Chip Hailstone Heads To Jail During The ‘Life Below Zero’ Season Premiere


Chip and Agnes Hailstone, along with their five daughters, live a traditional Inupiaq subsistence lifestyle in Noorvik, Alaska. Over the seasons, fans of Life Below Zero have watched the family work together to not just survive, but to thrive in the beautiful but harsh Alaskan wilderness. The relationship between Chip and Agnes Hailstone is heartwarming to watch, they genuinely enjoy each other’s company and work very well together.

Many fans of the show are very aware that Chip has had some serious legal problems, and even though he will be incarcerated for 15 months in the Anchorage Correctional Complex, when he is released, perhaps the family can put the whole ordeal behind them. As soon as the family appeared on the first episode, titled “Unfamiliar Territory,” Agnes began talking about needing to hunt caribou so the family has meat for the winter and that it will be different without Chip there.

Chip explained that he was convicted of two counts of perjury, two false reports, and so far has served three years probation. Now he must do time for the two misdemeanors. For those who would like a comprehensive explanation of what occurred this information can be found in a case document at this website: https://casetext.com/case/in-re-hailstone.

As Chip gets ready to board the plane that will take him to the facility, Agnes remarks while wiping away tears that having the girls there with her for support makes it easier. Even though Chip must leave, the family still has work to do. Agnes and three of her daughters set out to see if they can intercept the caribou as they attempt to cross the river. All they need to do is wait and watch, and once the caribou start their crossing, it is a lot easier for them to just hop in their boat instead of stalking the animals on land. They manage to get two bulls, and then the hard work begins when without Chip’s help, they must butcher the animals on their own.

Agnes tells them that their father would be proud of them after all the hard work they put in to secure meat for the winter. Although Chip is gone, this is one family that will continue to pull together in order to get the job done. Agnes is an extremely skilled and proficient hunter, and she is more than capable of providing whatever her family needs.

Sue Aikens, Jesse Holmes, and Glen Villeneuve were also featured on this episode. Life Below Zero posted to their Facebook page that the popular show has been nominated for two Emmys. According to the Emmy website, the show was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography For A Reality Program and Outstanding Picture Editing For An Unstructured Reality Program. Last year, the show won Outstanding Cinematography For Reality Programming.

Are you a fan of the show? Were you shocked to learn that Chip was incarcerated? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below. The new season of Life Below Zero airs on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET on the National Geographic Channel.

[Featured Image by National Geographic Channel]

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