Okay so I asked about this in another thread but no one responded to me:( I saw a commercial for this show and I am pretty sure it comes on tonight, but anywho there is this super outdoor expert guy named Bear and one of the commercials I saw he was in some quick sand and showing people how to get out…I thought it looked really…interesting. I think they were also talking about a tour…not sure how that will work I guess they will have games and challenges for you to work out…but just wondering if anyone has heard of it?
Yep, it’s premiering on the Discovery Channel tonight: web site
I watched it tonight. Not too bad. Bear is rather cute, and I guess his advice is good, although since I tend to stay in the house, I don’t know how good the advice is. I was surprised that he was British. He doesn’t speak in the promos and no mention was made of where he was from until the actual show. I guess I didn’t expect a British guy to go by “Bear.”
I didn’t catch the show last night, but I was in DC yesterday and a guy advertising for them came up to us. We got a nice carabiner with built-in flashlight with the show’s name.
I thought it was a cool way to advertise. I actually meant to watch the show, but was exhausted and forgot.
Saw it, kind of a rip-off of Survivorman if you ask me. Don’t know why I feel defensive about that. Bear has a camera crew, Les doesn’t, otherwise pretty much the same show.
I agree with BlackNGold, a rip-off of Survivorman. My problem with watching Bear was that I kept imagining this large crew behind the camera, with tents, food, water, all that.
There was one point where Bear was shimmying up a narrow chute in a canyon. I was more interested in seeing how the cameraman did it with gear in tow! My husband pointed out that the cameraman was probably dangling from a rope. That was when I felt the most ripped off.
I’ll watch repeats of Survivorman making do rather than Bear pretending.
The funny thing was Bear talking about heat stroke one minute and hypothermia the next when jumping into that creek. Not impressed.
Telperien I have to agree I think he is kinda cute:) but I think the difference with this show and Survivor man is that Survior man was kind of like showing you how to live in the wild where as Bear is like a how to. I mean if you were ever in this situation kind of thing. And I am pretty sure that he has just one camera man with him so not much difference there IMO! 
oh yeah Monica thats cool you got something I heard about this cause they were supposed to be right down the street from me but I did not get a chance to get out there…cool you got something though!
As far as the
did anyone catch the last episode when he ate that raw fish and got naked…man I was not expecting that…I tell ya I will tune in just to see what he is going to do next:)
He pissed on his dew rag to keep his head cool in the episode I saw.
Yes… Very much a rip off of Survivorman (even to the point of going to the same damn places to survive). I envisage Les Stroud challenging Bear Grylls to a “survive off” where they get dropped in the jungle have to do battle with home made weapons (kinda like the episode of star trek 
).
Also (unlike Survivorman which I’m pretty sure is pretty authenic, give or take a satelite phone for emergencies ) I’m REALLY skeptical of some of the stunts on Man-vs-Wild… I’m not at all sure he did have hidden climbing equipment when climbed down that waterfall (I mean how did his crew get to the bottom if it was a two hour hike ?).
I’m not an expert, but personally I wouldn’t take survival advice for either of them, they both seem to be more bothered with what will look good on TV, rather than what you’d actually do in a similar situation. IMO another British “Survivalist” type Ray Mears (http://www.raymears.com/) gives out much more beleivable advice.
I’m watching but I agree that Survivorman is more authentic. I can’t get the constant thought of the camera crew out of the back of my mind with Man Vs. Wild.
Me either. “I can’t believe he’s really taking off his clothes!” I thought. I also noted the patriotic underpants. I’m hooked, I admit. 
I think it’s pretty contrived, but it should be obvious that I’m not watching the show for any educational value.
Yes I saw him Pee on that shirt the first episode and was like did he just pee on that shirt…so I hit rewind and sure enough he did…I could not believe he got naked and they just filmed it but I guess that is what you have to do if you were in a similar situation…I just could not get over him eating those maggots and tearing that fish up…Man he pretty intense!
While the show is similar to Survivor man It has it differences I mean I think Man vs. Wild is more of a how to kind of thing well maybe not necessarily but he give great tips! Were as Survivorman was more like a demonstration of him trying to survive…Either way I am going to continue to watch I mean you never know what Bear is going to do next!
Is anyone here enough of an outdoors expert to critique Bear’s advice?
He does some things that don’t make sense to me if the goal is really survival and not good television. For instance, he made a rope out of vines and climbed down a waterfall. Seems to me that the last thing you’d want to do while lost in the jungle is take a risk of breaking your leg. I think it would be better to hike around the waterfall. He also has a habit of running/sliding down slopes like a mountain lion is chasing him. Why risk an injury if you don’t have to?
He also likes to make rafts and plunge into cold streams. That’s a way to move quickly, but you also risk hypothermia and broken bones. Is that a reasonable trade-off if lost in the wild?
I guess I want to know whether he does things for TV that would make a realistic survival expert roll his eyes in exasperation.
Yeah, he seems to me more like a guy trying to make an “exciting” tv show rather than a guy trying to survive in the wilderness. And his commentary is so silly that I can’t bear to watch it anymore. :dubious:
I commented to my husband that they seem to be looking more for the “beefcake”-desiring audience rather than a serious one. There was one episode where he was so dehydrated, then poked a hole in a coconut and in the process of “drinking” the fluid he spilled half it down his face and bared chest. He also talked about how wonderful coconuts are for you and how you can live so long off them, when Les Stroud on Survivorman made a point of saying during a tropical episode that he needed much more than the coconuts that he had, if he wanted to survive.
I agree. Bear is a bad a$$ survivalist, and I have no doubt that his skills are top notch. But Les carries all his equip with him and basically says “see ya in a week” as opposed to the (obvious) camera shots Bear has chasing him.
Between the two, Les wins. Hands down. Although Bear could probably kill Les, skin em, and use his shin bone for a pencil box… 
Just watched this last night for the first time. As some of you have mentioned already, with the camera crew, the first thing that comes to mind how “real” (or not) the situation actually is. I mean, I kept waiting for someone to say at the beginning or end of the show that Bear gets (or was given) no assistance by the camera crew, or something along those lines. But it never happens. Haven’t heard of survivor man… will have to look that one up.
I have spent hours floating in quicksand (geotechnical experiment in college). It was very comfortable and I bobbed like a cork, couldn’t get my chin under even with a very large guy pressing down on my shoulders from above - quicksand is basically a very dense fluid. Calm down, stop shrieking and thinking of cheesy Tarzan movies and swim your butt out.
There. Where’s my big TV contract? If it helps I’ll take off my shirt, slather myself in coconut milk and adopt a British accent