Lost & Wild: A Joshua Brown Story

Chapter 1 - Outta Dodge

The Cousins was the network's newest hit reality show; following a large family's day to day activities and interactions with each other in the southern part of Missouri. The woods were thick, lakes were everywhere and the country was vast. But access to big cities was never far away so it was, as far as Harper James was concerned, about the perfect place. She and her brother and most of her cousins lived near Springfield, Missouri and their show was filmed almost exclusively in that area.

During a weekend where the entire side of the James clan was in town for a reunion of sorts, the cousins were out on the town bar-hopping and catching up. The younger ones who were not old enough to drink hung out as their designated drivers. Out of all 14 of the cousins, a few were very close in age, but almost all of them were born in stair step fashion. The oldest was 39, the youngest was 15 at the time. Out of them, 13 were boys. Harper was the only girl.

That night they'd ended up at one of the lakeside parks nearby, genuinely having a good time reminiscing and laughing about their antics growing up while nearly plastered. While trying to find a place to relieve herself, Harper came across a bulletin board for the area, plastered with college party notices and local band advertisements. One paper caught her attention.

"Think you have what America wants to see? Do you have a large group of friends that would love to be on TV? Submit your audition tape to our website and see if your family will be the next "Duck Dynasty"!

Harper thought of all the fun they had growing up and after hearing more raucous laughter coming from her group behind her, she looked back at the flyer. They didn't see each other as much as they used to. But that's what happens when you grow up, you also grow farther apart. It was a fact of life. But maybe this was a chance to rekindle the way things used to be.

The group had been in love with the idea too. Starting their audition tape 2 ½ sheets to the wind was probably not the most professional way to begin, but after editing the footage sober, they were fairly confident the production company would find the interesting. And they did. They couldn't have had the video more than 4 hours when the called up Harper and requested some interviews from all of them.

Here it was 2 short years later and a major network had picked up their first season. Most of the show was random groupings of the cousins running around the country completing odd jobs in the most bizarre ways possible. There was a lot of firepower involved, things that exploded, crashing things, practical jokes...it was like being 11 all over again on summer vacation. Except this time they were being paid for it...a lot.

There were the 5main group of Harper, Braden, Alex, Koby, and Jack; they were probably the closest knit group of them. They committed the most time to the show, the rest of the group electing to keep their jobs in case this didn't work out, being part time participants. Some of their parents, the "Aunts and Uncles" participated from time to time, mostly for nostalgic historical accounts of the cousins.

When possibilities for a second season were being discussed, the network expressed interest in having a crossover show as a supplemental season for both The Cousins as well as another multi-year series centered on another close knit family.

Alaskan Bush People focused on a family of Billy and Ami Brown, raising their 7 children in the bush areas of Alaska. Matt, Bam, Gabe, Bear, Noah, Birdie, and Rain. The show was incredibly popular and had been a great success for the network.

The skills and abilities of the cousins seemed to be a good fit, most having been hunters and fishers for a large portion of their lives. They were not sustenance people, but still very skilled in outdoor pursuits. So they would still be a little out of their element being so remote on Chichagof Island in southeastern Alaska.

The sheer idea of getting to travel to somewhere they'd never been, the James' cousins were all too excited at the prospect. They did some initial joint interviews with the Brown family in Seattle to run against some test groups. In the end, the network decided to send just the 5main group as they tested the highest in focus groups. Harper was a little miffed over the exclusion of the rest of her family, but hoped by upping their family's name recognition, it would be better for everyone. The Brown family was incredibly sweet and gracious and she couldn't wait to get out into the wild. The women were outnumbered in their family as well, so Harper felt a connection to Ami and the two girls almost immediately. The other 6 men were almost overwhelming it was hard to even know what she thought of them. Each one was so drastically different from the next that it was hard to form an opinion about them.

She wasn't very worried, soon they'd been dropped into the bush wilderness of the island and would have no choice but to get to know the family better. The production schedule had them on the island for a 10 week period, with one week in the middle for exploring some of the other locations Alaska nearby.

After the project was greenlit, the cousins boarded a flight from Kansas City to Juneau. Harper was almost jittery, she was so excited. Also, knowing she was going to be cooped up for several hours on a plane was making her anxious. Alex and Braden exchanged looks as the ascended and it became apparent that Harper was going to be a chatterbox for the entire flight. After suggesting she take some motion sickness medication "just in case", the boys relaxed, knowing she had maybe 20 minutes until the double dose took effect. She nodded off mid-sentence, mumbling something about bears.

Harper opened her eye groggily, becoming slowly aware that they were no longer moving. Her four cousins were standing in the isle, attempting to rouse her from her travel coma. The still bright sun, coupled with the overhead lights assaulted her pupils as she rubbed her eyes, trying to remember why she was there. She felt like the sun should be lower, but remembered they'd gained a couple hours with the time change.

Walking through the regional airport was hazy at best, finally making it to the van waiting to take them to their hotel for the night. They met up with their streamlined production team that would work in tandem with the production crew already on site at the hotel. While it was spring, it was much cooler than she was used to. This time in Missouri it was usually in the 70's and possibly 80's. They'd be lucky if it was 50 here not counting the wind that brought its own little chill.

She collapsed on the bed, peeking through her eyes at the local news playing on the television. It dawned on her that this was the last tv she would see for a good while. She glanced at the small pile of gear on the floor, realizing this was the last legitimate bed she'd be in for the next 2 ½ months. She grabbed the edge of the blanket and rolled herself along the bed, creating a human burrito as she tried to revel in its softness as much as she could.

When Alex and Jack walked in, they just shook their heads.

"Hey Joe! The cleaning ladies left a body on the bed, do you think that means we can get our money back?" Jack yelled out the door laughing.

Joe appeared at the door, camera in hand. Seeing Harper on the bed, he shook his head. "You damn, Jameses...." He began filming and Jack ran and jumped for the bed, launching Harper all rolled up and on to the floor.

"You ass!" She yelled, muffled from inside the comforter.