Against The Odds
Episodes
Madre de Dios: Stranded in the Amazon | Still Waters | 3
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
More than a week into their ordeal, Fitz and Holly FitzGerald are trapped deep in a jungle swamp. Jaguars scream in the night, insects ravage their sk...
Madre de Dios: Stranded in the Amazon | Dead End | 2
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Fitz and Holly FitzGerald set out on their handmade raft, the Pink Palace, drifting down the Madre de Dios under sparkling sunlight. But when night fa...
Madre de Dios: Stranded in the Amazon | Delayed Honeymoon | 1
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 1973, American newlyweds Fitz and Holly FitzGerald travel to Peru, hoping to ride a riverboat down the wild Madre de Dios River on their way to Bol...
FAN FAVORITE: Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapping | Buried Alive | 2
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The kidnapped children and their bus driver are trapped underground in the back of a moving truck, and they’re running out of food and water. They d...
FAN FAVORITE: Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapping | Vanished | 1
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 1976, three masked gunmen hijack a school bus full of children in rural Chowchilla, California. The twenty-six kids and their bus dri...
Miracle in the North Atlantic | The Seal Man | 2
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1984, a young fisherman named Gudlaugur Fridthorsson — better known as “Laugi”— headed out to sea off the coast of Iceland in a small fishi...
Miracle in the North Atlantic | The Dark Ocean | 1
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1984, a young fisherman named Gudlaugur Fridthorsson — better known as “Laugi”— headed out to sea off the coast of Iceland in a small fishi...
In Their Own Words: Trapped After a Car Crash | 1
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In December of 2023, Matt Reum spun off a freeway in Indiana to avoid something in the road. His pickup truck rolled down a hill and landed under a br...
Listen Now: American Scandal | The West Memphis Three
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys were brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. The tiny local police department launches an investigation but...
Tsunami in Thailand | The Missing | 4
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
By the early afternoon, the water started to recede back out to sea. But the destruction left in its wake was devastating. Communications were do...
Tsunami in Thailand | Devastation | 3
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the force of the waves lessened, survivors faced a new problem: they were trapped in the mass of debris the tsunami generated. Stuck between a swir...
Tsunami in Thailand | Overtaken | 2
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the wave barreled ashore on Thailand’s west coast, people were sucked under a powerful wall of water that was so strong it ripped the clothes off...
Tsunami in Thailand | Strange Tide | 1
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On the morning of December 26th, 2004, a 9.1 earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean, triggering a tsunami. Along Thailand’s west coast, tourists...
In Their Own Words: Mauled By A Grizzly | 1
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 2005, 17-year-old Alex Messenger sets out on a 42-day canoe trip in the remote wilderness of northern Canada. For nearly a month, he ...
The Big Burn | Fight Fire with Fire | 4
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Buffalo Soldiers evacuate women and children from Avery, Idaho by train, but they don’t get far before the fire catches up to them. Emma Pulaski...
The Big Burn | Evacuations | 3
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As teams of firefighters and forest rangers find themselves trapped by the megafire and unable to help, residents of Wallace and Avery prepare to evac...
The Big Burn | The Blow-Up | 2
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the fires spread, ranger Ed Pulaski tries to lead his men on a last-ditch effort to save the town of Wallace. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Soldiers race ...
The Big Burn | The Driest Summer | 1
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 1910, a severe drought turned Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene National Forest into a tinderbox. Spot fires cropped up around the mining tow...
Siula Grande: Over the Edge | Making Peace With It, With Simon Yates | 4
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1985, high on Peru’s Siula Grande, everything went wrong, and two climbers made choices that became mountaineering lore. Simon Yates joins host C...
Siula Grande: Over the Edge | Keep Moving | 3
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Yates begins his lonely return to base camp, convinced that his partner Joe Simpson is dead. He wrestles with guilt and grief, unsure how he’l...
Siula Grande: Over the Edge | Long Way Down | 2
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After Joe Simpson fractures his leg, his climbing partner Simon Yates begins lowering him down the mountain, 300 feet at a time. But near the bottom, ...
Siula Grande: Over the Edge | First Ascent | 1
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s June 1985. Two young British climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, set out to conquer the unclimbed west face of Siula Grande, a towering 21,0...
FAN FAVORITE: Trapped on Mt. Hood | Discovery | 4
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the search for the missing climbers enters its second day, rescuers redouble their efforts to find the lost students and their adult guides. But th...
FAN FAVORITE: Teddy Roosevelt's Amazon Expedition | River's End | 4
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After weeks on the River of Doubt, Theodore Roosevelt’s expedition is on the verge of collapse. But hope emerges when they find clues that Brazilian...
FAN FAVORITE: Trapped on Mt. Hood | Search and Rescue | 3
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Morning provides no relief for the Oregon Episcopal School climbers trapped without food or water high on Mount Hood. The storm that forced them to ta...
FAN FAVORITE: Trapped on Mt. Hood | Considered Lost | 2
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With night falling, the student climbers and their adult chaperones must take refuge in a cramped, frigid, and hastily dug snow cave. Their leader, Fa...
FAN FAVORITE: Teddy Roosevelt's Amazon Expedition | A Killer in Their Midst | 3
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Challenges mount as the expedition travels farther down the river. With the end of their journey nowhere in sight, hunger and disease take their toll ...
FAN FAVORITE: Trapped on Mt. Hood | Whiteout | 1
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In May 1986, a group of high school students and faculty embarked on a journey to the top of Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest mountain. The climb was part...
FAN FAVORITE: Teddy Roosevelt's Amazon Expedition | River of Doubt | 2
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Theodore Roosevelt’s expedition sets off down the River of Doubt, it doesn’t take long for the going to get rough. Their canoes are no match fo...
Business Wars Presents: The AOL-Time Warner Disaster
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Think business is boring? What about when your streaming bill goes up, or your favorite restaurant files for bankruptcy? Do you ever wonder what’s g...
FAN FAVORITE: Teddy Roosevelt's Amazon Expedition | Headwaters | 1
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1913, former President Theodore Roosevelt embarked on a perilous expedition to explore one of the last unmapped rivers in the Amazon. Roosevelt was...
In Their Words: Ali Truwit — Shark Attack Survivor | 1
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In May of 2023, competitive swimmer Ali Truwit had just graduated from Yale, completed her first marathon, and had a job lined up in New York City. Bu...
Alone in Antarctica | The Last Man | 3
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Far Eastern Party’s two surviving members, Douglas Mawson and Xavier Mertz, must take drastic measures if they’re going to make it back to the...
Alone in Antarctica | The Far Eastern Party | 2
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Douglas Mawson and his companions Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertz are losing precious time on their journey across uncharted territory in Antarctica....
Alone in Antarctica | The Windiest Place on Earth | 1
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 1912, the golden age of Antarctic exploration, and teams from the Australasian Antarctic Expedition are preparing to journey into the wildernes...
Oceanos: Rescue off the Wild Coast | Into the Waves | 4
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In August 1991, Lorraine Betts set sail aboard the Oceanos as cruise director, overseeing passenger entertainment and well-being. But when the lights ...
Oceanos: Rescue off the Wild Coast | Sink or Swim | 3
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With all the lifeboats launched, the remaining passengers aboard the Oceanos cling to railings as the ship lists hard to one side. When helicopters ar...
Oceanos: Rescue off the Wild Coast | Abandon Ship | 2
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a hellish storm batters the Oceanos off the South African coast, senior crew members flee aboard a lifeboat, leaving passengers behind. With no lea...
Oceanos: Rescue off the Wild Coast | “Just A Precaution” | 1
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On the night of August 3, 1991, the cruise ship Oceanos sets sail from South Africa’s eastern cape with 571 people aboard—despite a massive storm ...
An Exclusive Excerpt From Our New Book | 1
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve got a new book! How to Survive Against the Odds: Tales & Tips for Animal Attacks and Natural Disasters is out today from Wondery...
Mount St. Helens | Still Alive | 4
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rescue helicopters finally reach the campers, Sue and Bruce, as well as other stranded survivors like TV reporter David Crockett and logger Jim Scyman...
Mount St. Helens | Blast Zone | 3
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The survivors of the Mount St. Helens eruption find themselves in an alien world, with toppled trees, mudslides, and thick, hot ash covering everythin...
Mount St. Helens | Hell on Earth | 2
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Mount St. Helens erupts, Sue Ruff and her boyfriend Bruce Nelson are camping with four friends about 14 miles north of the volcano. They were tol...
Mount St. Helens | Awakening | 1
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In March 1980, after 120 years of dormancy, the volcano Mount St. Helens in Washington State begins showing signs of life. Scientists warn that a majo...
Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | Keg Point | 4
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's March 10, 1979—24 days since their sailboat sank and 15 days since Elmo and Randy arrived at a remote cabin, trapped, powerless to save Cindy a...
Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | The Cabin | 3
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Elmo and his son Randy leave the girls behind, paddling ahead in their Sport-Yak to find help—but trouble continues to follow. Though they eventuall...
Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | The Raft | 2
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a powerful storm destroys their sailboat and leaves them stranded on a remote Alaskan island, Elmo Wortman and his children build a raft, determ...
Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | Home | 1
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s February 13, 1979. Elmo Wortman and his three children are sailing home to Alaska across the frigid North Pacific after a routine orthodontist ...
In Their Own Words: Fallen on Mount Whitney | 1
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In April of 1982, Jean Muenchrath and her boyfriend had nearly completed a 230-mile cross-country ski trip through California’s Sierra Nevada Mounta...
ENCORE: Rock Climbers Abducted | Breaking Free | 4
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When the Americans finally act out and decide to fight for their lives, they’re left alone in an inhospitable mountain rage full of rebel militants ...
ENCORE: Rock Climbers Abducted | Fight or Flight | 3
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Days without food or water start to weaken the young climbers as their captors push them further into the mountains and further from civilization. But...
ENCORE: Rock Climbers Abducted | Hostage Situation | 2
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After being kidnapped by rebel militants in a remote region of Kyrgyzstan, four American rock climbers are forced at gunpoint toward the Uzbekistan bo...
ENCORE: Rock Climbers Abducted | Welcome to Paradise | 1
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In August of the year 2000, four American rock climbers set out to explore the majesty of the Pamir Alai Mountain range in Kyrgyzstan. But only a week...
ENCORE - In Their Own Words: Stranded in Joshua Tree | 1
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On May 22, 2018, Claire Nelson set out on what she thought would be a four-hour hike in Southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park. An experien...
Nome Serum Run: Race Against Death | Togo’s Descendants | 4
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of the 100-year anniversary of the Nome Serum Run, Maine musher Jonathan Nathaniel Hayes is recreating the run. And he’s doing it with a te...
Nome Serum Run: Race Against Death | The Final Miles | 3
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With a blizzard gaining force, the Mayor of Nome decides the safest choice is to halt the relay, rather than risk losing lives and the serum itself. B...
Nome Serum Run: Race Against Death | The Ice Factory | 2
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The diphtheria outbreak in Nome is spreading fast as a relay of dogsled teams races across Alaska, carrying the only available medicine. Leonard Seppa...
Nome Serum Run: Race Against Death | Outbreak | 1
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the winter of 1925 and in the remote town of Nome, Alaska, children are dying from a diphtheria outbreak that’s spreading fast. But in the de...
Crashed in the Canadian Wilderness | The Bonds Forged by Wapiti 402 | 4
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1984, Carol Shaben was just 22-years-old when her father, politician Larry Shaben, narrowly survived the Wapiti 402 crash. Nearly 30 years later, s...
Crashed in the Canadian Wilderness | Search and Rescue | 3
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the freezing night drags on, the four survivors of a plane crash in the remote Canadian wilderness are running out of things to burn. As hypothermi...
Crashed in the Canadian Wilderness | Stranded | 2
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The survivors of a plane crash in the remote Canadian wilderness free themselves from the wreckage and must rely on the only uninjured passenger among...
Crashed in the Canadian Wilderness | Ice | 1
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On an icy October night in 1984, a young, overworked pilot took off from Edmonton, Alberta, in a small commuter plane with nine passengers aboard, inc...
Nine Days in the Desert | Return to the Marabout | 4
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In his Netflix sports docuseries Losers, director Mickey Duzyj explores how people respond to failure in a culture where “winning is everything” –...
Nine Days in the Desert I The Finish Line | 3
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mauro Prosperi has lost count of how many days he’s been lost. In despair, he attempts to take his own life. But when he wakes up still alive, he de...
Nine Days in the Desert I Delirium | 2
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mauro Prosperi wakes up alone and lost in the middle of the Sahara Desert. He’s forced to drink his own urine, and tries and fails to attract the at...
Nine Days in the Desert I The Race | 1
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s April 14, 1994, and an Italian policeman and ultramarathoner named Mauro Prosperi is running the world’s most challenging footrace: the Marat...
Whakaari: Eruption on White Island | Dad and Daughter Remember | 4
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On December 9, 2019, Pastor Geoff Hopkins and his 22-year-old daughter, Lillani, visited Whakaari/White Island to celebrate Geoff’s 50th birthday—...
Whakaari: Eruption on White Island | A Long Way Home | 3
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aboard the Phoenix, the boat carrying many of the survivors back to the mainland, passengers tend to the wounded, who are suffering now from shock in ...
Whakaari: Eruption on White Island | Hell on Earth | 2
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As a wave of burning steam, ash and debris rolls down toward the shore, 47 tourists and guides sprint for cover, but there is no avoiding the blast. M...
Whakaari: Eruption on White Island | A Perfect Day | 1
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On December 9, 2019, 47 tourists and guides set off to visit New Zealand’s most active volcano — Whakaari / White Island — located 30 miles off ...
Encore: K2 - The Savage Mountain I The Final Descent | 3
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Unforeseen conditions have put the world's strongest climbers to the test as they battle their way down the mountain. Before it’s over, the savage m...
Encore: K2 - The Savage Mountain I The Death Zone | 2
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An international group of climbers are close to summiting one of the world’s tallest, and most dangerous, mountains. Their goal was to reach th...
Encore: K2 - The Savage Mountain | Summit Fever | 1
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 2008, mountaineers from eight different countries gather at the foot of the world’s second tallest mountain, K2. All of them h...
Encore: USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea I Rescued | 4
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
By sheer chance, an American bomber pilot on a routine test flight has spotted the survivors of U.S.S. Indianapolis, who have been floating in the mid...
Encore: USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea I Holding On | 3
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been two days since U.S.S. Indianapolis sank, and the number of survivors is dwindling. They’re being picked off by sharks, and driven insane...
Encore: USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea I Troubled Waters | 2
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The nine hundred men who survived the torpedo attack on the U.S.S. Indianapolis are either drifting in the sea, fighting strong currents and swells, o...
Encore: USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea I Abandon Ship | 1
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the final weeks of World War II, the Navy cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine in the middle of the Philippine...
Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | A Survivor Remembers | 5
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Diver Ed Punchard loved his job and the people on Piper Alpha, even if it meant working on a noisy rig for weeks at a time, far out in the North Sea. ...
Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | Collapse | 4
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At 10:52pm, Piper Alpha is hit by the biggest explosion yet. Soon, the rig begins to break apart and tumble into the ocean, dooming the men still trap...
Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | Explosions | 3
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the fire continues to rage on Piper Alpha, rescuers in small motorboats race to get workers off the burning oil rig. Diver Ed Punchard has his men ...
Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | Inferno | 2
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After an explosion rocks the Piper Alpha oil rig, a huge, smoky fire begins to spread, taking down the rig’s power supply and communications equipme...
Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | The Leak | 1
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On July 6th, 1988, workers clock in to a typical night shift aboard Piper Alpha, the world’s largest offshore oil rig, in the North Sea off the coas...
In Their Own Words: Bitten by a Rattlesnake | 1
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a warm day in April 2017, Outside Magazine writer Kyle Dickman was hiking near Yosemite National Park with his family and infant son. But in an ins...
Everest '96: Trapped in the Death Zone | Big Business | 5
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Mount Everest in 1953, high-altitude climbing was only done by the most elite mountaineers. But that c...
Everest '96: Trapped in the Death Zone | Frozen | 4
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a severe blizzard engulfs Mount Everest on May 10th, fifteen people are left stranded on the mountain, unable to find their way back to camp, or...
Everest '96: Trapped in the Death Zone | Descent Into Darkness | 3
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the climbers descend from the summit, it becomes a race against time to get back to camp before dark. But a severe blizzard slows their progress to...
Everest '96: Trapped in the Death Zone | Top of the World | 2
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the climbers make their final push for the summit, time is of the essence. They must make it to the top before 2 p.m. to ensure they get back to ca...
Everest '96: Trapped in the Death Zone | Mountain Madness | 1
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In May 1996, two expert mountaineers and their clients set off to climb the world’s tallest peak — Mount Everest. Many of the clients have no high...
Voyage to the North Pole | Finding USS Jeannette | 6
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When author and historian Hampton Sides was deep into researching another polar expedition, he stumbled upon the tragic journey of USS Jeannette. He c...
Voyage to the North Pole | Siberia | 5
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After months of trekking across the polar ice, the crew of USS Jeannette finally reach open water. Now, they must endure a harrowing ocean crossing in...
Voyage to the North Pole | The Skeleton Pack | 4
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s June 1881, and USS Jeannette has been crushed between ice floes and sunk to the bottom of the Arctic Sea. The crew now find themselves stranded...
Voyage to the North Pole | Crushed | 3
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Trapped in polar pack ice, the crew of USS Jeannette settle in for a long, dark winter. As the temperature drops and the ice floes press against her s...
Voyage to the North Pole | Icebound | 2
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s September 1879 and the crew of USS Jeannette encounters pack ice that’s thicker than they expected, due to unseasonably cold weather. Captain...
Voyage to the North Pole | Arctic Dreams | 1
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In July 1879, 33 men set sail aboard USS Jeannette on a two-year mission to become the first humans to reach the North Pole. Though many other expedit...
Encore: Meltdown at Fukushima | The Devil's Chain Reaction | 4
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a week of unrelenting disasters—and with Tokyo itself now under threat—the managers of the Fukushima nuclear power plant are forced to evacu...
Encore: Meltdown at Fukushima | Collapse | 3
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Now contending with multiple damaged reactors, engineers at the Fukushima nuclear power plant hatch a series of increasingly desperate plans to preven...
Encore: Meltdown at Fukushima | Pressure | 2
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Crippled by a tsunami of unprecedented scale, one of the reactors at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is in danger of melting down. To ...
Encore: Meltdown at Fukushima | Triple Disaster | 1
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In March 2011, one of the largest earthquakes in history struck eastern Japan, followed by a massive tsunami. This one-two punch then caused a third d...
BONUS: When Animals Attack with Tooth & Claw | 6
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this special episode of Against the Odds, wildlife biologist and host of the podcast Tooth & Claw: True Stories of Animal Attacks, Wes Larson, ...
Buried Alive | The Elusive Gary Krist | 5
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Atlanta-based journalist Steve Fennessy began researching Gary Steven Krist’s past for an article he was writing for Atlanta Magazine back in 2006. ...