A photo of Alone Casting Director Quinn Fegan. Photo: Courtesy of Kyle Logan

Alone Insider: Interview With Casting Director Quinn Fegan

Quinn has sought out and discovered amazing “Alone” participants since Season 5.

How do you find people for the show?

Last we checked, we had 60,000-plus emails in our inbox. We’re a small team and can’t read them all. So it’s helpful when people front-load their emails with relevant details. Tell us if you lived in remote locations, or any unique survival situations you’ve had, showcasing your ability to not die. Also, a sense of humor really helps us “get” who you are.

Some amazing diamonds in the rough came into our inbox who we’d never have found. Roland Welker (Season 7 winner) didn’t write in—his sister wrote for him. He didn’t have a computer, a smartphone or email. He lived in a town of eight people called Red Devil, Alaska. He’d never filmed himself. But he filmed for 100 days straight. He’s the series record holder for longest time out.

How do you screen your short list?

We do a robust, three-hour psych evaluation. Everyone takes a physical, to make sure they’re healthy enough to participate. We have some non-negotiables—medical history that could pose real risks in the wild—but we try to be as flexible as we can without putting anyone at risk. We also do background checks, social media sweeps. They take swim tests.

How are survival skills assessed?

Our survival experts carry out lengthy interviews including a practical test of specific survival skills. They’re not always looking for the end result. They’re looking for how people deal with tools, fear, safety—and whether they follow exact instructions. They’re trying to determine whether the candidate knows their materials and uses them safely. Are they performing that bow drill fire test in a really windy place? Not ideal.

What safety details do you look for that people don’t necessarily think about?

The devil’s definitely in the details. Do you always put your ferro rod in the same spot so you don’t lose it? Do you think about your shoelaces being tied, to prevent falls? Do you know what parasitic organisms look like in an animal? We’ve seen so much giardia. Those three things have been repetitive reasons for why people tap out.

You don’t just pick the cast, you also help launch them into the wild. Talk about that.

We hold an orientation camp for approximately two weeks right before drop-off, when we acclimate cast to their area. We’re sleeping in tents, taking them on flora and fauna walks, getting them their hunting and fishing licenses and really exposing them to what their indefinite future holds in terms of environment.

In Mongolia, we had pit vipers in the earth where we slept. We had mice crawling up our pajama pant legs. We even had a rogue cow break into our food tent and eat all our snacks.

How has casting changed through the seasons?

We’ve gone from mostly skilled outdoor enthusiasts and survivalists to a wider mix. We’re interested in people who’ve shown resilience in different ways. Like Amos Rodriguez (Season 7), who grew up in war-torn El Salvador and had to learn a different kind of survival.

What’s your ideal cast mix?

Ideally, we have people from the primitive skills community, some using ancestral tribal knowledge to make nets or baskets or stone tools. We’d also have big-game bow hunters—usually alpha males. We like having bushcrafters. They’re the real makers who are building elaborate shelters and trebuchets. Dub (Season 11) made a workout machine with a tree and a paracord. Shawn Helton (Season 7) made a jacuzzi from an old boat he found and was relaxing in it like he was in a spa.

What’s surprised you most about participants?

I think people underestimate how amazing the women of “Alone” are. They often outlast the alpha males.

Is there an X factor to getting on “Alone”?

Sustained daily survival experience. Season 6 winner Jordan Jonas lived with a nomadic tribe in Siberia, learning how to herd reindeer and trap. Callie Russell (Season 7) lives mostly outdoors with her goats. People like Callie, who last the longest, love being out there. She had frostbite on her feet and was starving, but when our team came to check on her, she’d ask them all to sit down for a cup of hot water.

What mistakes do people make when applying to be on “Alone”?

A common one is when people talk about their survival experiences, but they only hunt with a firearm, or they’ve only fished with a store-bought rod or reel. Those experiences won’t help in this show.

Have you considered a celebrity season? Who’d be in your fantasy cast?

We’ve considered it! I’d love to invite the Kelce brothers, Joe Rogan, Justin Bieber and Jason Bateman, who are all big “Alone” fans.