Neil Genzlinger in The New York Times condemned it as "absurd excess on display," noting "what an easy target the prepper worldview is for ridicule" and "how offensively anti-life these shows are, full of contempt for humankind.

[10] In response to negative comments, Jay Desai, who was featured in the show's first season, responded: "We don’t make it an obsession like some folks but we do spend a fair amount of time and money on it.

For Mike Mester, civil unrest is just around the corner and he aims to get everyone ready; Colorado computer programmer Preston White has collected over 11,200 types of seeds and plans for biosphere living in a Fukushima-irradiated future while his friends provide supportive help; Riley Cook spends his days working close to home and with the prepper society building underground structures.

; Dianne and Greg Rogers, dedicated parents in Canada, are concerned with future events affecting their home life; Ed and Dianna Peden ("still living in the 60's") of Topeka, Kansas, are preparing to survive underground in their decommissioned Atlas missile silo when doomsday arrives.

Barry, Pink and Cole have the ultimate urban underground bunker right in their garage; Steve Pace, a hometown survivalist, is ready to take on long-term electric failure; Carolina resident Laura Kunzie is preparing for a massive airborne flu outbreak.

Texas prepper "Mr. Wayne" bases his doomsday fears on a Chinese financial takeover and has prepared many ways to survive such events; John & Cristina Sellers are hardworking Americans who want to protect what they have; Jason & Tanya have done their homework on how life and prepping can happen on a budget.

Jay Blevins is a former law enforcement officer who is prepping with his family and neighbors for a global economic collapse; Brian Murdock and his Colombian wife-to-be Tatiana are preparing to relocate from suburban Somerville, Massachusetts, to somewhere in Upstate New York; Indiana preppers Bryan and Lacey May are ready for an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault Line, stockpiling silver, gold, food, and other barter and installing a battery backup to their wind and solar power generators.

Tracy Foutch adds armor to a school bus to create a bugout vehicle; Dan Rojas uses a Fresnel lens scavenged from an old rear-projection TV to focus sunlight, sterilize water via distillation, and cook meat.

John Tucker builds a bugout vehicle, turning bee hives into a mobile apiary with scythed wheels; Bret and Shane Maggio construct a sniper tower with a zip line, allowing for a quick escape.