The WORST episodes of Life Below Zero

#1 - The Rat Race

Season 23 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/18/2025

#2 - Open Season

Season 12 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/1/2019

The Hailstones bind together for a family hunt. Jessie recuperates from a hard-fought Iditarod. Ricko finds an unexpected treasure. Sue's rush to clear the runway is interrupted by an unexpected breakdown.

#3 - Highways of the Arctic

Season 12 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/22/2019

In Alaska, summer is spent preparing for what lies ahead; the Hailstones spend a night on the water; Sue Aikens battles river currents to source coal; Ricko DeWilde secures food with nets made by his late mother; Jessie Holmes gathers firewood.

#4 - Back in the Saddle

Season 12 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/29/2019

With the summer ending, Alaskans must overcome exhaustion, injury and failure; after seeking medical aid, Andy returns home to pick up the pieces; Jessie harvests salmon; Sue searches for winter food; the Hailstones gather key resources.

#5 - Adapt or Die

Season 13 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/24/2019

Sue Aikens plays a game of chess with a predator; Ricko DeWilde hunts for moose; Jessie Holmes' plans shift from one final resource mission to simply surviving the day; the Hailstone family prepares vital tools needed to endure winter in Noorvik.

#6 - Darkness Approaches

Season 13 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/1/2019

The time is now for Alaskans to prepare for the harsh winter by any means necessary — or risk paying the ultimate price.

#7 - The Freeze Up

Season 13 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/2019

To survive dark winter, Alaskans must be relentless in their pursuit of critical resources.

#8 - Ultimate Sacrifice

Season 13 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/26/2019

Sue goes ptarmigan hunting. Andy and Denise battle jumble ice. Jessie races in the Iditarod.

#9 - Swept Away

Season 18 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/16/2021

Those in Alaska must seize the newfound resources of spring’s arrival and avoid its many dangers to survive another season of life off the grid.

#10 - Something Out There

Season 18 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/23/2021

Extended daylight, blossoming greens, and open waterways make the arctic spring a crucial time for Alaskans to brave the landscape for resources.

#11 - Raging Waters

Season 18 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/7/2021

As temperatures warm in the Arctic, the landscape and waterways are returning to life, and Alaskans must seize all opportunities under the spring sun.

#12 - Blood on the Ground

Season 19 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/5/2022

Alaskans must face the dangers of the Arctic in order to stockpile resources before dark winter returns to claim the landscape.

#13 - Shadow Dwellers

Season 19 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/20/2022

The unforgiving winter tightens its grip.

#14 - What's Up from Down

Season 23 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/12/2024

In deep winter, Alaskans are confronted with a number of challenges and surprises, and adaptation is critical to their survival.

#15 - Dead Weight

Season 16 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/29/2020

For Alaskans, seizing the final days of summer is critical; and in doing so, the difference between life and death is often only a moment’s decision.

#16 - Primitive Ways

Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/26/2017

Alaskans apply primitive knowledge and skill to build a life in the Arctic wilderness.

#17 - Arctic Discipline

Season 13 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/19/2019

Sue clears her runway of snow. Denise learns to dogsled. Jessie snares rabbits. Ricko teaches his son Skyler to hunt.

#18 - Independent by Nature

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 11/2/2014

Alaskans living in remote corners of the Arctic fight to maintain an independent lifestyle through self-reliant ingenuity, innovation, resourcefulness, and knowledge.

#19 - Bent and Broken

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/11/2015

In Eagle, Andy constructs snares to maintain his food supply. In Wiseman, Erik and Martha cut up their last moose quarter and use salvaged supplies to construct a smokehouse. In Kiwalik, Chip and Agnes go caribou hunting to stockpile meat and fur for the coming months. And in Kavik, Sue clears her runway for a plane to deliver a new snow machine.

#20 - Hunt, Barter, and Steal

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/26/2013

After being away for several months due to an injury, Sue is finally on her way to her home at the Kavik River Camp. Though she thinks bears may have taken up residence there, she discovers a bigger surprise: thieves have robbed her fuel supply. If she runs out before weather makes a delivery possible, she'll freeze. In Noorvik, Chip and Agnes can't access their hunting grounds until their river freezes, forcing them to rely on bartering the supplies they have for the essential items they lack.

#21 - End of the Road

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/19/2013

Six people separated by hundreds of miles, all joined by the common cause of surviving the winter in the Alaskan bush. In Noorvik, Chip races to set whitefish nets on thin ice for the last catch of the season. Fishing on the frozen river is deadly, but it's vital to haul enough fish to last through the winter. Andy tests the safety of the river surrounding his house that he uses as a link to the outside world. Without this winter lifeline, he is trapped and isolated.

#22 - Predator Control

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/22/2015

Erik returns to embark on a hunt, and Sue attempts to restock her freezers. The Hailstones get a new boat, and Jessie continues to work on his fish wheel.

#23 - Aftermath

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 6/25/2015

Sue heads into town to get a diagnosis about her injury; the Hailstone's head out one last hunt of the season; Chip's snow machine breaks down; the Salitans go ice fishing.

#24 - Under the Gun

Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/5/2016

Sue travels to a weaponry in Fairbanks, the Hailstone family head north to collect greens, Jessie constructs new doghouses for his dog team, and Martha goes on a solo duck hunt.

#25 - Hard Knocks

Season 13 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/22/2019

Sue repairs her cabin in Chena. The DeWildes set a fish net. Jessie spends time with his young dogs. Chip receives medical attention after an accident.