Few reality shows are as terrifyingly real as Fox’s Extracted. It’s a welcome spin on a classic format, with the usual setup of people being forced to survive in the wilderness being imbued with wild emotion as their loved ones are forced to watch every moment. It creates a shockingly resonant problem for the cast; while the family members rest in Headquarters, they get a 24/7 look into how hard it is for their group’s contestant to survive in the forest. They can end their suffering at any moment by extracting them — at the cost of $250,000, of course. The series is early into its first season but has already created countless moments of tear-jerking drama as these folks struggle with whether they should pull their loved one out to safety…well, most of them, at least.
The Tyler family hasn’t had your typical experience on Extracted; while most players were constantly debating whether to pull their survivalist out, father and son Scott and Austin initially had no issues with letting Austin’s fiancée, Ashley, tough it out in the elements. Viewers were shocked by how callously the man spoke about his wife-to-be, constantly critiquing her survival techniques and even refusing to secure her vital resources like a firestarter. It got to the point that even his no-nonsense father had to reel him in as Ashley’s time in the forest became more and more dire. Finally, the pair decided to respond to her pleas and extract her to safety, with Scott and Ashley sitting down with Collider and breaking down not only that emotional moment but the rollercoaster ride that was their time on Extracted.

Image via Fox Entertainment

Collider: Okay, first, I have to ask: how was the wedding?
(Laughing)
Ashley: It was beautiful! And so simple, like, it wasn’t, there wasn’t a whole lot going on. We just walked out to the park and did our thing, and then had some yummy barbecue afterwards and spent time with family and friends. It was perfect.
Collider: That sounds amazing! So, from what we heard about Scott and Austin’s family, there’s alot of tought love, survivalism, and pretty intense stuff. Ashley, how was it becoming the newest member of all that?
Ashley: Every single one of them greeted me and my daughter with open arms and love, and it’s just been unconditional from day one. They just celebrate us and appreciate and cherish us. It’s amazing — I’ve never felt like I had to prove myself for them to love me. I just wanted [to be on the show] to be like, hey, I can hang with y’all, because they’re all, they’re all outdoor badasses.
Collider: Out of the three of y’all, what made everyone decide to send Ashley out into the wilderness?
Scott: I’ll let Ashley answer that (laughing) because that’s all on Austin.
Ashley: So Austin applied, and we found out because Austin said, “Hey, we’re going to be on a TV show. I’m going to be in the wild, and you and my dad are going to be at headquarters as my family lifeline.” I was like, awesome. I love that, I will go and support you. And then the first interview comes, and they were like, “Hey, Austin, you are over-qualified! It’s gonna have to be the most vulnerable person on your team.” And I was like, oh, wait…that’s me!”
Scott: I thought, “This will be great TV, right here!” You know, we did as much as we can to train her up on the necessities of staying out there…everything we could cram in two months.

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Collider: Funnily enough, when we see headquarters, Austin is the one whose more intent on making Ashley stay and go through all the harsh wilderness, and Scott you were the one to reel him in. Are you often the most compassionate member of the family?
(Laughter from Both)
Ashley: I’m just gonna say, Scott is the king of tough love, but he has a really soft spot in his heart for me. He’s very protective of me, so I’m thankful and I love that.
Scott: I’m a pretty no-nonsense person, you know, and that’s how I raised Austin, but when he started showing some of that, I [had to tell him] in HQ, “Hey, you’re not out there, Ashley’s out there. It’s totally different. So have a little bit of compassion and keep your mouth shut.”
Ashley: He was looking at it more like him being out there, and what he would say to himself — and that kind of made me want to kick him in the shins a little bit!
Extracted asks: How much Tought Love is Too Much?

Image via Fox Entertainment

Collider: Speaking of your time out there, you suffered more than most with a lack of access to clean water and food. Can you pinpoint the moment when you realized you might not be able to win this?
Ashley: So it was day six. I woke up and my body just felt…I’ve been sore. I’ve been an athlete, I’ve gone hiking, I’ve worked out really hard in the gym and been sore for days. This was…something that I’ve never felt before. I literally felt like I just couldn’t even move, like I didn’t have any strength to do anything—that was new for me. And I also knew that I hadn’t eaten [for] 24 hours at that point. The whole time I was out there, I was like, I’m doing this. I’m out here. I’m gonna do it. But then, when you’ve pushed yourself too far, you’ve sapped all your energy, you have no food in you…I had [so many] cool things planned, man! I was gonna build a fire. I was gonna boil parts of trees and eat it, and all kinds of stuff!
Collider: You actually touched on one of the most contentious moments of the season: fire. What did y’all think of the moment when Austin agreed to not get Ashley more fire-making materials because, in his words, he didn’t want you to get “complacent.”
Scott: I called him a dumbass! But, you know, he explained it: He sent the toilet paper for her [as kindling for a] firestarter. We didn’t realize how wet it was…her campground was just saturated through everything. So it’s really difficult to get anything going if you’re not knowledgable on how to start a fire with wet stuff.
Ashley: It is what it is. I didn’t think to use the toilet paper, I was just thinking [of it as] luxury. I do wish that I had the propane stove, and Austin said he regrets not sending it. But he told me he was also thinking about it strategically: he was going to do a favor for Ryan’s family while sending me the toilet paper, and I could light that on fire, and then maybe they would owe him later on in the game. I see it from both points, but I was, like, super bummed after that.
Scott: Me too!
The Tyler Family Loves Each Other — But Don’t Ask Austin for a Firestarter!

Collider: Now, after days of you two going back and forth on keeping her in the game, Scott and Austin finaly extracted Ashley. Scott, what made you finally decide it was time?
Scott: Well, she’d been struggling all day. If anybody sits in the rain for six hours and asks to be extracted, it’s time. She’s hurt, she’s suffering, she won’t be able to go much further. So we talked about a little bit, but at that moment…it was time to go get her out of there [so she could] live another day.
Collider: Scott, after that, we saw a very vulnerable moment when you cried on camera about how much you care for Ashley as your daughter-in-law. Can you talk us through what you felt in that moment?
Scott: Well, just what she went through out there, the struggles…I just knew she was hurting out there. And you don’t want anybody to hurt your family — unless it’s Austin! (Laughing) But it was just an emotional moment for all of us. We knew the time was coming, and we had big plans, but it didn’t work out. But it was a wonderful experience for our whole family, and we would do it again in a heartbeat!
Collider: That’s great to hear. Now, it’s been amazing, and I have a final question: what did you learn about yourself being on Extracted?
Ashley: I learned how hard I could push myself. What I’m capable of mentally, emotionally, physically. There will be time that Austin and I are on a hike, and I’ll be like, “I’m tired,” and he’ll look at me like, “You survived the Canadian wilderness. You’re good.” And I’ll be like, oh yeah, let’s go. I always knew I was tough, that I’m a survivor…and this just re-affirmed that.
Scott: That I got a beautiful daughter-in-law, and that she loves my son 100% unconditionally.