The WORST episodes of Life Below Zero

Every episode of Life Below Zero ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Life Below Zero!

When bears, wolves and foxes are your only neighbors, life can be pretty lonely. Add minus-60-degree days and a constant battle for the most basic necessities, and you have the daily challenges of people who live in remote corners of Alaska. This series takes viewers deep into an Alaskan winter to meet six tough and resilient residents as they try to stay one step ahead of storms and man-eating beasts to make it through to spring. The closest neighbor to Sue Aikens is more than 300 miles away. Eric Salitan subsists solely on what he hunts and forages. Chip and Agnes Hailstone catch fish for currency in bartering for supplies, and Andy and Kate Bassich use their pack of sled dogs for transportation.

Last Updated: 5/6/2026Network: National GeographicStatus: Continuing
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#1 - Creatures of Darkness

Season 23 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/22/2024

As daylight diminishes, Alaskans contend with the Arctic animals and predators lurking in the shadows.

Deep Dark Winter
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#2 - Deep Dark Winter

Season 23 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/8/2024

As winter returns, Alaskans face new threats to their survival.

Run Aground
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#3 - Run Aground

Season 22 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/19/2023

Alaskans are in the home stretch of preparing for the upcoming winter.

Back in the Saddle
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#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.

Highways of the Arctic
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#5 - 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.

Treading Water
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#6 - Treading Water

Season 12 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/15/2019

Jessie collects logs in anticipation of the coming winter. The Hailstones prepare themselves for the coming fish run. Ricko teaches his younger children to hunt and fish. Sue tests her mettle against the capricious, flooding tundra.

Arctic Super Moon
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#7 - Arctic Super Moon

Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/10/2017

In the midst of dark winter’s onslaught, Alaskans head out into the cold, seeking precious resources to ensure their survival and maximum efficiency.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Higher Ground
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#8 - Higher Ground

Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/13/2016

As the thaw draws to a close, Alaskans maximize their final days of sunlight in the Arctic.

Watch Now:Apple TV
The Slow Grind
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#9 - The Slow Grind

Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/29/2016

As the summer begins to fade, Alaskans must take advantage of the long days to prepare for the long freeze that lies ahead.

Primitive Ways
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7.10
10 votes

#10 - Primitive Ways

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

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

Watch Now:Apple TV
Arctic Discipline
star
7.25
4 votes

#11 - 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.

Independent by Nature
star
7.32
85 votes

#12 - 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.

Bent and Broken
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7.37
120 votes

#13 - 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.

Hunt, Barter, and Steal
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7.40
224 votes

#14 - 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.

Watch Now:Apple TV
End of the Road
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7.41
328 votes

#15 - 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.

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Predator Control
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7.42
122 votes

#16 - 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.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Aftermath
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7.42
114 votes

#17 - 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.

Under the Gun
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7.45
116 votes

#18 - 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.

Hard Knocks
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7.46
72 votes

#19 - 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.

Watch Now:Apple TV
The Resurrection
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7.46
132 votes

#20 - The Resurrection

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/24/2015

When spring arrives in Alaska, the thaw means time to begin preparation for the next freeze, be it hunting, fishing or relocating for the summer.

No Easy Out
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7.48
110 votes

#21 - No Easy Out

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/4/2015

Chip and Agnes prepare for hunting along the Kiwalik River; Sue builds a pair of snowshoes; Andy goes in search of much needed supplies; Erik and Martha set their first traps of the season.

Dark Winter's End
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7.49
122 votes

#22 - Dark Winter's End

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 7/3/2014

The end of winter is quickly approaching. Chip and Agnes have one last chance to harvest caribou until late summer. If they succeed, they will have meat for food and trade for months. Sue stumbles upon a mysterious object in the tundra, and fears for a potential encounter with a predator. Glenn is on the hunt for food and fur, and the wolf tracks he spots remind him there is more than one hunter in Chandalar. Andy sets out to collect wood before the rising temperatures melt away his snow trails.

Wolf at the Door
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7.49
193 votes

#23 - Wolf at the Door

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/9/2013

Mechanical breakdowns and invading predators threaten the lives of six people as they try to survive the dark and cold winter in Alaska. In Kavik, a familiar sound startles Sue. She soon realizes that a deadly wolf has approached her cabin. Nineteen miles north of the Arctic Circle, Chip's snow machine breaks down, threatening his own survival since without it he cannot fish, hunt or trade. In Wiseman, Erik hunts for lynx fur to earn money but the beast outsmarts him every time.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Trapped and Hunted
star
7.51
150 votes

#24 - Trapped and Hunted

Season 7 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/2/2016

Though not easy tasks, trapping and hunting are essential activities for Alaskans to get crucial food and fur to survive dark winter.

Trials & Tributaries
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7.54
35 votes

#25 - Trials & Tributaries

Season 20 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/6/2022

As the warm season continues, Alaskans contend with the annual environmental changes that shift the daily struggles and rewards of their environment.