On Sunday’s Alaskan Bush People on Discovery, Brown brothers Bam and Gabe are manning the cab of a truck and trailer that takes a “controlled slide” down the mountain path and it’s super hairy to watch.
Off to the side, sister Birdie looks pretty optimistic and says, “Moment of truth!”
“You guys ready?” Bam says while looking out of the cab of the truck.
Gabe is sitting shotgun and adds, “You have to take every turn really wide.”
Completely engrossed in his task, Bam asks, “Am I good to keep going down the hill?”
Gabe is encouraging him and says, “[You] got it even though I could to keep going down the hill yeah let’s go track in the back… is she turning? Yes she’s turning… but you have to…”
“I mean she looks like she’s [the truck and trailer] leaning over a little… she’s fine..,” Bam cuts him off.
In a separate interview with producers, Gabe recalls that day and moment and shares what is going on in the clip.
“You know I’m worried about the conditions but I’m confident in Bam’s ability,” He says. “You know, he’s a good driver and he’s been on the snow a lot… so if anybody can get this down here I think Bam’s our guy. Just as long as he just takes it nice and easy going down.”
But what is happening is anything but good as the heavy truck and the trailer it is hauling are now starting to slide down the path of the trail. We see the front tires are locked and unable to grab anything for traction. This can end really badly as the edges of the trail have drops and parts where the entire rig can go over the edge.
Trying to keep his cool and act like he has it all under control, Bam says: “Yeah just going for a controlled slide at the moment cause I that’s all I got!”
“Come on,” he adds, impatient that the wheels aren’t grabbing the terrain under them and that the ice is like a skating rink as gravity is winning this task.
His sister yells from a vantage point off-camera and says, “He can’t stop! He needs to take a hard turn!”
Inside the cab with Bam still, Gabe says, “She’s [the rig] sliding something fierce, man.” All things considered, he seems pretty confident in Bam’s abilities.
“She has to go left hand left we’re not gonna make it,” Bam says.
Birdie is off camera but we can hear her as she says, “He needs to turn!”
Worried now, Gabe tells Bam how to get out of this immediate jam. “I hate to say it but maybe [add] more power and try to get us over there.”
Bam is now gripping the wheel, willing the truck to slow down, while Gabe adds, “Right now [he] has zero control she’s gone off the trail…”
The official logline for Alaskan Bush People from Discovery:
As the first snow falls, the Brown Family makes a risky attempt to move their temporary shelters closer to the barn in hopes of bringing father Billy back home. Noah uses his ingenuity to prepare he and his pregnant wife Rhain Alisha for her first winter.
Make sure to tune in Sunday to see how Bam’s maneuvering on this icy trail winds up:
Alaskan Bush People airs Sundays at 10/9c on Discovery Channel.