The main form of an interview is nothing more than the interviewer asking questions and you answering them.
No matter how complex the interview is, it generally follows this format.
This interview is no different.
The interview started punctually in the evening, using a conference software.
The main stage of this video conference platform naturally showed the interviewers of the Alone in the Wilderness program, while the images from several sub-stages showed the six interview participants.
Cameron Spielberg, responsible for recruiting Chinese contestants, was slightly pleased to see Li Younan log in as scheduled.
To be honest, it didn’t matter to him whether others participated, as long as Li Younan could participate, it was enough.
Just like Li Younan had thought before, this contestant was already decided; they had been evaluating Li Younan for several months. Even if Li Younan only did a self-introduction during the interview, it wouldn’t affect the final result.
However, the necessary formalities still needed to be followed.
Cameron Spielberg introduced several colleagues involved as interviewers, including survival experts, the program producers, and a representative from TikTok.
After introducing all the interviewers, Cameron Spielberg got straight to the point: "Thank you, gentlemen, for participating in this interview. Let’s begin the official selection process. We have already conducted a preliminary evaluation of each participant’s potential based on previous assessments; this interview is to further supplement the previous findings. Now, let’s proceed with the first question: why do you want to participate in this program? Please start answering, and each participant will respond in order from 1 to 6."
Li Younan looked at his interview number; he was number 5.
However, what Li Younan didn’t expect was that the first question stumped the participants.
It wasn’t the difficulty of the question itself.
Contestant 1 faced the camera looking a bit lost, scratching his head, then stammeringly said: "Sorry, I, I, I don’t speak English very well."
For a high achiever like Li Younan, although his English didn’t have the native accent, speaking fluent Chinese-style English for everyday communication was not a problem. Li Younan had never thought about making his English sound like a native speaker; as long as it was understandable, it was fine.
However, in this program, the audience is international, so not being able to express English proficiently was indeed a major disadvantage.
Seeing this, the TikTok interviewer from the main stage communicated with Cameron Spielberg, then began speaking in Chinese: "You can answer in Chinese. Why do you want to participate in this program?"
Only then did the participant begin to answer, albeit with a little stammer due to the earlier mishap, clearly disorganized and hesitant.
Li Younan noticed the judges at the main stage were shaking their heads discreetly.
The subsequent contestants also faced the issue of low English proficiency, but with translations from the TikTok representative, they all answered the question in Chinese.
After all, this is a global program. If it were hosted by Chinese people, not speaking English wouldn’t be much of a concern, but entering for the prize of one million USD means considering the program’s requirements.
Then it was Li Younan’s turn.
This time, the TikTok representative kindly asked: "Would you prefer to answer in Chinese?"
Li Younan smiled, then replied fluently in English: "Why participate in the Wilderness Survival program? That’s a good question. You know, our country doesn’t have such conditions; it’s a country that values ecological protection, with some of the world’s strictest hunting regulations... You almost can’t legally hunt any wild animals here, except for rats."
Hearing this, the interviewers immediately laughed.
Watching them laugh, the other contestants were somewhat uncomfortable because they didn’t quite understand what was amusing.
After all, being fluent in English in China is rare, and such individuals are generally those with excellent academic performance who also possess strong wilderness survival skills, which is a difficult combination.
Li Younan continued eloquently: "I am a software engineer, later switched careers to become a travel blogger, where I gradually realized my innate talent in this field."
"In fact, I hadn’t trained in archery before, but the first time I tried, I hit the bullseye, as you can see, I am a natural hunter."
"Our country has thousands of years of history using bows, producing countless legendary archers. We are a nation with a rich archery heritage, and I want the world to see Chinese archery skills, which is one of the reasons."
Li Younan comfortably took a sip of water before continuing: "Secondly, I am proficient in many wilderness survival skills, although I’ve never had a stage to display them. I need such a stage."
After a pause, Li Younan smiled again, saying: "And the most important reason is the prize of one million USD, which is quite tempting."
"These are the reasons for wanting to participate in this program."
Following Li Younan’s answer, the interviewers nodded repeatedly.
Cameron Spielberg asked with interest: "Your English is excellent! That’s very important to us because we are a program aimed at a worldwide audience."
Next was contestant number six, but surprisingly, the final contestant also had a high level of English, as he was a professional Hunter who returned from Australia, introducing his reasons fluently in English; he was pretty straightforward, simply aiming for the prize of one million USD.
The next question was: what advantages do you have in Alone in the Wilderness?
The previous contestants seriously described how impressive their survival skills were.
When it was Li Younan’s turn, he somewhat understatedly said: "Gentlemen, my wilderness survival skills have already been seen in my videos, so I don’t want to elaborate further on those skills."
"I want to talk about my other advantages, which you may not have noticed."
"Firstly, I am currently a travel blogger, and filming is a part of my life; yes, that’s right, I have professional photography skills."
"I mean, this program is a reality show after all, and while survival is crucial, conveying your survival status through the camera is equally important. I have complete confidence and assurance in showcasing the most perfect shots."
Listening to this, the interviewers, especially the producer, noticeably showed a more interested expression.
This indeed was an underrated advantage.
In previous iterations of the show, contestants came from various backgrounds, and their filming techniques indeed limited the show’s further influence.
Li Younan confidently said: "Secondly, I have the ability to endure loneliness."
"In fact, I believe that challenging Alone in the Wilderness requires not only strong survival skills but also an equally strong mental endurance."
"Surviving alone in a lonely environment for dozens or even hundreds of days is not easy."
"Why am I so confident? Because besides being skilled in survival, I also excel in carving and painting arts."
"It’s well known that time flies when someone is immersed in artistic creation, helping to fill the void of loneliness. This will be my strongest weapon against isolation."
Li Younan’s answer was a knockout, and Cameron Spielberg almost had "I approve of you" written all over his face, nodding continuously.
Lastly, the final contestant, while discussing his advantages, was faced with the challenge of overcoming Li Younan’s towering presence. Though he tried to provide a fresh and elevated response, such as: "My greatest advantage is knowing the foreign environment, and I am the only one with extensive overseas living experience,"
He was rendered speechless by Cameron Spielberg’s question: "Actually, our competition takes place in the wilderness, so how does your overseas survival experience help with the wilderness environment? I mean, I understand you are more familiar with foreign cultural settings, but we are disconnected from society."
At this point, Li Younan had almost completely dominated the interview.
Although Cameron Spielberg did not announce the results on the spot, other competitors had essentially understood that the final winner was certainly Li Younan.
After the interview ended, as expected, Li Younan received the email and related contract from the program group, and by signing, he could obtain the promised reward from TikTok, but it would only take effect if he completed at least 30 days of the challenge.
Li Younan successfully passed the interview, becoming the sole participant from Asia in this season of Alone in the Wilderness.
As the major promoter, TikTok rightfully obtained exclusive rights for the show. As one of the most influential video platforms domestically, TikTok played a significant role in promoting the program.
When a Chinese face appeared in the program, the combined chemistry set off by this led Li Younan to quickly become a sensation.
Having secured the participation, Li Younan had only a few days to prepare before needing to head to the training center in Canada to attend the program’s wilderness survival training.

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