TLDR: Life Below Zero aired its final episode on February 23, 2025, ending a 23-season, 325-episode run on National Geographic.
The show was cancelled when Disney declined to renew BBC Studios’ production contract. Sue Aikens published a memoir in early 2026. Jessie Holmes won the Iditarod in both 2025 and 2026.
The Hailstones are still in Noorvik. Andy Bassich and Denise Becker remain at Calico Bluff on the Yukon River.
Glenn Villeneuve lives in Fairbanks. Erik and Martha Mae Salitan run a lodge in Iliamna.
No main cast member has died.
Life Below Zero premiered on May 19, 2013, and ran for twelve years.
It was produced by BBC Studios for National Geographic and followed subsistence hunters, trappers, and survivalists living in some of the most remote regions of Alaska. It won nine Primetime Emmy Awards and became one of the network’s highest-rated series.
The end came in late 2024 when Disney, which owns National Geographic, declined to renew the production contract. The corporate calculation involved cost-cutting in unscripted programming and a preference for wholly owned intellectual property rather than BBC-licensed productions.
The final episode aired February 23, 2025. Cast members confirmed the cancellation on social media in October 2024.
Sue Aikens: The Memoir and the Book Tour
Sue Aikens was born on July 1, 1963, and is 62 years old as of 2026. She operated Kavik River Camp, an isolated outpost and pilot refueling stop located 197 miles north of the Arctic Circle, for decades as its sole resident.
Her story on the show was built around extreme survival, most memorably her recovery from a grizzly bear mauling in 2007 that left her seriously injured and alone for ten days before rescue arrived.
Her relationship with the production became contentious. She filed a lawsuit against the show’s producers alleging they forced her to perform dangerous stunts under duress and treated her as “expendable” for the sake of dramatic footage.
Following the series finale, Aikens transitioned into writing and public speaking. In early 2026 she published her debut memoir, North of Ordinary: How One Woman Left it All Behind for Wilderness and Wonder in Alaska’s Frozen Frontier, co-written with Michael Vlessides.
She spent the spring of 2026 on a promotional book tour including a major appearance at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane, Washington. She is alive and active.
Note: false reports claiming Sue Aikens had died circulated online in 2023. These were entirely fabricated. For the full story of her life, bear attack, and lawsuit, see the dedicated Sue Aikens profile.
Chip and Agnes Hailstone: Noorvik, Still
Chip Hailstone was born on March 8, 1969, in Kalispell, Montana, and relocated to Alaska at nineteen. Agnes Hailstone was born Agnes J. Carter on June 14, 1972, in Noorvik, Alaska, where she has lived her entire life. She is Inupiaq and Norwegian, a registered tribal member of the Kuuvanmuit in Noorvik, and the only native Alaskan in the original main cast.
Agnes was previously married to Douglas J. Carter, with whom she had two sons, Douglas and Jon. She met Chip in Kotzebue and they married around 1992.
Together they have five daughters: Tinmiaq, Iriqtaq, Mary, Caroline, and Qutan. Chip raised Agnes’s older sons as his own.
In 2011 a dispute in Noorvik involving Chip’s stepson and daughter led to legal proceedings. Chip was convicted on two felony counts of perjury and two misdemeanor counts of providing false information after an investigation contradicted his allegations against an Alaska State Trooper.
He was sentenced to fifteen months in prison followed by three years of probation and served his sentence at Anchorage Correctional Complex beginning in 2017.
Following his release, Chip returned to Noorvik and rejoined the show alongside Agnes until its cancellation in 2025. As of 2026, the Hailstone family continues to live off the land in Noorvik, processing caribou, harvesting fish, and maintaining their subsistence lifestyle on the Kobuk River.
For the full Agnes Hailstone profile including her Inupiaq heritage and cultural preservation work, see the Agnes Hailstone dedicated page.
Andy Bassich: Still at Calico Bluff With Denise
Andy Bassich relocated from the East Coast to Alaska in the 1980s and settled at Calico Bluff, a remote homestead on the Yukon River near Eagle, Alaska.
He built his identity around dog mushing, maintaining a pack of more than two dozen sled dogs as his primary winter transport and psychological anchor.
He co-starred on the show for several seasons with his then-wife Kate Rorke-Bassich. Their divorce was finalized in 2016. Kate departed both the homestead and the series.
She later publicly detailed allegations of physical and mental abuse during the marriage, which generated significant viewer attention.
In the years following the divorce, Bassich met Denise Becker, a professional nurse from northern Saskatchewan. She relocated to Calico Bluff and adapted to the demands of the homestead, learning to handle the dog team and manage the physical requirements of life on the Yukon River.
In 2018, Bassich suffered a severe hip infection after a snowmachine injury that required him to temporarily leave Alaska for Florida to undergo surgery and physical therapy. Becker acted as his primary caregiver. As of 2026, both remain at Calico Bluff continuing to operate their off-grid homestead.
Jessie Holmes: Two-Time Iditarod Champion
Jessie Holmes, originally from Sylacauga, Alabama, joined Life Below Zero in 2015 and appeared in 132 episodes over eight seasons. He used his cast earnings to build a championship sled dog kennel near Denali National Park, where his closest neighbor lives thirty miles away.
He ran his first Iditarod in 2018, finished seventh, and won Rookie of the Year.
He entered every Iditarod from 2018 to 2026. On March 17, 2026, he won for the second consecutive year, finishing in 9 days, 7 hours and 32 minutes, becoming only the third musher in the race’s 54-year history to repeat as champion.
His prize was $80,000. He celebrated by feeding his dogs giant ribeye steaks.
Holmes is targeting a three-peat at the 2027 Iditarod. For his full story, see the Jessie Holmes profile here.
Glenn Villeneuve: Fairbanks, With Trips to Chandalar
Glenn Villeneuve was born on March 18, 1969, in Burlington, Vermont. He dropped out of high school after his freshman year, moved to Alaska in 1999, and established a remote base near Chandalar in the Brooks Range, 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
He appeared in over 75 episodes before departing in 2019 when BBC Studios decided to redirect production resources elsewhere. He later clarified on social media that his exit was not voluntary.
He was previously married to Silvia Daeumichen, with whom he has two children, Willow Leaves and Wolf Song. He has been in a relationship with Trisha Kazan since 2014, and the couple have a daughter, Agatha, born 2017.
As of 2026, Villeneuve lives primarily in Fairbanks while maintaining his cabins in Chandalar for extended subsistence expeditions.
Erik and Martha Mae Salitan: The Lodge Life
Erik Salitan grew up in rural New York, moved to Alaska at eighteen, and trained as a professional guide, pilot, and outfitter. He met and married Martha Mae, a native Alaskan, and together they appeared in the original cast from the show’s premiere in May 2013.
They left voluntarily in 2016, citing the disruption that production crews caused to their privacy and commercial guiding work.
Since leaving, the Salitans have expanded their wilderness hospitality business significantly. Erik founded Bushwack Alaska Guiding and Outfitting in 1998 and the couple purchased Talarik Creek Lodge on Iliamna Lake in 2014.
As of 2026, they split their time between Wiseman and Iliamna, operating premium fishing, hunting, and outdoor tourism charters.
Where to Watch
All 23 seasons and 325 episodes of Life Below Zero are currently available on Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. The show is no longer in production.
For the spinoff, see the Life Below Zero: Next Generation cast hub.
Is Life Below Zero still on?
No. Life Below Zero aired its final episode on February 23, 2025, ending a 23-season, 325-episode run on National Geographic. The show was cancelled when Disney declined to renew its production contract with BBC Studios as part of broader cost-cutting in unscripted programming. All seasons are currently streaming on Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
What happened to the Life Below Zero cast?
As of 2026: Sue Aikens published a memoir and is on a book tour. Jessie Holmes won the Iditarod in both 2025 and 2026. The Hailstones remain in Noorvik living a subsistence lifestyle. Andy Bassich and Denise Becker are still at Calico Bluff on the Yukon River. Glenn Villeneuve lives in Fairbanks. Erik and Martha Mae Salitan operate a fishing lodge in Iliamna. No main cast member has died.
Did anyone from Life Below Zero die?
No main cast member of the original Life Below Zero series has died. False reports claiming Sue Aikens had died circulated online in 2023 but were entirely fabricated. She is alive and published a memoir in early 2026. Gary Muehlberger, a cast member of the related spinoff Port Protection Alaska, died in a house fire on March 17, 2021, on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska.
Why was Life Below Zero cancelled?
Life Below Zero was cancelled because Disney, which owns National Geographic, declined to renew BBC Studios’ production contract in late 2024. The cancellation was driven by corporate cost-cutting in unscripted programming and a strategic preference for wholly owned intellectual property rather than BBC-licensed productions. Cast members confirmed the cancellation on social media in October 2024.
Who is the most famous cast member from Life Below Zero?
Sue Aikens is the most searched cast member from Life Below Zero, known for surviving a grizzly bear attack in 2007 and for her decades operating Kavik River Camp 197 miles above the Arctic Circle. Jessie Holmes has become the most prominent cast member in 2026 following his back-to-back Iditarod victories in 2025 and 2026.
