For those of you who don’t know, Antartica is cold – really cold. The weather there is constantly at sub-zero temperatures and frequent snowstorms and blizzards often make it difficult to see more than a few meters ahead of you. This means that getting lost, freezing to death, or simply running out of supplies are all highly realistic probabilities when traveling through this harsh terrain. In the past, people have only ever dared to cross the artic in groups – but one man sought to challenge that idea and just recently became the first person to ever cross Antartica on a solo mission!

33-year-old Colin O’Brady from Oregon became the first person to ever cross Antartica on an entirely solo mission! While explorers and adventurers have managed to cross the 934-mile journey in the past, they did so with the help of trained dog teams who knew the area well, kites to help propel them forward with the power of the wind, and air-dropped supplies to ensure that they never run out of food and medicine etc. However, O’Brady managed to complete the dangerous journey entirely by himself with no dogs, kites, or air-drops to help him out along the way. He even pulled his 375-pound load of supplies entirely by himself!

Recently, in 2016, a man named Henry Worsley tried to complete the same journey by himself, but unfortunately succumbed to the cold along the way and never made it back. In order to honor his attempt and life, a friend of his named Louis Rudd decided to compete with O’Brady in order to see who could make it across first. O’Brady and Rudd were friends and had known Worsley well before he passed away. Even though O’Brady managed to finish his 54-day trek across Antartica first, he stayed behind after finishing in order to celebrate with his friend.

Ever since the Gallagher family was introduced to American audiences in Shameless, the series’s fans have been enthralled. The antics of Frank Gallagher and his family are relatable and hilarious, but the actors are totally different than their characters in real life.

One of the most important characters in the show isn’t actually a part of the Gallagher family. Veronica Fisher, a close neighbor of the Gallagher family is portrayed by the actress Shanola Hampton. In the show, Fisher is close to Fiona Gallagher, and spends much of her screen time trying to cajole her friend into going out on the town. Like the family, Fisher’s best intentions often get derailed, as her aspiration to become a nurse did when she stole from her job.

Prior to being cast as Veronica Fisher on Shamless, Shanola Hampton had already enjoyed a well established on screen career. She got her start when she was given a role on Popular, which proved to be a catalyst for bigger and better opportunities. She graduated to Flash in 2005, followed by a starring role in Miami Medical. When the American adaptation of Shameless was commissioned in 2011, Hampton found herself enjoying a new level of stardom, one that is fully appreciated by her husband, Daren Duke.

It may seem like the youngest siblings tend to find themselves in the most trouble. Little brother, Carl Gallagher does little to disprove the theory. The perpetually in trouble teenager often finds himself in trouble with law enforcement, and has a knack for only making his situation worse. Carl seemed to be maturing when he fell in love with Kassidi, but the union would prove disastrous in the long run, ruining all of the progress Carl had made.

Outside of the show, Ethan Cutkosky is completely different than the character of Carl. Despite his young age, Cutkosky has been in the performance industry for a long time, given that he was only four when he was first scouted as a model. His career blossomed from there, as he saw himself cast in film roles in movies like Fred Claus. When he began working on Shameless as Carl Gallagher, the teen actor was only 11 years old.

When Isidora Goreshter joined the show, she was cast as the Russian born Svetlana Yevgenivna, in order to help prove the Mickey Milkovich was attracted to women. The two hit it off, but quickly found that their union had resulted in a baby. A shotgun wedding is not an auspicious start for a marriage, especially when the two parties barely know each other, so it could hardly have come as a surprise that the couple was bound to divorce.

Isidora Goreshter may not be Russian herself, but she can certainly understand her character’s background given that her parents were born in the Soviet Union. Before moving into acting, Goreshter was a well rounded performer who had trained in physical art forms like ballet and gymnastics.  When she finally made the career transition, she began with roles on stage.  Goreshter had some notable TV arcs before being cast on Shameless, including Ben and Kate and 2 Broke Girls.

Shameless may have its fair share of troubled characters, but Mandy Milkovich may be the most disruptive of all of them. Ever the rebel, Mandy was brought onto as a fellow classmate in Ian’s school. As Mandy’s story arc progressed, it became obvious that she was more than just a rebel. Mandy even went so far as to pretend to be Ian’s girlfriend upon his request, in order to help him hide his true sexuality.

Emma Greenwell is another Shameless actress who made her onscreen debut in 2012. Her first role was a short arc on the hit drama, True Blood. Shortly after her performance on True Blood aired, Emma was cast as Mandy in Shameless, which she worked on on top of several bit parts in other projects. Greenwell played Mandy until 2016, at which time she decided to further her develop her career by expanding her resume. She is now starring in the show The Path as Mary Cox.

An integral person in Frank Gallagher’s life is none other than Kevin Ball, his neighborhood bartender. Ball lives with his partner, Veronica Fisher, close to the Gallagher family. Kev’s biggest downfall is probably the soft spot he holds for Frank, which often continues to enable his problem with alcohol. Though many characters on Shameless find their relationships to be a struggle, Kevin and Veronica are definitely an exception to the rule, as they keep their relationship going strong.

Steve Howey has been a TV regular for many years, though he’s best associated with his role in Reba, which starred country singer Reba McEntire in the title role. Howey played the jock boyfriend, Van Montgomery, of Reba’s eldest daughter. He left Reba after playing Van for six years, which gave him the opportunity to transition into film work. Some of his roles include Bride Wars and Stan Helsing. While he was portraying Kevin, he was also appearing on SEAL Team.

Just because a character wasn’t introduced to audiences from the very beginning doesn’t mean that they won’t become an integral cog in the machine, which is exactly what happened with Kassidi. Sami Hanratty has fearlessly taken on the vibrant character, who has become an audience favorite given her often dramatic stunts. Her rollercoaster relationship with Carl is nothing short of thrilling, because it’s hard to know what Kassidi will come up with next, but it’s always something big.

Before being cast on Shameless, Sammi was already an experienced television actress, having had roles on the show Charmed and the teen comedy, Drake & Josh. Sammi was lucky to have been given a chance to appear in various kids shows, receiving her first notable role in the hit Disney series, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. Hanratty wasn’t limited to children’s television as a youngster, as she also made appearances in Pushing Daisies, Salem, The Unit, and The Vampire Diaries.

When Emma Kenney first began playing Debbie Gallagher, one of the youngest Gallagher children, she was only a preteen. Kenney brings a relatable air to the sweet natured Debbie, who always believes that her family’s situation has the potential to improve, even if all of the evidence points to the contrary. Debbie’s optimism has caused her to get taken advantage of more than once, which eventually led to her becoming a teen mom, with no help from the father of her child.

Emma Kenney’s career began at a young age, as she found work in commercials, while living with her parents in her home state of New Jersey. Some of the advertisements she was featured in included a big campaign for Scholastic Books. Her career opportunities expanded again when she was nine years old, culminating in being cast as Debbie Gallagher at 12. Though she is only 18, Emma Kenney’s career prospects continue to look bright, as she was cast on the new version of Roseanne.

There are many personalities throughout the cast of Shameless who face their fair share of struggles, and that proves true for Ian Gallagher as well. Ian often finds himself making impulsive decisions, like dropping out of high school in order to join the military. Ian often struggles with having Bipolar Disorder, which he has yet to come to turns with, even though his manic behavior places him in increasingly precarious situations. Even so, Ian often means well.

Cameron has spent most of his life in front of the camera, given that he began modeling when he was barely out of diapers. Monaghan received his first acting role by the time he was seven years old, with background roles in TV and movies. He gained more exposure for his talent when he was cast as Chad on Malcolm in the Middle. Though it wasn’t a particularly noteworthy role, it proved to be a springboard, as Monaghan found himself starring in The Giver.

Though his real name might be Jimmy, this character is definitely a Jack of all trades, fitting because Jack was one of the two fake names he often used. Jimmy may have given the appearance of someone who was competent and had his life together, but in reality he was hiding a big secret. His deception became clear when his wife’s father went after him for being unfaithful to his daughter, which was the end of Jimmy’s attempted romance with Fiona.

Justin Chatwin first hit the small screen when he appeared in the first episode of the hit drama, Smallville. Before being cast in Shameless, Chatwin was staying afloat with supporting roles in several well known television series, including Lost and Weeds. His big film break was in Taken, but it was Shameless that helped Chatwin gain a true fanbase. He might have left the show, but his career is ready to kick into high gear with his roles on Orphan Black and American Gothic.

From the get go, it was clear that the Milkovich family was often up to no good. Mickey Milkovich thoroughly earned his reputation as a criminal before the start of the series. Mickey is up to no good throughout most of the series, which even includes a stint in prison. Despite his rough demeanor, there’s a softer side to Mickey, who begins a secret romance with Ian, which is thrown off when he has an affair with Svetlana that resulted in a child.

Audiences may think of Shameless as Noel’s biggest acting role, but the truth is he played a big part in the final Twilight movie. Before that, he was also in the live action film adaptations of the hit children’s show, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in which he played Michaelangelo. Fisher’s run on Shameless may have come to an end in 2016, but he’s continued to keep busy, starring in the 2017 TV mini series, The Long Road Home.

Karen Jackson knows how to use her understated beauty in order to get what she wants in life. Karen is often depicted as manipulative, as she is constantly scheming. Even when they realize what she’s doing, the other people in her life, especially Lip, find it hard to break out of her orbit. Karen is only changed after a serious car accident, which left her with a significant amount of brain damage. In the aftermath, Karen appears to become a completely different person.

As popular as the character of Karen Jackson may be, the actress behind her, Laura Wiggins had never been on TV before she was cast in Shameless. Of course, that doesn’t mean Wiggins was a stranger to being a performer. She began her career as a singer songwriter, who released her first EP, Clementine, in 2012. It’s clear from her talent that Shameless is just a starting point for her. She’s already been seen in The Tomorrow People, as well as the movie Rings.

Phillip ‘Lip’ Gallagher may be the most academically promising of the entire family, but he doesn’t always use his intelligence for good. Lip has often been caught planning elaborate schemes in order to earn money to give to the family. While he doesn’t really take part in activities that might cause harm to others, getting paid to take tests in someone’s place definitely isn’t the best idea. For all his intelligence, however, Lip tends to struggle romantically.

Jeremy Allen White had been hanging around Hollywood for quite a while before he finally earned a starring role on Shameless. He got his start in 2006 with a role in a singular episode of the show Conviction. Like many other up and coming actors, White was soon cast in two episodes of Law & Order, which began leading to movie roles. Shortly before beginning Shameless, he acted in Afterschool and Twelve. In addition to his TV work, Jeremy will also appear in the movie, Shotgun.

In order to spice up Lip’s love life, the producers of Shameless brought on an appropriate match for the young intellectual. Amanda was initially unimpressed by the challenge that Lip posed to her intellectual abilities, but in time, the two began to appreciate each other and got involved romantically. Amanda’s parents, however, were less than thrilled about the match and tried to bribe Lip to end things. He takes the money, but continues seeing Amanda, until she dumps him for being unfaithful.

Amazingly, Nichole’s supportive family was happy to bring their daughter to Los Angeles in order to pursue an acting career when she was only 14 years old. Bloom starred in a short film, Every Day, which proved to be a catalyst for her onscreen career. Afterwards, she found herself booking spots on high profile series like Grey’s Anatomy and Teen Wolf. Since her arc ended on Shameless, Bloom has been acting in the TV show Superstore.

Jackie Scabello might not have been on the show for very long, but she certainly had a big impact. Portrayed by Alessandra Balazs, Scabello managed to worm her way into the middle of Fiona’s love life ultimately causing her engagement to fall through. As Fiona prepared to share her happy news with the family, Jackie died from consuming too many harmful substances, which threw all of Fiona’s plans into disarray. Balazs’s time on the show might have been short, but it was certainly memorable.

From her very first Hollywood acting job in 2008, it was clear that Alessandra Balasz had talent. Her television debut was in the movie Racing for Time, in which she easily impressed. Some of her other more noteworthy credits include New Amsterdam and After Lately. Balasz has worked with some big names in her short career, which include Greenberg, which was directed by Noah Baumbach and starred Ben Stiller alongside Greta Gerwig. The stunning Balasz also dabbles in modeling.

There’s a reason you should often keep yourself at arms length from clients, especially when you’re their landlord. As Fiona would discover, befriending a tenant who was already causing trouble would only make it harder to ultimately kick them out, which she had to do with Nessa Chabon. Evicting Nessa and her girlfriend becomes a big headache for sympathetic Fiona, but in order to protect her own interests, it had to be done. Nessa was still a memorable Season 8 character, despite her short arc.

Jessica Szohr made her name on the teen drama, Gossip Girl, on which she played Vanessa Abrams. Szohr didn’t chart a direct path from Gossip Girl to Shameless, however. In the interim, she appeared in the hilarious comedy film, Ted 2, where she played Allison, in addition to the film Two Night Stand. The same year, she appeared in several episodes of the TV show Complications. These days, she’s continued earning herself distinguished roles, given that she’s been cast in the Twin Peaks reboot.

Monica Gallagher is just an integral part of the family, even if she’s divorced Frank. Complicating her relationships is her diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, which Chloe Webb has managed to convey realistically. Monica has many regrets about how she relates to the rest of the family, but she often finds that she is her own worst enemy. Monica often finds herself dealing with severe medical issues throughout the course of the series, both psychological and neurological.

Chloe Webb has been a Hollywood mainstay for many years. Prior to being cast in Shameless, Chloe Webb was most closely associate with her portrayal of Nancy Spungen in the film, Sid and Nancy. Her work in the movie helped her to continued booking roles in a number of well regarded TV series, including House, M.D. and Two and a Half Men. Webb wasn’t always interested in acting, however, as she first became interested in performance through music.