Aquaculturalist Krzysztof Wojtkowski has won Alone Australia season two after surviving 64 days in New Zealand’s South Island (Aotearoa’s Te Waipounamu).
The 39-year-old outlasted nine other participants to win the prize of $250,000.
Wojtkowski said: “I still can’t believe that I’ve won. The thought of being the last person standing was never on my mind. For me, just getting out there and getting the opportunity to experience this was the big win for me.
“Time is finite, you only get so much time in the world, so make the best of every opportunity. I spent 64 days alone, but I never felt alone. I got to camp, I got to build things, I had a million-dollar view. I’ve learnt a lot from the experience and I’m so grateful for it.”
Ahead of the final episode, after 54 days, three participants remained – personal trainer and subsistence hunter Andreas, wilderness adventure guide Suzan, and Krzysztof.
After 57 days, Andreas had lost 30 per cent of his starting bodyweight, saying: “There is no way in any shape or form that I can sustain myself here any longer… This is as far as I’m willing to risk my health and sanity.”
Suzan tapped out after 63 days. “I really did want to bring home the $250,000 to the family, you know, and that was a real drive,” she said. “But more than that disappointment is the happiness of moving towards home, to my own forest, to my own pack.”
Alone Australia has recorded more than 4 million viewers tuning into the series so far. Five episodes have now achieved a Total TV reach of over 1 million viewers and the series is among the most watched shows on Australian BVOD.
Kathryn Fink, SBS’s director of television, congratulated Wojtkowski.
“Alone Australia has once again captured the public imagination. We’ve followed the highs and lows of our incredible cast over the past ten weeks and have been captivated by their raw and authentic stories,” she said.
“Following the enormous success of the launch of Alone Australia last year, the second series has also drawn significant audiences on TV and on SBS On Demand. We’re delighted the show has once again positioned itself as a standout hit of the year and demonstrates the strong shift to the multiplatform on-demand world that television is increasingly moving to.”
ITV Studios Australia CEO and managing director David Mott added: “Firstly, I would Iike to congratulate Krzysztof, this season’s winner of Alone Australia, and extend this to all of our participants this year. They have all delivered and shared their remarkable journeys under the most trying of conditions.
“I am also enormously proud of our team at ITV Studios Australia on producing such a world class series, once again, and to the team at SBS for their unwavering support and commitment.”
Alone Australia is an A+E Media Group format and ITV Studios Australia production for SBS.