You Won't Believe How Much Money This Chinese Man Made For Spending 70 Days in The Wilderness Surviving on Rats, Insects, and Wild Plants

Dexerto – A man from central China has won a 70-day wilderness challenge after surviving off rats, insects, and wild plants in one of the country’s most grueling outdoor competitions.

The Seven Stars Mountain Cup Extreme Wilderness Survival Challenge in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, ended on September 22 after 70 days and 69 nights. One hundred contestants from across China were dropped into the remote mountain region armed with only a knife and a bamboo pole, no food, no tents, and no outside help.

I couldn't tell you the first thing about what it's like to actually live in China. I've never been to China. I don't have any close Chinese friends. I've never even seen a Chinese person. But if this story is any indication... the people of China must be down BAD. If this reality TV show was able to get 100 people to drop everything and venture into the wilderness with nothing but a bamboo stick and a knife, all for a 1/100 chance they'd leave 70 days later with as much money as they could have made bartending... well god damn. That the biggest indictment on communism I've ever seen. 

I have to assume those winnings are being taxed as well. I'm having a hard time finding a reliable answer as to how exactly China taxes their gameshow winnings. But ChatGPT tells me the tax obligation for game show winners in China is generally a flat tax rate of 20% on cash prizes. So that $14k (USD) turns to $11.2k. But even if we put taxes aside, $14k for 10 weeks of work is $1,400 per week. That equates to $72,800 per year. Which is a perfectly fine salary. Nothing bad about that at all. But to put your life on hold so that IF YOU ARE THE ONE WINNER over 99 other people... to have a 1% chance of making a decent wage... why is anybody signing up for this?

Was it 100 homeless people? That would make sense. If you're already homeless, you might as well be homeless in the wilderness and at least have the opportunity to make 2 months worth of a livable wage. Or is this show big enough that they think being on screen at all is going to launch their social media careers? Apparently this competition had millions of viewers across China. So it obviously has some buzz. But as far as YouTube goes, this is about the only video I could find from anyone who participated in the 'The Seven Stars Mountain Cup Extreme Wilderness Survival Challenge'.

I suppose it would be unfair of me if I didn't mention how the losers don't come away completely empty handed. 

Each contestant who lasted 30 days earned ¥6,666 (around $940). By the final stretch, just 10 remained, given 200 grams of salt and a single stainless steel bowl to fight for the ¥100,000 (roughly $14,000) grand prize.

And when you go on a show like this, you aren't having your typical day to day expenses to pay for. But you probably had to quit your job (or at least aren't getting paid for it while your'e on the show). You probably still have rent to take care of. Unless you're like, the most responsible human in the world, it's not like you're going to take the time to put your monthly streaming subscriptions on pause for a month or two. And when you're on this show, you're technically working around the clock. It's not like you can take a break from the wilderness to take care of any personal tasks. So when you really do the math, this $14k winner spent 70 days in the wilderness working 24 hours a day. Which equates to $8.33 per hour to be fucking miserable and eat literal rats for over 2 months.

33-year-old Yang Dongdong was crowned the last survivor. A beekeeper and part-owner of a wedding planning business, Yang said his survival skills came from his grandfather, who taught him hunting and trap-making as a child.

Yang built his own shelter out of bamboo, vines, and dry grass. He crafted baskets to catch fish and crabs, and even fashioned ropes from his clothing. At one point, he resorted to eating rats and insects to survive.

Say what you want about Mr. Beast. But at least least the people he puts through hell for his own weird sadistic pleasure are coming away with a year's salary for maybe a few weeks of time spent on set. 

If you're the man who won this competition, then I'm sure this was a worthwhile adventure. But for the other 99… I can't believe this show convinced that many people to participate.