7 vs. Wild

7 vs. Wild
Genre	Reality Survival
Developed by	Fritz Meinecke
Country of origin	Germany
Original language	German
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	48
Production
Executive producers	Fritz Meinecke, Johannes Hovekamp, Maximilian Kovacs
Running time	45...90 minutes
Original release
Network	YouTube, Amazon Prime Video
Release	6 November 2021 – present

7 vs. Wild is a German reality TV-show invented by YouTuber Fritz Meinecke and his team. The series, which is published on YouTube, follows the experiences of seven YouTubers who have to survive on their own in the wild for seven days. They are only allowed to take seven preselected items with them and the clothing they wear. The participants have to persevere isolation and the moods of nature.

Season 1 (2021)

Season 1

Location	Sweden, Dalarna/Värmland, Shore of Lake Naren
Year	2021
Episodes	16
Broadcast	YouTube, Wed+Sat 18:00 CET, 6 Nov – 29 Dec 2021
Production	Johannes Hovekamp, Maximilian Kovacs
Editors	Johannes Hovekamp, Maximilian Kovacs
Camera	Johannes Hovekamp, Maximilian Kovacs, participants itself

The first season took place at the end of August 2021. The 16 episodes were published from the beginning of November to the end of December 2021 on the Meinecke's YouTube channel.

Concept

The seven participants with varying degrees of experience in bush crafting, camping and outdoor activities were dropped off into an unspecified lake in Sweden. After swimming to the shore each participant was allowed to move 500 meters in each direction along the lake and as far as they wanted into the mainland. According to the rules they were allowed to take seven items with them, clothing not counted. The clothes, were predetermined by their use (e.g. T-shirt, gloves, headgear, buff, warming layer, socks, shoes).

The aim of the series is to survive in the wild and in complete human isolation. This includes activities such as: searching for food, building or finding a shelter and a place to sleep, passing of prepared tasks (for points) and filming them. Thanks to the location on a lakeshore the water supply and the possibility to fish are guaranteed. All the participants have access to a sealed first aid kit, a sealed mobile phone, a GPS transmitter and the technical equipment for filming.

In the first episode the competition rules, participants and the items chosen in each case were presented. Subsequent episodes showed the participants' recordings, which lasted approximately half a day per episode, with the length of the segments per participant depending on the quantity and quality of the material provided. From the time of elimination the participants are no longer shown at least in the main part of the show, even if they decide to remain on the filming site.

The participants are obliged to daily confirm their well-being by pressing the dead man's switch. Should they fail to do it, they are eliminated and picked up. In addition, the participants have to open a sealed envelope containing a daily challenge. Participation in these tasks is voluntary, but points can be earned by participating, which plays a role in determining the overall winner.

The use of the cell phone carried for emergencies only, will result in direct elimination of the participant, and the use of materials from the first aid kit will be sanctioned with point deductions.

The winner is the participant who stays in the game the longest. If more than one participant remains in the game until the end, the winner is the one who achieves the highest score in the challenges. They will be awarded a 10,000 euro prize, which is donated to a charity organization of their choice.

Participants and their selected items, Locations

The seven participants were released in this relay in central Sweden between Hagfors and Vansbro on the 12 km² Lake Naren (60.245°N 13.833°E / 60.245; 13.833 (Lake Naren)).

Participant	Selectable Items
	tools				source of fire		storage and accessories					outdoor kitchen		other		Number of pieces
	Knife	Saw	Hatchet	Kukri	Fire striker	Lighter	Sleeping bag	Tarp tent	Parachute cord	Hammock	Plastic tarpaulin	Pot	Filter w. bottle	Fishing kit	Hygiene kit
Fritz Meinecke				Y	Y		Y	Y	Y			Y		Y		07
Martin "Survival Mattin" Rudloff	Y					Y	Y			Y	Y		Y	Y		07
David "Dave" Henrichs	Y	Y				Y	Y	Y				Y			Y	07
Niklas "Niklas on fire" Röder	Y	Y			Y		Y	Y	Y			Y				07
Pascal "Bommel" Bommert			Y		Y		Y	Y	Y	Y		Y				07
Fabio Schäfer	Y				Y											02
Christian "Reloadiak" Nosty	Y	Y			Y		Y					Y		Y	Y	07

Episode overview and the Challenges

Day	Epi- sode	Title	Release	Challenge	Scores
					Fritz	Mattin	Chri	Fabio	Bommel	Dave	Niklas
	01	The Start	06 November 2021	–	–
01	02	The Exposure	10 November 2021	Swim from the boat to the shore shortest time [min]	3 pt 5:01	4 pt 4:55	2 pt 5:03	6 pt 3:57	5 pt 4:17	7 pt 3:07	1 pt 5:24
	03	The Decisions	13 November 2021
02	04	Bear Terrain	17 November 2021	Craft a torch longest burning time [min]	7 pt 59:48	3 pt 1:42	5 pt 2:45	6 pt 7:18	4 pt 2:22
	05	Fatal Torch Mistakes	20 November 2021
03	06	Objects Submitted	24 November 2021	Submit objects until the end of the seven days	13 pt	0 pt	0 pt	13 pt	2 pt
	07	Consequential Submission	27 November 2021
04	08	Night Rescue	01 December 2021	Drill a fire	0 pt	0 pt	0 pt	0 pt	dropped out
	09	Mental Decay	04 December 2021
05	10	Crafting Rafts	08 December 2021	Craft a raft	7 pt	0 pt	0 pt	0 pt
	11	Broken Seal	11 December 2021
06	12	Mindset against Forces of Nature	15 December 2021	Alternative sources of food (Insects and worms)	7 pt	1 pt	0 pt
	13	New Projects	18 December 2021
07	14	The Final Challenge	22 December 2021	Stacking stones highest stack [cm]	5 pt 154	6 pt 155	7 pt 190
2−7	15	Niklas' 7 Days	25 December 2021	–	–
8	16	The Grand Final	29 December 2021	–	–
				Final scores [points]	42	14	14	(25)	(11)	(7)	(1)
				Final positions	1.	2.	2.	4.	5.	6.	7.

Winner

With 42 points, Fritz Meinecke was the winner of the first season. The prize of 10,000 euros was donated to Robert Marc Lehmann's project Mission Erde. Chris and Mattin shared the second place due to the same score. The following places were determined by the date of elimination.

Reception

The aired episodes have an average of over four million views. The Stuttgarter Nachrichten announced the start of the series.

After the series' launch, the youth radio program of the SWR (the Southwest Broadcasting is a regional public broadcasting cooperation serving the southwest of Germany) DASDING wrote: "The survival format '7 vs. Wild' is going through the roof on YouTube right now." Web video producer MontanaBlack stated that, "it's one of the most hyped formats ever on YouTube." The news portal Watson (a Swiss news portal) called the series "brilliant."

The episodes also received attention due to "live reactions" from popular streamers such as Simon Unge, Jens Knossalla and Rezo. Additionally, some of the participants responded to the episodes by providing additional background information, such as from Fritz Meinecke.

Season 2 (2022)

Season 2

Location	Panama, Isla San José (Pacific Ocean)
Year	2022
Episodes	16
Broadcast	YouTube, Wed+Sat 18:00 CET, 5 Nov – 28 Dec 2022
Production	Johannes Hovekamp, Maximilian Kovacs
Editors	Johannes Hovekamp, Maximilian Kovacs, Patrick Gillitzer, Rico Davies
Camera	Patrick Gillitzer, Johannes Hovekamp, Maximilian Kovacs, David Henrichs, participants itself
Graphics	Rico Davies

The second season of 7 vs. Wild was published each Wednesday and Saturday on YouTube. It is accompanied by the behind-the-scenes videos on Dave's channel.

Participants and their selected items, Locations

7 different places on Isla San José in Panama.

Participant	cancellation	Location of the release	Selectable Items												Number of pieces
			Knife	Saw	Machete	Hatchet	Fire striker	Hammock	Bivouac sack	Mosquito net	Parachute cord	Pot	Filter w. bottle	7 Cigarettes
Antonia "Starletnova"	Day 2	8.2987°N 79.1275°W / 8.2987; -79.1275				Y	Y		Y				Y		04
Sabrina Outdoor	Day 4	8.3097°N 79.1018°W / 8.3097; -79.1018	Y	Y			Y					Y			04
Fritz Meinecke	completed	8.2270°N 79.1271°W / 8.2270; -79.1271			Y										01
Jens "Knossi" Knossalla		8.3120°N 79.1181°W / 8.3120; -79.1181	Y				Y	Y		Y	Y		Y	Y	07
Sascha Huber		8.3032°N 79.0953°W / 8.3032; -79.0953			Y		Y	Y			Y		Y		05
Ottogerd "Otto Bulletproof" Karasch		8.2833°N 79.1255°W / 8.2833; -79.1255			Y										01
Joris (wildcarder)		8.2892°N 79.0857°W / 8.2892; -79.0857			Y		Y					Y			03

Episodes

Epi- sode	Day	Title	Release (2023)
1	1	The Exposure (Die Aussetzung)	5 Nov
2		Deadly paradise (Tödliches Paradies)	9 Nov
3		Naked through the jungle (Nackt durch den Dschungel)	12 Nov
4	2	The first night (Die erste Nacht)	16 Nov
5		Fritz gives up (Fritz am Ende)	19 Nov
6	3	Crocodile at the camp (Krokodil am Lager)	23 Nov
7		The Jungle cries (Der Dschungel weint)	26 Nov
8		Flooded shelters (Überflutete Shelter)	30 Nov
9	4	Code Yellow (Code Yellow)	3 Dec
10		Restart (Neustart)	7 Dec
	5
11		Broken (Gebrochen)	10 Dec
12		Crocodile area (Krokodilgebiet)	14 Dec
13	6	Rescue on day 6 (Rettung an Tag 6)	17 Dec
14		I'm coming home (Ich komme heim)	21 Dec
	7
15		Pirates! (Piraten!)	24 Dec
16	8	King of the Jungle (King of the Jungle)	28 Dec

Season 3 (2023)

Season 3

Location	Canada, British Columbia, Hope Island/Nigei Island
Year	2023
Episodes	16 + 1
Broadcast	Amazon:  Tue+Fri    00:00 CET, 31 Oct 2023 – 22 Dec 2023 YouTube: Wed+Sat 18:00 CET, 29 Nov 2023 – 24 Jan 2024
Production	CaliVision Network
Editors	Max Kovacs, Johannes Hovekamp, Fritz Meinecke
Camera	Patrick Gillitzer, participants itself

Season 3 took place in August/September 2023 in the Canadian province of British Columbia. This season brought rule changes compared to seasons 1 and 2. The duration of the season was extended from 7 days to 14 days. In this season, participants competed in teams of two, not with a set number of items, but with what they could fit into a predefined bottle. In the preparation and announcement phase of the season, the management nominated presenters Joko Winterscheidt and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, among others, who declined to take part.

The season was released between 31 October and 22 December 2023 on Amazon (Amazon Prime Video and ad-financed Amazon Freevee) and four weeks later on YouTube. An additional 17th bonus episode (Joey alone in the forest) was released on 24 January 2024.

Participants and Locations

Participant	cancellation	Location of the release
"Survival Mattin" Rudloff and Fritz Meinecke	Day 3	50.9355°N 127.9224°W / 50.9355; -127.9224
"Naturensöhne": Gerrit Rösel and Andreas "Andy" Schulze	Day 5	50.8969°N 127.9094°W / 50.8969; -127.9094
Joey Kelly and Jan "Jan Schlappen" Lange	Day 7	50.9340°N 127.8648°W / 50.9340; -127.8648
Maximilian "Trymacs" Stemmler and Wieland Emilian "Rumathra" Welte	Day 10	50.9192°N 127.9715°W / 50.9192; -127.9715
Kevin "Papaplatte" Teller and Dominik "Reeze" Reezmann	completed	50.9118°N 127.8423°W / 50.9118; -127.8423
Jens "Knossi" Knossalla and Sascha Huber		50.9041°N 127.7722°W / 50.9041; -127.7722
Hannah Assil and Ann-Kathrin "Affe auf Bike" Bendixen (wildcarder)		50.9073°N 127.7343°W / 50.9073; -127.7343

Location of the Orgateam Basecamp: 50.8986°N 127.8565°W / 50.8986; -127.8565

Season 4 (2024)

Season 4

Location	New Zealand, Otago, Wānaka
Year	2024
Episodes	16
Broadcast	Amazon:  Tue+Fri    00:00 CE(S)T, 1 Oct – 22 Nov 2024 YouTube: Mon+Thu 18:00 CE(S)T, 14 Oct – 5 Dec 2024
Production	CaliVision Network
Editors	Max Kovacs, Johannes Hovekamp, Fritz Meinecke

The fourth season was planned for fall/winter 2024. However, the realisation and filming had already been completed at the time of the announcement. Despite the secrecy, there was speculation about filming and participants for a new season at the beginning of May, as several potential participants signed off for three weeks at exactly the same time. The participants were announced on August 28, 2024; inquiries as to whether they would accept participation were obsolete at this point, which caused some confusion. Preparation work began in November 2023 and filming of the season took place in May 2024.

The season will be/was released between 1 October and 22 November 2024 on Amazon (Amazon Prime Video and ad-financed Amazon Freevee) and two weeks later on YouTube.

Participants

After a briefing in Frankfurt, the participants traveled to Christchurch via Singapore on scheduled flights. From there they continued with a chartered Cessna 208 Caravan to Wanaka. The last 30 km to the drop-off point were flown in three Airbus Helicopters H125, with the participants blinded with goggles. The journey was non-stop without overnight stays, the time zone difference is 10 hours (CEST UTC+0200 → NZT UTC+1200), the participants were dropped off in the afternoon when they were overtired.

Participant	Day of cancellation
Stefan „SurvivalDeutschland“ Hinkelmann	Day 4: Code Yellow, voluntary due to social conflicts
Hugo „LetsHugo“ Goedert	Day 6: Code Red, health issues
Sandra „selfiesandra“ Safiulov	Day 8: Code Yellow, health issues
Johannes Vogel
Joey Kelly
Uwe „Flying Uwe“ Schüder
Julia „Julia Beautx“ Willecke

Episodes

Epi- sode	Day	Title	Release (2024)
			Amazon	YouTube
1	1	Crash (Der Absturz)	1 Oct	14 Oct
2	2	Freezing temperatures (Minusgrade)	4 Oct	17 Oct
3		Harder than expected (Härter als gedacht)	8 Oct	21 Oct
4	3	Group dynamics (Gruppendynamik)	11 Oct	24 Oct
5	4	Overheated conversations (Hitzige Gespräche)	15 Oct	28 Oct
6		The decision (Die Entscheidung)	18 Oct	31 Oct
7	5	First Food (Erste Nahrung)	22 Oct	4 Nov
8	6	Persevere (Durchhalten)	25 Oct	7 Nov
9	7		29 Oct
10	8		1 Nov
11			5 Nov
12	9		8 Nov
13	10

There are only 4 episodes left for the maximum remaining 6 days.

The game

There were numerous useful items on the plane, such as sleeping bags and flares. There were also cigarettes lying around, but the smokers overlooked them. There were also 7 suitcases scattered around the site, which could be found either by chance or by scattered clues. These contained other useful items, such as saws, toothbrushes, knives, dog food, peanuts and chocolate, as well as less useful items intended for improvisation.

The exchange point for memory cards, technology and information about the location of the cases on compact cassettes was a mounted letterbox. Each participant was required to carry a medipack (which no one did) and a GPS tracker, and there was also a satellite phone for emergencies.

Locations

The relay was carried out on the South Island of New Zealand and filmed near Wānaka. The release took place in late autumn (southern hemisphere) between 10 and 25 May 2024 for the first time as a group. It was modelled on the crash of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, with an aircraft wreck of a Dornier Do 28A-1 serving as the backdrop.

Location of the organisation team in Wānaka

The main base was Wanaka Hotel (44.6947°S 169.13671°E / -44.6947; 169.13671) at an altitude of 285 m, about 50 minutes away from the Orgateam. It was also the starting point for evacuations at Code Yellow: driving to the Forest Range Station by car, flight with ultra-light helicopter Guimbal Cabri G2 to the drop-off, which took approx. 90 minutes.

Location of the organisation and emergency team on site (Orgateam)

The local base was Forest Range Station (44.64074°S 169.50397°E / -44.64074; 169.50397) at an altitude of 410 m near Lindis Pass on State Highway 8. There also was the Helicopter take off place (44.63980°S 169.50440°E / -44.63980; 169.50440), about 5 km away from the drop-off zone. It was also the starting point for evacuations at Code Red: flight with ultra-light helicopter or ride with off-road vehicles to the drop-off, which took approx. 8 to 15 minutes.

Location of the drop-off

Was Breast Creek, (44.59238°S 169.48484°E / -44.59238; 169.48484) at an altitude of 610 m.

Please note that this is a fenced private property and can only be accessed with the consent of the owner.

Weather records

The Wanaka airfield weather station is about 30 km away. Barometrically and due to the valley location, temperatures are expected to be 2 to 4 °C lower locally, so that −7 to 19 °C can be expected. Rainfall in May is between 50 and 200 mm. Compared to previous years, May 2024 was comparatively dry with 30 mm of precipitation and around 3 °C cooler.

Weather records of Wanaka airport, select 10−25 May 2024