Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel

[refreeman]

Has anyone else watch Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel? Its definitely more extreme than hiking the AT.

In each episode of Man vs. Wild, adventurer Bear Grylls strands himself in popular wilderness destinations where tourists often find themselves lost or in danger. Once there he finds his way back to civilization, demonstrating local survival techniques along the way.

I like this show. At first I thought it would be a bunch of staged tripe. Unexpectedly, the show appears as genuine as a TV show could be considering the subject. The information although not in-depth is very useful and definitely can save a lost person's life. And of course its very entertaining to see Bear Grylls eat a snake while it is alive or shoot the rapids on a class IV section of river while floating on a pile of logs. Great show check it out.

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/manvswild/manvswild.html

[expenditioner]

Good show..entertaining

[Creek Dancer]

I believe some of it is staged. HIs clothes and body are much too clean at a time when they should be really dirty. And he does some really stupid things, IMO. Like climbing down the middle of a 100 foot water fall. Having said that, I like the show. I find some of the survival techniques interesting. Some of them I don't think I could ever try, like drinking water out of elephant dung.

[RuffianPoet]

There is also a show called "Survivorman" on Discovery channel, which, IMO, has much more useful tips. Whereas Bear Grylls is somewhat of an elite athlete (British special forces, climbed Everest, yadda, yadda, yadda), Les Stroud is much more of an "everyman". Bear Grylls focuses more on GETTING OUT of the wilderness while Les Stroud focuses his attention on actually surviving until rescue. Both shows are interesting and fairly educational.

[Smudge]

I like Les Stroud better. Man vs. Wild takes some stupid risks that I don't think anyone should take without a full crew and LOTS of experience. Stroud's show, Survivorman, is more realistic IMO...

[Smudge]

Haha... Beat me to it...

[briarpatch]

I like Les Stroud better. Man vs. Wild takes some stupid risks that I don't think anyone should take without a full crew and LOTS of experience. Stroud's show, Survivorman, is more realistic IMO...

And Les films the episodes himself, with no crew. This means multiple trips to film segments, since he has to go back for the camera equipment. It is much more realistic and a better display of what should happen to someone caught in a survival situation.

[hammock engineer]

I watch both, but another vote for Survivorman. I think when put into a survival situation you should refrain from doing things that could easily get you hurt. I think 60% of the stuff Man Vs Wild guy does falls into that. Still entertaining though.

[hammock engineer]

And Les films the episodes himself, with no crew. This means multiple trips to film segments, since he has to go back for the camera equipment. It is much more realistic and a better display of what should happen to someone caught in a survival situation.

Yeah add in 50 lbs of camera gear and it changes a lot. Plus take away the security blanket of a crew with you.

[redtail]

Man vs. Wild is like a Crocodile Hunter version of Survivorman. Entertaining but seems contrived to me.

[Darwin again]

Lone Wolf picks pieces of Bear Grills out of his stool.

[ozt42]

I like the show but at least three times per episode I have to turn to my kids and say, "That was really stupid, If you ever do that you deserve to get your ass killed." like climbing up a waterfall, jumping into a river of unknown depth from a high cliff, scree sliding straight down a loose slope, paddling an aluminum boat into sea ice... the list goes on.

[kyhipo]

I like it better than survivor man,but their both pretty entertaining to me.ky

[Kerosene]

Another vote for Survivorman...

[SouthMark]

Discovered Bear Grills the other morning on a show (listed as a documentary) about six week training course for the foreign legion. He was one of the recruits. What gives?

[sirbingo]

Which one was the guy that practiced throwing a stick at a tree stump a few times and then when out hunting rabits...and holy smokes! :eek: the guy nailed a rabbit and ate it!

If I cold get that good at throwing tree branches I would not have to hike in all of that dried oatmeal and Ramin noodles.

[Miu]

I like the show but at least three times per episode I have to turn to my kids and say, "That was really stupid, If you ever do that you deserve to get your ass killed." like climbing up a waterfall, jumping into a river of unknown depth from a high cliff, scree sliding straight down a loose slope, paddling an aluminum boat into sea ice... the list goes on.
Those types of mistakes are what make the show so entertaining...I thought it was hilarious when Bear Grylls tried to row across the glacier-ridden inlet and the boat started sinking and he had to swim. Priceless. At best, he gives the viewer examples of what not to do :)

[RockStar]

I'v said it before and I'll say it again... I want to see one of them survive AND have an injured person with them...or whiny girlfriend. *thumbs up

[Wolf - 23000]

All he is doing is just looking for attention. Most of what he does is really not that hard but he tries to make it seem harder than what it really is.

Wolf

[Carbo]

Survivorman gets my vote.
I would like one episode to show "behind the scenes". You know with an actual crew showing how he holds the camera gear to film himself, and some discussion on what would happen if he really got in trouble. Is there a contingency plan if his life is really on the line?

While we're on the topic I would like to see the same for "Cash Cab".

[redtail]

Survivorman gets my vote.
I would like one episode to show "behind the scenes".

There was an episode that did just that I saw a while ago. And I believe it was actually titled "Behind the Scenes" too. :)

[Carbo]

Thanks redtail, I'll have to check the listings. I really want to see that.

An interesting twist might be an episode where they drop him off in a metropolitan area (NYC) without money and see how he survives.

[unl1988]

Both are very entertaining, Man V. Wild is staged, and supported, but I like watching it and saying "Shouldn't have done that . . . . don't drink that unboiled water . . . " and then seeing him retching up the contents of his stomach in the next few minutes.

Kind of wonder how Chuck Norris would do in those situations . . . .

[Jersey Bob]

An interesting twist might be an episode where they drop him off in a metropolitan area (NYC) without money and see how he survives.

We would never actually "see" that episode. His camera equipment would get stolen.

[ozt42]

Nah, the survival technique is to pawn the $8,000 dv camera for a thousand bucks buy a chepo camcorder and a few blank tapes for a couple hundred and hole up in a cheap hotel next to an AYCE.

[Jersey Bob]

Let's see.. yeah for $8,000 you probably could survive in NYC for about 5 days.

[Jersey Bob]

But for $1000 don't think so.

[RiverWarriorPJ]

<~~Watchin "Survivorman" 4 the 1st time right now as i type.....NoT Too BaD..

[Ewker]

The new season of Man vs Wild starts tonight

[josiblue]

i like bear gryllis, mostly cause his name is bear gryllis, and i think they are getting better at taking the advantage away from bear, in the first episodes he would raid his parachute pack for useful items like paracord, which he used for rapelling!!, but the latter ones he would leave the whole pack. of course they are staged, both of them, somewhat, they aren't going to show a man die, but i heard that in the next season bear almost doesn't make it and has to get rescued in one episode, so looking forward to that... also, i don't really think matters who is pitching the reds still have worst record in baseball and will untill we get some middle-relief, but what was the question?
~josi

"arrows of neon and flashing marquees down on main street"

[hammock engineer]

i like bear gryllis, mostly cause his name is bear gryllis, and i think they are getting better at taking the advantage away from bear, in the first episodes he would raid his parachute pack for useful items like paracord, which he used for rapelling!!, but the latter ones he would leave the whole pack. of course they are staged, both of them, somewhat, they aren't going to show a man die, but i heard that in the next season bear almost doesn't make it and has to get rescued in one episode, so looking forward to that... also, i don't really think matters who is pitching the reds still have worst record in baseball and will untill we get some middle-relief, but what was the question?
~josi

"arrows of neon and flashing marquees down on main street"

Amen. I'll add that they need some direction, any. A plan is usually a good thing. There is an interesting article in the Cincy paper a couple days ago about getting rid of Dunn. I think people think his caliper of players are easy to come by.

[josiblue]

You don't sell the player that is putting runs on the board, that's not the problem, the problem is the insane number of blown saves and holds accumulated by the bull-pen this year.
~josi

[hammock engineer]

You don't sell the player that is putting runs on the board, that's not the problem, the problem is the insane number of blown saves and holds accumulated by the bull-pen this year.
~josi
Yup. The only game I made it to this year, the relief blow something like a 5 run lead late in the game. Here (http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070612/SPT04/306120062/) is the article I was talking about.

[Mike Bowman]

I like both shows, but for any of you survivalists out there, I had a question. In one episode, Bear comes across a deer killed in an avalanche. He states the flesh is rotting so he couldn't and shouldn't eat it. THEN he commences to picking the maggots that are feasting on the rotting flesh and he eats them. How is eating a maggot who is eating the rotting flesh any different from eating the rotting flesh?

Geez! Give me my Mountain House dinners anytime! And I'm not peeing on myself either!

[RiverWarriorPJ]

Geez! Give me my Mountain House dinners anytime! And I'm not peeing on myself either!
x
Only pee in your "wet suiit" Mike...:eek:

[ozt42]

In theory the maggots will digest any harmful bacteria thus turning it into more edible protien. In reality there are few things in a rotting carcass that will actually kill you (or even make you sick) that your own stomach acids wont render harmless.

[Dirtygaiters]

Which one was the guy that practiced throwing a stick at a tree stump a few times and then when out hunting rabits...and holy smokes! :eek: the guy nailed a rabbit and ate it!

If I cold get that good at throwing tree branches I would not have to hike in all of that dried oatmeal and Ramin noodles.


I'd like to think that he spent all day practicing, but most of it was cut because TV audiences don't want to see two hours of throwing a stick, walking to retrieve it, throwing it again, etc. I didn't get why he only made one stick though.


In general, I like to watch Man Vs Wild, but I don't like how it's billed as an educational/documentary show when so much of what Bear does is so completely stupid. Getting his only pair of clothes wet and wasting valuable daylight by making a raft, and floating down an unknown river and risking hypothermia and injury from rocks, for example. A couple times (actually both times he's been in bear country), he's cooked his food right at his campsite, once throwing the entrails of an animal into the fire. Entertaining to watch him go about everything, but overall, I do prefer Survivorman. At least his show is authentic, even if it can be a little boring. There's nothing too entertaining about survival.

[refreeman]

Tonight I saw Episode 1 of Season 2 of Man vs. Wild. They dropped Bear Grylls in the DEEP everglades wading around in the water. By the end of the first day he still didn’t find land. I lived in Florida for 8 years and I’ve been in the deep everglades. I’d NEVER do that, staged or not I am impressed. There were several intense moments that drew me in. I say this brings the show up a big notch. I really liked how he solved several of the problems he encountered. I hope the other episodes of this new season are this good. Bear Grylls is no Steve Irwin in alligator country; Irwin makes Grylls seem a little wimpy. However, if I put myself in Grylls shoes I’d be very happy if I handled the situations as well as he did.

Here’s the marketing blurb for the episode:
Host Bear Grylls gets stranded in the swamps of the Florida Everglades, where each year at least 60 tourists need to be rescued. With more than a million alligators, thousands of snakes and even black bears roaming these waterlogged lands, the area has more than its share of hazards. Bear demonstrates how to keep alligators at bay, deal with vicious razor-sharp grass, and find stomach-churning food that will keep you alive if you find yourself lost in this beautiful but dangerous destination.

[txbubba]

What a woos...Too young to have experenced Nam. He would not have made it .....

Just try the Sulpher and White Oak Creek river bottoms during high-water.

Good fishing.....but the mosies and snakes will drive most "thru- hikers" crazy.:)

[txbubba]

Oh........... by the way.............
I am 54... not 34....:)

[oldfivetango]

Last night as I was falling asleep Bear was making a "bed" in
a tree PLUS a little fireplace on one end that I thought was
way cool.But as I drifted off to sleep I was thinking "the mosquitoes
are really going to appreciate eating you warm and dry".I have a
brother who camped out one night in the glades without a tent and
the next morning he could hardly even open his eyes from the bites:D
How did Bear fare?Anybody?
Oldfivetango

[Hikerhead]

Soon after he got the fire going they put it out and they all went into the motor home for the night. The next morning he looked fine and then he jumped into a mud hole that came up his chest.

I liked it when he chomped down on that frog and swallowed it whole. I thought he was going to hurl.

[Kerosene]

Or how about squeezing moisture from fresh elephant dung? That was truly gross.

[Panzer1]

On tonights episode Utah's "Moab Desert" there is no water around and it is so hot that to stay cool he urinates on his shirt and then wraps it around his head to cool off.

Panzer

[Just Jeff]

I saw him piss into a cantene and drink it a few days ago. That's when my wife walked out of the room.

[soulshine26]

I love both this show and Survivorman. Both are entertaining, but I honestly don't think I'd try anything that either of these guys do unless I really thought I would otherwise die. I'd much rather stick to the AT, where there is a support system of fellow hikers to 'rescue' me. It's comforting to know that you probably won't go more than a couple of days on the trail without seeing someone.

Bear is like, the Crocodile Hunter reincarnated as a hiker. :D

[SteveJ]

I saw him piss into a cantene and drink it a few days ago. That's when my wife walked out of the room.

Yeah, I saw that episode, in the Australian desert, last night. That's when I changed channels!

[CoyoteWhips]

Avoiding hazards is a far underrated survival skill. It's the rare outdoorsman who is smart enough to survive a wilderness disaster, but dumb enough to walk into one. The rest is luck.

[txulrich]

That's why I don't care for Man vs. Wild. He does some really stupid stuff INTENTIONALLY that you should not do if you were in a similar situation.

[jesse]

In one episode, Bear comes across a deer killed in an avalanche. He states the flesh is rotting so he couldn't and shouldn't eat it. THEN he commences to picking the maggots that are feasting on the rotting flesh and he eats them.

I liked what he said as he was eating the maggots from the rotting animal, "I don't eat the heads, the're really gross."

[refreeman]

Bear Grylls’ solutions to the various survival problems he encounters appear to be selected for sensation value. Moreover, at times Bear seems to maximize risk rater than minimize risk, which reduces the practical application of his advice. However, the key lesson that the person able to go far beyond normal behavior when faced with life threatening survival problems will be the one to survive is perfectly illustrated. Eating spiders and drinking piss are things I never want to do, but if I had to I am more likely to now that that I’ve seen Bear do it. Yes the show isn’t perfect, but I do hope it is super successful so other shows like it are encouraged to be produced. Maybe one more realistic that Man vs Wild and even better than Survivorman.

[Wanderingson]

Ok I'll weigh in here:

Considering I don't know anything about wilderness survival--he he.

Ok picture this for a moment. Bear Gylls does not project the type of survival skills I would teach folks. First and foremost, many folks will drawn on his wilderness "survival entertainment as being gospel. His primary message is the every year, people with litle or no wilderness experience will find themselves in a survival situation. With that being said, why would someone even think about teaching some of the risky skills he projects on his shows? I do admit it is rather entertaining, but I had to chuckle about his African Savanah episode on multiple occasions. One part that really sttod out to me was his "Scree Running" down the volcanic slope. I guided mountain trips in the volcanic mountains of Northern Japan, and I would have slapped the snot out of anyone on my trips who attempted his style of scree running. He even crashed and burned at least once on camera. plenty of vegetation for a staff to stablize him on his heroic scree run, but let's not teach folks some of the basic stuff like how to avoid injuring yourself on loose, unstable volcanic scree. Gee, let's see now, if I snap an ankle on the way down, that would help my survival odds tremendously.

I could go on for ever about some of his reckless antics, but I'll keep it short.

I find that Les Stroud, on the otherhand thends to add a little more common sense to his approach and does put risky behaior at the top of his list. I've even picked up a few tips from him along the way and I thought I knew a few things about surviving in the wild. I'll have to admit that I've never seen Les piss on his scarf or squeeze liquid out of elephant dung, but I have learned a few tips from him.

Man vs Wild--action entertainment
Survivorman--educational entertainment

[SouthMark]

Bear Grylls’ solutions to the various survival problems he encounters appear to be selected for sensation value. Moreover, at times Bear seems to maximize risk rater than minimize risk, which reduces the practical application of his advice. However, the key lesson that the person able to go far beyond normal behavior when faced with life threatening survival problems will be the one to survive is perfectly illustrated. Eating spiders and drinking piss are things I never want to do, but if I had to I am more likely to now that that I’ve seen Bear do it. Yes the show isn’t perfect, but I do hope it is super successful so other shows like it are encouraged to be produced. Maybe one more realistic that Man vs Wild and even better than Survivorman.

Well said. Sure some of the things he does seem gross from the comfort of a recliner in your a/c home but the name of the game is survival not gormet dining on the food network. As for the use of urine, it has been used for sterilizing medical instruments, treating wounds against infection, and cancer treatment. The medical community has already been aware of urine's astounding efficacy for decades. So sometimes things only appear stupid to the uninformed

[Lilred]

Well said. Sure some of the things he does seem gross from the comfort of a recliner in your a/c home but the name of the game is survival not gormet dining on the food network. As for the use of urine, it has been used for sterilizing medical instruments, treating wounds against infection, and cancer treatment. The medical community has already been aware of urine's astounding efficacy for decades. So sometimes things only appear stupid to the uninformed

Urine is also good for man-o-war stings. Takes the pain right away.

[Panzer1]

"Man vs Wild" is about as relastic as professional wrestling. But wait.. I do watch professional wrestling. :p

Panzer

[gold bond]

You want to see Bear use his survival skills?

I want to see the episode where he tells his wife that he won't eat what she has cooked for supper because it doesen't look right!!

That would be a good one!

[Panzer1]

I wouldn't be supprised if she served him maggots for dinner..

yummmmmm....

Panzer

[leeki pole]

Yep, and the "expert" ate a raw bird egg on the last episode, out of the nest. My wife's a RN and all she said was, salmonella. Dumb.:rolleyes:

[saimyoji]

Urine is also good for man-o-war stings. Takes the pain right away.


And what a horrible pain it is....:eek:

[oops56]

Some of its good but bull s-- on 5 days to get out. Does that mean if i get lost i will get out in 5 days:-? So. just make camp sit for 4 days and you be out by next morning right.

[Panzer1]

Tonight they are running the one where he pees into a canteen and then drinks it. as he drinks it, it was dripping down his chin and he then wipes his chin off on his shirt sleeve. ugggggg...

He repeats this several times.....

If you were dying of thirst and he offered you a drink out of his canteen would you accept??

Panzer

[Panzer1]

Later in the day it rains and he refills his canteen. They didn't show him rinsing it out though.

Couldn't he just have waited for the rain.

Panzer

[Jim Adams]

entertaining buy proves Darwin's theories every week.

geek

[Martigan]

Paddline the boat out into a sea of ice was the dumbest thing I have ever seen. Noone should ever do that. He obviously was counting on his film crew who were obviously in a boat when HIS boat sank and he was swimming for it. Survivorman does things that add to his chances of survival.


I like the show but at least three times per episode I have to turn to my kids and say, "That was really stupid, If you ever do that you deserve to get your ass killed." like climbing up a waterfall, jumping into a river of unknown depth from a high cliff, scree sliding straight down a loose slope, paddling an aluminum boat into sea ice... the list goes on.

[OrionTheRanger]

My vote is for Survivorman. He is much more relatable. If im lost in the wild I cant expect to do stuff that a former Britsh soldier who climbed Mt. Everest did. Im gonna listen to the Canadian familyman who took alot of classes on survival and manages to do his shows without a camera crew.

[Fiddleback]

DARN!! First I find out that the Munsters weren't a real family and now I find out that ol' whathisname has been faking it on "Man vs Wild." Not that I thought the situations were realistic anyways... http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN2439321520070724

Repeat episodes to be 'edited' and Discovery Channel promises transparency...

FB

[refreeman]

DARN!! First I find out that the Munsters weren't a real family and now I find out that ol' whathisname has been faking it on "Man vs Wild." Not that I thought the situations were realistic anyways... http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN2439321520070724

Repeat episodes to be 'edited' and Discovery Channel promises transparency...

FB

Excellent post Fiddleback, this might just be perfect. If the Man vs Wild looses face, but The Discovery Channel still likes this type of show, we might get a REAL survivalist show.

No jumping off cliffs into unknown water, white water rafting with no raft in ice cold water, scree running, extreme climbing up/down waterfalls, etc...

I want to see people being smart, not foolish, survivng because they have a brain and use it.

[Barman]

From the National Park Service Morning Report on July 23........

Kenai Fjords National Park (AK)
Commercial Filming Violation Involving Discovery Channel

On July 16th, park resource management specialist Mike Tetreau, currently an intermittent employee working with a private firm conducting follow-up studies related to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill along the park coastline, found an apparent commercial filming production in Taroka Arm, a seldom-visited area along the park's southern coast. In addition to the campsite "set" itself, a nearby support crew camp was located near a sensitive archaeological site. Ranger Sean Brennan, currently on detail as a criminal investigator assignment with the NPS Investigative Services Branch, flew to the site by chartered float plane the following day with Tetreau and contacted Les Stroud, also known as the "Survivorman", who has a show by the same name currently running on the Discovery Channel. Stroud, with a crew of four at the nearby camp, was apparently filming an upcoming episode of the show in the park, with a driftwood shelter constructed on the beach and multiple cameras surrounding it. Stroud was cited for commercial filming without a permit, and given the opportunity to obtain a permit. Stroud paid the required application, location and monitoring fees, totaling approximately $2,800, which will allow the park to recover most of the cost of the investigation. [Submitted by Jim Ireland, Chief of Interpretation & Visitor Services/Chief Ranger]

[refreeman]

Les Stroud how could you :( A nearby support crew camp? Les Stroud and Bear Grylls debunked in the same week. How will we ever survive?

[Questtrek]

Survivorman has my 2 cents... even if he does have a support camp near by. He still doesn'tdo as many crazy things. I do watch both and Les, gets my vote. :)

[Wise Old Owl]

Man VS Wild is clearly staged. He breaks many rules in the wild. But I have to back up my statements. Look at the details of the show. Let's Pick the recent Alaska Trip. He comes upon the unused home next to the bay. He walks back to the dock and there is a aluminum row boat that he "discovers" He goes and gets a shovel for a paddle. And as he lifts the boat there is grass growing a mile high under the boat. Later he hits too many "ice berges" and sinks the same boat that has built in pontoons in the seat, 15 feet from shore. Hype o thermia anyone? My vote - Survivor Man

[Lyle]

The most daunting hardship in a real survival situation is maintaining your positive attitude and not giving in to panic. How could you possibly face that on this show surrounded by a film crew, sound techs, producers, logistics crew, etc.

They eliminate the real issue in most any survival situation.

[berninbush]

I think how much you enjoy the shows depends somewhat on what you expect of them. If you're expecting that the folks really are surviving as depicted, completely unassisted by the camera crew ten feet away, with nothing altered off screen.... I think you're in for disillusionment. If you're looking at it as a semi-staged dramatization of survival techniques, it can be pretty entertaining. Of course, as has been noted, the techniques shown may not be the best.....

[Egads]

What, Man vs. Wild is faked?:eek:

Who would have thunk it?:confused:

Can't even trust the Discovery Channel.:(

I wish I had a reason to use the dancing Bananas emoticon. Oh yea, there is always Survivorman.:banana

[Dances with Mice]

Man VS Wild is clearly staged.

They're changing the name of the show. Next season it will be Man vs. Room Service. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/07242007/news/nationalnews/grylls_thrills_bogus__expert_nationalnews_don_kapl an.htm)

But I can tell you, some of those hotels can be rough! Just try getting a valet to come to your room between 8 and 9 am. Good luck!

And have you ever eaten room service eggs for breakfast? Or tried to get an extra sugar packet for the in-room coffee maker?! Or tried to figure out how to turn on a bedside lamp in the dark?

And discovering the room has a clock radio when it goes off at 4:30 am is no picnic either.

[Just Jeff]

And have you ever eaten room service eggs for breakfast?

No, but one time I ordered Eggs Benedict and they called back to say they were out of hollandaise sauce! And I had already primed by taste buds for the whole experience. Talk about trying to figure out the psychological aspect of survivalism on the fly...that was a rough morning.

[Dances with Mice]

Talk about trying to figure out the psychological aspect of survivalism on the fly...that was a rough morning. I feel for you brother. It happened once to me but my therapist told me not to talk about it anymore. We were making good progress in controlling my murderous impulse rage issues until you brought that up.

I hope nobody mentions anything about parking garage valets. That could set me off. Again.

How about asking the maid what time the breakfast buffet closes then discovering that "Room Service" is her total English vocabulary? Simple walks in the rain forest or swims through flash flood canyons are nothing compared to hotel survival.

[Skidsteer]

...And discovering the room has a clock radio when it goes off at 4:30 am is no picnic either.

And always the same song;

Sonny and Cher's "I got you Babe".

[Gray Blazer]

And always the same song;

Sonny and Cher's "I got you Babe".
You groundhog you! Bear Grylls was going to "survive" the AT but when he parachuted in, too many people were giving him snickers and beer!:rolleyes: :banana

[DaSchwartz]

From Wikipedia for Man Vs Wild

There are several instances in which Bear has obtained the assistance of the cast/crewmembers or other outside sources, which are inconsistent with his assertion that the crew has been instructed to abstain from helping him unless he is in a dire situation.

Grylls admitted wearing a flotation device (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flotation_device) in the pilot episode to ride down a river, specifically for a staged shot. It should be noted that he was displeased with the decision, which came from Discovery producers, and has since been able to avoid the use of such devices.[2] (http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/manvswild/chat/transcript_06.html)
The director of the Desert Island episode, Graham Strong, noted that a diver was at hand to check for sharks while Bear was adrift. Also in the Copper Canyon, Mexico episode, director Scott Tankard says that the local indian tribe, the Rarámuri (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rar%C3%A1muri&action=edit) indians, acted as their guides throughout the filming.[3] (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article1457406.ece).
According to the survival consultant for the show's Sierra Nevada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Nevada_%28U.S.%29) and Desert Island episodes, Mark Wienart of Lifesong Adventures, the wild horses in the Sierra Nevada episode were domesticated horses shipped from Nevada. [4] (http://www.lifesongadventures.com/newsletter/?p=44) Wienart also writes in his blog that he was hired to build the raft Bear used in the Desert Island episode. The raft was bound together primarily from rope, he says, not natural cordage--------

In the Alaska episode, the upside down boat he found was just placed there. Proof is the tall grass that was growing underneath it that was the same height and type as the grass outside the boat. It was just placed there. In the same episode, he is using a pre-placed rope to down the waterfall.

In the Scottish episode, he says it was 10 below zero F but it was raining

Also a very interesting article on BBC exposing him staying in hotels during his shows.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6911748.stm

No one recommends drinking pee to survive.

[DaSchwartz]

Do a search on Bear Grylls at news.google.com

Looks like he is being ripped apart by the British press
http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN2934925920070730

The chasing bear scene in Colorado... man in the bear suit..
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article2170355.ece

Channel 4 confirmed Bear checked in to hotels on several occasions.

In another episode of Born Survivor, he was shown in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range biting off a snake's head for breakfast and claiming to have just water and flints for survival.

More....

It has been revealed that he was actually staying in a lodge with internet access and that the “roughing it” part referred to a lack of room service.

[johnny quest]

so i noticed my dvr taped 4 "new" man vs. wild shows. it is setup to only tape new shows and i found it odd that there were 4 in one night. sure enough, they were all listed as new. but as i sat down to watcht the first one i noticed i had seen it. but....it was different. now there is a more indepth written disclaimer at the beginning AND they have inserted monologue that didnt used to be there. for example "im not going to stay here over night but i will show you what i could do to keep myself warm." and "my traps didnt catch anything but ive brought a rabbit to show how i would prepare it."
guess this is their fix. just noticing it.

[Ewker]

I caught the tail end of that show and noticed it was different than his others.

[musicwoman]

Yeah, it turns out that while Bear shows potential ways to survive in the wilderness (some bordering on idiocy, some surpassing it), he isn't really roughing it.

I love watching Les Stroud. The man goes it alone w/ 50 lbs of camera equipment, and he has many more useful and realistic tips as far as surviving.

I am not sure if anyone answered a question earlier on the thread that concerned his being rescued in the event of emergency. He carries a radio w/ him should anything truly life threatening occur. I believe he used it in at least 1 episode to bail out early (severe dehyration/heat exhaustion bordering on heat stroke was the reason if I remember correctly). Love that show!!

[Ewker]

I love watching Les Stroud. The man goes it alone w/ 50 lbs of camera equipment, and he has many more useful and realistic tips as far as surviving.

I am not sure if anyone answered a question earlier on the thread that concerned his being rescued in the event of emergency. He carries a radio w/ him should anything truly life threatening occur. I believe he used it in at least 1 episode to bail out early (severe dehyration/heat exhaustion bordering on heat stroke was the reason if I remember correctly). Love that show!!

his Behind The Scenes show was good. Problem is, how many of us can spend a week or longer learning from the folks who live in that area how to survive alone.

He and his crew had to bail on the Labrador show due to the ocean ice melting

[musicwoman]

Yeah, I didn't realize that he spends a fair amount of time learning from the locals before he ventures out until I saw the Behind the Scenes show. I have to admire that he is open and honest about it though. And in the end, he really does go it alone...

Unlike Bear Gryllis, who had to get busted before he admitted he wasn't really roughing it at all. That episode where he "tamed" a wild mustang in the Sierra Nevadas (I think) was really over the top. I knew then that something wasn't quite real about it.

[Ewker]

Yeah, I didn't realize that he spends a fair amount of time learning from the locals before he ventures out until I saw the Behind the Scenes show. I have to admire that he is open and honest about it though. And in the end, he really does go it alone...


I agree with you there. All in all still a good show. Plus each show he has a new gadget to play with

[johnny quest]

i would like to see les' response if someone told him he had to skin a rotten stag and wear its stinking fur to keep warm. not saying he wouldnt do it but it would be fun to watch him complain. i loved when les stole the crap covered dog's food.