men, so this is a big deal for Nicole Apelian to be one of the first 3 women to appear on the show.

Nicole Apelian is getting a fair amount of media attention because not only is she in that group of women that are first to be on Alone, but she has some special circumstances. She has multiple sclerosis. Of course, having MS is just a part of who she is.

According to Decider, Nicole Apelian is, “an anthropologist, biologist, survival skills trainer, bush expert, and so much more.” She’s also tracked lions in Africa, so she knows a little bit about wild life.

Why did Nicole Apelian want to do the show? She told Decider that she felt it was important for her to be a role model for young girls because she wants them to know that anything is possible. Apelian also feels that this is an important message to get out into the world.

Nicole was sought out by the producers because of her abilities and she was thrilled to get involved in season 2 of Alone. Apelian took the time to prepare by getting off of caffeine and carbs and alcohol. Nicole knew from watching the first season of Alone that heat was a big challenge, so she practiced starting fires with damp cedar bark.

Nicole Apelian was diagnosed with MS 16 years ago. At first, it affected her ability to walk and her eyesight. But she managed her MS by turning away from Western medicine. According to 680 News, Apelian changed her diet and treatment, “and began an herbal medicine regimen supplemented with a diet of organic and wild foods and plenty of exercise. In many ways, she said, nature offers her relief from MS.”

Nicole Apelian feels that there is a stereotype about women in most shows like this, and she wants a chance to tear some of them down. When she spoke with Decider, she said,

“If you look at shows, across the board, there are very few shows that highlight women in a positive way doing these particular skills.”

As mentioned, Nicole Apelian is not the only woman on Alone. The other two women are Mary Kate Green who is a fitness trainer from Homer, Alaska, and Tracy Wilson, from Aiken, South Carolina, who works in military and law enforcement.

The First Tap Out

Alone has already had the first tap out.

The first person to tap out (press the button that says they are quitting) was Desmond White, who is in the military.

White said, “The situation is crazy. I don’t feel safe.”

The near presence of bears and the bear scat that was in the immediate area made him feel uncomfortable and that his life was at risk. White decided that it was just not worth the gamble. Check out the video that shows White’s tap out scenes:

Many people are fascinated with shows like Alone that depicts people challenging themselves. Perhaps it is the many apocalypse type of shows and movies that are so popular at this time. Perhaps it is just curiosity and many people wonder how they would do. Nicole Apelian says that many people start learning these skills for various reasons, but they are things that people can learn at any point in their lives, no matter what their age is. On her website, Nicole Apelian helps teach people how to “Survive and Thrive”.

There are 9 contestants left to fight for the survival and the $500,000 prize. Who will make it through episode 2?

[Image via History Channel]

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