Alaskan Bush People: Billy Brown Built It And Viewers Came

Alaskan Bush People star Billy Brown has his offspring taking charge of things on Northstar Ranch this season. While the show has changed dramatically since its first season, viewers keep coming back to watch Billy and his Alaskan Bush People wolfpack.

In its glory days, the show boasted nearly 5 million viewers. But, those days are long gone. However, despite the lower ratings, the Alaskan Bush People still have their place in the Wednesday night ratings. Yet reports indicate that Billy has struggled in the past to keep the show going.

Billy Brown Built It And Viewers Came

Since the debut of the Alaskan Bush People in 2014, fans watched as Billy Brown erected his off-grid homestead in the Alaska bush. For six years, the Browns built new lodgings and improved existing lean-to houses while the cameras rolled.

Discovery Channel presented them as a family that grew up and still lives in the wilderness. The cast of Alaskan Bush People consists of a father, Billy, a mother, Ami Brown, five sons and two daughters.

The Alaskan Bush People series showed Billy’s family working hard to keep the elements of nature safe and warm. Billy and his family wouldn’t eat unless they found food or hunted him down. Or so the Discovery Channel told viewers.

The exhibition portrayed Billy and his children as a family that did everything by itself, without running water, electricity or a heating source other than fire. Thus, interest in this family grew as people saw them as a modern Robinson Crusoe story.

Alaskan Bush People: Fans Flocked To Wilderness Family – Ratings Soared

Back then, Alaskan Bush People ratings went through the roof. They have captured enough viewers to put them first in all television shows on many Friday nights in 2015-2016. At their best they floated just under 5 million viewers.

Alaskan Bush People originally aired on Friday nights at 9:00 p.m. But after a few years of solid ratings, viewership has declined. Alaskan Bush People ratings have slowly dropped down in viewer numbers. And, fans who realized that the family only lived part-time wildly influenced their numbers.

Yet, many viewers kept watching, despite rumors of scripted scenes and frauding. No doubt the viewers found Billy Brown’s package interesting and entertaining. In fact, reports indicate that Browntown was built for filming and was never their permanent abode. Now, the show continues on Wednesday night.

By the Numbers

Even while rumors of fakery persisted, viewers tuned in regularly. In 2018, the debut of season eight attracted 3.4 million viewers. The premiere of Alaskan Bush People Season 8 even struck out Keeping Up with the Kardashians airing the same night.

Although the numbers are down from ABP’s heyday, with almost 5 million viewers, it was impressive. The family tragedy between Billy’s tribe helped. For example, the battle for Ami Brown’s lung cancer with the Alaskan Bush People cameras filming the fans kept the spectators watching.

Then, season nine rolled out, but with a drastic drop to just 1.8 million viewers. In one season the wolfpack lost more than half of its viewers. The drop in ratings coincided with the move of Billy and family from Alaska to Washington, reportedly for Ami’s health problems.