Try to Explain ‘Alaskan Bush People’ and You’ll Sound Like You’re Making It Up

If you've never heard of Alaskan Bush People, the Discovery Channel show's name alone might have you saying, "Bush people? Huh? Who the heck are the Alaskan Bush People?" And though the name of the show honestly kind of speaks for itself, we get it — because who could imagine that a (mostly) normal family would decide to just up and live in the wilds of Alaska while still, you know, utilizing all of today's modern technology and conveniences? It's definitely a weird show — and the Browns are an even weirder family — but honestly kind of fascinating to watch. The weirdest part, though, is explaining the family to a friend who's never tuned in. Watch the video above to see what it's like trying to explain who the Alaskan Bush People are to someone who's never even heard of them.

Who are the Alaskan Bush People?

So who would choose to live like that? Well, Billy and Ami Brown, apparently. They decided in the early days of their romance that they were just going to be nomadic and move around a lot, eventually setting up "Browntown," aka the home they allegedly built themselves up in the Alaskan wilderness. Recently, though, there's been plenty of drama around where the family will move next. They headed down to Southern California to be near the UCLA hospital for mom Ami's cancer treatments (and stayed in a pretty cushy Los Angeles home while they were there), then drove out to Colorado to scout land for a new Browntown. But it seems now they've settled in Washington at a fancy lake-side inn, leading fans to crack jokes about whether they'll be the Washington Bush People now — or, even more appropriately, the Washington Inn People.

Is Alaskan Bush People fake?

Like, nobody really lives like that, do they? Honestly, fans aren't sure, but there's some pretty compelling evidence out there that suggests that things aren't always exactly what they seem on the Discovery Channel. Take the fact that all the kids had YouTube channels way before they ever got famous, for one. We know the Alaskan Bush People kids look different now than they used to — and they've changed a lot in general over the years — but there's no way we can pretend that they only recently learned all about technology and social media. You'd think there wouldn't be much cell signal living in the middle of a national park, though — or WiFi for that matter. What, did they just somehow have incredible data plans?

What are the Alaskan Bush People's real names?

Their faux-cabin home in the wilderness isn't the only thing that might be a little inauthentic about the Brown family. Some of their names seem pretty made-up, too. Bam Bam? Bear? Both seem like something a name you'd earn at summer camp and then shed once you actually go home to your family and you parents insist that, actually, they gave you the name "Joshua" at birth and that's the name you're going to have to stick with. But Bam Bam really is Joshua's middle name, and though Bear might be purely made up, his real name of "Soloman Isaiah Freedom Brown" isn't really any less unique. Unfortunately, Merry Christmas was the one saddled with the truly funky name. And yes, by Merry Christmas, we are talking about Rain Brown, the teenage daughter who goes by a nickname for her second middle name, Raindrop. We probably wouldn't want to be named after a holiday, either — though we might just favor the middle name "Katherine" over one about a natural weather phenomenon. Guess there isn't a lot that's not weird about this family — well, other than their desire for the spotlight. In that way, they're just like anyone else on reality TV.