Sue Aikens Wiki/Bio shows three divorces and the death of a husband. Her net worth, career facts.

Sue Aikens is not your average woman. She is a hunter, a survivor, and a star of one of the most popular reality shows on TV. She lives in the remote wilderness of Alaska, where she faces harsh weather, wild animals, and isolation. She has a campsite business, a lawsuit against her producers, and a fascinating life story. She has been married three times, lost two husbands to illness, and one to infidelity. She has two children, two grandchildren, and a fiancé who is a retired army man. She is Sue Aikens, and this is her story.

How Rich is Sue Aikens?

Sue Aikens makes her money primarily as the reality television actor in Life Below Zero which follows her and other Alaskan residents as they brave the harsh conditions of the Arctic wilderness. Sue is also the owner and operator of Kavik River Camp, a former oil pipeline camp that offers lodging and services to adventurers, hunters, and researchers. But how much money does she make from her TV show and her camp? Here are some facts about Sue Aikens’ net worth and source of income.

Life Below Zero Sue Aikens
Sue Aikens

Sue Aikens’ net worth

Sue Aikens has an estimated net worth of $1.5 Million as of 2023. This makes her one of the richest cast members of Life Below Zero. Sue’s net worth comes from two main sources: her salary from the TV show and her income from the Kavik River Camp.

Sue Aikens’ salary from Life Below Zero

Sue Aikens has been a part of Life Below Zero since its debut in 2013. She is one of the longest-running and most popular cast members of the show, which has won several awards and has millions of viewers worldwide. The show documents Sue’s daily struggles and achievements as she lives alone in the Arctic, surrounded by wild animals and extreme weather. Sue Reportedly earns 50, 000 per season she appears in. The show is currently in its 16th season, which means that Sue has made $1 Million from the show alone.

Sue Aikens’ income from Kavik River Camp

Besides being a TV star, Sue Aikens is also a successful businesswoman. She runs the Kavik River Camp, a former oil pipeline camp that is located 197 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The camp serves as a stop for travelers, scientists, birders, and hunters who want to experience the Arctic wildlife and scenery. The camp offers amenities such as WiFi, hot showers, laundry facilities, and meals. The Kavik River Camp charges $35 per night for each guest. The camp operates from June to September when the weather is more favorable for visitors. Sue hosts around 100 guests per season, which means that she makes about $14,000 from the camp every year. However, Sue does not own the land where the camp is located; she leases it from the government. She also has to pay for maintenance, fuel, supplies, and taxes.

Sue Aikens’ life story

The lady hunter, Sue Aikens was born on July 1, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The birthdate makes her 60 years old. She comes from a European-descended family line tracing to Scotland where her grandfather is from. 

How Sue Aikens Grew Up in Alaska?

Sue Aikens grew up in the suburbs of Chicago until her parents decided to separate when she was only 12 years old. Following the divorce, her mother took her to a family friend in Fairbanks, Alaska. At such a tender age when a typical girl plays with dolls, Sue learned to use guns and bullets. Surprisingly, the girl from the city got along with her new demanding lifestyle. Sue grew up in various places in Alaska, learning how to hunt, fish, and survive in the wilderness. As for her mother, who could not cope with the cold and ended up leaving Alaska.

Little Susan Ruth Aikens
Susan Ruth Aikens during her childhood

Professional Career

What others may call lonely living Sue Aikens embraced her life in the Alaskan wilderness and used the opportunity to turn it into financial opportunity. She moved to Kavik River Camp where she lived by hunting and fishing and with no running water, the Kavik River became her water source. On the side, she ran Kavik River Camp providing bedding and food facilities to visitors from the month of June till September.

Sarah Palin’s Alaska: While Sue Aikens was busy living an extraordinary life in Alaska opportunity came presenting her ways. She was asked to be part of the reality show Sarah Palin’s Alaska hosted by Sarah Palin, the ninth governor of Alaska. She appeared in the fourth episode “She’s a Great Shot” as a Kaviv River camp manager. The episode aired on December 5, 2010. Sue then joined the cast of “Flying Wild Alaska” appearing in four episodes from 2011-2012.

Life Below Zero: One thing led to another and Sue finally got her big breakthrough as the cast member of the National Georgy show “Life Below Zero.” The show follows the lives of various subsistence hunters living in remote areas of Alaska as they work and survive in unforgiving conditions. Alongside Sue Aikens, the show has given a platform to others such as Chip HailstoneAgnes Hailstone, Andy Bassich, Glenn Villeneuve, Ricko DeWilde, Kate Rorke-Bassich, Erik Salitan, and Jessie Holmes and made them famous.

Sue Aikens made her debut Life Below Zero debut in the episode “End of the Road” (premiered on May 19, 2013). She has since been a regular cast member and made 191 appearances until 2023. On the show, Sue can be seen as the sole resident of a camp along the Kavik River in Northern Alaska, where she runs a B&B for visitors.

Other Television Credits: Sue Aikens has made guest appearances on different talk shows on radio and television. She was invited to the podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” hosted by Joe Rogan. She made guest appearance on the American talk show “Today” in 2015. Sue is also credited as the executive producer of the Hollywood movie Panama (2022).

Injuries & Brushing with Death

While Sue Aikens loves her remote lifestyle in Alaskan Wilderness she also has faced many accidents and encounters with predators. One time she barely managed to survive after a surprise attack from a grizzly bear. The bear attacked her leaving her with several head injuries, torn muscles, and a hip socket pulled out. She had no idea of confrontation from a bear. Once the bear left her for dead she managed to drag herself to the camp and gave herself first aid and stitches. Surprisingly she decided to take revenge and tracked the bear, and shot it dead. After that, she lay in her camp for ten days without any medical personnel checkups. A pilot circling around her camp found her and took her to the hospital.

Other than this scary encounter, Sue was reportedly injured in a TV stunt that she was asked to perform for Nat Geo’s show “Life Below Zero.” She filed a lawsuit against the producers of the show. According to the lawsuit filing, Aikens was riding a snowmachine which ended up hitting an ice heave. She said she was seriously injured however instead of rescuing her producer instructed the rescue airplane to land at the far end of the runway for the sake of entertainment and thrill.

Personal Life: Sue Aikens Married Three times, Her Husband?

As much as we think we are familiar with this TV star, Aikens has shared very few details about her personal life. Thanks to our extensive research we have tracked down some confidential information about her husband and married life.

Aikens has been married three times but none of the relationships worked out. Two of her former husbands passed away due to disease and one left her to pursue a younger girl.

Sue-Aikens
Sue Aikens holding her grandchildren

Later, she married  British man  Eddie James Aikens on June 13, 1987.  Together the couple lived in Portland, Oregon where Eddie worked as a barber. In the years of togetherness as a married couple, the pair gave birth to two children, a boy, and a girl.

After 17 years of marriage, the couple got divorced in 2004. Aikens returned to Alaska and began to live an isolated life in the remote part. While she was busy living day-to-day life her ex-husband Eddie passed away in 2009. She attended the funeral and had some kind words for her departed ex-husband. In a heartwarming tribute, Aikens wrote on his obituary page:

“I remember that you always came up from behind me, put your arms around me, and would say “I love you Mrs. Aikens” Even when we were divorced, two days before your death, you said the words to me again. In friendship, we found the ability to say and do what we needed. I will so miss your sweet face and smile. Your ability to forgive, and open your heart. I was the catalyst… you the sturdy branches. I am sad “

Her third marriage is quite a mystery; however, she did not stay in the relationship for very long.

Current Relationship

Currently, Sue Aikens is dating a New York native named Michael Heinrich, who works as a journeyman electrician. They have been in touch since July 2018 and are now engaged. However, they are not married yet and are in a long-distance relationship.

Family, Children and Grandchildren

Sue Aikens has a grown-up daughter and a son both are in their thirties. Both children are married and live far away from her in the lower United States. Her son is younger among the two who got married in September of 2016, and she was present for the occasion.

Sue’s daughter was born in November 1984. The grown-up daughter resembles her in appearance whom she also calls “Mini Me.”

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Susan Aikens (@sueaikens)

The family line extends with grandkids. While Sue hasn’t shared about her all-family line we do know that she has a granddaughter and grandson who have visited her in Alaska. While away, she keeps in touch through the satellite phone. Sue loves to exchange gifts with her kids and grandkids. On one occasion, her grandkids gave her a puppy as a gift. Sue’s granddaughter Drew Mcclurg is quite grown up now even celebrating her 18th birthday. Drew’s father Eddie Mcclurg passed away some years ago.

Saue Aikens with her grandkids
Sue Aikens with her grandkids

Wiki/Bio Facts:

FactValue
NameSue Aikens
Date of birthJuly 1, 1963
Place of birthChicago, Illinois USA
NationalityAmerican
Age59 years old (As of May 2023)
Height5 feet 5 inches (approx)
Net worth$1.5 Million
ProfessionReality Television Actor
Current residenceKavik River Camp, Alaska
TV showLife Below Zero
Marital statusDivorced thrice
First husband’s cause of deathBrain tumor
Second husband’s name and cause of deathEddie James Aikens, unknown cause in 2009
The Third husband’s reason for leaving herN/A
Number of children and their genderTwo sons (one from the second marriage and one from the third marriage)
Children’s residence (as of 2023)United States with their families
Eye colorBlue
Hair ColorGray
Early life challenge faced at age 12 in Alaska village north of Fairbanks after mother left her father and then her too to pursue her own life.Fending for herself with a gun and a few bullets given by a homesteader.
Early life lesson learned from killing animals for food and clothing.Separating animals as friends and food.
How she got to run the Kavik River CampA friend asked her to take care of the camp for him
How she got contacted by the executive producers of Life Below ZeroThey had previously highlighted the airplanes she used in logistics for another series.
How she feels about the fame that came with the seriesShe finds it intrusive.
How she got attacked by a grizzly bear She was checking on a fuel tank when the bear ambushed her and bit her head, arm and leg.
How she survived the bear attack.She stitched her own head wound with a needle and thread, wrapped her injuries with duct tape, and waited for ten days until a hunter found her and took her to a hospital.
How she described living in Alaska in an interview.“Living here is not about being comfortable. It’s about being alive.”
How she described her relationship with nature in an interview.“Nature is my church. I don’t need four walls to tell me what I believe.”
How she described her philosophy of life in an interview.“I don’t live every day like it’s my last. I live every day like it’s my first.”
How she described her personality in an interview.“I’m not a social butterfly. I’m more like a social spider.”
How she described her sense of humor in an interview.“I have a very dry wit. Sometimes people don’t get it. Sometimes they do and they laugh. Sometimes they do and they don’t laugh.”

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