‘A nice little life’: Jake and Spike map out apocalypse plans after study reveals country most likely to survive
Aug 29, 2026, 5:00 AM
A study from the University of Hagen found that Australia is the country best positioned to survive a global catastrophe, from nuclear war to asteroid strikes, thanks to its wealth, democratic government, geographic isolation, and massive agricultural and industrial base.
Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill, co-hosts of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, took the study as an excuse to map out their own unique survival strategies.
Spike says he’s blowing up the bridges and heading north
Spike’s first instinct was Mercer Island, an island with resources, but Jake shot it down as too accessible and too full of valuable things people would come looking for.
“I’d take the bridges out first,” Spike said. “First thing I’d do is take the bridges out. I got a bunch of micro-engineers over there; they can help me out. Also, you might as well have a view, right?”
When he got serious, Spike said he’d aim for high ground near running water, with the ability to hunt, and ultimately revealed he’d cross the border entirely.
“I’m heading north. I’m crossing the international border, buddy. I’m heading to Canada. You bet I am,” Spike said. “Real space, wide-open spaces, wildlife. All the Rush music I could listen to.”
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Jake says he’d grab his family, load up on ammo, and disappear
Jake kept it simpler: No islands, no international borders, just the deep Pacific Northwest backcountry somewhere along the Highway 2 corridor near Index or Skykomish.
“I would just go in the woods. I would just be in the woods,” Jake said. “I would get my family. I would get as many guns and ammo as we could carry on our backs. I wouldn’t bring much fuel, actually, because that’s just going to become cumbersome.
“I know how to start a fire,” he continued. “I have flint and steel. I can start fires. And I would just head out into the deep woods, basically like living off-grid, which is kind of everybody’s, well, it’s a lot of people’s dream. It actually might be a nice little life, just living out in the woods.”
Watch the full discussion in the video above.
Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3
