S.O.S. Turns into 9-1-1

In “SOS Turns into 9-1-1,” the eight remaining survivalists begin planning for extraction on day 28. Adam Kavanagh proposes splitting into three groups: a water scout, a land scout, and an SOS team that will stay behind and prepare signal fires. Patrick French and Darrin Reay take the raft, while Adam initially plans to hike with Jarrell Banks. Allison Frueh, Ana Lis Pitter, Malu Beyonce, and Amanda Wilson are assigned to the SOS team.

Ana Lis immediately objects, feeling that being left behind has something to do with her being a woman. By day 31, the disagreement boils over when she confronts Amanda about saying the “weakest” people should stay back. Malu is frustrated by Ana Lis’s attitude, and Darrin wants everyone to stop bickering and work. Adam insists gender has nothing to do with the assignments, then reshuffles the teams: Amanda joins him on the hiking scout, while Jarrell stays behind with Allison, Ana Lis, and Malu.

Patrick and Darrin spend the next few days building and preparing their raft, while the camp stocks up on taro, fish, conch, and coconuts. On day 34, the scout teams depart. Patrick and Darrin head out by sea, Adam and Amanda push into the mangroves, and the SOS group starts building three large bamboo signal fires.

The raft journey quickly turns dangerous when Patrick and Darrin have a close encounter with a tiger shark. After nine hours and roughly eight miles on the water, they are still five miles from their target and decide to camp for the night. They find the remains of an old shelter, eat coconuts, get a fire going, collect water to boil, and settle in.

Adam and Amanda’s route is just as difficult. After several miles through mangroves, they climb into thick jungle and struggle through steep terrain. They eventually make it out of the worst of it, but the route proves too difficult to continue, forcing them to turn around and head back to camp.

On day 35, Patrick and Darrin return to the water and finally reach their island destination. At first they see no obvious sign of rescue, but then discover cultivated crops, a water well, and a building. Inside is a radio with dead batteries. They connect it to a solar panel, find an antenna, carry the setup to higher ground, and make contact with a ship.

Back at the main beach, Malu takes a high vantage point as lookout while the others prepare the signal fires. Adam makes a giant white flag, but Amanda is completely exhausted and eventually passes out. A medic determines she blacked out from dehydration but is otherwise okay.

Then Malu spots a boat. The group lights the signal fires, and the ship finally answers with a horn blast. Patrick and Darrin are already aboard, but the others still need to reach it. Amanda is too weak to swim, so the team gets her onto a leftover raft. When she begins fading again, the ship sends out a dinghy to meet them.

With Amanda safely transferred and the rest of the survivors reaching the ship, the 35-day challenge is complete. After typhoons, medical taps, team splits, long migrations, and a final race to signal rescue, the remaining eight survivalists make it off the Lost Coast.