Throughout the several years it’s been on air, History’s “Mountain Men” has never failed to deliver some of the best stories of people with widely different but interesting lifestyles. The reality show “Mountain Men” is the best proof of that, as it recounts people’s off-the-grid lives in the mountains in the most entertaining and educational ways.
A pair of iconic “Mountain Men” stars were the father-son duo Kyle and Ben Bell, whose adventures in an almost-isolated area of New Mexico reminded audiences of the importance of family bonds, and of passing down important knowledge to the next generation.
Unfortunately, the Bells left the show after the fourth season and haven’t been on TV since then, prompting their fans to wonder about their where they are, and life after the show.
If you’re also wondering what happened to Kyle and Ben, then just keep with us!
Where Are They Now?
Kyle Bell and his son Ben debuted in “Mountain Men”’s third season, which premiered in 2014. Back then, the child was only ten years old, and was on his way to learn more about life in the woods from his father, who took it upon himself to teach Ben and viewers how to start a natural fire, defend themselves against venomous snakes, and prepare themselves for a tough winter season, among many other useful things. They lived in Cimarron Valley, on the outskirts of a small town in New Mexico where risky encounters with nature aren’t a rare occurrence.
While it’s unclear why Kyle and the young Ben didn’t appear in “Mountain Men” following the fourth season’s finale, they tried to keep relevant for some time after the show by launching a YouTube channel and website SurvivalSense.net, on which they promised to share content about survival, and various resourceful tricks to use in the wild. Unfortunately, they didn’t update the platforms after launching them, with the website’s domain eventually being put on sale in 2024.
Not much news about Kyle and Ben’s whereabouts is known nowadays, as neither man has any active social media. However, there’s nothing else for us other than to wish they’re safe and healthy ,somewhere.
What Did They Do After The Show?
Despite keeping a mostly toned-down public life since their exit from “Mountain Men”, Kyle and Ben Bell made a couple of appearances afterwards. For a start, the father and son were interviewed at Utah’s PrepperCon Expo in April 2016. The survivalist-centered event had Kyle and Ben talking about their experience in “Mountain Men”, and their insights on survival hacks and tricks.
Shortly after that, the pair shared a video on their then-recently opened YouTube channel Survival Sense, prompting their old “Mountain Men” fans to keep up to date with their blog. According to them, Survival Sense would showcase their valuable knowledge about ‘traditional survival skills’, for people to learn how to make it out alive from any experience that keeps them away from the help of modern appliances and technology.
One important detail about Survival Sense is that, according to its now-abandoned Facebook page, the family wasn’t based in New Mexico, but in Arkansas. However, it’s unclear whether the Bells switched their location permanently or temporarily.
That said, in 2015 Ben started his own YouTube channel on which he shared a handful of videos about his life and adventures in the wild. Sadly, the channel hasn’t been updated after March 2018, making it extremely difficult to trace Ben’s whereabouts since then.
What Did Kyle Do Before The Show?
Long before Kyle Bell and his son Ben rose to fame as stars of “Mountain Men”, their family was already well-known in New Mexico, because of their business Folsom Outfitters. The company was focused on guiding hunters to sort out tough weather conditions and unknown geography to catch bulls, elk, and deer.
There are several online posts about Kyle and his wife LeVonn, who managed Folsom Outfitters alongside him. According to a promotional post from the early 2010s, the Bells provided lots of accommodations on their private land near the Rocky Mountains. In 2011, another post by a photographer named Tim Keller also praised Kyle’s work as a business owner, affirming that he’d moved a hundred Texas Longhorn cattle from Texas to his land in New Mexico.
https://www.facebook.com/tangeroutletsasheville/posts/pfbid02c3KvhhnDn8EotQNvxMSo2qBS6LrMqLh5UTNFeesdY7eGXe5gcRKn8Nuy3dfbfieWl
While many long-time fans of “Mountain Men” might remember that Kyle’s outfitter job was mentioned during his appearances in the show, the majority surely don’t know that he was so successful away from TV.
What Happened To Their Business?
Unfortunately, the current situation of Kyle Bell’s business is also unknown. Starting in 2017, a thread on the forum site TexasBowHunter.com collected many mixed opinions about the service of Folsom Outfitters, with many forum users affirming that he was late for appointments, and failed to accommodate people’s schedules, among other negative aspects.
The most concerning posts about Kyle were about his alleged alcoholic addiction, but there’s no way to confirm whether this was or is true.
Not everything was negative, though. As seen on a website called TexasHuntingForum, Kyle and his associate Will Stringfellow offered complete and compelling services to people hunting in the early autumn of 2017, hinting that the negative experiences attested by other users weren’t necessarily the norm.
That said, in 2016, Will Stringfellow – who also briefly appeared in “Mountain Men” – started the shop Willow Bend Trading Post and has kept it active ever since. However, there’s nothing which hints that he might still be working with Kyle these days.
In the end, Folsom Outfitters’ was shut down sometime after 2017, and any updates about Kyle’s business and whereabouts on the aforementioned forums stopped in 2018.
What Happened To The Show?
There’s no denying that “Mountain Men” has been one of the most successful and long-lasting shows in the niche of nature-centered reality TV. Following its premiere in 2012, the show gained followers worldwide for its interesting and compelling approach to life off the grid, and every challenge that people face to achieve it.
Besides Kyle and Ben Bell, there are many stars from the show who’ve now left. Some of whom are Charlie Tucker, Rich Lewis, Jason Hawk, and Margaret Stern, among others. Those whose run with the show has lasted the most are Tom Oar and Eustace Conway, though the latter surprisingly left after the 12th season’s finale in 2023.
On his part, the iconic cast member Marty Meierotto surprisingly returned to the show in 2024 to take part in the 13th season, having left the show after the eighth season, having been part of the series since its premiere.
Overall, “Mountain Men” is still going as strongly as ever, but it seems unlikely that Kyle and Ben Bell would return to it anytime soon.
