I write about Alone Australia for a living. This is who I think is going to make it to the end

Sia is the first to say that she isn’t a traditionally trained survivalist, but her background and resilience have prepared her for the competition.

Growing up impoverished, she exclusively tells New Idea that she often “went to bed without food”, which led to her focusing on foraging and fishing skills.

She has also run hundreds of kilometres through snow and ice as an ultramarathon runner.

While this might seem like an advantage, she tells us that she had to stay within a 42-kilometre radius to maintain her distance from the other competitors.

While she hoped that it would help her mentally, she said it proved to be more of an obstacle!

“I’m training sometimes twice a day. I found that being able to be still and just focus on the surviving part first, instead of going out and having fun and exploring, was really hard,” she says.

“I definitely felt that there was a little piece within me that wanted to push me to go out and go for a run, but I had to squish that. It was eating me from the inside because I really wanted to go explore. But I just knew it was a completely different challenge … it was about being still and surviving.”

Just from her profile, Alyce has everything it takes to outlast her competitors. She has her own trekking business, so shelter planning, bushcraft and survival kits have become muscle memory for her.

She’s also trekked through the Larapinta and Bibbulmun tracks, which are considered some of Australia’s longest walking tracks, as well as Everest Base Camp and the Canadian Rockies. Considering the unpredictability of the Arctic, I think her experiences make her incredibly adaptable. Another point in her favour is the fact that she has also completed mountaineering training with the Indian Military in the Himalayas.

That, and she’s also a coastal and freshwater fisher, which are common skills of previous Alone Australia stars.

So far on the show, she thought she was going to tap out after a hip injury, but talked herself out of it and carried 70 kilos worth of filming equipment to her camp. That shows that she won’t give up without a fight; I just hope her injury doesn’t worsen to the point of her tapping out, or the medical team making the decision for her.

Arash was born in a rural village in Afghanistan and grew up in a warzone, where foraging, fishing and hunting limited materials became essential.

His journey to Australia was also arduous, having gone across several countries and even being lost at sea, which he credits with making him adaptable to any environment.

The wrecking yard manager is also a national Taekwondo champion and a skilled trap maker, which is what helped Shay Williamson win the $250,000 last year. I hope his skills as a tactical fisher come in handy, because in the past, some contestants had little luck and spent weeks without protein.

In 2025, Eva didn’t catch any protein during her 17 days in the Tasmanian wilderness, and chose to tap out.

Like 2023 winner Gina Chick, Clint lives off the grid, relying purely on the land.

The New Zealander has completed a 10,000-kilometre sea kayak expedition around Alaska, which is a testament to his stamina.

You could say that he’s also tested out what being part of Alone Australia is like, because he’s completed a 14-day solo stint in New Zealand’s wilderness.

Also an avid fisher, I think he’s the one to watch because all his fishing implements are handmade, which will serve him well in the Arctic Circle. He has also made kayak prototypes from scratch, so he has the potential to go further if he has little luck catching anything close to the shore.

Given that he’ll have all the time in the world whilst surviving alone, his slow and steady approach with outdoor projects will also be advantageous.

Like Shay, Dougy is also driven by hunting and fishing to provide for his family.

Having grown up in a regional part of the UK, he learned these skills early, and now keeps them front of mind to provide for his wife and children.

He considers his creative fishing skills one of his biggest assets that makes him stand out from the rest, understanding the complexities of several water types, including coastal and remote freshwater rivers.

Well-versed in modern and traditional hunting gear, he’s also made his own custom hunting tools.

Jasper is a lead member of an off-grid community, so it’s fair to say that he’d be in his element on Alone Australia.

He grows and hunts for his own food, bathes in the river, and makes his own tools.

It wasn’t a major life pivot he made – he grew up playing in the bush and hunting. His philosophy is to use what resources are available and adapt them when needed, which is what he did to his home – which is a modified bus, with a patio he built himself.

Also an expert in foraging, I think he will go far.

However, he did say that he’s never seen snow or ice, so surviving in the Arctic Circle will be the ultimate test for him! Will the weather and harsh elements be his undoing? Only time will tell.

Growing up in Sweden proves that Lillian is used to harsh temperatures and continued to adapt to them when she moved to Melbourne. Now, she calls the Northern Territory home.

Her passion for being one with nature began when she was involved in Scouts and then won the Queen’s Scout Award, which means she has mastered bushcraft, bushwalking and camping.

She’s led hikes across the globe and even summited Nepal’s Mera Peak, made her way through the Snowy Mountains and then led tours in remote Sweden, where temperatures can reach an icy -60°C.

Well-versed in arctic temperatures? Check. Resourceful? Check. Sounds like a winning formula to me.

Misty’s early years were defined by hardship, where she saw nature as a way to heal.

The proud Wulli Wulli woman sees Alone as the opportunity to prove her capabilities to herself, and hopes to create a sanctuary for other troubled youth.

With skills from Indigenous communities and a course in permaculture under her belt, she is certainly going to be a force to be reckoned with.

After a childhood in the city, Trent’s family moved to Tasmania, which sparked his passion for living on the land. Now, his property is almost completely self-sufficient, and he often goes on gruelling solo expeditions in the Tasmanian wilderness.

As a father, he’s determined to provide for his family and hopes to win the $250,000 to pay off his mortgage. His discipline also comes from his time as a Navy Chef, where he endured constant seasickness and other difficult conditions.

It’s that embrace of uncomfortable situations that makes him a weapon on the show. That, and his fishing skills – so far, he has been incredibly lucky, having caught several fish and finding bait for future catches.

Dylan’s connection to the land was forged when he grew up in Lutruwiat/Tasmania, which was built on Palawa traditions, which were passed down by his mother and aunties.

Throughout his life, he has perfected his hunting and fishing skills, which help keep his connection to country alive in tropical Queensland.

With a background from his time in the Australian Army and his work in domestic and family violence support and search and rescue, he is resilient and disciplined.

He sees Alone as the opportunity to reconnect with his roots, which I believe will serve him well, especially if he is there for weeks on end.