Sue Aikens now lives along the Kavik River in northern Alaska, where she has been for more than two decades. She is considered to be the only resident of the Kavik River camp. Since she joined the National Geographic show Life Below Zero in 2013, Sue has been a part of it, while the dog, Sipsey, has since left with its owner, Alex Javor. Kate has also left the show, but Skarlett is a part, although as a minor character.
Life Below Zero began in 2013 and is in its 23rd season as of November 2023. The series, which is shot in the wild of Alaska, has brought together great individuals like Sue Aikens, who have found a way of living away from a better part of modern civilization.
Where is Sue Aikens Today?
Sue Aikens is now living along the Kavik River, where she has been for a very long time. She lives mostly in isolation in the Kavik River Camp, which she also owns. Those closest to her live almost 200 miles away on the north of the Arctic Circle.
Sue was born on July 1, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Now 60 years old, it was here, among other places, that she lived her early life before she later moved to Alaska, where she continues to pursue various adventures and a career as a reality TV star. As a child, her father always moved the family from one place to the other, and somehow, the marriage between her parents came to an end when she was still a child.
After the divorce between her parents, Sue went with her mother to Alaska, where they lived in the Fairbanks area. Things were difficult to adjust to at first, but it only became worse after her mom abandoned her all on her own, and she was forced to find a way of fending for herself in the rather harsh environment. She managed to survive and also fell in love with the place after she was taught to hunt by an old Alaskan man who taught her how to handle a rifle.
Having lived in Alaska for a long time before the show and coming up with her unique lifestyle, she attracted so much attention. When Nat Geographic heard about her and when it was preparing for LBZ, she was drawn in as one of the first cast members, and since then, she has been on the show.
Before the show, she was also on TLC’s Sarah Pailins Alaska. Needless to say, this was the show that opened her up to be considered for LBZ, and it made her camp very famous. Another show she appeared in is Flying Wild Alaska. Sue is also the producer of the 2022 film Panama.
Sue Aikens Once Dragged Life Below Zero Producers To Court
In 2017, the Alaska reality TV star dragged producers of the reality series to court following injuries she sustained while filming an episode of Life Below Zero titled The Crash. The angst of Aikens against the show’s producers was that she was made to drive her snowmobile across an overflow of the icy river at six miles per hour. Sadly, she hit the ice heave, and this caused her to have an accident that left her injured.
She insisted that she was forced to film the scene without her consent and it was only for fictitious narratives. Sue Aikens initially warned against filming the show at the location because she knew the dangers, but she was ignored. More so, she alleged that one of the producers of the show was verbally abusive towards her and other crew members, and they were also intimidated. After the accident, she revealed that the rescue team delayed even though she needed quick attention.
In the suit which she filed at the U.S. District Court in Anchorage, Aikens listed BBC, producer Aaron Mellman, whom she claimed made her carry out the stunt, which she was against, and other crew members whose names she did not mention.
She claimed that the incident went against her contract arrangement with the show and it interfered with her business. Aikins, who at a point had more than 30 dogs, also claimed that it caused her emotional distress, and so she wanted the court to award her an unspecified amount in damages. The bigger controversy surrounding the case was that the incident happened in 2015, so it was unclear why it took her so long before she finally decided to press charges.
She Got Another Cabin In Alaska In 2017
In the same year that Sue Aikens was in court slugging it with the producers of LBZ, she also had scores to settle with the Government. Her issues with the government began when the government opened the Arctic National Wildlife and Refuse to the drilling of oil and gas.
The claims at the time were that she had no rights to the place and the government was going to take her away from there. Because of what was believed to be fears of the unknown, she got another cabin that was abandoned in Chena, Alaska.
The idea behind getting a new place was so as not to be caught off guard in the case that the Government decides to clamp down on her and take away her current place.
What Happened to Sipsey On Life Below Zero?
Sipsey has since left Life Below Zero together with its owner, Alex Javor, after their appearance on Life Below Zero: Next Generation. Sipsey is a white dog who, according to Alex, seems to be a mix of a Siberian husky and a super mutt.
The beautiful white dog’s first appearance on the TV series was in 2020 in the first season of the spinoff of the original series under the name of Next Generation. The show presented people who have tried contemporary life before dropping it to go back to live in the Alaskan wilderness.
Alex Javor was initially in the American Army before he left and later decided to move to Alaska and continue living his life. It is unclear at what point his dog came into his life, but what is known is that in 2020, when he appeared for the first time on the series, Sipsey was right there with him. The two remained on the show where Sipsey showed his hunting prowess until the fourth and final episode of the spinoff in 2022.
Since Sipsey and Alex Javor left Life Below Zero: Next Generation, they have not appeared in the original show and have pretty much maintained a very private life. However, the two have a shared Instagram account where Alex used to share updates about their activities. Although the account is still active, there has been no any further activity since November 2021.
What Happened To Kate on Life Below Zero?
Kate Rorke left Life Below Zero in 2016 after her divorce from Andy Bassich. Born in 1956 and now 68 years old, Kate Rorke-Bassich is a reality TV show that became known thanks to her appearance on Life Below Zero together with her former husband, Andy Bassich. The former couple made their first appearance on the show in 2013 during its premiere.
Although Andy continues to appear on the reality TV series, Kate left in 2015. As indicated, the reason why she vacated the show prematurely was because of the crisis she was having in her marriage with Andy which led to a divorce the next year.
Kate and Andy were together for many years after they met when she came to Alaska as a tourist. They fell in love, and before too long, they were man and wife. For many years, they remained very close and even operated a wilderness survival and dog school. They also owned as many as 25 sled dogs.
Looking at their appearances on Life Below Zero, one would have all the reasons to believe that they were not just close, but their marriage was also perfect. However, this couldn’t be too far from the truth as by the 10th season of the show, Kate disappeared from the screens after appearing in the Out of Control episode.
It soon became apparent that Kate had left the show after she separated from Andy. Their divorce was finalized in 2016. The marriage did not produce any kids between them.
According to the reality TV star, she decided to move on from Andy and Life Below Zero because her former husband was both physically and mentally abusive towards her. In a small blog post on alaskayukonadventure, she stated that if you are in an abusive relationship, you are not alone, it is not your fault, and help is available.
The accusation of abuse on the part of Andy got fans of the show so much that many took to the official Facebook page of the show to demand that he be dropped. That did not work as he continues to make appearances on the show.
On her part, Kate Rorke-Bassich has moved on with her life away from Alaska, and she now resides in Canada. She has also not completely disappeared from the limelight as she continues to share what she is up to on her Facebook page; Kate Rorke Bassich Life Below Zero.
What Happened to Skarlett on Life Below Zero
Nothing of Significance has happened to Skarlett, except that she often appears on Life Below Zero, but she is not a major cast member. Skarlett Haze DeWilde is the daughter of Ricko Dewilde and she has been on the show with her father and other family members.
One of her appearances was in the first episode of the show titled Women of the North in 2022 where she got to find out what it means to be an Athabaskan woman and the strength she has of her heritage.
Her father is Ricko DeWilde, who is an Athabascan Indian. Born on July 4, 1976, and now 47 years old, Skarlett’s father was raised alongside 13 older siblings outside the small village of Huslia, Alaska, by his parents, Lloyd and Amelia DeWilde. As he continued to grow, Ricko realized that civilization was eating through the village where he was raised, and so he was forced to move back into the wilderness, where he now raises his Skarlett and his four other kids.
Skarlett Haze DeWilde is the third kid of her father, and she was brought deep into the wild, where she is taught how to fish, hunt, and handle the rifle alongside other things. Skarlett’s dad joined the show in 2018 and has remained one of the most well-loved casts on the show since making his debut. It was after she started appearing that his other family members, including his wife and kids – Skarlett, also started appearing.
Even though she has also been seen on the show many times and is becoming well-appreciated, there isn’t much that is known about the life of the little girl outside of the show.
Why Did Jessie Holmes Leave Life Below Zero?
Jessie Holmes was briefly away from Life Below Zero as a result of an injury he sustained in 2022, but fortunately, he has since returned to the show and has continued to appear in the National Geographic TV series in 2023.
Born on February 20, 1982, and now 42 years old, he has been on the reality TV series for many years. When he was first contacted to take part in the show, Jessie was not fully interested, but after some hesitation, he agreed to have some aspects of his life captured on the show. He joined the show in 2015 when it was in the sixth season.
The TV star, who revealed that he doesn’t look at problems, only solutions, was caught in a tragic accident that almost got him out of the show forever. This happened when the Iditarod musher got seriously injured by falling debris in a building in September 2022 in the community of Golovin.
Jessie Holmes got involved in the accident after he went to help clean up the damage that was caused by Typhoon Merbok. The historic storm left Western Alaska battered by a good degree, and Holmes, together with other mushers Richie Beattie, Brent Sass, and Jeff Deeter, set out to assist in cleaning up the area. Holmes and Sass stood on a plywood as they worked on a building. According to Sass, Holmes tried to pull down a board, and the area collapsed on them. While he was only slightly pinned, his partner was underneath the rubble.
He was subsequently airlifted to Nome for treatment before later being sent to a facility in Anchorage. Fortunately for him, his injuries were not as serious as initially thought and so he was treated and released. Nonetheless, a GoFundMe page was started for him to help with surgeries that needed to be carried out as he was left with broken ribs, some internal injuries, a broken wrist, and an injured arm, and he had no health insurance. The page realized close to $48,000.
