Interview with Steven McKell (EAST SIDE)

Steven McKell (32)

Content Creator, Lincoln

Scottish-born Steven has amassed 4.6millions followers on TikTok, creating uplifting and funny videos. He will always want to bring the joy in dark times. What he lacks in practical skills he thinks he will make up for in his ability to communicate and bring a group together. He says he isn’t above hoarding supplies (if he feels he needs to) but would be the first to call someone else out for doing the same thing!

What made you want to take part in Apocalypse?

I really wanted to challenge myself in a way that I’d never done before. I also wanted to take part because it sounded wild. Being stuck in an abandoned city for 28 days with no food, no water, no running electricity, I thought, “You know what? I can do that.” I watch all these shows and think, “Yeah, that’ll be fine.” So, there was definitely a little bit of delusion involved. A little bit of wanting to test myself. 

Was there anything you did before going in to prepare?

I didn’t do anything physical to prepare. Mentally, though, I really tried to prepare myself. Between finding out I was on the show and actually going on it, I tried to use any bad days I had as a training ground. If I was having a really difficult day, I’d think, “Okay, how do I get myself out of this? Do I sing? Do I go for a walk? Do I make people laugh?” Because on the show I wasn’t going to have anything to distract myself. No TV, no phone, no music.

So I used any bad days I had in those months before going on the show as a little bit of preparation for the mental challenges I knew I was going to face. And I think it really helped. 

Was there anything else you wish you’d done to prepare?

Many things! I wish I’d learned how to fish with just a bit of string and wood. I wish I’d learned how to hunt properly, or even just forage for food. If I went back now, I’d learn all about how to survive in the wilderness because we were surrounded by it. I think not knowing how to live off the land meant we relied heavily on the urban area and the buildings around us.

I did actually catch a fish with my hands, although it was a dying fish. When I got it, I put it in a little bowl because I wasn’t going to kill it. It was the only fish our team ever caught!

What skill were you most confident would help the group? 

I think my humour, my morale and the way I connect with people. I’m good at some things and terrible at others, but connecting with people, finding out what brings them joy and lifting them up is something I know I’m good at. That’s something I’m proud of because it didn’t really falter in there.

Describe your first reaction walking into the town.

My first reaction was, “How do I get out of here?”

From the moment I walked in, I was completely immersed. It looked like a movie set, but there was nobody there. You were just thrown straight into it. There were overturned cars, buildings that looked like they’d been burned down, smashed windows, rubble everywhere. It felt so real that from the moment I entered, I really felt I was in the apocalypse. When I walked out at the end and saw civilisation again, I was like, “Oh my gosh, there’s a car!” Your mind gets completely warped because you’ve spent weeks climbing rubble, seeing broken bricks, smashed buildings and overturned vehicles. The way they created the environment was incredible because there was no easing into it. You were just dropped in there and you were living it.

What surprised you most about the people in your group?

What surprised me was how willing everyone was to help. At the start, I worried people would become cliquey and split off into their own groups. That did happen a little bit, but when it really mattered, everyone stepped up. People would say, “I’ll help you,” or “Come with me, we’ll do this.”

Were you shocked to discover there was another team?

I was completely blindsided that there was another team because we didn’t see them for a few days.

When you’re in there, you’re so consumed with trying to find food, find water, band together and create fire that you don’t really think about anything else. It didn’t even cross my mind until the moment we realised all of our stuff was gone and all of our animals were gone. 

I was so surprised by how they turned up because they came with a mission. They came with a message. They came to steal. And the way they approached it was so different to how we would do things because we were a family community. I think the biggest feeling was, “Why didn’t we think about this first?” Running back to our camp with Keira, falling through the snow, I’ve never run so much in my life.

Was there a moment where you thought, “I can’t do this, I want to leave”?

Yes.

I was walking up this huge hill. It was raining, freezing cold, and we were soaked through. We were trying to find food and I hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days. I remember thinking, “You know what? I could leave now.”

I thought, “I’ve done two weeks. I can be proud of myself. Maybe I could go home.” But then I heard my mum’s voice in my head. “You can do this, Steven. You’ve got this.” It reminded me that this was exactly what I had been mentally preparing for.

What were the funniest moments for you?

Taking out the toilet bucket. It was horrific. I had such a visceral reaction to the smell. Me and Keira were crying, we had to dig the hole, empty it, put soil over it. At the time it was awful, but afterwards it became one of those moments where you laugh because you can’t believe you went through it.

What did you learn about yourself from the experience?

I learned that second-guessing yourself only keeps you trapped for longer. Before the show, I questioned myself a lot. Now I’m much more likely to think, “This is how I feel. This is what I’m doing.” I learned to trust my gut.

Has the experience changed how you think about modern life and the things we take for granted?

Yes, massively. 

We rely so much on phones, laptops and technology that we sometimes forget how important human connection is. The show forced us to connect with people properly. It’s made me more empathetic, more understanding and better at listening. My relationships with my family and friends have improved because of that experience.

You work in social media. Has the experience changed the way you approach your work?

Yes, definitely. 

It made me realise that bringing people joy is my calling. Social media doesn’t need me and I don’t need it, but I love creating things and making people laugh. Whether people love my content or think it’s ridiculous, it brings me happiness. The show made me realise that I genuinely get joy from bringing other people joy, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. I don’t think I would have realised it without being put in that situation.