The hit survival series from Germany
YouTube is one of the most popular platforms with German youngsters – and the idea of a German YouTuber has become a huge hit there.
Instagram first, and then YouTube – that’s the order of popularity of the two platforms among Germans aged under 25. It is particularly shorter formats that are booming on YouTube in Germany: “Haertetest” for example, in which stability experiments are carried out, the English-language explanatory channel “Kurz gesagt – In a Nutshell”, or the test channel “Kinder Spielzeug Kanal” (Children’s Toy Channel).
Yet entirely different formats are also possible, which is where the idea of the German YouTuber Fritz Meinecke comes in: seven participants, seven days, seven items - and the name “7 vs. Wild”. Europe’s biggest YouTube show is all about spending one week alone in the wilderness with as little equipment as possible.
The first season began in 2021. Meinecke and six participants were given selfie cameras and were then each dropped off on their own on Swedish islands. 16 episodes revealed how the seven of them coped with their Spartan equipment, making fires, fishing and building shelters. The series became an instant hit. Each of the episodes, which were up to one hour long, registered between four and eleven million clicks. In addition, numerous videos of viewer reactions were uploaded; well-known YouTubers and streamers watched the series together with their communities and commented on how the participants were managing.
But why did this kind of survival format of all things become Europe’s biggest YouTube project? In a newspaper interview, educational psychologist Stefan Drewes explained that it had to do with the pandemic: the coronavirus restrictions increased people’s desire to engage in outdoor activities. Furthermore, viewers could also take part indirectly and think about things like: How many days would I have endured? Which tools would I have taken with me? How would I cope with such social isolation?
Following the unexpected success of the first season, the second was broadcast in 2022 and the third in 2023. The latter was the first to be released by a major streaming provider. As such, Meinecke’s homemade self-awareness project on YouTube has evolved to become a global media hit.
