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Motif

Stranded

2013–MiniseriesOngoing1 season6 episodes~60 min/epMotif score: 34th percentile of all shows

Created by Josh Gates, Stranded is a reality series that documents an unconventional – and terrifying – paranormal and psychological experiment. Each episode features the self-recorded footage of a diverse group of every-day paranormal enthusiasts - from newlyweds and a brother-in-law to a trio of roommates. Each team of three will be stranded at one of the most haunted locations in America and record the entire experience with hand-held cameras creating a suspenseful, completely unscripted first-hand account of each group's stay. Over the course of the confinement, the group will cope with increasingly pervasive feelings of fear and desolation, resulting in an experiment that represents a unique combination of psychology and the paranormal.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Stranded?

As of October 24, 2026, Motif lists Stranded to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Rent / Buy

BuyBuy

Highlights

What stands out about Stranded?

Stranded earns 1 badge: Cult Classic.

Reception

Is Stranded worth watching?

Stranded's Motif score is the 34th percentile of all shows, from 241 ratings across 3 sources. 62% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Motif score

How well it was received

34th percentile

Better received than 34% of shows

68th percentile among Horror32nd percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)35th
Approval (how many liked it)35th

Acclaim

Cult Classic: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

66 /100

35th percentile of all shows

70th percentile among Horror33rd percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

62% liked it

35th percentile of all shows

68th percentile among Horror33rd percentile among 2010s
62% rated it 7–1038% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

20th percentile

241 ratings across platforms

34th percentile among Horror27th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 14% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

The show borrows elements from earlier paranormal reality series like MTV's Fear and focuses on amateur teams investigating haunted locations over several days.

Fans praised

  • genuine reactions from real amateur investigators
  • respectful paranormal investigation approach
  • fast-paced suspense and creepy atmosphere

Detractors panned

  • obviously staged and scripted scenarios
  • no paranormal evidence despite extensive camera coverage
  • deceptive portrayal of locations (e.g., Moundsville setting)

What stands out

Atmosphere70

creepy doll hallway and suspenseful isolation

Tension65

climactic split-up scenes, but feels manufactured to detractors

PacingDivisive60

fast hour but little investigation footage shown

OriginalityDivisive35

derivative of Fear and Ghost Hunters, with predictable format

ActingDivisive30

amateur cast seen as genuine by fans, fake by detractors

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2013 · 6 episodes

  • S1E1
    S1E1

    Star Island

    Feb 27, 201360 min
  • S1E2
    S1E2

    Seaview Terrace

    Mar 6, 201360 min
  • S1E3
    S1E3

    West Virginia State Penitentiary

    Mar 13, 201360 min
  • S1E4
    S1E4

    Burn Brae Manor

    Mar 20, 201360 min
  • S1E5
    S1E5

    Three Valley Chateau

    Mar 27, 201360 min
  • S1E6
    S1E6

    Yorktown Memorial Hospital

    Apr 3, 201360 minFinale

Watch experience

What is Stranded like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Wry, dark and intense — an even-paced watch that leaves you unsettled.

Setting

  • Contemporary
  • Realistic
  • Rural
  • Institutional

Themes

  • Survival
  • Mental illness

Feelings

  • Dread
  • Tense
  • Melancholic

What it asks of you

  • Even-paced
  • Full focus
  • Affecting
  • Ambiguous

How it leaves you

  • Unsettling
  • Haunting

Style

  • Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
  • Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.

Story

  • No archetype
exact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Heaviest: late
Told as
Unscripted · 15% of showsStatus quo each season
ToneThe series treats its paranormal investigations and the psychological toll on participants with a straight-faced, brooding seriousness.
The rideThe confined setting and escalating psychological pressure create a persistent sense of dread that peaks toward the end of each episode.
StructureThe series is unscripted and each episode follows a repeated formula with no narrative devices like nonlinear storytelling or frame stories.
Episode formatThe series follows a repeatable non-fiction format: a new group is stranded at a haunted location each episode, with no scripted narrative.
Season formatEach episode and season follows the same premise with interchangeable participants; no ongoing character or story development across the run.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Why it leaves you this wayThe series leaves the viewer with a lingering unease and curiosity about the psychological effects of fear.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThis is a reality competition-style paranormal investigation series; each episode has no narrative arc beyond the unscripted confinement, so no Booker archetype applies.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9% (this title): Survival 12% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% (this title) · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Survival

Survival · 12% of showsMental illness · under 1% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe show examines physical and psychological endurance under the pressure of a hostile, allegedly haunted environment.
StanceThe series neutrally documents the participants' reactions without judging the paranormal claims or the psychological toll.

The world

AmbientBackground music · original score
Settingvarious reportedly haunted locations across the United States
MusicMusic is minimal and atmospheric, used to enhance tension.

Cast and crew

Who is in Stranded?

Cast

Josh Gates

Crew

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