Ezra Shaw
Can Coach John Calipari Survive the Alaskan Frontier? The Kilchers Put Him to the Test!
Earlier this year, the Kentucky Wildcats’ head coach claimed he had the chops to go off-grid, so the Kilchers quizzed him on his survival skills.
University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari is possibly the world’s biggest Alaska: The Last Frontier fan. Earlier this year, during a press conference before the Wildcats opened the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Coach Cal made some bold claims about the wilderness survival skills he’s picked up from the hit Discovery series.
During a question about whether he was watching other teams' games ahead of the Tournament, Calipari responded, “I haven’t watched them since we played. Guys look, I watch The Last Frontier, Life Below Zero, anybody watch those? The whole time I’m telling my wife I can do that. She’s like, psshh you can’t do that.”
Calipari doubled-down on his claims during a later appearance, boasting, “I probably would struggle wrestling a bear. Other than that, I could handle living off the grid.”
And, well, afterwards he was duly roasted by colleagues and family alike.
Coach Cal wasn’t going to stand for the criticism. He tripled-down on Twitter the following day, writing, “I could live off the grid easily!!! Chopping wood. Fishing. Hunting squirrels and a moose now and then. Scaring bears. Pooping in the woods. Come on Alaska! Kilchers, Heimo, Sue.”
The Kilchers caught wind of the coach’s claims and decided to put him to the test. It turns out Coach Cal might have learned a thing or two from his favorite Discovery family, as he whizzed through questions about moose hunting, cow-labor, and even digging a proper outhouse hole.
Later, the Kilchers sent Calipari a traditional Alaskan gift to thank their biggest fan for playing along: a MASSIVE Alaskan King Salmon.
But maybe the best gift Coach Cal received was vindicated proof that he actually knows a thing or two about living the off-grid life.
