Siberia (2013) User Reviews

Not bad at all

[huguesturbang · 8/10 · 12 July 2013]

Well, I must say, I really enjoyed the first episode. The "reality show" concept is good, characters have very varied personality, and the acting is not bad at all. (Yes, it's a little bit bad, but I think it's supposed to look like the acting of real people in a reality show, so...)

The first episode gives you the will to know more, and makes you start to guess what influences are behind the scenario. Blair witch project? Cabin in the Woods? Something totally different?

Not the best TV show I ever seen, but it looks really enjoyable! And the five first minutes of the show are really really great.

Underrated show -- good for Lost fans (very mild spoilers)

[benjaminsainclair · 8/10 · 7 August 2013]

I do not want to compare the quality of this show to that of Lost, it isn't my purpose in posting. I will say that there are noticeable similarities in concepts (trapped in a remote location,"others" are present, supernatural sky-changing events, supernatural beings, time-twisting, etc.); if you happen to like these concepts then the show is pretty enjoyable.

People complain about the acting but it is far better than what I see in "Under the dome" (though I watch that also, hoping it will get better). With a couple of exceptions at most, none of the Siberia acting is truly bad (not the best maybe but not "bad") and the script/plot keeps getting better. If people base their ratings on the first two episodes, I can see why it is low. If you stick with it, it definitely gets better and better. I almost quit on BSG and Walking Dead but have been glad that I stuck with it.

As far as character development, I feel like I know the Sibers better than the Domers. There is a lot that can be done with the characters and the twist with the model was excellent in the last episode. Nothing about the dome has come close, the characters are flat and hard-coded stereotypes (the anti-hero, the nosey journalist, the "special kids," the crazy preacher, the corrupt leader, the "special family situation," the criminal in the midst, etc.). I keep bringing up the dome because that is what Siberia is most often compared against but there is no comparison -- not if originality (well, Lost-like originality at least) and mystery are your thing.

Finally, what I like most about Siberia is that I have no way of predicting what is coming next so each week has been an intriguing surprise. Compare that to 'the dome' where everything has been pretty predictable/obvious (crime issues, food/water shortage issues, medical shortage issues, military action, annoying child/teen actors, "special family" issues, etc...).. The dome has hardly any twists, Siberia has had quite a few -- to me, it is far more creative and addicting. Give it a shot and watch all of the current episodes before giving this a negative IMDb rating... too many hit and runners are giving low marks solely based upon the pilot -- that's pretty absurd to do for any show.

A pleasant surprise!

[johnnymike91 · 7/10 · 31 August 2013]

Let me begin by saying that this is by no means the best show ever. That being said, I must admit this show ended up impressing me much more than I had expected it to. This show started off somewhat dull, unoriginal, cheesy, and over the top with melodramatic acting. By episode 8, I've become completely entranced! The story is dynamic, well thought and planned out, creative, and emotional. Like I said before, it's not the best show ever, but it has become 10 times better then it started off! It's sad to say that this show is doing pretty badly as far as viewer ratings, so I'm not sure if it will get a season 2. But I hope it does! Or at least gets a satisfying season 1 ending.

Not Renewed: One of the Biggest Wastes in Television History

[danadrummer · 10/10 · 12 September 2013]

Eleven episodes in and no one (including some supremely intelligent people writing posts about the show in the forum) has the SLIGHTEST IDEA what is going on.

I would say as a Cliffhanger/Keep 'em Watching type show, that Siberia is a 100% success.

With all the garbage that is on TV/Cable these days: Junkyard Wars, Pawn Battles, My Daughter is Pregnant and So am I, the dozens of cookie cutter competition shows, the ONE SHOW that requires one to think a bit is undeservedly falling of the ratings ladder.

Well, look at it this way: The original Star Trek was a bomb when it was presented. The Odd Couple (many times voted the greatest sitcom of all time) never made it into the top 20 (I think).

If Siberia is not renewed, I will be sad, and hopefully will be able to buy the DVD/Blu Ray sometime soon.

P.S. Hey, viewers of this page: write a review and kick up the "stars"

Packs a jolt

[alanjj · 7 July 2013]

I watched this thinking it was a reality show and, boy, did it pack a wallop. But then something happened that never happens on reality shows, and I realized it couldn't be real. But the actors, if that's what they are, carry on, improvising, I guess, as though they don't know what's going on, like they are contestants trying to figure out the show's twists. As a reality show, what I found appealing was that there were no rules, and no stupid competitions, and no voting someone off the island. All you had to do to share the prize was to make it through a winter in Siberia. (So it would be a long series, since it seems to have been filmed in summer.) It was more NatGeo than NBC. But the surroundings were suspiciously unlike Siberia: first, I couldn't imagine getting permission from the Russian government to film something like this. And second, there were no mosquitoes, and whenever you read about outdoor life in Siberia, you read about mosquitoes. So I read the small print at the end, and discovered that the show is fiction, and is filmed in Manitoba. So next time I watch, I'll know it's fiction, and I'll see if I get any thrill out of it. Really loved the ride in the first episode.

No season 2, but an episode 12 would be nice!

[govert_derk_pieter · 7/10 · 20 October 2013]

I was really excited about these series after I watched the first episode. If people think it was real you should have been really dumb because after the first episode finished you should have been able to figure that out. The episodes that followed were above my expectations, they were actually pretty good.

I found it amusing and exciting. I ended up watching all episodes in 1 day to be confronted with harsh truth that it has a horrible ending. I am not sure if they want to make another season of this show but I hope they aren't going to do that.

There should just be an episode 12 where the pieces get put together. Know when to stop, because if they are trying to make the TV series longer they will completely destroy the series for me.

With a good episode 12 being there I would give the series a solid 7.5

For those that love the unexpected

[MariaRK · 10/10 · 17 August 2013]

It's sad to see that this great show is not getting the support that deserves, because (according to those posting on their official FB page).. 1) they were disappointed to find out it was a fake reality show (I guess they would have loved it if people died for real?) 2) the acting is bad (they do not understand they are actors, trying to be seen as regular people, with all the awkward action and speech?) 3) too many hard to believe situations, mistakes showing location, props.. (don't they understand is fantasy/drama?)

My point is NBC has created a show that was under some people's ability to grasp. A great drama/fantasy/horror show, that keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. A great trip for those that love to escape reality, and are getting something "real", with no need of monsters, vampires or aliens. Just plain suspense.

There is a petition going, found on their FB page, to keep this show going, the possibilities are endless and up to their creative team of writers.

If you love to be kept scared and guessing, this is the show to watch. Pass the word, and I hope more viewers give it a chance.

Decent Entertainment

[GirishGowda · 7/10 · 30 October 2013]

In 1908, an unexplained event occurred deep in the remote Siberian territory of Tunguska. Now, a hundred years later, sixteen reality-show participants descend on Tunguska unknowing of the land's mysterious past. These contestants, from varied walks of life, will attempt to battle the elements and each other in a quest to survive the harsh winter and claim a large cash prize. What is initially met with unbridled enthusiasm quickly turns to sheer panic as a series of strange events begin to occur. The contestants soon attribute the occurrences to ruses set up by the producers, even dismissing the death of a fellow contestant as accidental. When a contestant is badly injured and no help arrives, the contestants meet the chilling realization that the strange occurrences are not part of the show. With their safety threatened, competing contestants must band together in an effort to survive.

If anyone mistook this for an actual reality show in the beginning, they can be forgiven. The premise and execution is a Lost meets Survivor kind of thing. The characters are quite nuanced at times and most of the actors are believable as 'real contestants' on a 'reality show'. It took me a couple of episodes to warm up to it after which I decided to forget about the illogical camera angles and the number of camera crew it would require to actually shoot the way they did. This was surprisingly good, but the last episode (which was trimmed down from 2 episodes because of the network at the last moment) didn't have a payoff. Still, the monsters, the green sky in the night, the flattened forest among others, will all be memorable even if the show isn't renewed for a second season. It has been one hell of a ride and if it does get renewed (highly improbable), then I'd recommend Siberia to people who are into this stuff. If it doesn't get a season 2, then don't bother with it. Its not a great show, some stupid stuff does tend to happen, but its at a bare minimum and its decent entertainment which gets better as it progresses.

7/10

Awesome series (if you give it a chance)

[jasper_owner95 · 10/10 · 19 July 2013]

If you love LOST then you will definitely like this, that is if you give it a chance. There a many similar things to LOST and this show, for starters it is in the middle of a forest, with a lot of mysterious stuff happening.

The first few moments I didn't like the idea of it being in a form of reality TV but it actually kinda grows on you.

It is also (until now) a very addictive series and I just wan't to watch more and more.

So I would definitely recommend you too watch this show or at least give it a chance.

(My English is not perfect so I hope you understand what I am saying)

'Survivor' with option of 'death'

[Hideki-M · 7/10 · 20 July 2013]

To win this shows 'Siberia', the contestants have to survive in the nature, it means not to drop out nor forfeit, and then people get $500,000 divided to them. It's like 'Survivor'. But end of the Episode 1, one of the contestants was killed...

If you don't know it's drama, you would have mistaken it as Reality Show. But one thing that make this different from other reality shows is that contestants might die.

So, in others they just think about the way to win, it means to survive in the game. On the other hand, in this show they have to think about the way to survive in the game, and more, in real.

In threat of death and in front of TV camera, how are people going to move, and think?

I just wish it won't become predictable horror.

Just like Lost

[ob-chat · 5/10 · 31 July 2013]

The show looks suspiciously just like the infamous "Lost". There's Locke (Sam), Sawyer (Johnny), That-good-looking-chick-forgot-her-name that appears to like Sawyer (Carolina), mysterious forest, "fire in the sky" instead of "black smoke", mysterious hatches that sometimes open, unwarranted "life-and-death" emergencies, and even a glimpse of "the others".

Which means that just like in Lost, there might be no real answers in the end, and the viewers are going to be duped by a "pyramid scheme" of mysteries piled on one another to keep people hooked. Watch it guys. I mean, don't watch it if you don't like to be disappointed.

An underrated gem

[guardsquirrel · 10/10 · 21 August 2013]

I started watching Siberia because I was familiar with one of the cast members (Esther). The concept got me interested immediately. The first few episodes are very reminiscent of "Survivor" mixed with "Lost". It amazes me how so many people think that this is a "real" reality show but is "fake" because it's not filmed in Siberia. This is not a "reality show", this is a show that has part of it's plot set up as a reality show.

The episodes just keep getting better and better, I find myself very attached to the characters and I love the character development as the show progresses. The acting, in my opinion is great, shout outs to Sabina, Esther, Miljan and Johnny. You have to remember that they are playing normal, everyday people and it's meant to look like a "reality" show. Also, note that the actors are not given scripts, to make their interactions look genuine, real and natural, they are just informed about their character's personalities and of course, the plot.

Speaking of the plot, this is the final selling point for me. This has got to be the most interesting plot I've seen in a while. Nothing is predictable and I find myself on the edge of my seat every week.

If you want a great TV show that is entirely driven by it's plot and characters (which in my opinion, all TV shows should be driven by), and if you're at least a little open minded, you'll LOVE Siberia.

Why am I watching this?

[terryshilo · 7/10 · 6 August 2013]

People have summed up this show fairly well and why I'm watching this summer "fill in" that will more than likely not be renewed is perplexing. If for no other reason, there's not much on and I don't like reality shows. So, what do I do, watch a badly dramatized reality show. After seven shows, there's been no real explanation of the hosts disappearance and what exactly is the layout of the land. For these city slickers, they are in for a rude of awakening when the cold hits. They better get some survival skills very quickly and try not so hard to be compared to Lost that in the end might have been a disappointment to many, however.. this many shows into Lost we had an idea of what the Island and character background was about. This show in a Canadian woodlands "Syberia" mystery is taking far too long to make sense of it's survival challenge.

The worst show I can't stop watching

[raskolnikov103021 · 4/10 · 31 July 2013]

After having seen four episodes of NBC's new reality/sci-fi/drama hybrid "Siberia" I can easily say this is one of the worst programs I have ever seen. But I can't stop watching. NBC has made a staple show for the newest emerging TV viewing audience. Those who like to "hate-watch" programs. NBC and other cable networks have long been reliable for producing some sort of televised tripe but now it's becoming an art form. The characters in these shows are over the top embellishments of the worst or most annoying traits in people, easy to roll eyes at while thinking "how stupid." Sometimes it's a reality show like "The Kardashians" or "The Apprentice." Full of any number of eccentric celebrities. Other times it's the new fad of gastro-shows(think,anything with Gordon Ramsey). But whether it's a new AMC drama or the next FOX comedy the number of shows available to hate-watch has become suspiciously high. "Siberia" is the first proof that the networks really are setting out to make things easy to ridicule. Crap special effects, even worse acting, unrealistic "Siberian" set which is really Canada, it has everything it needs to be the punch-line of a joke. If you enjoy hate-watching, yelling at poorly conceived characters who make ridiculous decisions, "Siberia" will surely draw your ire.

Amazing Show

[renee-clermont · 10/10 · 14 August 2013]

I started watching this show out of my own curiosity, and was INSTANTLY hooked! The actors and actresses on the show are really what keeps the industry and shows like this going! They do an amazing job, and the show is completely convincing. I would love to see how it turns out, and would be DEVASTATED if we couldn't finish the series. I recommend this show HIGHLY to anyone that loves a good cliff hanger, and really diverse characters! Each character has their own personality- some likable and some not- but each are convincing in their own right and are amazing at what they do. Some people have compared the show to LOST but I personally find this much better than that show in particular. However, if you did watch and enjoy LOST, definitely tune in to Siberia, it will be right up your alley!

Survivor meets Blair Witch Project = Summer Bust

[trbotodd · 10 July 2013]

It was bad enough that the nerd who blew out his ankle on the first day was sprinting away from scary noises the next, but actors acting as contestants doing confessionals a la Survivor? Tremendous waste of time.

A guy from South Carolina with no Southern accent? Really?

Maybe it's my inner Stephen King, but somehow I thought there'd be more "elimination carnage." In the first two episodes, there's a mystery death and a girl who eats bad-magic mushrooms whose color makes it appear that they may have been planted by Smurfs.

I understand that it wasn't submitted for advance review. I can certainly understand why. It makes Vicky Christina Barf-elona look like a masterpiece.

I thought this was real

[missraze · 7/10 · 30 April 2023]

I won't lie, I was increasingly disappointed with this series per episode, but only because along the way I realized it's not real lol I wondered each episode until I got to that episode with the green stuff in the sky. Then I was like, they got me lol Then it became dramatic but still so entertaining (to me) that I played along/stayed along. The final episode presented itself as a cliffhanger to a greater mystery/Season 2 which doesn't exist, but I think they didn't intend for a second series; they just needed to simulate a reality tv show. This might have been a filler series or something. Even looking back 10 years later, I still can't see where I missed that this was fake. It shows how fake, actually, real tv game shows are like Survivor/Big Brother.

(Now that I look back, I realize that they fell in the water and walked across a creek through the woods, and are bone dry in the next scene lol so yea, that's something I should've realized that this is fake lol)

Great show bring back for 2nd season!

[smatherschad · 10/10 · 3 September 2013]

I watched the show from day one and I have really enjoyed it. I have recently started to watch NBC after I got bored of CBS. Siberia sounded like a great show. It made you asking different questions and making you wanting to see the new episode right NOW! I really loved this show because it was different from most shows I have watched and I pray and beg NBC to bring it back. I really wish they don't cancel this show or I'm done with NBC because they have canceled to many of my favorite shows. The acting stinks and that's the only thing that separates me from thinking is it fake or real. The first episode was kinda sketchy but, later on the series has made me into a fan. I also just love the twists and plots very creative. Thank you for this show. Keep it on NBC.

It grows and grows; but then it stops cold

[dumpbox-55760 · 6/10 · 15 July 2015]

It took several episodes; at least half way before I warmed to the characters and felt like I couldn't miss watching it to see what would happen to them.

Each episode contained elements that looked as though they had to mean something, but most of these turned out to be loose threads, which was very unsatisfying.

It's hard to believe that any viewer actually thought this was a genuine reality show, because the acting was so wooden from everyone until they began to relax after the series was more than half over - the final few episodes are definitely the best. Initially though all the actors were trying so hard to be 'noraml' and not to act in their attempt to seem like regular people that they over-played it, so the show came across as an obvious fake from the start.

However, this didn't spoil it for me, because the concept and the sense of impending peril combined with the continuous addition of unexpected elements, plus every character having hidden flaws that would occasionally be revealed made the show very compelling and interesting.

The fact that it ended so abruptly was terrible. I hate it when a series doesn't return for a new season - this one was surely worth the money - it's much better than Lost and many other similar shows.

People's quick to judge attitude, why they are missing this great intense LOST type show

[seanrodgers32 · 10/10 · 27 August 2013]

This is by far the best show on t.v. right now. Under the dome is second, but this show is at least twice as entertaining and as this show is taking off into awesome new territory every episode , the dome is getting less and less interesting by the confining nature of a dome show.

Siberia is getting absolutely outstanding in the 7th and 8th episodes. I could tell watching the first episode that this show was going to take a while for anything to happen, and that is okay.

In Lost, their is the plane crash to start things off crazy, and the action really fizzles out for a while, till things shift dramatically later on.

In Siberia, you have to recognize the potential without being sucked in by any major event like a plane crash. However as the show unfolds, and with the cameras having an explanation for being there, this show has a very much more real feel to it.

The show feels much more real than an average show, granted that it like most shows is not to be taken as anything but a scripted drama. It feels more real than Lost, or really any show. That is the beauty of it.

Found footage type movies are sometimes done to where it really adds to the experience and this is basically why the show is INiTIALLY a reality show.

Just think instead of whatever unbelievable event brought the Lost members to the island that there is rather a realistic origin for why these people are stranded in a really cool looking place with cameras.

Most people I have mentioned the show to have quickly said its FAKE!!! Not knowing how ridiculous that is. It's like telling me The Walking Dead is Fake!!! or that Lost was fake. Of. Course it is fake... And that is why it is nothing like Survivor or any of those types of shows(which I believe are fake anyway).

That's why..

It is amazing in the same light as LOST and tonight (tiny spoiler) when some of the group members found a house and broke into it... It was every bit like The Walking Dead's finer moments, just as intense, but more believable or realistic by the nature of the show, although it is not to be mistaken for attempting to be real.

Don't tell me this is a 6 when nothing else on t.v. can even compare.

It is one the most entertaining shows I have ever seen.

Just don't be that fool who keeps saying this is FAKE!! Hahahaha cause that is hilarious, and I am adding you people to my comedy act.

Art imitating life imitating art imitating a good show.

[jobear2484 · 2/10 · 16 July 2013]

NBC is fast becoming a wilderness of novel ideas executed in fantastically horrible ways. Gone are the days when one would get all fan-girly over self proclaimed "Must See TV!". Hannibal is the exception that sheds light on this rule- NBC hasn't consistently come up with good 10 o'clock drama in a long time. And they still haven't. Siberia is one of those shows that you can just picture the pitch- "It's Lost meets Survivor!" and the response- "We can't lose!". And then many focus groups and audience analysts later we get an hour of TV that cries "Watch me! Please, for the love of God, Watch me!" while you drag it kicking and screaming back to the pit and tell it to put the lotion on its skin. The premise is pretty simple- a generic reality show with a bunch of "types" struggling to survive in the wilderness. "But there's a twist..." There are no rules, no food, and their luggage is confiscated in the beginning. There's all the shaky camera action and "candid" moments of an actual reality show, but of course, this is all fiction. This is a scripted show that spent the entire first hour building its gimmick before revealing its actual plot- that there's something deadly in them thar hills. PS- THIRD show of I've watched this summer season that kills off a main character at the end of the pilot. Granted, it's basically a slasher flick stretched into a series, but still. This isn't the first show that shoots in "reality" style- it's been ten years since the premier of The Office started it and four since Modern Family perfected it. The problem is, they aren't playing for laughs here, but chills. And I got chills, believe me. I was left colder than ice. The acting and writing is as bad as you'd see on any "real" reality show. With characters pulled out of a casting manual, it really doesn't matter. In fact, nothing on this show matters except how bad it actually is- and the reason I'm going to keep watching, at least for a while- how bad it could actually get. I have a secret evil wish regarding this show. Do you remember the Animal Planet mockumentary about mermaids that actually got the network in trouble because there were so many people that believed it? Are there those among you who actually know the incident with "War of the Worlds" that has nothing to do with Tom Cruise? I hope this happens with this show. I hope there are people watching it right now and in the future that believe this show is real. That is the kind of audience this show deserves. People such as this, and me- who will be hatewatching the next few episodes in hope of using it as an example of what NOT to do with your television time.

Verrrry slick!!!!

[ptrunzo · 9/10 · 16 September 2013]

Lost meets survivor with a bit of x-files thrown in for good measure. Very creatively done so, unfortunately, it will probably be canceled. With all of the useless, brainless reality drivel out there you would think that a similarly based show that actually took some talent to create and required some thought would be a major hit?! The setting is awesome, beautiful and mysterious. The characters, love them or hate them (and believe me you will really hate several of them, but in a good way)are presented by fabulous actors and actresses who make them extremely believable. If you like wilderness survival situations, if you like sci-fi mixed with Survivorman, if you were a lost junkie like me, if you like reality television with a really cool twist or if you just want to watch some intelligently done "reality" television. This is surely for you.

It looks and sounds SO fake! It's also so boring.

[mike-ryan455 · 3/10 · 11 July 2013]

I know the TV season is pretty dry. Yes, I knew it was a fake reality show drama before I watched it on Hulu. Put a bunch of el-cheapo actors out in the middle of nowhere and do a drama about a reality TV show on them getting the spooky monster treatment - except I saw a movie with just that premise called "End of the Road" made in 2011 that was way better. I just expected them to do a better job of faking it.

I have seen other "real" shows with similar premises, including one that did drop people off in the middle of nowhere in Russia. For example, there was a British series called Lost where they dumped people off somewhere on Earth and they had to figure out where the heck they were and be the first to get back to Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square to win the prize. I've also seen several "dumped off in Africa and must learn to be a member of the local tribe" shows on the BBC. They came off so much less fake. They also had humor. There was something quite hysterically funny about a Hottentot in the Kalahari in the confession cam. There's no humor in Siberia.

SO many of the details came off ridiculously wrong. I will list a few.

#1 - If I am in Siberia I am going to be thinking first of bears. BIG grizzly bears. Half a ton in size. I'd have had that hatchet and anything else like a weapon with me just to have a chance. (No, weapons are politically incorrect) #2 - They were supposedly dumped in the middle of nowhere with nothing and they still looked awful good that second episode. Their hair is still oh so nice. I'll bet they still have perms and are clean shaven a month from now.

They also acted quite illogically. For one, they stayed. I don't care if it's half a million dollars. I am afraid of the winters in Siberia. Without food and suitable clothing to survive the freezing and dark winter, when they announce that we can get $5,000 for leaving I'd be raising my hand and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Need a Second Season!!

[johnpfc3 · 10/10 · 13 September 2013]

Great show, highly underrated. For all the people who claim that it is a bad show because it is not "realistic enough" or "doesn't have mainstream actors" do not understand the concept of a fake reality show. The point of the show is not an unscripted show like Survivor, but a of a reality show gone bad. It is like a cross between Lost and Survivor. Besides, its Monday night TV, no one should care if minute details are overlooked. The point of the show is entertainment. The show itself is well thought out and planned; almost every episode ends as a cliff hanger or a surprise. I hope the executives at NBC realize that they could have the show of the decade on their hands.

Better than expected, lots of unexpected twists *some SPOILERS*

[JennaSide · 8/10 · 30 November 2013]

I am giving this 10/10 because I was not yelling abuse at the screen for people doing dumb stuff. I enjoyed this a lot (far more than the Walking Dead of late).

Yes, there were the obvious character cliché's, but the show moved past that. I really enjoy a show where you think to yourself "why don't they just do this logical thing" and then they do it!! This happens so rarely in shows these days. They also withheld enough info so that you couldn't know any better than the characters (SPOILER) e.g. Esther not really pressing helicopter button, which we didn't find out about til later, she was quite believable when she said was going to do it, and wanted to give up the show, and redeem herself, especially with someone being so seriously hurt.

More SPOILER theory stuff..... I firmly believe that the host was one of the soldiers at the research station - the camera men kept focusing on that one soldier. I am certain that the cameramen were involved. Why else would the soldiers not have pushed them around, and let one of them run alongside filming as they dragged the cast into a line up. Also the cameramen focusing camera on the soldier I believe was the host - like he was ready to capture some drama. Yes, they were out of contact with the production staff, so they didn't know what would happen next, but they assumed they should keep the camera on the host/soldier just in case. Also: The fact that a cameraman was left behind at the research station and was allowed to film the perspective of the soldier shooting Annie. The only time the cameramen helped was to pick up the radio and give the location - this was because they had been out of contact with the soldiers and needed to radio in (knowing that the signal was being jammed and the only possible radio contact was with the soldiers).

I don't think the host lived in the apartment at the end (the cast were looking at the owners photo's), but I think it belonged to a soldier. The host knew they were there because of the cameraman. This leads me to the one thing I did think was dumb... why on earth did they stay in the town??? They found the truck, and they were already at risk by losing time having to walk to the town. They should have grabbed supplies and got in the truck and left. Obviously Esther dumped the truck cause she ran into another option - e.g.a soldier she could manipulate, or... the cameraman/soldier who she had the liaison with back at the camp, or she got into trouble. The only reason to stay in that apartment in that town and be found by the host was to set up the drama for season-2 (which I am guessing will never happen). Lastly, I agree with someone else on the web.... how good would it have been if the falcon was the key to it all - the successful result of the experiments, and then they released it.