What did Sue Aikens do before Life Below Zero?
Introduction
Over the last few years, life has become more and more stressful for a lot of people, not to mention more expensive as well.
As a result of this, we’ve seen an increase in the amount of people living rurally, adopting a van life lifestyle, or even packing up and living off-grid.
One reason why more and more people are choosing to live this way is that they’re inspired by their favorite TV shows and documentaries, which show people living in this manner.
National Geographic, History, and the Discovery channels, in particular, have provided numerous shows of this nature.
We’ve seen shows such as Alaskan Bush People, Mountain Men, and Yukon Men all prove to be huge hits.
These reality TV shows show exactly what life is like in the wilderness and have spawned other shows and spin-offs of the same genre. One such show is Life Below Zero.
Featuring a number of popular cast members, one member, Sue Aikens, proved to be an especially big hit.
As her popularity grew, however, more and more people started to ask what Sue Aikens did before Life Below Zero. We’re going to find out now.
@Getty
What is Life Below Zero?
As we briefly mentioned in the intro, the last decade or so has seen a huge increase in the amount of reality TV shows set in the wilderness.
Add to this the fact that more and more people are choosing to live remotely or even off-grid, and you can see why these shows have surged in popularity.
One show that has proved to be a big hit is Life Below Zero.
The show, from the British Broadcasting Corporation, or the BBC, airs on National Geographic.
The show’s premise is nothing too complex; it basically follows a series of different people living in remote parts of Alaska and documents their everyday lives.
The show follows them throughout the year and shows what it’s like to live remotely, how tough the winters are, how difficult it can be to earn a living, and what life is like when you live in such an isolated part of the country.
Alaska is one of the most remote parts of the world, let alone the USA, and there are all kinds of different threats that people may encounter on a daily basis.
If it isn’t the snow and ice or the wildlife, it’s the economy.
With plenty of characters, Sue Aikens is certainly one of the most popular on the show. But what did Sue Aikens do before Life Below Zero?
Life Below Zero cast
Before we look at what Sue Aikens did before Life Below Zero, we’re going to look at Sue and the other cast members of Life Below Zero in more detail.
Jessie Holmes
Holmes drives his team during the restart of the 2020 Iditarod Sled Dog Race at Willow Lake on March 8, 2020 in Willow, Alaska – © Getty Images
Jessie Holmes is not as prominent a cast member as Sue, but he is still a fan favorite.
Jessie resides in Brushkana, Alaska, and lives alone with his 40 dogs.
No, that’s not a typo; we did mean 40.
That’s because, as well as being a fisherman, Jessie is also a hunter and a dogsled racer.
Agnes and Chip Hailstone
Chip and Agnes Hailstone live just north of the Arctic Circle, where they reside in Noorvik, along the banks of the Kobuk River.
Chip and Agnes reside here with their 7 children.
While Chip moved to Alaska from Montana, Agnes is a cast member who has resided in Alaska all of her life.
In fact, her family has resided in Alaska for thousands of years, so it’s safe to say that she has a very strong affinity with the land.
Because of her family ties to Alaska and her being such a fan favorite, Agnes is the focus of the Hailstone segments featured on the show, although the entire family still receives ample TV time.
Glenn Villeneuve
Glenn lives in Chandler, Alaska, moving here in 1999 from Vermont.
Glenn Villeneuve lives alone at the start of the show, but later on, he is joined by his wife and kids.
Andy Bassich
Andy also resides on the Yukon River, along with his 25 sled dogs.
Early on in the show, he lived with his wife Kate, though they divorced in 2016, and she was not featured on the show.
Andy Bassich would then meet his now-girlfriend Denise, who now resides with him on his homestead and is sometimes featured on the show.
Sue Aikens
Sue Aikens and Ricko DeWilde – @Getty
Perhaps the show’s most popular cast member is Sue Aikens.
Born July 1st, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois, Sue is the only resident of the Kavik River camp located in North Alaska.
Sue is popular because, as well as being an independent woman in her sixties, she is as tough as nails and as resilient as heck.
Her motto, ‘if it hurts, don’t think about it,’ became somewhat of an iconic saying, and there is even unofficial Sue Aikens merch out there featuring that same saying.
@Getty
So, what did Sue Aikens do before Life Below Zero?
Sue Aikens is arguably the most popular cast member of Life Below Zero, and she currently has an estimated net worth of $600,000. Sue has resided in Alaska for years after moving there from a young age. It was thanks to her Alaskan way of life that helped Sue to land the role on the show. In 1975, Sue’s mother left her father and relocated to Alaska, taking Sue with her.
She has reported being married twice, with her second husband of 17 years sadly passing away. She has two adult children with their own families living elsewhere in the States, who are not featured on the show.
In 2013, after being so impressed with her, producers of the show approached her and offered her a role in Life Below Zero. The rest is history.
Apologies for the vague answer, but because Sue lived so remotely for so long, not a great deal is known about her past, so we can’t say for certain what she did for a living before the show.
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Lee Parry is a writer and blogger originally from Manchester, UK, and he has a B.A. in Modern Languages from Manchester Metropolitan University. Parry occasionally teaches English and spends most of his free time reading.