Twitter Round-Up: Doomsday #Preppers Made Me Say…

Photo by Sharp Entertainment/Corey Wascinski

Hope you all enjoyed the premiere of Doomsday Preppers! While you were closely watching the show, I was scouring the interwebs (more specifically the Twitter-webs) to see what people had to say during the two episodes that premiered last night.

More than 5,000 viewers tweeted about the show last night and more than 1,000 of them used our official hashtag, #preppers. We even had one of our own preppers, @PreparednessPro, live-tweeting the full 2 hr premiere.

The show drew all sorts of reactions, from “I’m learning a lot of cool survival skills” to “these people are paranoid!” Let’s take a look at some tweets from viewers in three categories of the more common reactions people had:

Hey…Maybe I Should Be Prepping?

@Solid_J These doomsday #preppers are no joke. Makes me want to prep for a potential disaster.

@jordan_dick Really liked the shows, thx. Took notes thru both. Gonna make a list, check it twice, start stocking up on things. #Preppers

@Nicholena Planning my bug-out bag and gearing up to exercise my 2nd amendment right. Thanks @NatGeoChannel for the #realitycheck

@Vampaddict88 I’m definitely going to look into the survival club here on campus. I need to prepare NOW.#Preppers

@andreashari the doomsday #preppers are frighteningly not crazy. I thought I was at least 50% ready. not even close.the zombies will eat me quickly.

@diablito93 I truly used to think these people were insane. Not anymore. #preppers

@shippythecow #preppers on NatGeo were awesome. I really wish I was older so I would have had more time and money to be as prepared as those people.

They Sure Say “Fan” A Lot, Huh?

@TravisLWatson Anyone have a “hits the fan” count so far on #preppers ? I lost track

@DanKnowsSports Doomsday Preppers in 5 words – “When S#%T hits the fan”

@TheCareFace they said “when it hits the fan” over 50 times on doomsday preppers

@blkcffee Okay so Doomsday Preppers drinking game: Drink every time someone says “when the S#%t hits the fan”.

@rgremill “When the S#%t Hits the Fan” – The most popular phrase for Doomsday Preppers….

@John_Gilbreath Doomsday Preppers. As many times as “when the S#%t hits the fan” has been said, the show should be called “when the S#%t hits the fan“.

Wow, I’m Kinda Totally Into This Show Now

@Mereacle Doomsday Preppers is a cool show.

@dancrawford6 Doomsday preppers is a badass show, but it gives me anxiety.

@WalkingHorse Excellent show @NatGeoChannel. Can only imagine how things would have been diff RE:Katrina for example if there were more#preppers in NOLA

@rickyslice Doomsday Preppers is some insane show. It’s so interesting and odd, these people are legit.

@ZanettaRobinson Doomsday #Preppers has broken into my top show lineup.

@queers4gears: Doomsday Preppers-my new fav show, Esp the party girl from Houston who packed 140 condoms in her escape bag. She has her priorities straight

@edotshaw Those people are weird…it was fascinating.

Did you tweet about the show last night? What was your reaction to the first two episodes?

Comments

Lex
February 8, 2012, 10:00 pm

I’m telling you I got a lot of ideas. I’m not a crazy person but as a well educated person who is looking at all of the various things coming together you can’t help but want to add some certainty to all of this uncertainty. It could be anything a financial blowup, nuclear meltdown, hurricane, solar flare, geopolitical, oil goes to $200 etc…. The basic needs of life are: food, clean water, shelter, electricity not batteries something real like Victorygasworks machine that makes electricity from local waste like on your show, sanitation, heat, maybe clean air if its bad, transportation, money/gold/something to barter with, toiletries, and good books.
Steve
February 9, 2012, 3:22 am

I would love to form an opinion, but I’m not able to locate your show anywhere online.
Clark
Calif.
February 9, 2012, 3:28 am

Paul & Gloria need to secure their jars on their shelves. Over the 18 years I’ve been securing home, I’ve used commercial fishing net & golf driving range net. It must be secured at multiple points, as it stretches.

Additionally, your conex containers are anything but bullet proof! A .22 onto a main support is not a test. A 9mm will usually penetrate the skin, & any centerfire rifle cart. will slice thru it like butter. Try that 03 Springfield ya got on it! Even soft point 30-06 hunting loads go thru BOTH sides of a scuba tank at 100yds.
bill Bo
Tennessee
February 9, 2012, 10:00 am

We are over $15,000,000,000,000 in debt. I’m not sure if any society in history has ever reached that kind of debt before but, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that an economic colapse or major war could happen under the circumstances. I’m not worried about the end of the world but, I have been prepping for hard times to get much harder. Remember the ant & the grasshopper?
JOHN B. LASSUS
LAS VEGAS NV.
February 9, 2012, 3:09 pm

YOUR DOOMSDAY PREPPERS ARE A JOKE!! I WAS A SPECIAL FORCES (GREEN BERET) SNIPER IN VIETNAM
AND TRUST ME, IF ANYTHING REALLY HAPPENED, I WOULD SIMPLY KILL ALL OF YOU AND TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE!! YOU ARE A BUNCH OF “WANT A BE’S” AND TRUST ME I HAVE ALREADY BEEN THERE!!! I AM AN EXPERT TRACKER AND WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVE EXPERT YOU PEOPLE WOULDN’T STAND A CHANCE, I CAN CAP YOU AT MORE THEN A 1000YDS OUT. TAKE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AND FEED MY OWN, YOU HAVE NO AND, I MEAN NO. FORMAL TRAINING, I DO SO GOOD LUCK BECAUSE IF SOMETHING REALLY DID HAPPEN I WOULD HAVE EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT AND YOU WOULD ALL BE DEAD!!!!!!
Bob P.
TX
February 9, 2012, 4:43 pm

Who are these so called Experts giving their opinion on the quality of the preps. I have been studying/teaching wilderness survival and preparedness for over 30 years and know or know of most of the people in those industries. I am not prepareing for a disaster, I am prepareing for the total collapse of society, to which anyone of the scenarios on the first 2 episodes would eventualy lead to.
Timo
Colorado
February 9, 2012, 4:48 pm

As a survivor of several major disasters I know what it takes to make it through. My big concern is that today most people are lost without their cell phones, can you imagine the chaos when they go to the store and find no food. Its a sad state we are in when basic self reliance is no longer taught as part of growing up. I am not the expert on self reliance but at least I grew up hunting, fishing, camping not playing video games. During the last depression people knew how to fend for themselves much better than they do now and that’s what scares me the most. So a word to the wise end of the world or not it is in your best interest to know how to take care of yourself and teach it to your kids. Take them camping. Teach them how to plant a garden etc.
gabgirl
utah
February 9, 2012, 7:10 pm

Used to think it was crazy talk…not anymore. In the last 6 months I have doubled my supplies, but watching this show makes me realize I have NOTHING!
Wow. Maybe some of these preppers are teetering on insanity, but still inspiring!
Loved it
Kristen
Seattle
February 9, 2012, 9:26 pm

Interesting show! We have been prepping/accumulating storage of dehydrated/freezed dried foods, green coffee beans etc. for many years. But watching this show, I realize I may not have nearly enough to get us through any economic collapse which looks likely to happen here in the US sooner rather than later.
J W
California
February 9, 2012, 11:43 pm

The show is great and everyone should have some type of plan organized for any disaster. But the only complaint I have regarding the show is for the producers to double check their science facts. I work for the government doing field geology and can tell you that when the earths polarity shifts, there is no geologic record of any rapid mantel movement like the show depicts regarding Texas moving. People can argue that the poles don’t shift… but they do, we have ample geologic evidence in paleomags found in igneous rocks. The only valid question is when will it happen? Maybe in our lives or a thousand years from now, but if it does occur people should have a plan for survival. Yes some people might be more ready than others or have more training, but the key factor is ambition and determination for survival.
RK
WI.
February 10, 2012, 8:25 pm

Well J B Lassus, you as young as you think and eye site not as strong. So your 1000yd. shot is not so good, check out health and see if can do the same things as you did NAM. Their is always one other person better than you out there!!!
David F.
TX
February 11, 2012, 5:03 am

I liked the show and it was captivating for me. I was a little surprised by the extent some have taken to prepare. I also realized how unprepared I am for even a small disaster much less a big one.

As a suggestion: have a 2-3 minute segment of experts discussing the pros and cons of what each Prepper has done. The existing Prepper review is okay, but it needs some depth in additional details and a longer analysis.

Another suggestion: have a panel discuss aspects of disaster preparedness. For example, how to deal with gangs and people during social chaos; dealing with leaving a city if many others are trying to leave, too; crop or garden failure due to a disaster or theft; dealing with a disaster’s potential impact upon what a Prepper has done; etc.
cedulany
baltimore md
February 12, 2012, 3:36 am

Never laughed so hard in my life.
cedulany
February 12, 2012, 3:58 am

Where did you find these loony tunes?
Tom Bazan
Houston, TX
February 12, 2012, 4:48 pm

I didn’t notice too much discussion about communications. Being an amateur radio operator, there will be a need for the DP’s to contact others, and there are groups already established that will operate networks for voice and email.
Bob P.
TX
February 12, 2012, 5:43 pm

J B Lassus 1st, as far as I can find there were no S F snipers designated as such in Viet Nam if you were as good as you think you are we would have heard of you. I have never seen your name in S F or any other Army publications. 2nd it is wannabe’s not “Want A Be”s”. If you want I can send you a secure link so you can send me a copy of your 214 to prove your claim to S F membership. Let me head off one reason people have given me to not show it ” I can’t show my 214 it has classified info on it and I keep it in a safety deposit box”. That is BS there is no classified info on a 214 in contains dates of service, commendations , schools attended, bases served on etc NOTHING CLASSIFIED. I will check back for your reply.
J B Lassus (... a word from his conscience)
Braindead, USA
February 13, 2012, 11:15 am

(go to) Hell-o, everyone…!

If you’ve ever wondered whats gone wrong with the world or why the word ‘civilization’ is now commonly spelled with an ‘un’ in front of it… then, well, I’m your (un)man. I see that my Doomsday post about shooting people in the head and taking all their stuff may have been misinterpreted since that would label me as nothing more than a bad batch of DNA in the form of a steaming pile of fecal matter and – HEY! Wow, okay, you really got me on that one. In retrospect, I guess I should have continued just trying to read the comments, as opposed to actually trying to form one myself.
TooOldToCare
FL
February 14, 2012, 3:01 pm

It seems like the preppers are expecting to survive the initial disaster. I guess that is the power of positive thinking. We at the beachfront prepare for short-term disasters like hurricanes, I just kept thinking while watching how the preppers will live underground for months or years, “Just shoot me now!” I think if I had a choice of living underground and eating slime from an old converted swimming, it wouldn’t take me long to turn that gun on myself! )
Mark Boyer
Weatherford, Ok. 73096
February 15, 2012, 3:41 am

If any of you real preppers would like some honest country boy backup then I’m your man. I’m semi-prepared, but too broke to afford much. I can shoot anything, from bb-guns and slingshots to pistol’s and high caliber rifles, give me a few minutes training and I’ll hit anything with anything you got. I’ve helped or been around farming most of my life, not to mention my fishing skills. Don’t expect anything in return except watching me and my son and granddaughters backs and helping us survive as we would help you. Not a joke. If I didn’t think I could contribute I wouldn’t have written all this. I’ll probably catch crap, but m_boyer1962@yahoo.com
LazarusComeForth
Way Up In The Pacific Northwest
February 15, 2012, 6:41 am

Finally, a show that is worth watching. This is why I left sunny So.Cal., liquidated all assets and moved way up into a remote region of the Pacific Northwest and began agressive, fast forward, PREPPING.
Mike
Ohio
February 15, 2012, 1:31 pm

The missing element is that no one thinks for a second that you may have guns, but only so many bullets and besides, simple attrition rates will show that once people are hungry and figure things out, your’e doomed.

Secondly, all the “Christians” who own 100′s of guns…what KIND of “Christians” are you anyway? If the Apostle Paul said that he would rather be with Christ, and John instructed Christians not to “love the world neither the things in the world”, WHY are you trying so hard to cling to everything in THIS life? Why are you placing your trust in S&W or Glock and not in the Living God? If God can take care of Elijah, He can certainly take care of you…(of little faith).
Julie
Pacific NW
February 17, 2012, 7:08 am

Thanks for presenting these people as “concerned” rather than “crazy”. I might not necessarily agree that these things are going to happen, but it’s interesting to see the preparations that they are making.

Our grandparents stockpiled for emergencies, bad weather, etc. Makes me wonder why so many of us don’t.
Mike
February 19, 2012, 9:07 pm

The Doomsday Preppers that were featured should be prepping for the far more likely scenario of a heart attack and poor health due to morbid obesity.
Bochi
NJ.
February 23, 2012, 4:49 am

I was watching…your show with “bullets lots of bullets”
I just noticed that the family with the steel cargo containers?
No one even mentioned that if their scenario of a polar shift occers, and are hit with earth quakes.
All the goods stored on the shelves is going to fall…duh.
Simple safty-nets should save all the glass food stores, way on the top shelves…better shelving or storage vessals?
First thing that made that near perfect home, a potential worry for me….other then that? Loved the house n prep.
jim
utah
February 25, 2012, 4:20 am

1. i believe that the lady in texas should have a bike for her get away 2. the guy in cal. needs all kinds of help. 3. no one on the programs so far, has any idea or thought about a solasr blast or astroids. Whis could destroy the surface of the earth and everything on it. I believe they should have there storage under ground at least 5 feet
jesmartin
nonyah
February 29, 2012, 8:11 am

the show is great,,,but the part when they graded you they didnt say anything about you haveing paper money,,,if that happens pennys will be worth more then paper money cause copper will go up in value but great job living off greens found allaround you
rw
slidell, la
March 4, 2012, 3:04 am

Katrina taught us the reality of prepping. I stayed made it through. Now I’m a full time prepper to the extreme. Don’t mock what you don’t understand or have lived through yourself.
Kristen
March 4, 2012, 9:50 am

Sad to say, most of these people are suffering from mental illness and this show exploits that.
Frannie Fargo
USA
March 4, 2012, 10:31 pm

To the truck driver who lost his house and has a sick wife with cancer and they are living in the “big rig”. Hay Bro, hate to inform you of this but the SHTF for you already. No need to prep, time to survive!
Ron
West of Trump, Limbaugh, and James Patterson's houses; FL
March 5, 2012, 7:12 am

Wow, I just read on this thread that it is basically un-Christian to own a firearm! I guess this applies to swords & knives too… This would have come as a shock to Saint Peter (John 18:10). Guess he is wrong. Founding fathers (all devil-worshippers) too… Imagine including “shall not be infringed” in plain English into the Bill of Rights regarding firearms! Immediately after such distasteful things as freedom of speech and religion. Sigh, I guess the only Christian thing to do is to emulate the pot-head from Massachusetts (on the show) and reason it out with any invaders. They surely would not shoot me in the head because because putting myself in that situation would be suicide, a mortal sin. Well, God protects fools and children.
CBPrepper
OK
March 6, 2012, 6:20 am

It’s impossible to prep for absolutely every scenario but my goal is to prep for the most likely. I’ve lived 2 weeks without power/gas and quarantined for most of that time due to natural disasters. Having enough food/ammo for a month is paramount for my family. I’m an avid hunter and honing my farming skills in case a calamity lasting longer than a month occurs. If bugging out is needed I have a hunting cabin in the woods.
Ron
FL
March 10, 2012, 9:19 am

Sad to say, some people are more programmed than the PC that mommy bought for them.
king neece
US
April 7, 2012, 9:32 am

Our University of Alabama patented personal solar desalination product (U.S. Made) uses no electricity, can be taken anywhere and extracts pure water from any contaminated water source. It removes radiation, fluoride, salt, pesticides, bacteria, dirt and other contaminants from any water source.

http://freshwater.ecogreenenergies.com
Deborah Dolen
In Front of My PC [Palma Sola Florida]
June 2, 2012, 12:21 am

If you feel broke you can still buy things now that are dirt cheap, items that exponentially increase in value post crises and can be bartered-like coffee. You can also buy small botany and water purification books in case you do need them. You can also look harder at Buy One Get One Free deals and stash a little more extra each week. Anyone can afford distilled water and at least store that. Clean water is a main theme and can be of great barter value if the other guy has no water but everything else. Even just water purification kits would be of value if you are on the move.
I thought we had a week of full groceries on shelves, I learned we have only three days if transport was interrupted.

I loved the series so much I bought the ten hour DVD at Nat Geos site. My vote is for solar flare, or volcanic ash globally which either seem most likely to me. [One needs lots of sun block, one don't but needs lots of Vit C instead] But wide scale economic collapse-I feel we are already there as the market has done nothing but take a bath the last two weeks and fake good news is running out to keep it up there. We watched Egypt starve while the banks would not open and the same now with Greece.

Anyway I love the series and I think we will have two things happen-financial and then a natural disaster. Since we have no basements in FL I want a big old ship and to keep bees on that ship. Anyone boards with mall-intent, unleash the bees! The ship name will help, KILLER BEE. Even the most hardened pirates won’t understand a swarm and boogie back off board. If that don’t work, do the “Die Hard” flare gun kill shot. Aim for the head and you get the stomach. Darn things are so undependable yet effective.

Anyway, the idea is to share if possible, not covet. I liked the Botanist in CA, he knew he may be on foot and shelter not an option, he knows his plants and is armed with his “salad dressing!” Everything he said was at base level, very true. I am going on a field trip with some of my old friends to see what do we have to eat in our wild fields.