Extracted Episode Four: Denver-Based Contestants Call It Quits

Fans of the Denver-based contestants braced for the fourth episode of Extracted, which aired on Fox yesterday evening, March 3. Though she was little featured in the season premiere, survivalist Rose Hyak was looking good during episode two, when she successfully built a primitive raft and obtained shelter-building supplies on day three in the Canadian wilderness. But from there, things started going downhill.

Hunting Down a Deer Carcass Proved Challenging for Hyak
Episode two ended on the evening of day four, with Hyak struggling to light the propane stove that her family members at headquarters — cousin Kelsey Nichols and aunt Laura Foster — were able to secure for her. At the start of episode three, viewers learned that fire would be crucial the next day, as the hungry survivalists’ next challenge involved harvesting deer flesh from a secluded carcass.

“Wait, it's not just the meat?” asked Foster, sure that Hyak wouldn’t be willing to cut through fur and bone. “It's gross and she's not going to want to do it. But she's going to know, because she's a dietician, that that's going to provide fat, protein and calories,” affirmed Nichols.

An announcement made over the HQ intercom confirmed, “Twelve ounces of venison contains nearly 600 calories and 24 grams of protein. The deer is first-come, first-serve. So the quicker you get your survivalist to the carcass, the more meat they can secure to nourish themselves.”

The broadcast continued, “You will be shown a map with the location of the carcass. You will have thirty seconds to commit the map to memory before having to draw your own map, which your survivalist will use to find the deer.”

Families at headquarters gathered in front of the large screen, which depicted a map with multiple markers. It detailed the survivalists’ camp in the northeast corner and a dotted line, indicating that the competitors would need to move south through the forest, then west to the river crossing. From there, they were to continue west through a bog, then south and around a pond where the carcass was hidden along the southwest shore.

“Honestly, our whole family is bad at navigation,” commented Nichols, who frantically scribbled down what she could recall. “Write down what you saw,” she said to her mom. “I didn’t see anything,” responded Foster, adding, “We don't have a chance.”

“Thirty seconds isn't a lot of time, but also, I have a terrible memory,” admitted Sean Willis, brother to Conifer-based survivalist Ryan Willis. He and Ryan’s wife, Sarah Thomas, took a different approach, relying heavily on written descriptions rather than drawing a map.

After each team completed their directions, they were given access to the supply room, where knives were available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Some were designed to slice through hide, while others were better for sawing through bone. Bear canisters were also provided to hold the raw meat.

These goods were delivered to the survivalists, who then set out in search of the deer. Willis quickly found his bearings, as did another top-performing contestant, Woody Kaminer. They were both out of the bog and approaching the pond while Hyak meandered east of camp, which was entirely in the wrong direction.

“I mean, did they draw this map wrong or what?” asked Hyak as she bushwacked through brambles. “I’m sorry, Rose,” commented Foster from headquarters.
Meanwhile, Willis was the first to reach the deer, with non-hunter Woody right at his heels. Meeting for the first time, they exchanged names and began hacking at the body. “This is Ryan’s first time to cut up a deer carcass. I think he’s maybe skinned a rabbit once or twice,” commented Thomas.

At the top of the episode, Willis had joked, “I am a master of winging it. It drives my wife insane.” She affirmed, “Ryan did nothing to prepare for this. He and a buddy were going to spend three days, two nights in the woods together with just the bare minimum supplies. He came home after one night with a hatchet wound and wearing his rain jacket around his waist like a kilt because he had an accident. But he came home just as confident as when he left. He has a tough mind and he will find a way.”

With a bear canister full of meat, Willis trekked back to camp while other contestants slowly found their way through the woods. After nearly two hours of struggling, all survivalists had made it to the deer — except Hyak who, eventually, gave up and returned to her humble shelter.
“I’m just not feeling confident anymore,” she said. “I know I said I wouldn’t quit and I know y’all said you wouldn’t pull me, but I think I’m ready to go home.” Foster responded, “There’s no way I would extract Rose. No way, no matter what.”

While other survivalists sparked fires to cook their venison dinner, Hyak tried again to light hers, simply to stay warm. “Oh my god, I did it. Finally, I made a fucking fire,” she beamed when the wood planks caught flame. “Alright, Aunt Laura and Kelsey. Ignore me. Don’t pull me. This is all I needed.”

But Then, Rain Put a Damper on Her Success
Though a bonfire boosted Hyak’s spirit, it began to thunderstorm through the night. Rain continued into the morning of day six, soaking her hiking boots, socks and other gear. Hyak’s health status ticked up to moderate yellow, indicating signs of decline.

Other contestants were also downtrodden by the weather. It was only 38 degrees and with the temperature dropping, they were running the risk of hypothermia. To the relief of family members, an emanate supply drop was announced — but that reassurance was fleeting, as they learned that there were only enough supplies for seven of the eleven survivalists.

Knowing Willis was doing well, with two days’ worth of deer meat chilling in a nearby stream, his family members graciously volunteered to pass on the supplies. Two other families did the same and, after some squabble, a third followed. But incoming hot chocolate and warm wool socks weren’t enough to convince Davina Christy’s family to stick around.

“Wait for the hot chocolate,” encouraged other contestants, some of whom had opted to forgo the supply drop. “She’s not going to make it through the night wet,” retorted her sister. “To hell with the hot chocolate,” added Christy’s stepdaughter before the two pressed the red “extract” button.

Thomas shed a few tears when Willis opened an empty supply box shortly after. “I was pretty disappointed in Davina’s family [for] kind of wasting a set of hot chocolate and wool socks. It feels so selfish. Other people could have benefitted from that.”

Goods also went to waste on Ashley Tyler, who decided she was too weak to leave camp and collect her supply drop from the lakeshore. Her family extracted her at the start of episode four.

Hyak mustered up the energy to retrieve her box. But shivering back to camp, she admitted, “I feel like I’m about to pass out.” Another contestant at headquarters commented, “Rose can barely walk, dude.”

Her left foot had gone numb from the cold. She had no food and had barely slept in days — the rope bed she had pulled together two days prior looked awfully uncomfortable. “Aunt Laura, Kelsey, if you happen to be watching this right now, I’m sorry. I don’t feel good,” said Hyak, softly sobbing in an upright fetal position.
“I do not like watching women cry,” commented Sean. In his and Thomas’s private room, he added, “This is making me, like, depressed, and I don’t like feeling like this.” The Colorado teams had formed an alliance in a prior episode and Thomas agreed, stating, “It’s terrible. I don’t want to listen to Rose cry.”

As Hyak’s condition worsened, Nichols and Foster began to question if they had reached the end of the road. “I’m so cold. I’m so hungry,” repeated Hyak, shaking in her wet shelter. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

“Knowing Rose and knowing how competitive she is, I came in here thinking, ‘There is no way I would extract Rose, no way.’ But you know, I’m just really worried about her,” said Foster, adding that she also worried what her sister, Hyak’s mother, would think if she didn’t react.

“Obviously, we have to do what Rose needs. She can't be out there and suffer,” affirmed Nichols in tears. “She wants to be extracted. We have to do it,” concluded Foster. Together, the two hit the ominous button, forgoing the $250,000 grand prize and making Hyak the fourth survivalist to be rescued.

When she received the news, Hyak stated, “I love y'all and y'all fought hard, and I'm sorry I couldn't hold up my end of everything.” She continued, “This is a million times harder than I thought it was gonna be, just not having food and water and being cold. But I definitely disappointed myself.”
Upon being reunited, the family embraced each other and exchanged “I love yous,” just like how they began their journey on the show. Then, they boarded a pick-up and drove off into the night, leaving eight families to keep battling it out in the unforgiving wilderness.

Will Ryan Willis continue to do Colorado proud? Tune in on Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m. when the fifth installment airs on Fox, and catch up on the drama by streaming prior episodes on Hulu.