Man vs Wild under investigation
posted at 8:33 am on July 28, 2007 by Bryan
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Does this room have free wi-fi?
Discovery Channel is re-evaluating one of its most popular series, “Man vs. Wild,” after allegations surfaced that its survival-expert host was bunking in motels when he was supposed to be braving the great outdoors.
The network issued a statement Monday in response to an investigation launched by British television network Channel 4, which carries the program under the title “Born Survivor: Bear Grylls.” Channel 4 confirmed that host Bear Grylls had partaken of indoor accommodations on at least two occasions when his series had depicted him spending the night in the wild.
“Discovery Communications has learned that isolated elements of the ‘Man vs. Wild’ show in some episodes were not natural to the environment, and that for health and safety concerns the crew and host received some survival assistance while in the field,” the network said in a statement.
If the accusations are true, they received more than a little survival assistance.
But among the charges made against Grylls is that a raft he is depicted as having built himself actually was constructed and then disassembled by consultants to the show in order for the host to put it together. In another episode, Grylls happens upon what are referred to as wild horses that were said to be brought in from a trekking station.
Was the “trekking station” a Hilton or just a Holiday Inn?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages:
I don’t care if he did stay in a hotel………the guy will eat anything!
He’d be a hands down winner on “Fear Factor”.
Talon on July 28, 2007 at 8:37 AM
To judge from the photo, he didn’t get his Sheath Knife merit badge in the Cub Scouts.
Does he still have all his fingers?
/I have a fews scars, but mine all still present and accounted for.
cheers
eon
eon on July 28, 2007 at 8:49 AM
I enjoy watching Bear with my son. The locations are beautiful (usually) and he’s always teaching useful survival tips for the average weekend warrior.
I’ve always suspected it was a bit stagged (and I bet most people do since he has a crew with him) but that does not affect the shows value. After all, this is not Rosie Ruiz scamming the Boston Marathon here. This is a TV show that the whole family can watch together and actually learn something while being entertained. Hence, it is a net benefit to society and therefore must be destroyed.
TheBigOldDog on July 28, 2007 at 8:54 AM
Agreed. It’s a great show–we watch it all the time. If they put a disclaimer on it stating that it’s not all entirely, perfectly real, they’ll be fine.
Bryan on July 28, 2007 at 8:57 AM
I was just thinking about the show this morning… there have been so many times where he’s found himself in a seemingly impossible situation and somehow the camera is always right there. They must have an incredible crew with him and they have to have some serious equipment. I had always assumed that he was getting some assistance off camera but it doesn’t make the show any less great.
MT on July 28, 2007 at 9:03 AM
So true, it’s one of only two “shows” that I watch. (the other being American football)
The moment I know it was fishy (pardon the pun) was the episode when he escapes from the deserted island. The night before he pushes off an empty milk container just happens to wash up in the dangerous surf.
My BS detector went to 11.
12thman on July 28, 2007 at 9:08 AM
Bryan, I bet you assumed it was a bit stagged. After all, he has a crew with him. They aren’t all eating termites or jumping off a cliff into the river (especially with all the equipment). That’s how they knew to go after him I bet – it’s basically understood by the adults in the audience. So it’s like stating a fact everybody knows but isn’t written down anywhere (think location of the Mess Hall in a Few Good Men).
TheBigOldDog on July 28, 2007 at 9:13 AM
Bryan, why are you trying to make me cry? Don’t burst my bubbles man. If you have any more news to break, like that Jaime and Adam on Mythbusters aren’t bona fide special effects “experts”, keep it to yourself. I’ve had enough trauma for one morning.
But, in all seriousness, for Man vs. Wild, is strained believability that many of the things portrayed were spontaneous and “authentic”. It’s a show, and deep down everyone knew that. And frankly, I don’t care. It’s entertaining, it’s educational, and it’s useful (if I ever find myself unexpectedly parachuting out of a plane over the Rockies with flint, a canteen, and a knife strapped to my body.)
My favorite unreal moments: 1) Coming upon and attempting to ride a “wild” horse in the Sierra Nevadas. Having camped in those mountains more times than I can count never having even seen a wild horse, I laughed when watching. It didn’t stop me from rooting for him to mount that sucker, though.
2) Coming across a newly deceased sheep just off an Iceland glacier. A little too conveniently placed and conveniently timed for me.
3) Catching a bird in Iceland from one of 3 shoelace snares a short time after setting them. My implausibility alarm first sounded when Bear produced three shoe laces. But, you know, he WAS in the British special forces, so who am I to question?
mjgreco on July 28, 2007 at 9:14 AM
I’m not going anywhere near Mythbusters, man. That’s the best show on Discovery (with Man vs Wild a close second), and they really do know how to blow stuff up.
Bryan on July 28, 2007 at 9:17 AM
As a product of the Air Force, I’m not one to criticize. My idea of roughing it is a hotel without cable TV.
flipflop on July 28, 2007 at 9:19 AM
Watch Survivorman just one time and Man vs Wild will never satsify again. Les has no crew. He carries his own cameras and usually eats nothing for days.
Survivorman = Real, one mans adventure.
Man vs Wild = Production, best effort of star and staff.
Oh… and I’m shocked that a TV show could be faked. Shocked I say.
TunaTalon on July 28, 2007 at 9:26 AM
Are you the “Man vs. Wild” guy ?
No, But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last Night.
: )
Texyank on July 28, 2007 at 9:28 AM
I prefer Survivorman myself. He’s left out there by himself and runs the cameras and everything. I haven’t seen anything to make me suspect his show is faking anything. I’m sure he has a way to contact someone if he gets in over his head, but the show seems a bit more realistic than Man vs. Wild.
Kowboy on July 28, 2007 at 9:30 AM
Survivor man, new season August 10 on discovery, is so much better. Les does not do as much extreme things as Bear but Les really does have to survive for a week.
Complete7 on July 28, 2007 at 9:30 AM
flipflop
I’m with you on that one. Having suffered through the survival school at Fairchild AFB I was a lot happier in the places my crewmates and I stayed after I graduated. Nothing like staying in the Hilton when most others are roughing it in the field.
KC-135A on July 28, 2007 at 9:32 AM
Prediction: Survivorman disappears while out filming a show. Ten years later, some video tapes of the Blair Witch Project variety are discovered, making for an awesome feature-length film.
flipflop on July 28, 2007 at 9:33 AM
Agree with all of the above about Survivorman. Les Stroud is the Canadian Chuck Norris in my book.
I never liked Man vs. Wild, anyway.
chrisro on July 28, 2007 at 9:33 AM
If you did survival school at Fairchild, I wouldn’t say you got off easy. The worst it ever got for me as a comm/computer weenie was the occasional field comms exercise, for which we usually managed to find a (*ahem*) coastal location.
flipflop on July 28, 2007 at 9:36 AM
I am also suspicious of a show I think called “Man vs Vegas” or something like it. In the show, the Man guy would find visiting tourists to put up their money for him to bet for them. Conveniently they always seemed to end up winning money. Great PR for Vegas but how legit was it?
pjcomix on July 28, 2007 at 9:42 AM
Couple of facts about TV production vs. real life;
TV: orderly, real life: unpredictable.
This juxtaposition has it’s complications with “faux” results.
“I have gone three (3) days without eating”; Line from episode.
Wait, that rings a bell.
Isn’t he “one of” Paris Hilton’s boyfriends?
Mcguyver on July 28, 2007 at 9:44 AM
Going without an iPhone is roughing it, mister!
andycanuck on July 28, 2007 at 9:56 AM
LOL! It’s interesting how people can have completely different opinions of the same thing.
I’ve been watching Man vs Wild with my ten year old son and we’ve been addicted to it. But last night I saw Survivorman for the first time and I actually laughed through the entire show because I thought the guy was such a moron and didn’t believe a minute of it. There was particularly one shot where, after the cameras had been following him close-up the entire show, it suddenly switches to show him from a distance, just as he “allegedly” comes across a Rattlesnake. We never see the snake, but we see him suddenly yell and start whacking at something. The camera angle then cuts away to him standing there with the snake dead in his hand.
My immediate thought was that the entire thing was staged and the snake was already dead.
In the same show he actually attempts to enter an alligator filled swamp while standing on three think logs tied together. I laughed as he was explaining what he was going to do, and laughed harder as the entire thing sunk and flipped him into the water.
Ad to that the fact that the man has no personality and seems to have spent the last 20 years in a Federal prison, and it’s completely unwatchable.
After watching Man vs Wild for about six episodes now, I’ve not seen anything that I would feel the need to question.
Gregor on July 28, 2007 at 10:26 AM
My son was watching some lame comedy show on BET that was laced with stupid potty humor. We made him turn to the Discovery channel so we could watch something educational. We turned just in time to hear Mr. Grylls dicuse drinking his own urine. That was Freaky Deaky.
Zaire67 on July 28, 2007 at 10:29 AM
Well Gregor, all I can say is that Les doesn’t do the editing of the film he gets. You’re laughing at the way some person in a studio edited the film, not at what Les was doing. He still does a better job than Bear as far as the realism goes.
Kowboy on July 28, 2007 at 10:34 AM
The guy from Man vs Wild was actually British Special Forces I believe. I don’t believe Les Stroud would be accepted into the Boy Scouts. He’s going to get someone killed. He demonstrated his stupidity on the same show I wrote about above, when he actually violated the most basic of survival rules …
After telling the person who dropped him off to pick him up in the same spot in seven days … he actually abandoned the drop off point and attempted to make it out on his own on the morning of the seventh day. Dumba$$! After creating the ridiculous child toy raft on the first attempt, he then tried again and ended up WALKING through the swamp for a few miles before magically running into his rescue boat. Yes, he just walked through an alligator filled swamp, knowing that his boat was supposed to meet him on the same day where they dropped him off.
This, on top of the fact that the man took three days to build a shelter. He spent the first three days TALKING about how out of energy he was, but not much of anything else other than whining about the cold.
Embarrassing. I actually thought the entire show might be a joke at one point.
Gregor on July 28, 2007 at 10:37 AM
Motel 6 + 100,000 crickets + broken air conditioning = pretty wild.
But not as wild as drinking the liquid squeezed out of elephant dung. As Rachel Ray would say ….. “Yummo!”.
fogw on July 28, 2007 at 10:51 AM
Which would make one think he was tough enough to do what he’s “acting” like he’s doing instead of holing up at a Hilton Hotel.
I guess Man vs. Wild is the joke here, huh?
Kowboy on July 28, 2007 at 10:52 AM
I’ve always thought that Bear staged events to show you how to deal with them. The best examples are the falling though ice and getting stuck in mud. Both would most likely kill the average Joe but he shows you how to handle the event and just maybe the average Joe will remember enough to live. He also states that he has a full crew but that they only intervene when safety is a concern. I was always suspicious that Les had crew with him until he explained that he talks many cameras with him and sets them up for shots so in a way many of the shots are staged. I remember one show in which he was really upset because he was tired and didn’t want to climb back up the hill to get the camera he used for a long shot. The other night he even abandoned a camera and said that the crew could go back later if they really wanted it.
jmarcure on July 28, 2007 at 10:53 AM
Man vs wild is one of the best unintentionally hilarious shows out there. Knowing that this guy is drinking his own piss for the camera and then going to the Motel ? to get shut eye before his next day of willfully beating himself up may make it better to me.
starflyer on July 28, 2007 at 10:54 AM
I’m not disagreeing with that at all. Don’t get me wrong. If he faked the show, it pisses me off. But being an avid backpacker, I found Man vs Wild to be much more informative, while Survivorman seemed to be making some stuff up as he goes along.
I’m not defending the show on these charges. I just know that I’d feel confident that I’d survive after watching his shows, while I wouldn’t even feel safe in the same campground as Survivorman.
Gregor on July 28, 2007 at 10:57 AM
I can live with a little bit of fakery (word?), I never really bought into the fact it was all truth. It’s entertaining, has some valid survival points, and is family worthy so I say we give him a break. Last Sunday I caught the man vs. wild marathon. It was like six hours of my butt planted in front of the tv. I hate when that happens. Even though you could be doing other things you must watch. why is that?
gator70 on July 28, 2007 at 10:59 AM
I’m a big fan of Man vs. Wild. I’ve watched Survivorman, but I could just never get into it. Perhaps it’s because it’s more genuine, but, it always seemed like the host in a greenish night vision glow telling us how miserable he is.
As for Man vs. Wild, I agree with the above comments which stated that it’s a common belief (among adults anyway) that some of the show was staged. From the time he walked right up to a ‘wild’ horse after sitting still for 30 minutes to ‘get it used to him’ to the time he ‘urinated’ on his white undershirt then put it on his head (apparently, it will keep you cool in the desert), but he never mentioned it smelling AND the shirt was still bright white, there is plenty of evidence of staging. On the credits, they even credit a ’survival expert’ and that expert is not Bear Grylls!
Still, the show is less staged (and more interesting/intelligent) than 99% of the reality shows out there, so, I hope that this doesn’t cause Discovery to pull it off the air. Unless I find out that the frozen lake he jumped into was actually a heated swimming pool….if that’s the case, cut him loose! :)
JadeNYU on July 28, 2007 at 11:01 AM
Forget Bear drinking his own urine, but when he squeezed animal poo to get the water he needed, I thought is he for real? Then again on another episode when he shows you how to get out of freezing water and survive by removing his wet clothing and proceeds to do push-ups to get warm, I thought yes, he must be the real thing!
I just ate something and remembering that poo scene is making me queasy.
kiakjones on July 28, 2007 at 11:08 AM
I agree that sometimes it does look like Les is making stuff up, but I have up to now attributed that to the fact that he was by himself. I think both shows are informative about how to survive if you’re lost in the wild. I just think Survivorman is a little more realistic because it’s just Les.
Kowboy on July 28, 2007 at 11:12 AM
I still think “Deadliest Catch” rules!! You can’t fake that. Oh….and Edgar Hansen of the North Western will eat just about anything as well.
My family offers prayers for the crab fisherman each time we sit down to a crab dinner.
God bless them all!
Talon on July 28, 2007 at 11:13 AM
I agree, “Survivorman” is the way to go.
I especially enjoy when Les specifically mentions the fact that he’s staged a scene, because he already had to walk up to the place you just watched him walk up to in order to set the camera in the first place. So not only is it badass, it’s meta!
Blacklake on July 28, 2007 at 11:15 AM
Is this the same guy who was within 20 yards of a 450 lb Silverback? If you little bitches get that close, I’ll listen to your complaints about him! Meanwhile, shut the hell up! Go back and watch Survivor! BWahahahahahaha
DfDeportation on July 28, 2007 at 11:16 AM
There is one episode from last year where Bear is caught floating down the rapids of the Colorado, I believe. In it, you can plainly see that Bear had been provided a life preserver which is tucked away under his blue sweatshirt. It was not there in earlier shots, then it was. You can see the bulkiness, and the horizontal creases of life saving device as the sopping wet sweatshirt clung to his body. It was at that point, for me, that it was all a joke, made for TV, and he was not really surviving, except of coarse, the eating of the sheep eye balls….yummy.
rslancer14 on July 28, 2007 at 11:51 AM
Thank goodness someone is around to explain to us what is real and what isn’t.
Next they will be after Marlin Perkins.
peacenprosperity on July 28, 2007 at 12:30 PM
This is TV. As long as the final edited show doesn’t present faux survival techniques, then I’m fine with it.
FireDrake on July 28, 2007 at 12:33 PM
I like both Les and Bear. Both good shows–whether Bear stays in a hotel or not. He drinks piss for God’s sake! Now, that’s good television!
Besides, my idea of roughing it is when satellite two goes out and the DVR is left with only ONE sat input! NOOOOOOOO!!!! Hell, when I spent my Summers in Europe during college, I wouldn’t stay in anything less than three stars. Gotta have that free breakfast.
robblefarian on July 28, 2007 at 12:37 PM
Don’t worry.
Jamie Hyneman really does have an effects shop.
So does Adam Savage
They both have an IMDB listing. Jamie Adam. And they’re actually quite impressive. Most Impressive. /Vader Grant does too.
Grant also really is a geek.
Although Tory Belleci’s real first name is Salvatore. Tory is just a shortening. Hmm I can’t find anything on his criminal record though bum bum buuuuuum.
And most importanyly Kari Byron is Too Cute.
- The Cat
MirCat on July 28, 2007 at 12:38 PM
I enjoy Man vs Wild and also understood some of the stuff was staged. I always took it as being a show trying to inform, not actually a minute-by-minute recording of his adventure. In a way, much like the “Crocodile Hunter” was often staged in order to setup an educational point.
Brings a dark, funny thought to mind…imagine the late Irwin and Bear on a trip together. One spots a snake and remarks how beautiful it is while the other is thinking “tastes like chicken”. Heh. Ok, detour over.
Survivorman, I’ve watched two episodes. I think the filming is “authentic” but the host is an idiot. If you remember the series Cheers you’ll understand the phrase “Cliff Clavin Goes Camping”.
Lots of pseudo-superiority spouting of techniques he doesn’t really get. I rolled looking at the pathetic raft he built. As someone who grew up in Louisiana, has built rafts to go through some swamps (to reach our favorite Secret Fishing Spot) I immediately knew this man has never built a raft in his life. Is he tough? Yes, but over half his problems to overcome are self inflicted because he doesn’t seem to know what he is really doing.
He’s the guy “who knows a short cut” and insists you take it to show his superior navigation skills only later to find out he’s never actually taken the short cut before, but heard about a guy who read about it in a magazine so now you are hopelessly lost. I have a brother-in-law like that….
Faith1 on July 28, 2007 at 12:40 PM
Survivorman rules, Man vs Wild drools.
Even if it wasn’t staged (and I pretty much figured out that it was the first episode I watched), he has a crew with him. Surviving in the wild alone is MUCH different than having companions, even if those companions are merely bystanders. The psychological impact can’t be understated. I’ve been lost in the woods more than once. If you’re with someone, you just assume everything will work out. If you’re alone, you start thinking “Holy S**t, I could die out here!”.
A recent episode had Bear climbing some rocks, and what just so happened to be there, at the top of a cliff in the scorching sun? A birds nest with two fresh, just hatched eggs for him to eat. And a cameraman, of course. Give me a freakin’ break. That and anyone who says it’s OK to drink urine to survive doesn’t have a clue. I doubt he actually did- probably faked it.
Hollowpoint on July 28, 2007 at 12:50 PM
Uh-oh. Is Channel 4 having second thoughts about airing its documentary (set for Nov. premiere) on Grylls paragliding over Everest in May?
ganeshpuri89 on July 28, 2007 at 1:26 PM
“Ha Ha” … Richard Proenneke from the grave.
burnitup on July 28, 2007 at 1:33 PM
Survivorman is ok, but whenever he hunts food he always has to say something to the effect of ” Normally I abhor killing a fellow creature for foood, but in a survival situation…”
Really, Survivorman? wow, you’re so sensitive.
Bear Grilles is still my preferred basic cable service survival instuctor, sorry.
Although I do respect Survivorman, especially since he does his own camers work. Bear Grylles dosen’t , but he does do his own stunts…
Dork B. on July 28, 2007 at 1:41 PM
WINNER !!!
Les is real, and alone.
Bear would die in the Rockies of Colorado in 3 days ( or sooner if he decides to JUMP off cliffs into creeks-frickin idiot) if he were alone.
This teddybear guy is gonna get people killed from what he shows them, he’s really just an idiot with a crew.
Anyone ( I’ve done it a few times)that can truly spend 7 days in the wilderness knows without a doubt that this bear-fool cant survive without his crew because he makes the dumbest decisions while shooting for his show.
I’ve long worried someone will die after trying some of the crap he does.
Les even laughs at the guy. IF he’s a SF guy, great. Stay home and write about it.
Watch Les, Les is MORE.
shooter on July 28, 2007 at 1:48 PM
If Chuck Norris did Man vs. Wild, they would have to name it Man Tames the Wild.
One episode, one cameraman, no Holiday Inn.
Dork B. on July 28, 2007 at 1:49 PM
I don’t care if Bear motels it every once in awhile. I love that Bear gets naked in almost every episode. That guy is hot.
violet on July 28, 2007 at 1:58 PM
Two things:
Bear was in Brit SAS, which means he’s got the experience, unlike the annoying “I dont like to kill things, but gotz 2″ canuk boy scout. Bear also did a series called Escape to the Legion; if anyone ever sees it, EttL is better than MvW.
Isn’t this the ultimate goal of MvW? Get to shelter? Doesn’t that mean it’s Bear FTW everytime? While the canuk “says” he has to survive for X number of days before “rescue finds him”, Bear seeks out his own salvation.
What it comes down to is that if you don’t love Bear, you hate America. Why do you hate America? There’s a term for that, it’s called French. Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir, Bryan?
TheEJS on July 28, 2007 at 2:16 PM
I thru hiked the Appalachian Trail, and let me tell ya what–I didn’t have to eat spiders! That guy did! And man, I LOVED getting a motel room every once in awhile.
In any case, that show is less staged than an NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, PBS, NPR show. And less fake than a Brittany Spears concert of yore.
HE ATE A SPIDER!! OMG!!
Montana on July 28, 2007 at 2:22 PM
Bear Grylls jumped into a mountain lake in the middle of the French Alps. He did this just so I know what to do the next time I’m skydiving in that part of the world. It’s very simple — climb out with my elbows. A couple of naked push-ups and I’m home free.
I don’t miss an episode, don’t care if part of it is staged.
sibobr on July 28, 2007 at 2:45 PM
I heard Deadliest Catch is filmed at Sea World.
sibobr on July 28, 2007 at 2:46 PM
Ha!!, sibobr @ 2:46, I think I just wet my pants!
Bryce on July 28, 2007 at 3:01 PM
I can’t wait for the Bret Michaels … Rock of Love … show to admit that those delicate flowers he’s “reviewing” … “are really men, Baaaaaaaaaby.”
All kidding aside, when I was just a lad, I watched a Jacques Cousteau show on the octopus. It seems that they had an octopus in an aquarium, on the deck of the Calypso, and, in order to get the shot of said octopus … and his instinctive desire to return to the sea … they put bleach into the aquarium, so that we could all watch that poor octopus climbing out of the aquarium and sliding back into the sea. Instinctive desires to return to the sea are greatly enhanced when bleach is poured into your aquarium.
I’ve NEVER trusted a nature show since.
OhEssYouCowboys on July 28, 2007 at 3:03 PM
The whole one episode would detail how the wild tries to survive Chuck Norris.
NBC needs to look into this…
chrisro on July 28, 2007 at 3:20 PM
It’s about time!
MrC_5150 on July 28, 2007 at 3:22 PM
The internet is a great thing. These comments have me laughing. Some folks think that what Bear does will get people killed (you know because those folks are REAL survivors) and others think that Les is an idiot. I’ve seen every episode of each show. They’re both great shows. I also think that some of you are missing the point OF the shows. Yes, Les is not as charismatic as Bear, but he also drags camera equipment everywhere he goes.
My question is–why aren’t there any AMERICANS doing survivalist shows? We have a limey and a canuck–where are the deliverance folks?
Still, nothing beats Magnum p.i. EVAH!
robblefarian on July 28, 2007 at 4:02 PM
You should watch Dogfights on the History Channel. It is premium TV! It is the only show I watch.
Tim Burton on July 28, 2007 at 4:07 PM
Bear got stuck on the Savannah, got thirsty, grabbed up a fresh Elephant poopie and squeezed the ‘juice’ into his mouth. Crew or no, motel or no, that’s tough.
TinMan13 on July 28, 2007 at 4:07 PM
Talon wins the thread. Some of the crap that guy eats….hell, he could be staying at the Bellagio for all I care.
John from OPFOR on July 28, 2007 at 4:19 PM
No kidding, lol.
But Bear is great. The other guy isn’t nearly entertaining enough.
Ugly on July 28, 2007 at 4:39 PM
I knew it!
I always knew something was off about this show. I still like it, but he’s no Les Stroud. I’m not sure why “Man vs. Wild” gets hyped so much, when Survivorman (Les Stroud’s show) is WAY better and more real.
Stroud is dropped in remote locations ALL ALONE. No camera crew, he has to film everything himself, and because of that, he sometimes has to do things twice, making the survival situation that much more difficult.
Grylls has a crew with him, almost always takes a flint (instead of having to “make” fire), I often get the impression he’s decided exactly where he’s going to be dropped after looking at a map and knows where he’s going. Additionally, every episode has him saying “2 hikers got trapped on a _____ just like this last year, and survived for X days by…” He seems to pull this trivia out of nowhere, and it’s clear it’s being fed to him or he studied it (which I guess isn’t really unethical) right before he got there. It’s hard to explain, but there’s something suspicious about it.
Anyway, Survivorman’s new season starts again in a couple weeks, and as explained, he destroys Bear Grylls. I’m not saying I won’t watch Man vs. Wild, but I am disappointed that my suspicions seem that much more true now.
http://science.discovery.com/convergence/survivorman/survivorman.html
RightWinged on July 28, 2007 at 5:22 PM
Man vs. Wild is not a good survival show, faked or not ( and it is rather obvious how unrealistic it is just from watching it ).
Too many of the survival techniques ridiculous, impractical and often too risky, but they are all clearly just set up for spectacular video – not to be informative.
Les Stroud’s show is uneven at times, but has a lot more practical, useful and less risky survival advice.
SPQR on July 28, 2007 at 6:07 PM
Grylls squeezed the pacypoop, then gasped to his crew, “Lister-GAAK … throw me the Listerine!”
clark smith on July 28, 2007 at 6:13 PM
Actually, I think the old maasai tribesman was just messing with Grylls when he said to him, “Yeah, when we get thirsty, we squeeze the juice out of the nearest elephant dung we can find.” The tribesmen had a good laugh around the fire that night.
clark smith on July 28, 2007 at 6:32 PM
Bear is the real deal! Staged or not he’s done amazing things with his life! The media needs to get on to other things! Good grief!
sabbott on July 28, 2007 at 6:36 PM
I’m tired of the canuk, always moaning about killing animals, then being a hypocrite and killing the animal. Yes, Bear paradrops everywhere even when it’s not needed (as opposed to the liberal vegan). Bear also goes back and narrates his show, hence the “two hikers were killed when they were raped by bears.”
I’m just utterly sick of the canuk sitting in one place for 3 days then saying “time to get rescued” and being “miraculously” picked up by a camera crew. Ya both shows have safety nets, get over it.
The only difference is that Bear’s advice is if you want to be proactive and potentially die while moving. Follow the canuk, freeze to death where you are lost, even if that place is in the Sahara.
TheEJS on July 28, 2007 at 6:40 PM
Enjoying good entertainment requires some degree of “suspension of disbelief’.
Since I used to enjoy both Survivorman and Man vs Wild I think this would be a good time for some creative license and suspend believe in this thread.
La la la la la la no debunking heard here. It’s all good.
TunaTalon on July 28, 2007 at 6:43 PM
Yeah! World’s Deadliest Catch is the real deal. I’m watching it right now. Makes me hungry for crabs.
pjcomix on July 28, 2007 at 6:46 PM
Bear G. is a goodcrazy MF’r and I’ll chop open a minibar with a homemade iceaxe for him anyday.
(A blurb saying “Some raw re-creations for safety/technical reasons have occurred” in small print at the end should suffice.)
profitsbeard on July 28, 2007 at 7:02 PM
LOL! Like trying to stand on a raft made of three thin logs to cross an alligator infested swamp? Like, after that fails … walking a mile through the same swamp?
Like taking three days to build a shelter, while the whole time saying how it’s unbearably cold and that you are praying it doesn’t rain?
First two rules of survival when you realize you’re lost:
Find a shelter
Find water
Everything else can wait.
Gregor on July 28, 2007 at 7:50 PM
I’m sorry, was there ANYONE under the assumption that this was all real?
I’m shocked if there was, at least anyone over 10 years old.
Merovign on July 28, 2007 at 7:54 PM
Gregor, thank you so much for realigning my thinking. After preparing for my survival excursion by watching “Man vs. Wild” I was left with the impression that the first rules of survival were to (1) drink your own urine and (2) squeeze fluids out of the nearest heap of dung.
That, and making certain that wherever you’re stranded there’s a Motel 6 nearby.
chrisro on July 28, 2007 at 9:49 PM
You kidding? That’s what we call a Friday night where I come from!
RightWinged on July 28, 2007 at 9:52 PM
Having had a bit of survival training (both military and civilian), one thing always stressed is that unless there’s no hope of rescue or you’re certain where to go, stay the hell put, find shelter and have the will to survive.
Hollowpoint on July 28, 2007 at 10:06 PM
Yep, Hollowpoint, but flashy, silly and risky advice from Man vs. Minibar seems to impress more.
Another good source of survival advice that I like, and reference when I teach the subject, is a book called “98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive” by Cody Lundin. More serious, practical advice. His style is a little irreverent and provocative but very practical.
SPQR on July 28, 2007 at 10:56 PM
Hollowpoint-
The “Stay Put Until You’re Found Show” would probably work at 3-4 a.m. in some markets.
(I like the HD nature scenery of Grylls’s escapades more than the “strict realism”.)
profitsbeard on July 28, 2007 at 11:11 PM
Bear should just start a new show now with a diiferent format. Add some stunts, a hot babe and a mystery to solve every week. Like Walker , Texas Ranger, but with more parachutes.
Dork B. on July 28, 2007 at 11:23 PM
Based on combat survival training I’ve been through, I agree with you. Heck, I know how to make the ground “sweat” to keep your water supply up. But as profitsbeard points out, that show wouldn’t work. It’s like why Bear paradrops into every situation.
Besides what Bear does actually helps more. He moves around, experiencing a plethora of organic life and climates, expanding the viewer’s “knowledge”. He also does basic navigation, which I always found it important to know and now can use “native in-jun techniques” to triangulate a position. Thanks Bear!
TheEJS on July 29, 2007 at 1:34 AM
I try and watch both Survivorman and manVwild, but the girls like Bear, and if in a survival pinch I’d rather have a Brit commando as a mate. Both shows have good tips though.
Does not bother us that he gets to stay in a hotel, nothing takes away from the fact your getting survival intel from an expert. The sweeping camera work is an entertainment plus, so is the overall presentation.
I do hope he bathes and uses mouthwash prior to hitting the hotel bar.
christophercube on July 29, 2007 at 2:33 AM
This just in: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lily et al did not survive an actual plane crash on an uncharted island in September 2004 and have in fact been sighted doing TV talk shows and such amenities as life in Hawaii, dating castmates, etc. Film at 11…
Captain Scarlet on July 29, 2007 at 7:17 AM
Nice.
Hey, I’m just glad it’s Shark Week. I like many of the shows on the various Discovery networks, but I loves me some Shark Week.
Readymade on July 29, 2007 at 10:19 AM
I saw the horse episode. If those were “wild hossies,” I’m a ham sammich.
Claire on July 29, 2007 at 10:20 AM
Ah, Bryan, you just destroyed my image of this strapping Brit hero.
congsan on July 29, 2007 at 10:55 AM
If he were American there would be endless stories of how weak and frail he was, how cushy Americans are and how they can’t handle the real, slightly dramatized and scripted, world.
And whenever someone uses the term “launched an investigation” I picture Capt. Kirk on those Priceline commercials getting a call and zooming into action, possibly by jumping into a mobile cockpit chair that rushes down an underground tunnel towards a vehicle that turns into a robot animal, or a robot animal that turns into a bigger robot or something. Or those silly Geek Squad commercials with them paracuting to the ground in their silly “uniforms.”
Seriously, if you pay Geek Squad $30 to install iTunes for you, you don’t deserve a laptop. FYI I am the one actually fixing your Gateway Craptops, Geek Squad can barely run Anti-Virus software or their “MRI” CDs, they send them to [name of company I work at who makes computers for Gateway/HP/Apple] to really get fixed.
Neo on July 29, 2007 at 12:45 PM
I usually watch the show with the hope he’ll get wet in a very cold climate, so that he’ll have to undress to warm up and then I’m a happy camper :)
CCRWM on July 29, 2007 at 1:38 PM
I started out watching Survivorman, and the only thing I really like better about Man vs Wild (which I only started watching a few weeks ago) is that Grylls isn’t so bitter. Les is always so angry and dark. By the end of last season, he seemed to genuinely hate being there.
Tanya on July 29, 2007 at 4:29 PM
OK-one way to end this.
IF you were to be dropped off in the middle of Utah or Africa or some the Canadian tundra, who would you pick, if you had to pick Les or tedybear?
( lets NOT start with the ‘well I’d take Jen Aniston’) stuff.
And thx mircat, I’ve always wanted to know their websites, I just never took the time to search.
The Myth Busters do have one of THE BEST jobs.
shooter on July 29, 2007 at 5:06 PM
I’ll get the ball rolling… If anyone hasn’t read my earlier comments, it would definitely be Les. Survivorman does it all without a camera crew, and has to redo a lot of things to film it, and almost always has to “make” fire, where as Bear almost always has a flint. I’ve seen Bear make fire too, but I don’t understand why he almost always has to carry that flint unless he’s not as confident in creating fire. I also feel like you could run in to trouble with Bear’s policy of almost always following a river… not to mention he almost always climbs something that would require some skill in that area.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen all episodes of both, and it’s gotta be Les… I can’t wait for the new season of Survivorman to start in a couple weeks.
RightWinged on July 29, 2007 at 9:38 PM
survivorpanzy is a good-for-nothing know-it-all.
Apparently you’ve never seen Bear use the “native techniques” for creating fire, such as down in Mexico. Let’s face it- Bear is in a race to get out of a situation while experiencing all the possibilities you may come in contact with while Les sits around moaning how his cover isn’t good enough.
At least Bear has an excuse for being cold at night, constructing a mini-cabin out of Everglades material in less than a couple of hours while Les just uses a plane cockpit and still freezes.
Bear’s policy of following rivers also is smart- think about where most human settlements or camps run along. Sure he climbs, but honestly have you never climbed a tree in your life? If you’re out in that type of situation, you’ve probably received somewhat of rockclimbing training.
It’s Bear FTW.
TheEJS on July 29, 2007 at 11:46 PM
You’re so cherrypicking what Les has done, and it indicates you haven’t seen all the episodes as I have of both.
As for the rivers thing, I’m not saying it’s not a logical idea, but it’s not 100% correct either, and it seems like he relies on it to much (not to mention, after these revelations, how do we know it’s worked and that he didn’t just get dropped to make it look like it did in some cases?). I saw Bear in Mexico, if you’ll note I didn’t say he NEVER makes his own fire, I saw him… but USUALLY he doesn’t. He almost always uses the flint.
And again, he focuses too much on “months/years ago hikers got trapped on a ____ just like this one, and managed to survive by ____” and “natives to this area used to use this technique”. It’s cool when it’s the best way (like making that bow and arrow set up), but sometimes he’s giving more of a history lesson. There’s too much of that noise in the show, and you don’t see the details of some of the stuff he does. Survivorman takes you down to details of exactly how things are done and shows that sh** is hard out there, and stuff doesn’t always go how you want it to.
Ugh, I’m bored with this… I still like both shows, but I feel vindicated that Bear’s show seems to be somewhat of a fraud which is what I suspected, and I always like when something confirms for me that my instincts are on target more often than not.
RightWinged on July 30, 2007 at 1:46 AM
Comment pages: