A farmer from mid Wales was deliberately placed in an abandoned, freezing town with no food, water, electricity, or tools for a new reality television series.
Ioan Humphreys, 33, was a participant in "Apocalypse," a show that sees two groups of strangers attempt to survive in a location typically used for military training. The contestants must rely on whatever they can find within the deserted setting while competing for scarce resources.
Humphreys, who was unaware of the show's specific challenges until about a month before filming began, told BBC Wales he had "zero idea" what he was getting into. He was dropped into the town wearing only the clothes he had on, enduring temperatures that dropped as low as -12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit) during the challenge.
Channel 4 described the premise of the series as placing participants "surrounded by the remnants of modern life," challenging them to "recycle, reuse and reinvent anything of use to improve their lives." The show features a diverse group of individuals, including a mechanic, paramedic, farmer, and social media influencer, exploring whether primal behavior or cooperation is key to survival.
Humphreys, who took over his family farm in Carno at age 20 after his father became ill, was specifically sought out by producers for his agricultural background. He noted that the experience was vastly different from his life on his farm in Wales, highlighting the absence of power, food, and running water during the competition.
