Bears everywhere last night in Tanana, and Divini Rae did the right thing: She got the heck out.
After only a few weeks in Tanana, former resident and Playboy Playmate Divini Rae fled, fearing the bears overtaking the village, presumably in search of food.
Time has a way of altering memories. And, it appears that Divini Rae may have glossed over life in Tanana just a bit in her mind, forgetting the hardships and just remembering the good. She wanted to leave the everyday grind of living in a city in the lower 48 and return to the often-touted “simple life” of Tanana. But, what she found was something that was not only hard, but downright terrifying.
Right from the beginning, it was pretty apparent that she was not going to make it; it was clear she had made Tanana into her own little utopia in her mind. We all like to think that if we move away from the conveniences of running water, electricity, grocery stores, shopping malls and fast food, that we would readily adapt and become heroes of the wilderness. But, in most cases, let’s face it, we would do exactly what Divini Rae did: Turn tail and run back home.
Of course, she used the safety of her child as her reason for leaving—and, of course, that is a valid reason. After all, the bear that Courtney killed was literally steps from where Courtney’s daughter had been playing only moments before. But, bottom line? Bears or no bears, Divini Rae may have spent some of her younger years in Tanana, but she is now like the rest of us: A product of modern convenience—and, really, what’s wrong with that?
Divini Rae did the right thing; she or her child WOULD have ended up hurt in Tanana. And, there is no shame in doing the right thing. But, it should be a good example—and a lesson—to all of us who watch reality shows like YUKON MEN from our nice, comfy couches each week—do they even HAVE television in Tanana? Truly, the warnings they put at the beginning of these shows are there for a reason: These lifestyles are hard. These may be TV shows, but living that “subsistence” way of life is nothing to sneeze at, and certainly nothing one should take on lightly. Most of us should probably just stick to our armchair commentary, and let the lifetime experts—like Courtney and Joey—take care of the bears circling around them. YUKON MEN is a great hour of entertainment on Tuesday nights, but it’s just not the way of life for most of us—and that’s what makes reality TV so much fun, that little peek into another world we will never actually be a part of and, frankly, really, when it comes right down to it, do not want to be.
YUKON MEN airs on Discovery Channel on Tuesday nights at 9/8c.
Image: Discovery Channel via Facebook