Eustace Conway, one of the stars of Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America
is a lead character. The sales pitch for the series links it unashamedly to off-grid living – “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live your life off the grid?” runs the Web site. “Have you wished you could shed the complications of modern society and live in the wilderness, using only the things nature has provided? ”
And like all reality TV, the cracks are showing as viewers realise that the series is extremely unreal.
Set in the Great Outdoors, viewers love to see stars in such reality shows as Man Vs Wild and Doomsday Preppers suffer at the hands of Mother Nature – as has frequently happened to them on family backpacking trips. Unlike their suffering, however, reality stars’ woes are anything but real.
Last March, Discovery Channel fired Bear Grylls, the star of “Man vs. Wild.” It may have had something to do with the fact that Bear wasn’t spending as much time in the wilderness as viewers were led to believe.
This month you can catch “Mountain Men” on the History Channel. First you sit through a bunch of commercials for erectile dysfunction and other drugs.
Then you meet the reality how stars. “Mountain Men” features three so-called mountain men: Eustace Conway, owner of Turtle Island,a fertile couple of hundred acres in N.C.; Marty Meierotto, from somewhere in Alaska; and Tom Oar, who lives in the wilds of the Yaak and Kootenai valleys in western Montana.
Eustace, who spends most of the show feuding with an incompetent intern, nevertheless trusts the lad to sight in his deer rifle. Then he goes deer hunting and fails to hit the deer with a clean shot, then loses the blood trail.
Eustace went down to his mailbox on the latest episode of the History Channel’s Mountain Men to find a letter threatening to take his property if he doesn’t pay his taxes.
“What pisses me off,” Eustace says, “is crazy people focusing on foolish things like taking my land away that have no idea that the land is the most important, sacred thing in my life, period. The people that are suing me, I never even met the people, and yet they’re taking my land away? B*******.” But, Eustace isn’t taking the lien against his property passively. “What this land means to me is life. It’s about existence. This is home. I’m ready to die to take care of this mountain.”
Marty, who clearly has enough blubber to stay warm in what we are told is “minus 60-degree temperatures,” gets stranded 10 miles from his cabin when his snowmobile breaks down. After a harrowing snowshoe hike on what appears to be a trail packed so hard you could drive a tank on it, he reaches the safety of his cabin.
His first move is to dip drinking water from a pot. Strange that Alaskan water doesn’t freeze at 60 degrees below zero.
Then, the next morning, he packs a 70-pound snowmobile motor back to the stranded sled and installs it. It is snowing at 60 degrees below zero and Marty gets cold, so he struggles to start a fire.
Tom goes duck hunting in a Kootenai River boat, blasts one duck and sends his dog into the river to retrieve it. The dog gets lost.
Tom goes out looking for his dog and his wife gets worried and calls a neighbor on what appears to be a cellphone. But later in the show, we are told there is no cell reception in the wilds of the Purcell Mountains.
These guys could use a few tips from Bear Grylls. Maybe History Channel should snap him up.
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98 Responses
well folks,i will say i like them all. mountain men yukon men life below zero you name it. i have been doing what they have been doing for over 40 years now and would never ever forsake the outdoor life for anything. when i watch these programs its like watching brothers ans sisters of the like same mind set. i live on 8 acres of western mountain land and they live on the land also. all i need to say is ride on reality tv. keep it coming it truly is refreshing. and if any one wants to disagree email me i will talk you down thats for sure.
All you city people don’t know anything about living in the wild. More power to the mountain men.
Jeff, Iroquois is a language spoke by multiple tribes, while yes, there are many that inhabited the northeast, there were also some that through migration and conquring of other tribes moved to what is now NC, Iroquois is a blanket name for the language they spoke just like many of the other tribes you know, Cherokee Ojibwa etc. As for the other countless people claiming to know more, and that they truly live “off the grid” you do realize that that means not having internet. Sure solar panels and smartphones can allow you access to the Internet, but having a phone, which pings off towers is being on the grid. Having cable to watch this show you all seem to hate is being on the grid. if this show is somewhat scripted?! There is nothing real left in this world except the wilderness these men live in, and guess what they and the producers are making money off of you watching it, even just once, while you’re “off the grid” doing “real mountain man stuff.” To finish, this show isn’t about being “off the grid.” Its about living a simple life filled with hard work and satisfaction that you aren’t a slave to shit forums like this.
Mountainmen, along with other reality shows filmed in Alaska show a lifestyle most of us pampered, electronically dependent city slickers can only live vicariously through. Not only the human stories but the awesome landscapes, the animals and the basic survival techniques used to subsist are what I love about the series. Let’s not nitpick the obvious but enjoy the show, the history and National Geographic for presenting another hit program.
Mountain Men is our favorite T V show. It’s what life is all about. Looking forward to next season. Thanks for making this available.
Ronnie Fulton
Bay St Louis, MS
“predator” episode. The narrator said that the blue ridge mountains of north Carolina were settled by the Iroquois tribe. Really? Do some fact checking first. The Iroquois nation lived in upstate New York.
I can’t believe all the negative comments. Why invest so much emotion in something you are obviously not into. I find all the characters interesting in different ways and admire the way they have chosen to live. Marty is hard core and Eustice is odd but he’s the real deal. Check out his wikapedia page. Few men have accomplished things he has, like setting the record for riding a horse from NY to CA in 64 eays. Over 3000 miles! So I watch the show because I like it. Those that don’t should just find something better suited to their taste.
Eustace’s gasifier is fake. He is using PVC rated at 140F, and the wood gas needs to be over 400f to work.
The show is entertaining. Real life is boring unless you are actually doing the task at hand that is being portrayed on the Tube. So what these guys may not be as legitimate as we are led to believe. It does encourage us and give us a focus on a dream many of us seem to have, “living at living”. Scenery is beautiful. Some of the concepts are interesting and lay a foundation for me to investigate further. Heck even if these guys did start out as they are portrayed they have to be paid for their work and so would take that payment and buy materials that make their lives easier. It’s a great show, hope it lasts a long time. Will always watch it.
Instead of “beating a dead horse”, how about showing us what real off-grid living is? We, for the most part, are too dependent on modern appliances and the grid which powers them… why doesn’t some off these “off-gridders” put on their own show or make some videos to go viral? We can only learn if the purpose is to educate not entertain.
All these self credentialed “mountain men ” backing these shows up as “real” because you “burn wood for heat”, grow vegetables, and hunt and fish…absurd. Here’s the bottom line-They have electricity, computers, and modern tools and machines they aren’t HISTORICALLY accurate “Mountain men”. Being an outdoors-man or living in a rural setting doesn’t make you a “mountain man” or even a survivalist. This garbage is idiocy, a waste of good program time. “Eustace” is even a proven fake of the highest order. And John-living in the South has its own challenges and its a moot point to the conversation, the show is staged, fake, and nothing but low quality entertainment. And all the “if you dont like dont watch” posters- we want GOOD REAL tv, we cant turn the channel, its all that’s on other than reality stars like the kardashians. We have aright to express dissatisfaction with the programming we watch.
Please type the name of your town and state next to your comments or most likely complaints. Cause most likely these people would outlast all you complainers from the warm winter south.
I love the show and do understand that things are stretched and “set up” to make for a more interesting take. But it still celebrates unique and different lifestyles which is refreshing. I am happy to look at other ways to live and challenge coorporate type consumerism. Line up and keep ensuring you line the pockets of the billionaires! No thanks I think if nothing else it at least allows us to question modern living for lack of a better term. If you don’t like the show don’t watch it! You have to discern what’s real and what’s not real but these men and women still live interesting lives!
You would think people would learn from shows like Nat Geos Doomsday Preppers that these people are made to look like idiots and everything is made to look perilous and dangerous and non stop problems because of the way the producers push the show and the way they edit the clips.
Hi All, I live in England and would love the opportunity to live off-grid, but here land isnt so plentiful or cheap as the US, so unless your a millionaire you have little or no chance of doing it. I accept that many of the scenes are contrived, but as mentioned by others, the scenery and ideas for living like that are very appealing to dreamers like me, so i for one will keep watching and wishing for a lottery win!
I think the point of the show is to show elements of living off-grid. And, of course, to entertain. I think anything you can do to bring yourself closer to the land and being more self sufficient is a good thing. Even if it’s just growing a garden. Consider a neighbor that has a garden and all the food they grow. Is it easier to go to the store. Sure, but the bounty is far better out of your own garden and can be economically sustainable. What are most folks gonna do when the power goes out?!
yes i agree with you Viv, but some people have to complain about everything. I love it & will watch it everytime it is on. I prefer it over many stupid shows i have seen like duck dynasty, omg you talk about a unreal one, that is it for sure.
I love Mountain Men….it doesn’t matter if some of it is contrived. It is fun! Sure does beat the Kardashians and the Duggars. Anyone who doesn’t like it should just change the channel. Don’t be such a pain in the rear! Enjoy life!
I like this show, because it gives me ideas on how to live. I’m a disabled 57 year old woman, who grows my own veggies, has chickens, turkeys, ducks and rabbits. I am trying to live independently, and I think I am doing pretty good so far.ineven give veggies and eggs to my neighbors, who are not disabled.
I love this show. The scenery is beautiful and it makes me realize how much time I’ve been wasting indoors. It inspires me to travel, and thanks to this show i’ve become intuned to my natural side!
Its entertaining. That’s all it is meant to be.
Anyone who knows anything about the outdoors knows your mountain men are idiots and I am surprised they are even still alive. If you are going to advertise a show about survival and living outdoors at least make sure the people know what they doing.
Wow, I’m actually surprised to see so much negativity towards this show on the net. Personally I like it and of course it’s going to be somewhat scripted. It’s a friggen TV show and I’ll accept that, especially when you look at the other real garbage that is on the tube these days- Survivor, Kardasians, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars, just to name a few! Come on folks. I just like the fact that these guys live in the 21st century and they are still trying to carve a living out of the land. Who cares if they are retired or have some money or have the resources, whatever in order to live the life they desire! I have to say my favorite guy on there is Rich with his dogs! Alot of people hate on that guy but by far he is the most entertaining to me! He may not be much of a people person but he still tries to help out his neighbors by running off those cats and he is just hilarious to listen to because he’s just a crusty old country boy! Me and my love him and Tom who seems to be a really great guy who is living his retirement the way he wants and we love how he makes traditional items on the side to supplement his lifestyle. I have to give Mary some credit to because he is just crazy to be doing that stuff by himself way the hell up there in Alaska! If you think about it, regardless of a the show or not I’m thinking that these guys would be just making their living regardless and I have to say that I’m pretty much impressed with their self sufficiency to say the least. Remember this isn’t the 17 or 18 hundreds, this is now and it is inevitable that they may have a few modern conveniences here and there, I mean hell, they’re on TV! Let’s not concentrate on that and just look at the entertainment value (especially compared to the REAL garbage that is on TV) and look at the things they do and who knows, you might even learn something constructive! Just my 2 cents.
I grew up in in the hills of Kentucky we lived in a holler we had no running water or bathroom we drew water from the well used the cross cut saw the grocery store would drop our groceries off at the mouth of the holler blow the horn we would go cross our swinging bridge us 4 girls we grew our own food oh did I mention we had no phone no TV. Our electric bill was 5dollars a month I like watching the show I know it is not all real because I haves lived it but I just enjoy nature.
Ever wonder if a true mountain man would be intrigued by the life of a soft skinned city man?
Assuming he wasn’t one before heading into the wild.
I just started watching this show. I love the ‘stars’ of this show! Beautiful scenery! Makes me want to try it! Grew up in the best state, Colorado, but have moved to Texas! Want to go back to Colorado and get back to the mountains and a cleaner, more friendlier place! This show makes me homesick! But love this show and hope it stays on! Like the previous people said, if you don’t like it, CHANGE THE CHANNEL!! Get a life!
I wasn’t able to watch. After six episodes, spread out over about a month, I was done. I was hearing a breathy drama-bent announcer saying, as I got into my car to go to the grocery store, “And if he doesn’t get to his car quickly, then wolves and a bear may eat him, He’s seen tracks of an unknown animal lurking in the flowers on the side of his property. With the recent demands by the city to take the garbage cans back to the house within a day of the service picking up the trash, local animals are starving and may attack. Also, if he doesn’t remember to take his debit card, then he will have to make the harrowing five mile trip again – with nothing to show for his efforts. Will he make it to the store? We can’t tell, but with hundred plus degree weather, if he breaks down between his house and the store, then he will have to battle dehydration and sore feet as he hikes the five miles back to his house.”
At the end of the sixth episode, I was literally growing the mother of all headaches and wondering if I could slash the tires of the announcer and make him late, so that they have to film the next episodes without him. I just wanted him to SHUT UP!
I’ve watched portions of the show a couple of times. It kinda creeps me out. I grew up in MT, I’ve lived in a cabin with only wood heat and an outhouse. I’ve watched people handle dog teams. The guy with the dog team seemed really clueless. He looked totally out of shape, huffing and puffing whenever he walked, and his dogs didn’t respect him or listen to him. The issue with the teepee being torn seemed lame. My guess is at the close of the show each day he toddles back off to his RV with generator and spends all his time inside watching movies and eating TV dinners. Yes, lol there really are people who live like that out in the woods….locked inside their trailers eating processed foods and watching movies. I never got it myself, why not live in an apartment in the city? – but I’d bet money this guy is one of those.
Did anyone else notice that Marty’s cabin is “moving” in the background? This is after he hangs the moose meat in the tree. He turns and walks back to his cabin. If you watch carefully, you’ll notice that the roof is still, but the rest of the cabin looks like it is “shaking” as if it is an image of a cabin on top of the background you are showing.
Clearly 1000 acres in NC is not the middle of nowhere. But it is country, NC mountains aren’t exactly city living and I know people who are from the mountains and no there is not always city water or cell service. Who said it was? And as many have said it is t.v. of course they try to make it dramatic. And if you don’t like the show, don’t watch.