CHRISTIANSTED — A St. Croix survivalist is among the 10 contestants in Season 8 of the History Channel’s survival series “Alone,” which premiered last night.

Matt Corradino, owner of Caribbean Earth Skills on St. Croix’s south shore, is back from filming the show in the Canadian wilderness on the shores of Chilko Lake, British Columbia, and was watching the first episode of the new season with some family and friends last night.

“I get to represent St. Croix on History Channel’s Alone,” Corradino said on Facebook. “Big huge shout out to all my fellow contestants. I love you all and can’t wait to finally watch your journeys.”

“Alone” challenges them to endure hunger, loneliness, the elements and one of North America’s deadliest predators, the grizzly bear. As the name of the show implies, each of them is on their own, without even camera crews.

Each of them is equipped with a camera kit and 10 pieces of survival gear he or she selected to take along to Grizzly Mountain.

Corradino’s gear selections were a bow and arrows, fishing line and hooks, knife, saw, sleeping bag, paracord, pot, water bottle, food ration and snare wire.

As one of approximately 20,000 people who applied for the 10 spots on the show and then 24 selected to attend a boot camp for final selection, the 42-year-old Corradino obviously took an abundance of field experience with her into the show experience.

Matt said he’s as anxious as the rest of the cast is to see the show and learn the outcome.

MATT CORRADINO

Season 8

Age: 42

Hometown: St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Profession: Wilderness Survival Instructor

Matt grew up in Norfolk, Virginia as a typical suburban/city kid. Family camping trips sparked a deeper interest in nature, which grew through the years.

As a young adult, a chance meeting with a childhood friend resulted in him acquiring a book by Tom Brown Jr. and, during his few years of homeless wandering, the seed planted by that book and others became fertilized. After taking a class at Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School, Matt made primitive survival his life’s focus. During his almost 7 years as a full-time instructor, he met his wife and the two of them lived year-round in a primitive shelter while teaching in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey, encompassing all aspects of survival.

In 2012, Matt and his wife took an amazing opportunity and bought an eco-camp in St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands called Mt. Victory Camp. There, they run their own wilderness survival school, Caribbean Earth Skills, which teaches both adults and children. The couple is also raising their two-year-old son and six-year-old daughter.

Matt sees Alone as an opportunity to hone his skills and challenge himself in a new environment. As a lifelong learner, he is looking to humble himself and learn to fuse with the landscape and his instincts. More importantly, he sees survival experiences as a spiritual quest and a chance to become a better human being and hopefully tell a few good jokes along the way.

Here are the ten items Matt selected to bring on his survival journey to Grizzly Mountain:

1. Bow and arrows

2. Fishing line and hooks

3. Knife

4. Saw

5. Sleeping bag

6. Paracord

7. Pot

8. Water bottle

9. Food ration

10. Snare wire

https://www.history.com/shows/alone/cast/matt-corradino