10,000BC - Episode 9 - Biggest Betrayal Of The Family

10,000 BC Episode 8

*For a brief background to the show, a who's who, and who is still participating  please scroll to the bottom.

The end is in sight .....but not for everyone.

Day 43

10 days to go and winter has arrived properly. The entire tribe is now sleeping in the communal bed. They are on strict rations that are only half a daily recommend allowance of calories for adults. 

Roxy, the production medic, attends the camp to check that the tribe are not becoming malnourished and causing irreparable damage to their bodies. I know this is the least of their problems but as they hold the equipment for Roxy you can see the dirt under the their finger nails. Its full on cringe.

After the assessment Roxy is most worried about Mike as his body seems to be in shutdown. No surprise because, from what we have seen, he is the only one that hasn't taken a day off.

Mike has started a tally calendar on the beams on the main shelter, so they can see how long they've got left / how long they've already done. This sends Paul into an irrational rage and he storms off into the woods.

Paul builds a hide to ambush the boars the following dawn. He uses as acorns as bait and I hope for his sake that he isn't using horns from the rations because Mel will have his guts for garters. To be honest I can see the rangers letting him go through with this when they wouldn't let JP trying kill one with a bow and arrow.

Paul goes back to camp to prepare a slow burning torch but when Mike turns up (looking like Jamaroqui) and asks what he he is going to do with all the cording, Paul throws another paddy and storms off into the woods. When he comes back he tells Mike that he feels the time he spent on this wasted experiment is time he could have spent with his family.

The Burdock Whisperer (JP) leads Jodie and Josie to the  giant burdock patch (this would make great Roald Dahl Story). During the trek he is overheard, by the crew, pestering Jodie to tell her mum something.

When the crew catch up with them it comes to light that Paul was touching up Jodie in the night. It started with him tickling her hands, then her belly. He then put his hand inside her trousers and then moved her hand to his crotch. 

The crew take Jodie to the production camp to find out her side of the story Paul is also taken to the camp to give his side of the story 

Day 44

After they've spent the night, separately, in the production camp the crew get Paul and Jodie together to discuss the events face to face. Amazingly Paul accuses Jodie of making a move on him?! This is after Jodie gives her view of what happened very matter of fact. To say Jodie is gobsmacked would be an understatement. 

Meanwhile the rest of the tribe back at camp speculate on what might of happened, and they are very considerate of what may be the explanation. Playing devils advocate.

Mel said that if Jodie feels she has to leave she will go too.

Day 45

The following morning Jodie and Paul return to camp to let the tribe decide to what happens, who should stay and if anyone should go. Jodie says that if Paul stays she will remain as well and be civil. Klint admits that there is no record of how disputes or  internal conflict matters so they can only be guided about how the group want to deal with it.

They gather the group in the lean to Jodie leads the conversation, and then gives Paul the chance to tell his side of the story and he still goes with his story that Jodie made a move on him. Josie looks like she could swing for him and I wouldn't be surprised if Mel was holding on to the back of her coat. 

Mike also says that he believes Jodie and that Paul should leave. He even goes as afar as apologising that this has even happened in the 'family'. Josie makes it clear he needs to leave after the tribe consider both sides of the story. When Paul asks if there is anything else he can say and Josie says "a bye would be nice." She cracks me up.

The saddest thing was that the tribe did consider things like maybe Paul was half asleep and perhaps thought he was at home but him saying that Jodie instigated it, he shot himself in the foot and was only lucky that Josie didn't have a gun.

Day 46

Josie, Jodie and Mel are foraging for sloes and discuss the cut throat manner in which when anyone leaves, the tribe,  for 5 minutes everyone is a bit sad and then they realise they get to eat the extra rations and use of the spare furs. Which is very 10,000BC. They are also please there will be no more early morning / middle of the night crackpot hunting. So am I, I couldn't stand to see another half arsed attempt by Paul.

Day 47

JP is first up and is explaining how hard it is to dress in the morning and how much thinking has to go into how the clothes will be worn for maximum worth and movement. JP you're so grown up now.

The tribe plan a trip to lake but Mike has been told to rest by the medic and must remain in camp. Mel is worried that he might have come so far and may fall at the last hurdle.

JP and Mel check the fish traps, whilst Josie digs up cat tails especially for Mike. In the trap not only are there crayfish but much needed little fish that provide amazing amounts of protein. 

JP might have paid a blinding hand here by taking it easy up until now because he is literally now the last man standing and is the muscles for the group that are otherwise fatigued. 

Meanwhile Mike is evacuated from camp with breathing difficulties and is gutted but he thinks it might be time to swallow pride and accept some help. 

Back at the lake JP is now trying his hand at fishing but first he has to dig worms out of the cold hard ground and it proves too hard. 

Mel is pissed off that others think she loves working hard at getting the food because she is an outdoorsy sort of person; but she does it because she wants the tribe to make it to the end. It is leading to discontent, on her part, that people are pulling their weight and this could lead to her not making it to the end because she has worked herself to death.

Mike is in tears with Roxy and she thinks he is seriously ill. Mike thinks he has nothing more to give but I hope they give him the option of returning to camp once he has received treatment. 

Day 48

Roxy checks on Mike in the medic camp and explains to him that his liver has reacted to lack of nutrition, which has lead to his body to use up irreplaceable reserves.

Back at the camp it's 1pm back at camp JP, Josie and Jodie are asleep but Mel is out collecting wood for the fire because a the moment she is the only one that tends to the fire, she tries to take back huge 30kg logs because they burn for longer. Meaning she doesn't have to wake as often.

Josie comes out just as Mel returns to camp with the first log and Josie offers help bring some more despite it being unlikely she can carry them. Josie goes ahead with her log to speak to JP and Jodie to help bring back some logs. JP doesn't feel guilty that he isn't helping with the fire because he did it on his own for 5 weeks. He says that if Mel had just asked for his help he would have helped. Mel is of the opinion that it is a 21 st century trait that the strongest automatically help the weakest.

*Jodie decided not to make a formal complaint to the police.

Watching the '...and next week' where the tribe are discussing about how they feel about the  experiment coming to an end and I'm getting emotional for them!


What is 10,000BC about?

20 volunteers, from a cross section of people of the 21st Century, were sent into  a Bulgarian hunting reserve, similar to prehistoric Britain, to survive 8 weeks in the Stone age, without any help from 2014 (Filmed through October & November 2014)

The chosen ones for the experiment, from a cross section of modern day Britain are: 

Mike Soumelides - Simms  - Firefighter (All round handy guy to have around and always                 
                                                                 positive. Has a degree is hugs)

Josie & Jodie O'Rourke - Bookmaker / Event Manager ( Mother & Daughter )

John Paul Mullen (JP) - Club Promoter (Looked like he might walk to begin with but has           
                                                                knuckled down and getting on with it / Chatterbox)

Melissa Selling - Prop Maker (Possible contestant for Where's Wally?)

Paul Barnes - Lorry Driver  (Wanna be Bear Grylls and someone that clearly lives on his    
                                            own for a reason) - EJECTED BY THE TRIBE
Steve Nicholson - Archer (Amateur survivalist / Tribe Leader / Strategist) - WALKED

Rachel Harding - Education Assessor (Mother of the Camp / Organised)
Paul Wilshurst - Fence Contractor (Stubborn But Hard Worker)

Emily Harding - Graphic Designer                                                      WALKED

Mary Harding - Student
Alice - Restaurant Maitre D' (Willing to help out every day)

Perry Brookes - Landscape Gardener (Geezer) - WALKED

Kym Hall - Marketing Manager (Strong, Organised, Natural Leader) - WALKED

Oliver Farr - Electrician (Terris's Boyfriend / Survivalist Skills / Keen to Try Anything and        
                                     Embrace Stone Age Life) - WALKED
 Terri Perry - Florist (Oliver's Girlfriend/ Positive Person / Kind & Caring) - WALKED 

Caroline Mortimer - Retired Secretary (Stone Age enthusiast) - UNABLE TO CONTINUE 
                                                             POOR HEALTH

Aamer 'Bobby' Hussein - Council Duty Manager ("We're gonna die out here" / Self  
                                                                               Proclaimed Lazy) - WALKED

Tom Reader - Digital Content Creator (Keen team member/ not shy of hard word work/        
                                                            Nature Lover) - WALKED

Kam Khaira - Housewife & Shopkeeper  - WALKED

10,000BC - Episode 4 Intervention

10,000 BC Episode 4

*For a brief background to the show and a who's who please scroll to the bottom.

Only one day of rations left ......

Day 8 & 9

Steve has decided to abandon hunting and forging and just concentrate to on the lake, so he takes 9 of the tribe out with him to the lake (Tom, Paul W, Rachel, Kam, Bobby, Emily, Jodie, Mel and Mike). Smart Lad Tom has carried embers in a horseshoe mushroom, so that they can have a fire down by the lake. Steve has a lot of respect for Tom because he' not shy of hard work but he also brings some great thinking to the group.

JP is left in charge of camp, by Steve, in an effort to get him more involved and prove that he is a team player. Unfortunately it seems that whilst Paul B is moving the fire wood under a tree (to protect it from rain) and Josie is preparing the remaining acorns, JP is just surveying his manor for the time being and washing his feet. 

The rest arrive at the lake, after a 2km trek and find that the traps have only caught 2 Crayfish. So Steve and Paul W set about trying the fishing lines again, whilst the rest of the group make more fishing traps. 

Bobby isn't bothered about doing any work and instead goes to admire his surroundings. This results in him getting stuck in the sinking sand mud, yes you guessed it "I'm gonna die out here", luckily there is fireman (Mike) in the group that is used to saving plonkers that insist on walking in mud. 

Funniest of all though is as soon as Bobby is out he runs over to Steve to ask if they can go back to camp now, like he's on a boring family trip to the seaside and wants to get back to his XBOX. 

Paul B is complaining about JP's managerial skills, fair enough he doesn't seem to be pulling his weight but complaining he's bossy is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black. 

With still no sign of fish at the lake, using the fishing lines, the group have a lunch of Crab apples and Rose hips. Not happy with the lines, Steve has made a weighted fish trap but it only catches one. Never one to not try, try, try again he goes into the lake with his bare hands and catches 7 more. Probably would have been a good idea to get the rest of the group to have a quick go seeing as that seems to be the most effective method yet; but who am I to talk as I sit cosy drinking a nice cuppa.

Mike fully engages with his hunter gatherer self and catches a mouse for his tea. I'm sure he would have happily shared but the tribe let him skin, cook and eat it himself. 

Josie, the vegetarian, has only eaten Crab apples & Leafs and ironically is the one to get food poisoning.

Despite having 10 crayfish it still isn't enough and moral is very low, so low that even Tom is thinking of walking. 

The production team medics have been monitoring the tribe and they are concerned that they are all starting to get dangerously ill. They attend the camp to check everyone out and find that they are all Malnourished and tell production that the tribe are too ill to continue.

The experiment is put on hold temporarily and the production team provide the tribe with  Isotonic drinks, Honey, Jerky and Meat. They are told to rest until the medics are happy that they are well enough to continue.

The camp is divided about the production teams intervention. Tom is not happy because he is fed up with carrying people and feels that the intervention has only reinforced that idea some peoples minds, that there will always be someone to help them out if it gets too difficult. 


Mike and Paul B are thinking along the same lines as Tom and express disappointment that some of the tribe are not viewing this as a second chance to start the experiment and get it right. Instead some of them are now viewing it more as a camping trip. 

Good old Bobby then proves them right by saying he will only stay if the production team will feed them once a week and they get one phone call a week. 

Day 10 & 11

The next morning the tribe are given the OK to continue with the experiment. 

Over night, however, It's got much colder again and now it's raining heavily too. The tribe are stuck in the shelters but some of them still put their time to good use. Jodie, Kam and the Harding Girls are making cording. Mike, Paul B and Steve are carving wooden spoons. 

Not everyone is finished with the medics though, Tom has to be taken to an emergency clinic as he has a swelling down the side of his neck and face. and poor Josie has to removed from camp because her nausea and vomiting has continued. The production doctors have said that she will only be allowed to return to camp if she makes a full recovery. In the meantime she is hooked up to a drip in the production camp, which to be honest isn't much more glamorous than the Stone Age one but at least the bed is off the floor. 

Bobby has been slumped in the corner of the shelter, watching the girls make the cording, and that's when I realise his spirit animal must be the Sloth. Suddenly he's up and out the shelter .... Bobby has had enough and is walking. 

Later on Tom comes back with bad news that he has a swollen gland from eating leaves and it's going to take at least 6 days to get better. He chooses that the best way to get better is to leave the experiment. As he does he quite honestly comments that he can understand how stone age man coped but sadly he is a 21st Century man and no amount of experiment is going to change that.

Steve says what everyone is thinking, another strong member of the team with excellent skills has left. 

And it doesn't stop there, Kam is now talking to the production team and says that although she knew it would be really hard she is finding it much harder. She agrees to sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.

There is a definite split in the tribe now, those who want to fully participate in the stone age experience and the other that want constant 21st century intervention.Steve talks to Paul B about whether they should continue helping the tribe as a whole and hope that the slackers start to pitch in. Talk comes back round to JP and they agree to give him one last chance to be a team player.

With a break in rain the tribe are able to come out and start improving their shelters, to protect better from the rain and cold. Suddenly row breaks out between Mike and JP over hay usage and the age old saying 'Theres no I in team".  Paul W takes JP to one side and says he needs to do something about it if he wants to prove to everyone wrong. JP says he just needs some direction in what needs doing and admits that, that's what might be missing in his on the outside. 

All the younger lads seem to not be coping well in this experience and it all seems to come round to not having enough direction in their real lives. Be it parental guidance that's missing perhaps or too much too soon.

Steve and Mel have been out on hunting but they can't have caught anything because there are no 'Hurrahs' from the tribe, on their return.

Whilst JP is contemplating walking after today's bust up with Mike, Kam calls a tribe meeting to tell them she is walking after all.

Only 12 people left in the tribe and the decline in people, specially the strong ones, is worrying the remainder.  Rachel voices the main worry that so many people have left, because there are still just as many jobs to be done but only half of the amount of people left to do them.

I tell you what, we all thought Celebrity Big Brother was mad this year. With people walking so early and the crazy stuff that was going on from the start but I think 10,000BC is going to give it a run for it's money in the 'Craziest Reality TV Series' title.

What is 10,000BC about?

20 volunteers, from a cross section of people of the 21st Century, were sent into  a Bulgarian hunting reserve, similar to prehistoric Britain, to survive 8 weeks in the Stone age, without any help from 2014 (Filmed through October & November 2014)

The chosen ones for the experiment, from a cross section of modern day Britain are: 

Rachel Harding - Education Assessor (Mother of the Camp / Organised)
Paul Wilshurst - Fence Contractor (Stubborn But Hard Worker)

Emily Harding - Graphic Designer                                                      > The Harding Family

Mary Harding - Student
Alice - Restaurant Maitre D' (Willing to help out every day)

Paul Barnes - Lorry Driver  (Wanna be Bear Grylls and someone that clearly lives on his    
                                            own for a reason) 

Mike Soumelides - Simms  - Firefighter (All round handy guy to have around and always                 
                                                                 positive. Has a degree is hugs)

Josie & Jodie O'Rourke - Bookmaker / Event Manager ( Mother & Daughter )

Steve Nicholson - Archer (Amateur survivalist / Tribe Leader / Strategist)

John Paul Mullen (JP) - Club Promoter (Looked like he might walk to begin with but has           
                                                                knuckled down and getting on with it / Chatterbox)

Melissa Selling - Prop Maker

Perry Brookes - Landscape Gardener (Geezer) - WALKED

Kym Hall - Marketing Manager (Strong, Organised, Natural Leader) - WALKED

Oliver Farr - Electrician (Terris's Boyfriend / Survivalist Skills / Keen to Try Anything and        
                                     Embrace Stone Age Life) - WALKED
 Terri Perry - Florist (Oliver's Girlfriend/ Positive Person / Kind & Caring) - WALKED 

Caroline Mortimer - Retired Secretary (Stone Age enthusiast) - UNABLE TO CONTINUE 
                                                             POOR HEALTH

Aamer 'Bobby' Hussein - Council Duty Manager ("We're gonna die out here" / Self  
                                                                               Proclaimed Lazy) - WALKED

Tom Reader - Digital Content Creator (Keen team member/ not shy of hard word work/        
                                                            Nature Lover) - WALKED

Kam Khaira - Housewife & Shopkeeper  - WALKED

10,000BC - Episode 3 Hunger & Cold

10,000 BC Episode 3

*For a brief background to the show and a who's who please scroll to the bottom.

A friend of mine made the comment that the advert for 10,000BC looks like a Blair Witch style horror......I have a feeling that over the next couple of days the show may live up to that comparison. 

Day 5 & 6

Paul and Rachel are up and preparing breakfast for the tree but it's hard work given that there are barely any rations left.

Kym has had to take what is left into her tent, in order to protect the rations and ensure that they are used wisely. Steve is impressed with her pro-activeness and considers her a valuable asset to the tribe. 

Paul B has set more Boar traps but they are yet to catch anything in them but before Klint left the group a couple of days ago he did tell them about a large lake that not only contains fish but there are also water plants can be used as materials for shelter and baskets etc.

Steve, Mike, Rachel, Alice and Paul W go on an expedition to find the lake but it's takes them 3 hours to find it and no one knows the direct route. The word map comes up again but is quickly dismissed. 

On sighting the lake Mike, Paul W and Rachel go for a skinny dip to have a wash. I feel sorry for Alice she must have been mortified at seeing her parents just strip off in front of near strangers. 

Mike and Steve make some fishing rods  and lines out the available reeds and willow but the fish are proving to heavy and they are unable to land any fish in 2 hours of daylight left.

The rest of the tribe are back at camp, sitting around and thinking about their stomachs. They are also expecting the explorers to come back with fish.  I'm feeling hungry just watching this.

They all arrive back at camp with the news they didn't get any fish, luckily one of the tribe manages to knock up a 'soup' out of some of the rations and foraged acorns. 

The next day the entire tribe are exhausted and it's decide that they should all remain at the camp in order to recover  and then return to the lake the following day. I don't see the sense in this because the sooner they get food the sooner the exhaustion is remedied but who am I to speculate such things sat in my nice warm house.  

JP and Paul B go out to harvest burdock and JP doesn't stop talking. Paul B points out that if he put as much effort into harvesting as he did talking he'd have pulled loads up by now. 

Terri and Oliver are also out foraging but Terri is feeling as weak as Kym. Oliver has survival skills that mean that they are successful but he's yet to convince Terri that this is a worthwhile adventure into the Stone Age.

Back at camp Kym has collapsed and one of the production doctors attends, to check her over. She is advised to rest and eat but there in lies the problem. They are only getting one meal a day and it's only a handful of food. Kym is starting to look like she might walk and she is one of the strongest.

Steve has designed a new hook, that he hopes will make tomorrows fishing trip a success. Steve and Paul W plan to take some of the stronger members of the tribe to go with them to sit and weave with all the willow that is available.

Day 7

The temperature dropped below freezing for the first time last night, which meant most of the tribe were unable to sleep. This has only added to Kym's anguish. Steve calls a tribe meeting to only let everyone to express how they are feeling but for the ones coping better to offer moral support and empathise. 

Today's fishing trip is assembled and made up of Tom, Paul B, Paul W, Alice, Jodie, Rachel and Emily. As they make there way to the lake, following rock arrows Steve laid, all anyone can hear is Paul B bitching and moaning about their 'Shit' tracking skills. It all comes to a head when it starts delaying the group getting there and both the Pauls butt heads again. The outcome being there was only one, out of a number of, tracking skills that they hadn't used yet. He continues on muttering on under his breath because he is such a know it all. He didn't even go to the lake the other day. If I was as hungry and tired as these guys are I'd be telling him to zip it and jog on but less politely

Today even Mike has had to stay behind at camp because he is so lethargic, he can't even face fire wood gathering. Instead he prepares acorns for the tribe, which have to be broken up and then rinsed in the stream for 2 DAYS before they become edible. 

Kym has managed a 3 hour nap but feels no better. Mike gives her the 'Mike S&S Moral chat' and hug to try to stop her walking and finally he seems to convince her to stay one more night and see if they catch some fish. Me thinks that Mike has a special soft spot for Kym.

However, Kym goes to sit around the fire and tells the others that she only told Mike that she might stay to get him off her back. She's "fucking walking".

Most surprisingly of all is that Terri and Ollie are also stuck in camp with exhaustion. Their positive aura has all but faded and Terri wants to walk too. Unfortunately Ollie feels that as they entered this experience as a couple it would only be right to leave the as one, which means Ollie  and his skill will go as well, because he only wanted to experience this as a couple.

Tom, Paul W, Jodie, Alice, Emily and Rachel are weaving fish traps whilst Steve has made a new line with horse hair and better hook. Paul B has fashioned a stone age crab line too but after 2 hours they still haven't caught anything. 

With less than an hour left before they must return to camp Steve suddenly catches a Crayfish and then three more; But so joyous in his accomplishment he wastes time he could be catching more by showing the rest of the group his poxy four crayfish. You'd get more in a Pret A Manger Crayfish sandwich. 

With daylight starting to fade they lay their fish traps in the lake and Steve sacrifices his last piece of venison jerky as bait. The group then head back with their big catch, in the hope of boosting the tribes moral

Sadly on their return to camp they hear talk of not only Kym wanting to walk but Ollie & Terri too. Steve and Paul B are hell bent on trying to convince Kym to stay but a camp fire meeting is called for Ollie to announce that he, Terri and Kym are going tonight.

The camp are definitely feeling the loss of the stronger and more positive members of the group and the tribe are now down to 15 members. 

Oh and Bobby - All of seem him do over the last three days is sit in camp either playing with his hair or wiping his nose on leaves, at least there has been no more cries of "We're going to die out here" , that I've heard anyway 

I'd like to see more of Melissa & Kam, Hopefully they'll appear in tomorrows episode. 

What is 10,000BC about?

20 volunteers, from a cross section of people of the 21st Century, were sent into  a Bulgarian hunting reserve, similar to prehistoric Britain, to survive 8 weeks in the Stone age, without any help from 2014 (Filmed through October & November 2014)

The chosen ones for the experiment, from a cross section of modern day Britain are: 

Rachel Harding - Education Assessor (Mother of the Camp / Organised)
Paul Wilshurst - Fence Contractor (Stubborn But Hard Worker)

Emily Harding - Graphic Designer                                                      > The Harding Family

Mary Harding - Student
Alice - Restaurant Maitre D' (Willing to help out every day)

Paul Barnes - Lorry Driver  (Wanna be Bear Grylls and someone that clearly lives on his    
                                            own for a reason) 

Mike Soumelides - Simms  - Firefighter (All round handy guy to have around and always                 
                                                                 positive. Has a degree is hugs)

Josie & Jodie O'Rourke - Bookmaker / Event Manager ( Mother & Daughter )

Steve Nicholson - Archer (Amateur survivalist / Tribe Leader / Strategist)

Aamer 'Bobby' Hussein - Council Duty Manager ("We're gonna die out here" / Self  
                                                                               Proclaimed Lazy)

Tom Reader - Digital Content Creator (Keen team member/ not shy of hard word work/        
                                                            Nature Lover)

John Paul Mullen (JP) - Club Promoter (Looked like he might walk to begin with but has           
                                                                knuckled down and getting on with it / Chatterbox)

Kam Khaira - Housewife & Shopkeeper

Melissa Selling - Prop Maker

Perry Brookes - Landscape Gardener (Geezer) - WALKED

Kym Hall - Marketing Manager (Strong, Organised, Natural Leader) - WALKED

Oliver Farr - Electrician (Terris's Boyfriend / Survivalist Skills / Keen to Try Anything and        
                                     Embrace Stone Age Life) - WALKED
 Terri Perry - Florist (Oliver's Girlfriend/ Positive Person / Kind & Caring) - WALKED 

Caroline Mortimer - Retired Secretary (Stone Age enthusiast) - UNABLE TO CONTINUE 
                                                             POOR HEALTH