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IrelandSalmon, caribou soup and a moving deadline: Yes Theory's 72 hours in Kivalina
The second Alaska episode follows Thomas Brag and Staffan Taylor into an Iñupiaq village on a narrow spit, where relocation inland is no longer a distant idea.
Yes Theory
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Why this story? 1,197,992 views so far, and here is what is inside it.
"we have to leave" - 72 hours in the US town about to disappear
Video summary
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- 0:27Thomas, Staffan and cinematographer Daniel fly in by bush plane and learn there is nowhere to stay.
- 5:53A sponsored segment for Airalo eSIM service.
- 10:21Elder Janet explains the shoreline erosion, the sandbag years and the Corps of Engineers' 2025 deadline.
- 15:18Lunch with Reppi's family, including stories about "little people" at the playground.
- 23:45Jerry takes the hosts upriver, where they catch silver salmon from the bank.
- 32:20Storm winds cancel flights, and the crew waits at the school for a way out.
There's no hotel in Kivalina, so Thomas Brag and Staffan Taylor sleep on a classroom floor. The school is new and built inland, at the end of an evacuation road completed in 2020, and it sets up the question Yes Theory came to ask: why is this village on Alaska's northwest coast disappearing?
The answer comes from Janet, a local elder. She describes years of sandbags and shrinking shoreline, and recalls that "the Corps of Engineers gave us until 2025 to move out of here." The film explains why. Winter sea ice now forms later and retreats sooner, leaving the barrier island open to storm surges. A rock sea wall finished in 2010 buys time but does not change the direction of travel.
The hosts set themselves three missions: understand the town's plight, share a home-cooked meal and go fishing with a local. Janet's brother Reppi takes care of the meal. Over pancakes and fish, his family explains that the "little people" are probably the ones visiting the playground at night. Later, a storm warning keeps the crew off the open ocean, so Jerry takes them 90 minutes upriver by motorboat, where they land several silver salmon. He has watched the beach shrink by 50 to 100 feet, and he is plain about his plans: "I'm never leaving my hunting grounds." He trusts his people to adapt, as they always have.
The salmon ends up back at Reppi's house beside a pot of caribou soup. Storm winds then ground every flight, and the crew waits at the school until an early-morning plane gets them out.
The episode also carries a paid segment for the eSIM service Airalo. It is the middle chapter of the channel's "Uncovering Forgotten Alaska" run, which began in a Russian Old Believer settlement. Many commenters point out that a trip which opened with a warning that strangers were not welcome ended with a crowd of people wanting to say goodbye.
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What viewers say
Imagine being in the middle of nowhere and hearing “you guys didn’t bring any food with you?” 😅
@LzyizySee it on YouTubeThe whole village must be watching. So, people from Kivalina, it was an honour to learn about you and we wish you long and happy lives!
@ruud9767See it on YouTubeStarting with "strangers are not welcome" and ending with so many people wanting to say goodbye is precisely why your videos always inspire
@lexymylaSee it on YouTube
7 more comments
What a beautiful outlook on life. His home is under threat, yet his only response is "We will survive", with a smile on his face. Truly beautiful.
@trudyeSee it on YouTubeThe mom saying one day they will travel the world with you guys 🥺🥺
@calliefisher1679See it on YouTubeThis is what YouTube was made for.
@seanjamescameronSee it on YouTubeI still LOVE that Stephan was initially just a guy who was willing to do a random trip years ago, and is now a HOST on Yes Theory. You never know how a connection will occur, but it's beautiful when it's held onto.
@KiiDxLegacySee it on YouTubeWhen I was living in Alakanuk I was hunting with a friend on the Yukon River and we went on to an island and found little foot prints in the sand and the nearest village was 10 miles away.
@larrymyers6327See it on YouTubeYou all need to visit Tangier and Smith Islands in the Chesapeake Bay. Just 90 minutes from Washington, DC, the islands are slowly disappearing. They also speak with a dialect that sounds more British than American.
@WheelsRISee it on YouTubeI have tears in my eyes with every episode. I don't want to see more than the world. You are such wonderful friends and people. SAY YES!
@_volleKanneHoschi_See it on YouTube
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- Channel
- Yes Theory
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- Channel views, last 7 days
- 4,741,477
- Channel views, pace per day
- 778,095 (on a normal day: 687,222)
- Video published
- November 1, 2026
- Video views so far
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- 1,819,687
The numbers
A 36-minute documentary that drew more than a million views in its first half-day, about what the channel's recent travel films usually get.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which book do the hosts give Reppi's family before leaving Kivalina?
The team gifts the family its book "Do It For The Story" shortly before catching the early-morning flight out.