How long were the Yellowjackets in the wild? Season 3 to bridge timeline gap

Daisy Phillipson
Lottie in Yellowjackets

The creators behind Yellowjackets have revealed that Season 3 will bridge the gap between the two timelines, which begs the question: just how long were the team stuck out in the wilderness for?

In the past timeline, Shauna, Nat, Taissa, Van, Misty and co are all teenagers. In the present day, the former high school soccer team are in their 40s. 

Their past is coming back to haunt them in Yellowjackets’ third chapter, which debuted on Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2025) with a two-episode premiere. 

Season 3 Episode 1 begins with a time jump in both eras, and for the girls who are stranded, things are looking up. It’s finally summer, but will they have to endure another winter before they’re rescued? Warning: minor spoilers ahead!

How long were the Yellowjackets in the wild?

The team in Yellowjackets

As was revealed in the first season, the Yellowjackets were stranded out in the Canadian wilderness for 19 months after their plane crashed in 1996.

Based on clues such as the team missing prom to go to Nationals, it’s assumed they crashed in May 1996. So, when they first got there, it was summer, meaning they were able to hunt game and forage for plants to eat. 

However, the seasons changed quickly and drastically, as seen in the Season 1 finale. After a fight with the rest of the team, Jackie sleeps outside. But a sudden snowfall means she freezes to death. 

During the winter months shown in Yellowjackets Season 2, the girls struggle to find food and resort to cannibalism. The first time is an accident, having built a funeral pyre to cremate Jackie. 

That evening, a gust of wind causes snow to fall on the fire, essentially creating a barbecue that perfectly roasts Jackie’s body. When they wake up in the morning, they smell it from inside the cabin and, after some hesitation, they feast on their dead friend’s body. 

Jackie in Yellowjackets

Later on, however, as they continue to starve, they resort to a ritual whereby they draw cards at random. The first person to draw the Queen of Hearts will be hunted by the team to be killed and eaten. 

Although Nat is the unlucky chosen one, during the hunt, it’s Javi who dies instead. The survivors eat him, with his brother Travis taking a bite out of his heart. It’s all very grim. 

By the start of Yellowjackets Season 3, we’re in summer again and the girls are far more civilized. They now have plenty of animals to hunt and fruit to forage. 

However, this won’t last. Firstly, based on the established timeline, the girls will be stranded until around December 1997. 

If they’ve endured approximately 12 months in the wilderness, that’s another seven months to go, meaning there will be another winter before the rescue team shows up. And there’s something else to think about…

Yellowjackets pit girl scene explained

Pit girl in Yellowjackets

The pit girl scene from Yellowjackets’ pilot episode is yet to happen, meaning we can expect it to unfold during their second winter. 

The scene was a flash forward in time, showing a girl running through a snowy forest barefoot. In the background, you can hear the eerie screeches of who we now know to be the Yellowjackets mimicking animal calls as they stalk her. 

Dressed in a tattered nightgown, she stumbles and gasps for breath before continuing to run. All of a sudden, she falls into a hidden trap beneath the snow.

When she comes into view, we see she’s been impaled on sharp wooden spikes set up at the bottom of the pit. 

As she twitches and takes her final breath, someone dressed in furs and a mask walks over to confirm the kill. Neither the hunter nor the pit girl’s identities are revealed, and this scene is yet to happen in the horror series

Although it’s alluded to in Season 3 Episode 1, this was just a reference rather than the real deal. As such, we can assume this will happen during the second winter. 

Unknown character in Yellowjackets

As one Redditor wrote before Season 2 had finished airing, “I think pit girl is winter two, not long before they get rescued.” 

Another pointed out that the pit girl scene was part of a “pretty well-developed ritual,” and that “from a narrative standpoint, it’s more tragic if it happens right before they’re rescued.”

They also pointed out that there’s no way the girls could have dug a pit of that size during winter. But as we learn in the new chapter, the pit already exists – coach Ben stumbles upon it while walking through the woods. 

Season 3 to bridge timeline gap

The team in Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson teased that Season 3 will start to bridge the gap between the two timelines. To make things clear, while the past timeline kicks off in 1996, the current story starts in 2021. 

In an interview with THR, they were asked about this, and how much time will span in the third chapter. But they weren’t able to say too much at this stage – especially when it comes to the second winter and the pit girl scene.

However, Lyle did say, “In terms of what we have mapped out after this season, we’re all waiting with bated breath and a lot of optimism for a pick up for Season 4. 

“Bart and I certainly have a plan that dates back to pitching this in the year 2018, I think, is when we first started pitching it. 

“Of course then we’ll just have to get all of our writers and get the gang back together, and bring everyone else’s brain to it and see where it takes us.”

They were then asked if there is anything they can tease about the rescue timeline, to which Nickerson replied, “I don’t think so.” Lyle added, “If we say anything, that is the tease.”

For now we will just have to wait to find out how this bridge will be built. For the fans, they’re hopeful we’ll get a glimpse at the Yellowjackets survivors’ lives post-rescue, as this is something we’ve wanted to see from the beginning – especially after the cannibalism. 

Still from Yellowjackets Season 3

Taking to Reddit, one wrote, “So it seems as if this season we will be getting a decent amount of flash forwards to the girls’ lives post rescue and what happens to them, which is something that we’ve always wanted to see. 

“My big question for this is if this is a good idea since I’m sure for the final season of the show, the idea is to in-depthly explore the girls’ lives back home from the wilderness. So would this possibly ruin that? 

“And secondly, with these possible flash forwards, what would you like to see from them specifically for each character?”

Another commented, “I feel it makes sense. The biggest mystery of the show is how they end up getting rescued and the circumstances that lead up to it. 

“I always assumed we would see the actual rescue in the final season. I like the idea that we will get some post rescue scenes prior to their actual rescue, and see more of their home lives and readjustment into society. 

“I personally prefer that they save that major reveal of the actual rescue until the final season.”

“I feel the same way. They could fill a whole season with just post rescue, and I think we would all like to see that. At the same time I’m impatient and would love to see some now,” added a third.  

“Maybe they can do snippets like the scene in Season 2 with the reporters all around them and Lottie’s scream and her going to the institution. Enough to give us something, without spoiling everything.”

Yellowjackets Season 3 Episodes 1-2 are streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime now, with Episode 3 set to drop on February 21. You can also read about the true story the show is based on.

In the meantime, check out our 2025 TV show release calendar and make sure you check out what’s dropping during Dexerto’s We LOVE TV & Movies week.