Many shows come and go, but the ones which are remembered for many years are the ones which marked us in some way or another. This is clearly the case for “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, which is set apart from other Alaska-based shows for its genuineness and lack of dramatic plotlines often found in the genre.
Nonetheless, while the uniqueness of the show is remarkable, what really made us love “Alaska: The Last Frontier” was its cast, their personalities, family values, work ethic, creativity and endless resolve to make the best out of every day.
Knowing we’ll love “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, the question of whether or not the show will return to air for an 11th season comes up frequently. So when will it return, or was it canceled for good? Stay with us to know it!
When Is The Show Coming Back?
Following the end of “Alaska: The Last Frontier”s 10th season in early 2021, fans have patiently waited for a renewal, but no news about a renewal or cancellation has been announced yet.
However, while Discovery has been quite secretive about the show’s future, the same couldn’t be said about the cast. In February 2021, Atz Lee Kilcher thanked fans for their support on the 10th anniversary on air of “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, finishing his Instagram post with the following phrase: ‘With a little luck, season 11 will be right around the corner’, he concluded.
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While Atz Lee’s post seemed hopeful that a new season was coming, the lack of posts related to the show are evident not only on his social media, but also on the rest of the family’s accounts. Even so, in August 2022, a curious fan asked Otto Kilcher if the presence of cameras on one of his Instagram’s posts meant he was filming the show, to which he answered that he was ‘hoping footage will air soon!’, making it clear that not everything is lost for fans.
So while there’s no further information about the upcoming “Alaska: The Last Frontier”s season, or an official release date, fans will surely see their favorite stars on TV again in the near future.
Where Is The Cast Now?
Whether there’s still a chance of “Alaska: The Last Frontier” coming back on air, we would surely like to be updated on the cast’s whereabouts. So where are the Kilchers now?
Atz Kilcher
Regardless of the lack of new “Alaska: The Last Frontier” episodes, everyone’s favorite homesteader, Atz Kilcher, is as active as ever. As seen on his social media, Atz is still living in the Kilcher homestead in Alaska, where his family has been established for several decades.
Along with his wife Bonnie, he manages the Atz Kilcher Alaskan Adventure Cabins, an alternative hosting service located on his property on the family’s homestead. According to the business’ site, the couple offers their customers several types of entertainment such as singing and storytelling performances, on top of allowing them to enjoy numerous outdoor activities, and simply have a good time surrounded by nature and Alaska’s landscapes.
As well, in May 2022, Atz underwent his third trigger finger release surgery on his right hand, a procedure meant to ease the mobility of his fingers. However, regardless of these issues, Atz is having good time, thanks to his endless love for music and the arts, leading him to perform in local festivals, and even being awarded by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for his song “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, made for the show of the same name, an achievement for which he thanked his daughter Jewel and his fans for their support.
All in all, it seems that everything is going well for Atz.
Otto Kilcher
There’s no way to watch “Alaska: The Last Frontier” without growing endless inspiration from Otto Kilcher and his many talents. Although his resourceful nature shouldn’t be a surprise, considering that he grew up in Alaska’s extremely cold temperatures and wild nature, it’s always impressive how inventive and creative Otto is.
However, due to the show’s prolonged absence from TV in recent times, we have been unfortunately deprived of seeing Otto working on his impressive projects on screen. As well, he doesn’t let us see much about his engineering ways on his social media, but at least he hasn’t refrained from showing us some glimpses of his gardens, homestead deeds, personal life, or even just celebrating the visit of his sister Wurzy, who has been living in Germany for a long time.
Regarding Otto’s health, many fans often wonder what’s wrong with him nowadays, considering that in 2016 he underwent an hernia surgery, and further complications from it. Nonetheless, it’s relieving to know that even if back then his life was in serious risk, currently he seems to be in perfect health.
Today is the 101 B day of my dad & my son Levi too. We lit a fire in his house and sauna. We sang & shared memories! pic.twitter.com/9frtOVsK1v
— Otto Kilcher (@OttoKilcher) March 10, 2014
Charlotte Kilcher
Although she’s not a Kilcher by blood, the audience of “Alaska: The Last Frontier” couldn’t help but be charmed by Charlotte Kilcher, wife of Otto.
While her husband keeps his social media mostly focused on the family’s homestead, Charlotte actually let us see some interesting details about her life in Alaska, her children’s achievements, and pets. Charlotte also harvests several types of flowers and fruits for sale, especially peonies. Last but not least, Charlotte and Otto manage Alaska Frontier Living, located in the Kilcher property. Due to Charlotte and Otto’s shared love of nature, their homestead offers a wide variety of fruits and veggies, on top of giving their visitors a unique experience in the backcountry, without forgetting their commitment to environmental causes and recycling while doing so. Hopefully, those who can’t experience visiting the homestead in person, can get a glimpse of it when the new “Alaska: The Last Frontier” season eventually airs.
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Atz Lee & Jane Kilcher
Despite the challenges which come with living in the backcountry, life in Alaska seems as peaceful and charming as we remembered, thanks to what Atz Lee and Jane Kilcher let us see on their social media.
For his part, Atz Lee spends his days helping out with the heavy work in the family’s homestead. In August 2022, he showed his Instagram followers some of his recently-finished summer projects, such as the cabin he built for his father, preparing provisions for the upcoming winter, and overall enjoying some of his favorite outdoors activities, including fishing, hunting and skiing. Jane also enjoys quite a lot of activities in the snow, but it was especially thrilling when in mid-2022 she announced an upcoming appearance in “Bering Sea Gold” with the show’s main star Emily Riedel, who’s a long-time friend of Jane, and who also appeared in “Alaska: The Last Frontier” in years prior.
Regarding whether the couple will appear in their family show’s new season, Jane affirmed on Facebook that indeed they have been filming the show, though a premiere date hasn’t been decided by July 2022.
What Happened To Atz Lee’s Lawsuit?
Although “Alaska: The Last Frontier” isn’t your typical drama-inducing reality show, that doesn’t mean its stars are free from controversy, especially when it comes to Atz Lee Kilcher.
It all goes back to 2015, when he was severely injured while hiking in Alaska’s Otter Cove Resort, breaking his arm, shoulder, ankle, hip, crushing some ribs, and having his lung punctured after falling off a cliff. As expected, Atz Lee’s healing process was long and enduring, taking him several months of physical therapy to actually get out of bed again: ‘I can’t complain, all considering. I still have my health, family and friends and that is a blessing for sure’, he wrote on Instagram in August 2016, exactly a year after his accident.
While fortunately Atz Lee was able to return to his old routines – with a lot of effort – he eventually filed a $100,000 lawsuit against the resort, as he considered that they had ‘failed to adequately warn of and/or provide measures to prevent guest and other individuals from falling over the precipice at the resort’, as reported by The Blast.
The resort quickly denied having any responsibility for the incidents and injuries sustained by Atz Lee on their property, but it’s unfortunately unknown if they finally settled the issue out of court, or the case was simply dismissed.
Did He Go To Jail?
As far as it’s known, Atz Lee Kilcher’s lawsuit against the resort in which he had his accident didn’t put any party in serious trouble, the truth is that he’s had some other legal problems.
As it happens, in 2014 Atz Lee and wife Jane went hunting bears, apparently using a helicopter to do so, which according to Anchorage Daily News, was the reason they were charged with ‘one count of unlawful methods of taking or attempting to take big game by helicopter’, almost one year after the incident took place near Homer.
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As reported, the then-spokesperson for Alaska State Troopers affirmed that authorities were tipped-off about the issue by a former staff member of “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, and after getting a hold of the incident’s footage, it was determined that the couple had broken the law. That being said, the show’s producers didn’t address the issue, making it unclear whether or not said footage was included in the show’s filming. Nonetheless, it’s confirmed that the production company, Wilma TV, was also charged for ‘facilitating’ the helicopter boarded by Atz Lee and Jane in the incident.
Eivin & Eve Kilcher
Despite not being the main stars of “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, Eivin and his wife Eve are surely memorable to everyone who ever saw the show. Just like his father Otto, Eivin grew up surrounded by nature, learning his way in hunting, fishing and overall developing skills to sustain himself in the harsh environmental conditions, and sustain his homestead.
Not only does Eivin’s wife Eve shares his expertise in the outdoors, but also his less widely-known passion for cooking. In 2016, they co-authored the book “Stories and Recipes from Our Hearth to Yours”, featuring several recipes both created or improved by the couple, or passed down to them as a family tradition. Nowadays the couple own their own homestead, offering several plans for their visitors, such as teaching smokehouse building and cooking classes for kids.
Even though it’s unknown if Eivin and Eve will appear in future “Alaska: The Last Frontier” seasons, their very active social media accounts and website can satisfy their most devoted fans’ need for content.
E & E with new addition to their family "Daffodil" Now we have a grand kid! Expecting great grand kids in 4 months. pic.twitter.com/iTcHHhoe
— Charlotte Kilcher (@kilcherfrontier) January 26, 2012
Shane & Kelli Kilcher
Even though the Kilchers aren’t exactly known for revealing too much on social media, Shane and Kelli are even more reserved when it comes to their public life, compared to the rest of the family.
However, some details about their current life in Alaska can still be known through their social media. Apparently, they’re still happily living in the Kilcher homestead, where they take care of their farm, pets and gardens. While their outdoors deeds don’t seem to be anything unusual, their family life has been blessed recently with the arrival in July 2022 of their youngest granddaughter Anastasia, daughter of Jenna Kilcher. Also that year, Shane and Kelli hit their 30th wedding anniversary mark.
Although it’s unknown if we will see Shane and Kelli in the upcoming “Alaska: The Last Frontier” seasons, it’s relieving to know they’re doing fine.
Jewel Kilcher
While most of the cast of “Alaska: The Last Frontier” gained fame through the show, Jewel Kilcher is known for something very different than homesteading. Famous for songs such as “You Were Meant For Me”, the multi-awarded Jewel has sold millions of albums, and has been nominated for several Grammys.
However, while her recognition as a pop star is impressive, Jewel stays loyal to her family roots in Alaska. Even though she wasn’t present in early seasons of “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, in 2016 she debuted in the show after being away from home for seven years.
Despite not being a recurring star of the show, her relationship with her father Atz has fortunately improved, compared to her early years, and as seen on social media, it’s apparently not rare to see them performing together these days. Currently, Jewel often spends quality time with her family in Alaska, and is actively releasing music, as well as being a philanthropist.
Even though it’s unknown if Jewel will appear in further seasons of the show, for now we’re just glad to know that the Kilcher family is not only doing well, but also that their comeback to TV may well come sooner than expected.
