Discovery’s new series, The Last Woodsmen: Jared vs. Goliaths, isn’t your typical lumberjack reality show. Forget plaid shirts and competitive wood-chopping; this series focuses on the raw, often terrifying reality of harvesting massive trees in unforgiving wilderness areas. Each towering giant felled represents a potential windfall of up to $70,000, but also carries the weight of immense risk, where a single misstep could mean financial ruin or worse.
The series follows logger Jared Douglas and his crew as they tackle these behemoths using a blend of traditional and modern techniques. While chainsaws certainly make an appearance, much of the work relies on axes, hand-held power saws, and a healthy dose of grit. This old-school approach, combined with the remote locations – the crew operates from a floating barge far from civilization – ramps up the danger considerably.
The Last Woodsmen doesn’t shy away from featuring the brutal realities of the job. It’s not just about the dollar signs attached to each tree; it’s about the sheer skill, precision, and sheer guts required to bring down these giants. The series offers a glimpse into a demanding profession where every move is calculated, every swing of the axe carries weight, and the margin for error is razor thin.
While the premiere’s title, “Jared vs. Goliaths,” might suggest a man-versus-nature narrative, it’s more accurately a story of humans working in uneasy harmony with the natural world. There’s respect for the trees, certainly, but also a recognition of the inherent danger and the constant threat of unpredictable forces.
The Last Woodsmen: Jared vs. Goliaths premieres Friday, November 15, at 9:00 PM ET/PT on Discovery.
