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To all those who told me this was more realistic than “Survivorman”:
Pfffft.
Kowboy on August 13, 2007 at 3:14 PM
Man vs. Rural Interstate
Hoodlumman on August 13, 2007 at 3:16 PM
Bwahahaha!
TheBigOldDog on August 13, 2007 at 3:17 PM
…world crumbling around me… next thing you know, Mythbusters is going to be shown as a couple of frauds who use CGI and Japanese midgets to get the special effects.
I don’t think I could take that.
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!”
TheEJS on August 13, 2007 at 3:19 PM
The mother of all Mythbusters quotes!
TheBigOldDog on August 13, 2007 at 3:21 PM
Whatever happened to the show I Shouldn’t Be Alive? Did Discovery cancel it?
Zach on August 13, 2007 at 3:22 PM
I thought it was a common assumption that Man vs. Wild had a lot of ‘fake’ elements to it.
I watch it for the entertainment value and because I actually do pick up some survival tips that could help if I’m ever stuck in the wilderness.
It doesn’t really bother me that he’s not roughing it the whole time……
The show is entertaining, and that’s what matters.
Now, if you can prove that the ice-covered lake that Bear jumped into (then spent 2 minutes in while he talked to the camera) was actually a heated swimming pool……then I’d be disappointed.
JadeNYU on August 13, 2007 at 3:25 PM
Buster’s not a Japanese midget?
eeyore on August 13, 2007 at 3:27 PM
All you need to prove is that he really did drink the moisture he squeezed out of the elephant dung and I could handle that he slept in a Holiday Inn.
JohnO on August 13, 2007 at 3:29 PM
It seems from this episode that he very quickly pointed out that he was at the highway. I don’t remember it exactly.
I still like Man vs. Wild. To anybody who watches the show regularly, it is clear from many episodes that he does some things to show “how” you could do it if you had to, not neccesarily because he “needs” to do it in his case. He even says as much before demonstrating some things. In one episode he specifically said, “I could climb down around this pool, but I want to demonstrate how you could measure the depth if you needed to jump in.” In the Sierra Nevadas he could have walked around the lake at the end, but wanted to show how to use your pants as a flotation device, and he proceeded to do that. Hopefully they’ll make some slight changes and continue the series rather than cancel it or something over this stuff.
Orange Man on August 13, 2007 at 3:30 PM
Nah. Buster is Hillary’s former college lover. Crash test dummy is the only gig he could find after her and Bill got through with him.
BacaDog on August 13, 2007 at 3:31 PM
That. was. awesome.
The guy’s a total fraud. I mean, come on, he can walk up to a wild horse (who happens to just be out by itself) without it ever flinching. Then is able to get a “hand made rope” around it’s neck? Uh huh.
Editor on August 13, 2007 at 3:33 PM
BacaDog
Kowboy on August 13, 2007 at 3:34 PM
well, if he drank his own pee, does anything else really matter?
Opinionnation on August 13, 2007 at 3:34 PM
Damn quote tags
Kowboy on August 13, 2007 at 3:34 PM
Any know where I can buy one of those elephant dung look-a-like sponges?
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on August 13, 2007 at 3:35 PM
Nah. I’m not that clever.
BacaDog on August 13, 2007 at 3:35 PM
Just curious. Worked for them for 12 years so I know what it means. :-)
Kowboy on August 13, 2007 at 3:37 PM
Bear Grylls could be caught screwing a porcupine and I’d still worship him.
Nonfactor on August 13, 2007 at 3:37 PM
Survivorman, Les Stroud rules. Bear Grylls is a fake. I blogged this earlier this month; thanks for the new video tho!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070730/tv_nm/man_dc
BelchSpeak on August 13, 2007 at 3:39 PM
Slang for tobacco. I work in the industry.
BTW – Can’t wait for the dems to put me out of business. That government dole is gonna be great once Hillary is Prez.
My new mantra…..Gimme some of Yours!
BacaDog on August 13, 2007 at 3:40 PM
Thank you! I was beginning to think I was alone after the last thread. I’m not dogging Grylls as a person, he’s obviously (based on what he’s done in his life, previous to the show) a badass, but I could always tell something was off about the show… and this video reveals that the rumors about him staying in hotels, etc. are all the more likely to be true. I guess I am sort of knocking Grylls the person, because he’s a dishonest person to be pulling this sh**.
Case closed. Is anyone surprised that our resident lib, one of the most dishonest people I’ve ever encountered worships an exposed hoaxer, by the way?
RightWinged on August 13, 2007 at 3:43 PM
He’s a mile from the road? He’s a man’s man!
lorien1973 on August 13, 2007 at 3:43 PM
So… what happened there? He tried to pass off a 3 foot “cliff” as a deep, dark crevice by manipulating the lighting/contrast on the camera?
DaveS on August 13, 2007 at 3:47 PM
I prefer Special Forces: Manhunt. Apparently, they only made 3 freakin’ episodes, but man is it big on drama. You might be able to catch it on the Military Channel at some undisclosed date.
They drop an SAS guy into seriously inhospitable situations and give him objectives. In the meantime, he’s being tracked by 4 former special forces dudes. He’s been in Siberia and nearly died. Almost got trenchfoot in the Honduras. Dropped into Africa with no food or water.
Survivorman doesn’t have an ex-Navy SEAL with earrings and a cool beard trying to snag a guy who escaped from the Iraqis in Desert Storm by walking 200 miles across the desert.
Krydor on August 13, 2007 at 3:48 PM
Listen to Krydor, he speaks the truth.
RiteWingFascist on August 13, 2007 at 3:56 PM
Man vs. Hotel Suite
ericire12 on August 13, 2007 at 3:58 PM
Consider this one: Busted.
Dork B. on August 13, 2007 at 3:59 PM
this is a close second to the today show scene where the guy in duck boots walks by the reporter who is in a canoe trying to portray how deep the rising water is
BillLalor on August 13, 2007 at 3:59 PM
Hmmmmmmmm…..70,001 bad bridges in America.
soulsirkus on August 13, 2007 at 4:02 PM
It looks a bit like Volcanoes National Park. Is it?
Kini on August 13, 2007 at 4:03 PM
It goes deeper than just this too. Bear Grylls filmed a scene for the British version in which his cameraman put on a bear costume to fake a grizzly attack!
http://tinyurl.com/yroxoq
Did I mention Survivorman is cool? He’s the real deal. His FAQ on his website is here:
http://www.lesstroudonline.com/faq.html
BelchSpeak on August 13, 2007 at 4:07 PM
Just don’t tell me that Ghost Hunters is fake and I’ll be ok.
trubble on August 13, 2007 at 4:08 PM
It’s still the best fake survival show on TV.
MT on August 13, 2007 at 4:10 PM
And the new DNC slogan.
CurtZHP on August 13, 2007 at 4:13 PM
And the
newDNC slogan.Oops!
CurtZHP on August 13, 2007 at 4:13 PM
There’s a parody in here somewhere about Bill and Hillary Clinton? Or so-called global warming? Or about Silky Pony?
I find this video hillarious. About five seconds in, the camera sweeps to the bottom of this gulley. It looks to be about 20 feet or so deep. They pan and stop…ominously. Then Bear continues to detail his imminent peril.
Then, the guy in the red shirt literally strolls across this death defying lava coffin with a bottled water in his hand!
Awesome. ROTFLMAO!
The Race Card on August 13, 2007 at 4:16 PM
Highfrigginlarious.
The Race Card on August 13, 2007 at 4:19 PM
Deadliest Catch is real, right???
kiakjones on August 13, 2007 at 4:22 PM
True that. Here’s an idea: Have the Mythbusters investigate both shows and report back in a special survival episode. Kari can join me on my comfy couch to watch the outcome.
infidel4life on August 13, 2007 at 4:24 PM
When I watch TV, I assume everything is fake or simulated. It’s the informational content that I enjoy. The fact that someone is actually risking life and limb to broadcast a show is irrelevant.
I wouldn’t imagine the Crocodile hunter as a “faker”, but I wish he was. I really miss him.
Zaire67 on August 13, 2007 at 4:25 PM
Um, for the most part, but its drama is hyped up a little to aid the “narrative”.
Still, it’s dangerous as hell.
Editor on August 13, 2007 at 4:26 PM
I’ve watched several episodes of Survivorman and I just haven’t been able to get into the show.
Faked or not, with Man vs. Wild, I always felt like he actually had a decent chance of surviving in the wild.
When I watch Survivorman, I can’t help but hope that the 7 days will end before this guy starves to death. I watched 3 DVRed episodes of Survivorman the other day and, with 21 days worth of show, he managed to catch and eat 1 rabbit, 1 tiny lizard, and (in the northern Alaska show) absolutely nothing. That’s 1 rabbit & 1 tiny lizard as food in 21 days worth of show where his body’s getting stressed out by the environment and he’s doing a lot of walking around (and hauling cameras/equipment). The show’s not fun because it always feels like he’s going to starve.
I’m doomed no matter what if I end up in a survival situation, but, when I watch Man vs. Wild, I feel like I’ve got a chance.
JadeNYU on August 13, 2007 at 4:27 PM
*WOOSH*
Nonfactor on August 13, 2007 at 4:31 PM
dude, still….
considering the crap I’ve seen him eat, he could be sitting in his living room for all I care.
John from OPFOR on August 13, 2007 at 4:40 PM
Fake, but accurate!
Blacklake on August 13, 2007 at 4:42 PM
I lost all respect for this joker when he took off one of his T-shirts, peed all over it, then wrapped it around his head to stay cool. That’s just wrong.
wytammic on August 13, 2007 at 4:45 PM
Don’t even joke about that; I may not believe in ghosts, but if Jason and Grant were shown as frauds, and I lost my SciFi Wed, I would have to kill myself.
Or just cry a whole lot.
TheEJS on August 13, 2007 at 4:54 PM
2 Hurt in Manhattan Sidewalk Collapse…
bnelson44 on August 13, 2007 at 5:02 PM
My kids were soooo upset when they saw this.
vcferlita on August 13, 2007 at 5:08 PM
HAHAHAHAAHAHA! I almost wet myself! Have you seen his Cosco survival trek special?
ronsfi on August 13, 2007 at 5:10 PM
Ah at least the new season of Survivorman has started.
And Les did not starve in the desert, he had a whole ostrich egg him. But as usual he found a new way to make fire (even though the temperature was 140 degrees F).
TunaTalon on August 13, 2007 at 5:11 PM
Only an idiot would think the camera crew, the lighting crew, and the sound team are operating under the “survival” situations shown.
They aren’t eating bugs and tree bark – I promise you that.
If they have a sandwich to spare – the host is eating it.
Wow – a fake? – what a surprise.
Wake up !!!
jake-the-goose on August 13, 2007 at 5:15 PM
JadeNYU,
That’s rather the point of SurvivorMan – he shows what will happen to you – if you’re lucky – if you wind up in this sort of situation.
Basically, you’re gonna starve. Good chance you’ll freeze, if you don’t die of thirst first.
Love that description!
KCSteve on August 13, 2007 at 5:51 PM
I don’t really know what that means, but I just found it funny that you say you “worship” someone who has just been exposed as a fraud. It’s right in line with you liberals always seeking out indefensible things to defend. You guys are so dishonest that you’re unconsciously drawn to dishonesty wherever it lurks.
RightWinged on August 13, 2007 at 5:54 PM
Hey! The guy has an English accent. Therefore, it must be truthful and sincere. If it’s good enough for English nannys who kill babies, get convicted, and serve less than 10 months, it’s damn well good enough for Man vs Wild!
SilverStar830 on August 13, 2007 at 6:01 PM
nice! another myth BUSTED!
sabbott on August 13, 2007 at 6:03 PM
Me neither. That porcupine joke(?) sure went over my head, too.
RushBaby on August 13, 2007 at 6:04 PM
Good point.
But I know I’m going to freeze and/or starve and/or get eaten by a wild animal if I’m ever in a survival situation.
I don’t need to watch Survivorman do it for 7 days in order to know that it’d happen to me.
JadeNYU on August 13, 2007 at 6:14 PM
Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me that news stories are faked too. Comeon, they CG filled in the other side of the crevasse and comped in the cars. But the trees were fake of course.
- The Cat
MirCat on August 13, 2007 at 6:28 PM
Actually, in “romanji” the word you’re looking for is “Baka”
Which is better than having the suffix “-teme” added to the end of your name.
But no, “Baca” would not normaly be a refrence for “baka”.
Jones Zemkophill on August 13, 2007 at 6:51 PM
Throw the faking pansy off the air. I deer hunt in an area ten times more remote than this fraud pretends to survive in. If he was in the British Special Forces, it was probably as a drummer boy or something.
Anyone who’s been lost in the woods alone (and I have, more than once) will tell you- performing with the safety of a full crew, knowing there’s a warm hotel room waiting for you isn’t comparable to the real thing. If I want to watch a show with people eating bugs under controlled conditions, I’ll watch Fear Factor.
Now if I find out Survivorman is faked, I’m going to be really pissed- it took me all of one show to suspect Bear was a fraud, but Les at least appears to be the real deal.
Hollowpoint on August 13, 2007 at 7:05 PM
Just bring back classics like Land of the Lost.
I had such a crush on Holly!!
Montana on August 13, 2007 at 7:06 PM
Nevertheless, the point is that this volcanic bridge could have collapsed and he might have died.
No matter if there was a road nearby or not.
Still like the advice & techniques on the show.
Poetic license notwithstanding.
profitsbeard on August 13, 2007 at 7:09 PM
Maybe.
I’m not sure, but isn’t the point of the show to show other people how to survive (in circumstances similar to those Grylls encounters), not necessarily Grylls having to survive?
Opinionnation on August 13, 2007 at 7:09 PM
I think Buster is an illegal immigrant….hey, it’s a job American’s don’t want to do….
Paul the American on August 13, 2007 at 7:14 PM
Sure looks like it to me. Somewhere on the road around the caldera. Boy, I’d like to be there right now, nice big lava flow going on from the active area.
Snidely Whiplash on August 13, 2007 at 7:17 PM
They are all the same, all “frauds” if you want.
Some things a lot goes on that makes the shows seem disingenious and set up, but these shows are designed to give you ideas of how to survive in situations with bit of dramatic acting.
True survival situations are 95% boring, at least, and that doesn’t make for a good show.
Besides Bear urinating in a shirt to put on his head and drinking his own piss is still classic.
TheEJS on August 13, 2007 at 7:29 PM
What I’ve learned so far:
If you’re in a frozen area with no food available, a freshly killed sheep will appear in front of you if you wander around long enough.
If you risk a broken leg to climb a rock, freshly laid eggs will just happen to be there in the open.
Squeezing a couple ounces of poop-juice out of elephant dung is totally worth the risk of the illness and dehydration-inducing dirreah.
Not only is his show bad, but some of the advice given by way of example is bad at best, and at worst potentially fatal in a survival situation.
Hollowpoint on August 13, 2007 at 7:42 PM
I finally saw Survivorman for the first time this weekend. If you’re into watching a guy sit around for a week because it’s “legit”, then more power to ya. The rest of us will opt for entertainment.
viking999 on August 13, 2007 at 8:07 PM
Next thing you know, we’ll find out the “The Simpson’s” is actually a cartoon.
TheSitRep on August 13, 2007 at 8:23 PM
Woosh as in the sound my sarcasm made as it passed by your skull. I’m a Survivorman fan.
Nonfactor on August 13, 2007 at 8:57 PM
The dialect wasn’t Romanji, I remember that. Seems like it started with a “T”. At any rate, when they spelled it for me in English they used a “c”. They may have misspelled it. Communicating with them was always fun. Cryptic sentences and drawings. When we finally did get them speaking passable English they had to return to Japan and the cycle started all over again.
Kowboy on August 13, 2007 at 9:14 PM
If you keep an eye out there’s a ‘Behind The Scenes’ episode of SurvivorMan where he talks about doing the show and shows some of the outtakes.
Basically he spends two weeks at each location – the first week he has a local expert training him in what to do and what not to do.
The outtakes are hilarious – while he’ll often show his repeated failures in the show (partly for entertainment, partly for enlightenment) he has to cut out the ones with too many bad words. For this special he could leave in a couple that were pretty much 30-second long bleeps.
Les is on several forums including, IIRC, the EDC forum – which I don’t appear to have a link to handy on this machine. He discusses the trips and talks about things that did and didn’t make the tape. The Georgia Swamp one put him in the hospital for a while and it took six months to completely get rid of the intestinal parasites he brought back. He may be crazy, but he earns his money.
KCSteve on August 13, 2007 at 10:29 PM
Forgot to mention: I believe he does have a ‘panic button’ (Personal Locator Beacon) in case he really hurts himself. Still, in about half the cases where he might use it it would just help them find the body.
KCSteve on August 13, 2007 at 10:30 PM
If you look at the EXTENDED MT.Everest footage of Bear, the camera accidently pans too far and you can see, in the background, the space shuutle that gave him a lift up there.
Holee smokes just watching Escape to the Legion sold me, the guy is a British Commando bad a*s.
If by any bit of luck I ran into him in a hotel bar imbetween shoots, an he started givin a lecture on extreme survival, I’d intently hear him out… who knows what bit of info might save yer life.
SurvivorMan has good tips, I like Les ok. Of course a camera crew makes for better awe candy video shots.
christophercube on August 13, 2007 at 11:36 PM
Reality is just a crutch for those who can’t accept fantasy.
Survivor man really does know his stuff so it’s a shame they resort to smoke and mirrors. They don’t have to.
Mojave Mark on August 14, 2007 at 1:40 AM
Survivor Man rules, this guy is a tool. I’d like to see “Bear” lug his own camera equipment, and live a year off the grid.
Iblis on August 14, 2007 at 9:05 AM
Intentionally falling through ice on lake, then rolling in snow butt naked to dry off.
Jumping into crevass with only a backpack and knotted parachute cord to arrest his fall
Drinking piss
Making blanket from the hide of a rotting deer
Drinking elephant poo juice
Drinking elephant poo juice
Drinking elephant poo juice
Drinking elephant poo juice
I don’t doubt Survivorman’s expertise, but Bear’s show is compelling viewing.
Drinking elephant poo juice
Drinking elephant poo juice
I don’t care if he bailed out to a motel a couple times
Drinking elephant poo juice
That’s one mushroom-cloud-layin’ muthafukin’ bona fide as far as I’m concerned.
Ochlan on August 14, 2007 at 10:14 AM
Nope! Sorry! All filmed on a sound stage with divers putting the crabs in the pots!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on August 14, 2007 at 11:20 AM