Discovery Channel Alaskan Bush People recap: Now or Never

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1. No new Bush People recap this week, but I still managed to write many words about many Bush People thoughts: Is Alaskan Bush People Fake? Does It Matter?

2. FYI Ryan: This afternoon we were informed by one of our admins that she had been contacted by the Discovery Channel folks. Apparently some of the discovery crew had “infiltrated” our site and discovered that there were pics posted of one of the Brown boys with different crew members. They, the infiltrated follks portraying themselves as new members of our group, deleted instagram accounts so that no more posts or pics would be available. We seem to be one of the most sought after ABP discussion groups on facebook, boasting over 7000 members at this point…..with 100 people wanting to join every day. Words escape me at this point except to say……we must be doing something right.

   • That is beyond crazy! So Discovery actually fessed up to the shenanigans?

   • Hi Sherry, I loved your touching tribute to your friend! Hope you’ll join us for the new ABP episodes! http://www.realitytvscandals.com/2015/05/20/special-alaskan-bush-people-post-watcher-sherry-hicks/

3. @ Dave and Tim, I’m laughing at all your post. This show is so far past ridiculous! I have a hard time believing anyone could think this is real. I think Bill is wearing Ami’s teeth around his neck.

   • I think that is the true fun of the show. Portray yourself as one thing, then completely fabricate the entire thing top to bottom and see if the viewing audience will buy into it. Then on top of that have many people report that so said show is completely false, and back it up with evidence and eye witness reports and see if the people will still believe. Then if that isn’t enough, have the local government investigate them and charge them with crimes that undermines the entire story as a lie, and see if that finally makes people realize this is a load of crud. Yet still people want to believe in the Browns
     I am not sure it isn’t us that are the dummies here. Why don’t we all get together and film our own show. I have zero doubt there is more brain power in this comment section then all of the Browns and the film crew combined. Tim and I are already in Alaska. Seriously, we could do this.

4. Ryan: latest info on the INTEGRITY
   Owner: Jonathan Parker, N.J. Blanchard Boat Co., INC
   1943 Commercial Fishing Vessel 47.061.5

   Group member felt he was purposely being misled into believing that the Browns had bought a different boat.

   Another group member has posted a document pertaining to the INTEGRITY but I couldn’t read it even when I enlarged it.

   Another group member also posted a pic of the boat but you could not see the name on it, which defeats the purpose. Without consent of the person who posted the pic we are not allowed to share any photographs anyway. I don’t think it would be a problem but don’t feel this pic would be helpful. The group is on this topic like white on rice. They are all more prolific than I am…….I am a novice as I have only been on my computer since December (a Christmas gift from my son). I do try hard though. !!!! :}

   The Browns are filming in Juneau today so hopefully some concrete evidence will show up shortly.

   David: your posts along with Tim Spencer’s posts showed up on our group page today !!!!! One of our group members posted them.
   Ryan I am going to miss your weekly reviews until the shows start up again in a few weeks.

   This is Sherlock signing out for now…….

5. Covert CIA! That’s a good one, David. I am in great company. These people are akin to Eliott Ness and the Untouchables….only they use the internet instead of machine guns.

   Dressed up like a schrub wearing night vision goggles….? I better catch up on my Pink Panther re-runs.

   Afraid I’m too old to be a daughter in that there clan….but in the event I was……hmmmm…..where did I put the movie The Last Samuri? I need some quick points of reference on how to end it all.

   This is Sherlock signing off for now.

6. David: thanks for providing those links for Ryan. The news magazine the EXAMINER has been right up there with info. Also, Ryan, my source from Hoonah, who is also in our group, messaged me and said to try the Truth Seekers page……it might be ABP Truth Seekers. I have not visited this page myself but many group members have. However, I am not sure how accurate their info is, Ryan. We, in the group, have noticed some indiscrepencies. We have some great “sleuth” work going on so will keep you guys posted. We must be doing something right because our group has been getting some news magazine time….and stoopidhousewives has just posted a comment by one of our group members. This group does not play. We are all about the facts and the truth.

   • You are digging up stuff like covert CIA. If you start getting any more inside stuff I swear we are going to see you in the background on the next episode with dressed up like a shrub with night vision goggles on. That or you will be in the cast as the long lost daughter Northern Lights “Sherry” Brown.

7. Real cute, David, real cute. I do not mind being compared to Sherlock Holmes……….but where is Doc Watson??? I could use some help !!!!

   • I found those two links I posted, but that is about as far I could take it. Spent some time doing searches, but sounds like your ABP group is pretty well connected to info that I am just not privy to. I was impressed by the info you have dug up. I even tried to do some research on the boat and came up to little or nothing.

8. Ryan: this is getting as good as an Alfred Hitchcock movie. This is what I know so far: the “original posts and pics that were on our site (referring to the Alaskan Bush People – Group site) (there are a couple of other sites under similar names but ours is the group that has the intro in it at the top of the page by Minda Hamp.) were hijacked……yes! I said, HIJACKED….the person who posted this original info is trying to find out by who……

   As far as I can tell there are no links available but this info is out there….seems like other news agencies are talking about the same info that we have. Here is a number that may help: It is the Petersburg, AK Harbor Master telephone number. (907) 772-4688

   One of our group members has also posted a document about the boat INTEGRITY itself but still shows the previous owners name. When trying to find more current info she was told that it takes the database with that info awhile to get updated. Everybody and their brother is obviously trying to authenticate this info.

   I have contacted a local resident of Hoonah that is in our group. I believe she may have some info that can help us in this quest. Am waiting to hear back from her.

   We still have postings\ pictures in our group but they are not the original ones that were taken.

   As soon as anything else comes up I will let you know. Oh! On that original post there was also info about the Discovery Channel purchasing land there in Petersburg for $300K. We are trying to authenticate this info as well.

   Like I said……Alfred Hitchcock !

   • Wow. Just wow. Thank you!

   • Step aside Sherlock Holmes, Sherry is on the case

9. I will see what I can do Ryan !

10. Interesting enough ABP won the Friday night cable ratings for people 18-49 with a 1.5 rating which I believe is their highest rating (1.4 the previous week). I don’t think they had ever beaten Gold Rush until Friday when Gold Rush came in at a 1.4. This show isn’t falling but is actually gaining momentum. Wow is that a sobering thought.
    I did poke around the web a bit in some normal blogs and recaps I read on ABP every once in a while. Seems like some of the neutral ones were turning on ABP as they were getting clued into how fake it is. More of the comments were turning negative also. Only place that seemed overly positive was their own website that seemed to have less negative comments than usual when I breeze through it for a few.
    So reviews and comments were more negative, but ratings rose. Only thing I can figure from that is hate watching must be up.

11. Recent pictures and posts confirm that Billy Brown has purchased a new boat for $30K. Name of the boat is INTEGRITY. If that is not an oxymoron I don’t know what is.

    • I read that also Sherry. I just thought the humor value on that is just endless.

    • Wow, Sherry. Could you post a link to the story/photos?

      • Here s the best I can find Ryan, with two articles claiming this. I did some other snooping but I haven’t had any other luck yet with better details…

        http://www.examiner.com/article/alaskan-bush-people-ami-gets-her-dream-house-but-for-how-long

        http://www.aknewsfeed.com/petersburg/alaskan-bush-people-ami-gets-her-dream-house-but-for-how-long/

12. Love your humor!! Your recap made me literally LOL…

    Isn’t it amazing that the second season was just a redo of the first?? Will they ever get it right? (The answer to that question: why should they? LOL!!)

    Keep on with your bad self!!

    • Right back at you! Much love!

      • Hey Ms SH & Channel Guide Media Blog,
        It looks like Ami, Billy and their ADULT children just might stay on the property. Discovery leased it for 7 years..

        • I mean, *Channel Giude Mag Blog*
          Sorry.

        • They might stay, but if they aren’t getting filmed for the show why would they? They have no real food source, and they are about as comfortable living in the “bush”, as they average person living in Florida. Not like they are going to invest any of their time or money in land they don’t own. Soon as the director says “that’s a wrap”, they are gone.

          • True.
            I wonder why they leased it for 7 years then?

          • That must be the recommended length of time for the Brown’s taint to pass.
            Probably because incase they had a hit on their hands they had their bases covered. Also maybe the seven years wasn’t that outrageously expensive. Land seems fairly out of the way in the grand scheme of things.

        • I can not see Discovery leasing that land for 7 years and only using it for a few months. If they don’t film any more ABP it could be used for another so called reality show.

          • The show has good potential. The writers could have something up their sleeves. However, if the last year is indicative of the kind of work these writers do then Discovery and ABP would be better off giving these writers the boot and hiring new ones.

          • The writing and film editing on this show is just horrendous.

13. Best review I’ve read yet. Show is as fake as they get. Keep up the truth telling!

14. I never saw this site before. Part 1 & 2 are quite interesting. Part 1 links up to you Ryan. Good info…

    http://www.realitytvscandals.com/2015/02/21/alaskan-bush-people-scandal-part-1/

    • Thanks.
      Channel Giuide Mag Blog has been very helpful.

      • You guys did a great job

15. Excellent review Ryan. Loved it, as always.

    Tim: Thank you for the great clarifications about the “permit” use of the land and other discrepensies that so many of us have noticed. One in particular…..the shooting of the deer. The travesty of the Brown family is one thing…….but the Discovery Channel is another whole ball game. How could they be a part of such blatent lying and misrepresentation? My mother used to say : birds of the same feather will always flock together. In this case it is the saddest thing I have ever laid witness to.

    David: Go man go !

16. All that’s left of this show is wondering where they will all be 6 months and a year from now. Unless they can repackage this mess they may have to, God forbid, go to the lower 48 and get jobs!
    Anyone have any guesses what will become of them? I can see Billy and Ami pitching cookbooks, chainsaws and new show ideas until they end up banging on the door of every network, sleeping in homeless shelters. Discovery may follow Bear as he hikes the Appalachian trail. The rest I have no idea, jail and drugs are unfortunately fairly common when the cameras stop and REAL reality sets in.

    • Parah Salin (like the name), your take on the situation is as good a guess as I can up with. Lets do a breakdown cause I really like the question of what they do now. Here we go…
      Continuing on with the show: Wow, where do they go from here? Its like we need subcategories here. Just trying to pick up where we left off seems unlikely to me. Other shows like Deadliest Catch, Gold Rush or Bering Sea Gold are built around returning characters and have been on for multiple seasons and all seem likely to continue for a while (ratings seem decent enough not to get cancelled). But in those shows they all have a goal of getting something to make a living (gold or crab), and most of them seem more under the category of loosely based or near reality. They all also have the ability to add and loose characters, while maintaining the core group. So maybe a closer comparison would be something like Yukon Men, Life Below Zero or Alaska:The Last Frontier, as the storylines of the shows are to eek out a living in a harsh Alaskan environment. I have watched a number of episodes of Life Below Zero, a few of Yukon Men and just a very small sample of Alaska:The Last Frontier. First and most obvious of those shows is most if not all of them are actual long time Alaskans. Yes, many of the scenes are re-enacted in front of the camera, but almost none of it seems so far fetched I jump out of my chair and yell at the TV “NO freaking way!”. I do that enough with ABP that I could possibly do a cost benefit analysis on cancelling my gym membership. You can dig and question all of those shows for certain things, but nothing that undermines the core of the shows. ABP is such a big poop pile that if you were to look at it as a trajectory over say 5-10 years (shudders), what would the target audience be or look like (hello mental institutions and insane asylums)? I cannot imagine hate watchers sticking around that long. Not me, no sir, no way. The writers of this show (sure the writers guild is quite insulted by that), seem so inept to produce a halfway watchable hour of television that I don’t think they could even pull it off. Plus all of the other shows those people actually have homes, and it is more about the hunting and gathering and general survival. You know…, everything NOT leasing land and having everybody else do the work. So I think here are the available options… 1) Stay where they are 2)Move again and find another permanent home 3)Completely change the entire show around some other type of scenario (Lockup Raw Seward maybe?) 4)Go away. I just don’t see number one working that great. The lease as per Tim is for seven years, so it not like there would ever be an actual lifetime Browntown location there, where they would pour their own hard eeeeaaarrnnneeeddd (I tried so hard to type that without laughing) money in it. Plus not sure how they would ever feed themselves. Got to get pretty expensive to hire the locals to continue to hunt for you. Plus I think it would get boring pretty fast. So I think that is the easiest route, but has a short shelf life. Number two offers up some more made up adventure I suppose. But then they have to make up some lie as to why they can’t stay there anymore and move this charade onto a new location. I think for a few episodes it might get a bit higher rating than number one, with a few “WTF? Now what?” crowd seeing what is going on and where they are headed next. I just think that you will lose people pretty fast there as well, when the whole story line seems circular. So I see no long term future there. Number three is just drawing a blank for me. Somehow, someway, the Browns seem to have their cult following that thinks they can do no wrong. I think it is a shallow love though. Kind of like a recoil reaction when you feel cornered. People enjoyed seeing the show and dreamed what it would be like to do just like the Browns, and sail off to remote Alaska and live happily ever after under the northern lights. Then when yucky people like me came along and said “no, its made up BS and these guys alleged criminals”, it rained on their dream. So there reaction was “No it isn’t! I love the Browns!”, so now I am going to stick my fingers in my ears and sing really loud so I can’t hear you. I think there is just way too much mounting evidence that this is indeed BS and it is hard for people to ignore the obvious (Hello trial in June). Plus the Browns antic is pretty shallow. How much can Bear run around like a 6 year old after drinking a two liter bottle of Mountain Dew and it still is going to be fun? Not long I wouldn’t think. There will always be a super small sample size that even if Bear just held his keys up to the camera and jiggled them would bounce up and down on their couch and clap like a 9 year old girl watching Justin Bieber. So I just don’t see the Browns being a brand that can reinvent themselves into an entirely new type of show. Sadly I don’t see them going away ASAP. Somehow they will live on to torment me in some form or another. So my guess is number one. They keep making already shot scenes into boring episodes and milk it out till the trial in June. Then regardless of the outcome (I think much more likely guilty IMO), they fade away. I can always dream right.

17. Just a point of clarification: I live in Hoonah and work for the US Forest Service. The Browns’ “homestead” is not on USFS land. They are leasing a private in-holding, surrounded by the Tongass NF. The special use permit is required to access the dock, road system, and film the surrounding land. You cannot LEASE public land – unless you have a mining claim, mineral extraction, grazing permit, etc. – which still isn’t actually A LEASE. Their permit is up next month and the production crew is already returning rental vehicles, construction equipment,etc. to Tyler Rental in Juneau. They have a 7 year lease on the PRIVATE land; which is, in fact, owned by relatives of the mayor of Hoonah.

    • I thought I read somewhere that the leased land was actually owned by the mayor or somebody related to him. Made even more sense when he was then on the show. Great clarification on how the whole land situation is structured. Either way I saw no way Browns were actually going to, (or even allowed) to live full time on the land. Was also curious on how the whole hunting situation was working on public lands. The last scene where they shot the deer didn’t jive at all. In the long view the meadow was short with frost on it, then on the close up of the deer’s head and ears it was higher foliage with no frost so obviously it wasn’t the same place or time. I have heard that locals did all of the shooting on the deer and the Browns didn’t have any valid hunting licenses. Seemed like Gabe was staying awfully clean dressing it out, and then immediately throwing it over his shoulders and carrying it home. Of course Ami still didn’t have a speck of dirt on her, BUT she actually changed the one sweater she had on for the entire season so far.

      • You hit the nail on the head with the hunting scenes. They have no licenses. The deer were shot by the owner of Misty Bay Lodge-who also happens to use his whale watching boat to shuttle the family and crew from Hoonah to the film site. Besides the police woman who appeared a couple episodes back; they are under the watchful eye of a local Alaska State Trooper, a Forest Service LEO, and another Hoonah police officer who does “bear safety” for them while filming at the site. The locals who were hired for the construction are interrupted so that they can get some footage of the Browns “building” and then they go back to work fixing everything that they mess up. Like the loggers hired to do the tree cutting/trimming, that you weren’t supposed to notice in the credits. EVERYTHING is staged for the cameras.

        • Actually I did notice Tim that most of the Browns were completely inept at swinging a hammer, and I bet they bent 95% of the nails I saw them hitting. We never saw one second of them actually framing a wall, only lifting two of them into place. Really quick shot of Matt holding up a square to a joist to level the wall. Possible, but pretty unlikely that is going to work and actually have a halfway square house. I saw but completely forgot in the credits about the loggers that were listed. Oh those pesky credits that keep giving everything away. As an average TV watcher this might be a small bit believable. A TV watcher with an average to above average IQ this is probably pretty tough to swallow. As a fellow Alaskan this past cringe worthy a few stops back. But I can’t even imagine being from Hoonah and watching this. I see it only going one of two ways for you Tim. Either you are just laughing hysterically and this is the funniest thing you have ever seen, or you have half a dozen air sick bags near you at all times.

          • The truly funny thing is I don’t have a TV. I used to enjoy the Discovery channel, when they had REAL shows on. And when I lived down south, I could afford the electricity because it didn’t come from a diesel generator. I also enjoy mindless entertainment. But I don’t appreciate fabrications, scams, and outright lies being peddled as REALITY. If other folks choose to pay for that kind of entertainment, so be it. REAL Alaskans like yourself know what’s up. Between the gossip I get in town and reading these HILARIOUS recaps, I get all the FREE entertainment I need.

          • I can assure you Tim you aren’t missing a thing not watching this travesty of our great state. Ryan’s recaps are 100 times better, without the commercials. I almost quit even watching myself a couple of weeks back but suffered through just to finish it off. I think I am fascinated by the fact that this is such a big steaming pile of lies, that I am almost fascinated that they can even pull this off. It is entertaining in a way that I didn’t think I would ever find in a TV show. Stealing money from our PFD (allegedly) on the other hand is not so funny.
            Like you I remember when the Discovery channel was one of the gold standards of educational TV. Now it is just reality shows. It is quite amazing how many Alaska shows that just the Discovery channel shows… Alaskan Bush People (uggghhhh!!), Deadliest Catch (watched since the beginning and I think it might be the gold standard in my opinion), Alaska: The Last Frontier (don’t watch), Bering Sea Gold (decent enough I have watched all seasons), Edge of Alaska (watched one or two episodes and seemed like way too much fake drama), Gold Rush (I have watched all seasons but not filmed in Alaska anymore), Yukon Men (Dad likes it as he used to fly there in the 60’s and 70’s but I don’t watch it very much) and Buying Alaska (watch it just to see the homes from all over Alaska but almost need to watch with the mute button on). This doesn’t include other shows on Discovery that have featured Alaska let alone other networks. Seems like TV has exploded with interest in Alaska. One of my tenants drives a film company around in the summer, and last summer they were filming Alaska Off Road Warriors (never watched it). Interesting to hear the stories behind the filming though.
            You are definitely making the right move not wasting valuable generator time for this show that is for sure.

          • They have so much stuff and yet pretend not to have a generator and a circular saw? That is the first thing I would buy…

        • Hi Dave & Tim,
          The credits are to “Kilcher Homestead Trust” per Stoopid Housewives; http://stoopidhousewives.com/2015/01/25/alaskan-bush-people-the-funniest-reality-show-on-tv-alaskanbushppl-discovery/img_7713/
          Does this name sound right?

          • That is from the Alaska:The Last Frontier

          • I believe the Kilchers are the family on the other show, set up near Homer – Alaska: The Last Frontier. If that showed up on the Bush People credits, it’s probably because they are using stock camera footage taken from there…That would be my guess, anyway. No Kilchers around Hoonah, that I’m aware of, anyway.

18. The recaps are usually good but this one was outstanding! It was the funniest recap I’ve read to date! I’ve been waiting all day to read this one.

    We had bad weather last night and Dish was out until long after ABP went off so we were unable to see the show or record it. I’m thinking to ax watching the show and just read the recaps! (Would’t hurt to give ABP a couple of less viewers.)

19. Hahaha awesome recap!! I actually watched this episode. If you have an IQ of 72 you could see through all the fake garbage displayed in this episode. How about matt’s hand is all busted up; but in the next scene with the tree, he’s tying Gabe up with nothing on his hand at all. Its this kind of “we think the viewers are just absolute idiots and won’t notice his hand” that gets me shaking my head…..they woke up to not only snow; but magical elves added to the walls they put up.. .do they really believe that anyone thinks they built that whole house themselves?? Seriously– they are probably building a rangers station, or a welcome center for the park. Dream house my ass AM-E!!! Cmon. HEY DISCOVERY–WE ARENT FLIPPIN’ MORONS SO JUST STOP!!!

20. So that was a different a pace for the show. You had this show going so slow that I thought we were going to stall out in first gear, next thing my head is pinned back in the seat and we are doing 150mph (at least for this show). I realized that they announced this was the mid-season finale (whatever that is), and they had to somehow wrap things up temporarily. They have entire shows built around getting a few logs, or a few pieces of lumber, then in one episode the entire house is built? Hmmmm, it is almost like they didn’t actually build this. It is like I smell something funny around Browntown. Of course Billy tells us they have built so many houses he cannot even remember them all. Yet later he looks at Ami and tells her he knows that he has been promising to build her a house for over 35 years. I think my crap meter has just gone to Deafcon 5. So apparently Billy is not only a book writer (reports are books should be classified as fiction), written over 60 children’s books (not a single trace of them anywhere including on their own website where it lists that section as “under construction”), a 30 year fishing career (reports question that), lived in the bush with almost no contact for over 30 years (confirmed BS), and now apparently I am supposed to believe Billy is a general construction contractor? Well of course, he has earned our trust at this point. I hear he is up for the Brian William truth in journalism award. The one thing I do believe is Billy telling us all that he has made many mistakes building those countless fake houses. Nice of the Browns to throw something believable in every once in a while to throw the bloodhounds off. Bottom line folks is my father built houses in Alaska for about 40 years and I am currently in the industry, and they didn’t throw this house up in a few days or even a couple of weeks. Not like that is news to anybody I am sure. The folks from Hoonah have said that this was built by locals and that seems 100% plausible. I have things about the house I really liked though. Ami tells us to bring on the wind, rain, snow and bears with her new house. With your cardboard interior walls and blanket for a front door you might be careful what you are wishing for there Ami. Throw in the blue tarp for a roof (also excellent for the wind, rain and snow) and it is also like this house was built to take down quickly and move it out of there. Kind of like a house built in a national forest on a special permit for filming only, where no permanent structure are allowed to be constructed. Yea, like one of those.
    Gabe using the chainsaw was past cringe worthy. Full disclose in that I own two chainsaws (think they are passed out at birth in Alaska), but definitely do not consider myself an expert. I just chop a few trees down in order to get them away from houses or construction sites. I have some pretty talented friends that give me pointers though. I think lesson number one is that at some point a chainsaw IS going to kick out on you. Logically lesson number two, based on lesson number one, is DON”T EVER PUT YOUR FACE AT THE SAME LEVEL OF THE CHAINSAW! So Gabe, yea good job there on the chainsaw cutting style. Also not to go all chainsaw cutting technical on everybody, but Bam shown putting tension on the rope wasn’t a good idea. Tension creates pressure, pressure creates kick backs, kickbacks creates… I think I need stiches. So great job there Bam. Does this film crew not have anybody out there that acts as a safety person? I sure hope the Browns can go catch some fish quickly if Gabe needs some pretty intense emergency dental work. Of course after we are told that it was nearly impossible to cut the tree from the bottom, after Gabe tops it they… yep, cut it from the bottom.
    Not sure what life is going to look like with the Browns in my life, even temporarily.

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