Bear Grylled: Man vs. Wild Fake?
- Thread starter jas123
- Start date
PumpingIron
Well-known member
thats crazy. i always liked that show..
...i hope survivorman isn't fake too.
...i hope survivorman isn't fake too.
greenwing7
Member
I freakin hate bear, I don't see how survivor man could be fake, I remember Bear was trying to catch a salmon or something one time and this dead one is floating down the river and all of a sudden wham he stabbs at it and catches it. It was obviously staged!
CNizz
Board Sponsor
my exact thoughts, i cant sit through survivor man but im all in on Bear, any man that willingly drinks elephant [explitive deleted] water to survive instantly earns my respect
Beau
Well-known member
Apparently you CANNOT fake drinking water from animal feces; that would just be wrong.
wojo
Well-known member
it was a joke
Beau
Well-known member
So was my response. I was suggesting that it would be wrong to fake drinking it; but not wrong to actually drink it.
Pioneer
Registered User
he has addressed these issues many times on his website off discovery.com. the lifevest was required from the directors in the early parts in the shows life. he admitted it and people have been on him ever since. he later told the producers he'll never shoot it the way they want he'll only do it his way, the real way.
as for that rock bridge i never saw bear actually there so anyone could have gone there and taped in the same place. i think that was Hawaii and not soon later he was at the end of the show and found the people.
there is no doubt he gets help and doesn't always stay out all the time. but he does get dropped into random ass spot and does need to make it out with his survival skills. He was a survival specialist in the British SAS, he knows his stuff. He broke his back during a training jump and then climbed to the top of Mt. Everest a few years later. The guy is amazing and you learn a LOT by watching his show. you also know he does put his life into serious jeopardy in his show more than anyone else on TV.
As for SurvivorMan... he was a freakin music teacher. He doesn't move anywhere he just sets up camp for a few days. Sure he does know a good amount and his probably isn't staged either but I would follow Bear into the woods rather than that guy.
.02
as for that rock bridge i never saw bear actually there so anyone could have gone there and taped in the same place. i think that was Hawaii and not soon later he was at the end of the show and found the people.
there is no doubt he gets help and doesn't always stay out all the time. but he does get dropped into random ass spot and does need to make it out with his survival skills. He was a survival specialist in the British SAS, he knows his stuff. He broke his back during a training jump and then climbed to the top of Mt. Everest a few years later. The guy is amazing and you learn a LOT by watching his show. you also know he does put his life into serious jeopardy in his show more than anyone else on TV.
As for SurvivorMan... he was a freakin music teacher. He doesn't move anywhere he just sets up camp for a few days. Sure he does know a good amount and his probably isn't staged either but I would follow Bear into the woods rather than that guy.
.02
BigVrunga
Well-known member
I like 'Man vs Wild' quite a bit, the advice he gives there certainly seems to be valid, from what I know about survival, hiking, etc.
I always assumed that he had some help here and there, he's got a camera crew with him on many shows and Im sure they're not going to let him starve to death.
It's a TV show, made to entertainment and educate.
I didnt get upset when i was 9 and discovered Alf was really a puppet
BV
I always assumed that he had some help here and there, he's got a camera crew with him on many shows and Im sure they're not going to let him starve to death.
It's a TV show, made to entertainment and educate.
I didnt get upset when i was 9 and discovered Alf was really a puppet
BV
CNizz
Board Sponsor
wait ghost hunters is fake too? any articles on it?
CNizz
Board Sponsor
i have come to the conclusion that those guys have far too much time on their hands, debatable whether they have a point or not, I thought they were going to criticize the show for sounding scripted or for the footage from the first season in the prison, but the show is still enjoyable either way, i think its the "what if" that is scarier than whats really out there
RenegadeRows
Well-known member
I still think he offers good information and entertainment. There were also parts of episodes where it looked like he put his life in danger. For example, the Florida Everglades episode. He was walking around in murky water up to his waist, with crocs all around.
RR
RR
CDB
Registered User
The sad truth about ghost hunting is almost always diddly **** happens. That's why I quit. More often than not you end up freaking yourself out and get nothing tangible to show evidencewise. That's not to say you don't occasionally see some odd ****, but empircal evidence, proof of ghosts or whatever? Big zippo in my experience.
I did it as a goof back in college. Fun with some friends. We bought the beginners kits, set up sealed boxes with chalk for writing samples, etc. The weirdest thing that ever happened was a very, very distinct chill in a room in an abandoned house and what I can only call a foggy mental feeling, like too much benadryl. We hauled ass out of there. Otherwise it was just a reason to chill out with chicks in weird places at night.
bioman
Well-known member
Ghost Hunters is retarded. An hour of "Oh! Did you hear that?!", lol.
The point of Bear's show is to demonstrate how to use survival skills in certain situations and environments. I've spotted many signs that they were actually near civilization when they claimed they were a bajillion miles from anything..powerlines and jeep trails in the background. So this is not surprising at all.
I like Bear's overall presentation over that of Survivorman's. As a field biologist with over 10 years of experience, I can tell when my leg is being pulled when these guys are talking about what's dangerous in certain environments. Bear will generally tell it like it is in regards to dangers..Les hypes up really stupid things like "aggressive snapping turtles" in the swamps or more recently Cape cobras coming after you in Africa. Les is clearly not comfortable in these places..Bear takes them more in stride.
Both have their merits, but Bear seems a bit more genuine to me as he has the actual background in at least some of the stuff. NO ONE can know how to survive in every single environment out there and there is a lot of research that goes into every episode of both shows.
I can totally understand and forgive Bear using hotels when they are avialable. If you haven't had to work in extreme environments and also sleep in them while being expected to perform your duties...you shouldn't bother criticizing either of these guys too much.
The point of Bear's show is to demonstrate how to use survival skills in certain situations and environments. I've spotted many signs that they were actually near civilization when they claimed they were a bajillion miles from anything..powerlines and jeep trails in the background. So this is not surprising at all.
I like Bear's overall presentation over that of Survivorman's. As a field biologist with over 10 years of experience, I can tell when my leg is being pulled when these guys are talking about what's dangerous in certain environments. Bear will generally tell it like it is in regards to dangers..Les hypes up really stupid things like "aggressive snapping turtles" in the swamps or more recently Cape cobras coming after you in Africa. Les is clearly not comfortable in these places..Bear takes them more in stride.
Both have their merits, but Bear seems a bit more genuine to me as he has the actual background in at least some of the stuff. NO ONE can know how to survive in every single environment out there and there is a lot of research that goes into every episode of both shows.
I can totally understand and forgive Bear using hotels when they are avialable. If you haven't had to work in extreme environments and also sleep in them while being expected to perform your duties...you shouldn't bother criticizing either of these guys too much.
CDB
Registered User
I'd go down the rapids with her.
warbird01
Well-known member
Jstrong20
Well-known member
Thanks for ruining it for me bastard!lol I actually like that show alot. I'm not really a beleiver in ghost but find the idea of it interesting. I would love to see something like that. I see some ***** about not much happening. IMO opinon it makes it look more credible. If slimer jumped out on every episode or rick moranis shows up looking for the key master it would be over the top and unbelieveable. By the way did you ever watch a haunting on discov channel. The stuff they renact are creepy as hell.
jas123
Well-known member
I was hoping you'd chime in, Bio, given your background. I agree that Bear is a little more genuine whereas Les is a little more over the top, but part of it might be just being alone for Les. Bear has backup there if he needs it so he can be more comfortable.
Man vs. Wild is definitely more entertaining, and Bear is more charismatic. I could tell that MvW was somewhat fake in that i assumed that he got help from the crew at times in making things like boats and ladders. From what I can tell, he's done some legit free climbing at dangerous heights too. But something bothers me about him staying in hotels. He is supposed be in a survival state (lack of sleep, exhausted, hungry) and performing these tasks. We watch a show like this to escape from our boring lives in cities or wherever and be taken away to another exciting place. It cheapened by its lack of authenticity.
:icon_lol: Nice ghostbusters reference.
mp5man1
Registered User
I like 'Man vs Wild' quite a bit, the advice he gives there certainly seems to be valid, from what I know about survival, hiking, etc.
I always assumed that he had some help here and there, he's got a camera crew with him on many shows and Im sure they're not going to let him starve to death.
It's a TV show, made to entertainment and educate.
I didnt get upset when i was 9 and discovered Alf was really a puppet
BV
Alfs a puppet?
MvW being scripted doesnt seem so important now, does it? 
RenegadeRows
Well-known member
I found this site to be interesting:
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
Beau
Well-known member
Then Cindy Margolis has a couple of Alfs.
bioman
Well-known member
I can totally understand your point, Jas. I DO think MvW should simply disclose the fact that the show is a for entertainment and that Bear will rely on his crew or nearby towns for logistical support so as to not mislead the veiwer into thinking he's really on his own 100%. I think most of the time he actually is, and what he does is indeed very dangerous with the free climbing etc. You have to consider that he's still doing legit stuff, being risky no matter how comfortably he sleeps.
Obviously though, there's plenty of episodes where he couldn't possibly get a hotel..like in Australia's Kimberly's or the Arctic, so I'm betting it's only happened a few times.
I don't blame him though ..lol..there's been times I would give a testicle to sleep comfortably in the field.
Obviously though, there's plenty of episodes where he couldn't possibly get a hotel..like in Australia's Kimberly's or the Arctic, so I'm betting it's only happened a few times.
I don't blame him though ..lol..there's been times I would give a testicle to sleep comfortably in the field.
wojo
Well-known member
lol i much actually believe that..that is one jacked up freak
Mrs. Gimpy!
Well-known member
its so disappointing since i love that show so much 
but, i'll still watch, the elephant poop drink is definitely something to give him credit for. i really liked the episode where he threw this stick at a rabbit, amazing aim. the man might be slightly fake but he definitely has some good skills
but, i'll still watch, the elephant poop drink is definitely something to give him credit for. i really liked the episode where he threw this stick at a rabbit, amazing aim. the man might be slightly fake but he definitely has some good skills
CDB
Registered User
its so disappointing since i love that show so much
but, i'll still watch, the elephant poop drink is definitely something to give him credit for. i really liked the episode where he threw this stick at a rabbit, amazing aim. the man might be slightly fake but he definitely has some good skills
I caught it on Discovery a couple days ago and there are a lot more disclaimers about the realism of the show now, on Man Vs Wild and Survivor Man. Personally I think anyone who thought this stuff was 100% real is a bit looney. I mean how does a guy alone in the wilderness get a tracking shot of himself running through the bush? And if there is one thing survival in the wild teaches you, it's that it is much better to sleep in a bed in a heated/ACed room than a shelter in the woods surrounded by wild animals and bugs galore. Hell, I don't even go camping usually unless I know there's running water and electricity within a reasonable distance. And, oddly enough, when I do feel like seriously disconnecting I usually go alone and fish and read. What good is the solitude of nature if you got people with you *****ing about breakfast and lunch, and dwindling supplies of beer?
bioman
Well-known member
After watching more episodes of both shows, I have to say Bear knows what he is talking about or at least researches very well. Les..eh notsomuch.
Survivorboy did a show in my backyard...the Sonoran Desert. There were so many contradictions, falllacies and downright lies in that episode it had me and my wife howling with laughter and outrage.
From memory here's the highlights;
1. Les stages the show so that it depicts what it is like to get lost on a dirtbike in the desert and have it break down. Plausible..OK. But they show him grinding through the desert...off trail..crashing through bushes and having a grand old time then towards the end of the show talk about how we should all "Take only photographs and leave no trace".
A-Hole!:aargh:
2. They initially depict the episode being the scorching desert where temps climb over 100 degrees F and drop below freezing at night. UMmmm, NO. Temps do not drop below freezing when the daytime temp is over 100 (which only occurs in late spring and summer). In winter it can get into the 30's but then the daytime temp is usually a very mild 75-80 degrees.
The episode was clearly filmed in the winter when daytime temps are nice and mild..even for a pastey Canadian dimwit like Wes.
3. Edible Cacti. Les clearly did some Google-esque research on cacti for his schpeal about which cacti are edible and which are not. But it's also clear he had zero practical/real life knowledge when he attempted to eat a dried out barrel cactus fruit. Yes they're edible, but only when they're fresh and juicy.
He then goes on to make a huge deal about eating Mammalaria cactus fruits which although fresh at the time, represent about 0.05 calories a piece. Wow, real survival skills there Les.
4. On the subject of wasting more calories than you are taking in by pursuing stupid activities...Les goes hunting. For grasshoppers. Yeah, let's expend a good 300 calories chasing grasshoppers around AND then cooking them for their meaty 4 calories of actual worth. Brilliant.
5. Javelinas. In the show, Les claims that he has to be cautious because of all the dangerous wildlife around (a favorite theme of this suburbanite scare-dee-cat). The deadly venomous rattlesnakes (which are estivating in winter), the mountain lions (which virtually never attack a grown man), and worst of all by far..the dangerous and aggressive javelinas (pronounced "have a lines" by dimwit) that "have been known to attack people in numbers".
Guffaw! No they don't Lester. About the only time javelinas have attacked people is when they are cornered..like by a hunter..or if they are being fed by people who then get too close. Even then, it's just a bite or two but Les would have us believe that they will chase you down in packs and eat you like dire wolves on a caveman.
Then there is a scene where Les is hiding up in a tree as a "dangerous" javelina passes underneath. He's clearly scared but he needn't be. I've gotten within inches of dozens of javelinas..since they can't see very well...and all have run off when they detected me. They're mostly shy and skittish but occasionally a boar will stand it's ground before running off.
Les also missed his opportunity to eat well by letting 15-20 pounds of meat walk off because he was afraid or pressing an erroneous point.
Les also had the incredible fortune to just stumble across a creek in the desert...which has about a 1 in 100,000 chance of happening on it's own so it's clear he and his crew made sure he would intersect that creek (looked like either Cienaga Creek or Davidson Canyon to me). That's called staging and it's what everyone is on Bear's ass for right now.
So more and more I see "Survivorman" the more I view it as how to hang out for a week in the woods and not eat anything, be unjustifiably frightened of the wildlife, and blunder about causing ecological damage (he's gotta poop somewhere) while NOT showing people really how to survive in the wilderness.
The End
Survivorboy did a show in my backyard...the Sonoran Desert. There were so many contradictions, falllacies and downright lies in that episode it had me and my wife howling with laughter and outrage.
From memory here's the highlights;
1. Les stages the show so that it depicts what it is like to get lost on a dirtbike in the desert and have it break down. Plausible..OK. But they show him grinding through the desert...off trail..crashing through bushes and having a grand old time then towards the end of the show talk about how we should all "Take only photographs and leave no trace".
A-Hole!:aargh:
2. They initially depict the episode being the scorching desert where temps climb over 100 degrees F and drop below freezing at night. UMmmm, NO. Temps do not drop below freezing when the daytime temp is over 100 (which only occurs in late spring and summer). In winter it can get into the 30's but then the daytime temp is usually a very mild 75-80 degrees.
The episode was clearly filmed in the winter when daytime temps are nice and mild..even for a pastey Canadian dimwit like Wes.
3. Edible Cacti. Les clearly did some Google-esque research on cacti for his schpeal about which cacti are edible and which are not. But it's also clear he had zero practical/real life knowledge when he attempted to eat a dried out barrel cactus fruit. Yes they're edible, but only when they're fresh and juicy.
He then goes on to make a huge deal about eating Mammalaria cactus fruits which although fresh at the time, represent about 0.05 calories a piece. Wow, real survival skills there Les.
4. On the subject of wasting more calories than you are taking in by pursuing stupid activities...Les goes hunting. For grasshoppers. Yeah, let's expend a good 300 calories chasing grasshoppers around AND then cooking them for their meaty 4 calories of actual worth. Brilliant.
5. Javelinas. In the show, Les claims that he has to be cautious because of all the dangerous wildlife around (a favorite theme of this suburbanite scare-dee-cat). The deadly venomous rattlesnakes (which are estivating in winter), the mountain lions (which virtually never attack a grown man), and worst of all by far..the dangerous and aggressive javelinas (pronounced "have a lines" by dimwit) that "have been known to attack people in numbers".
Guffaw! No they don't Lester. About the only time javelinas have attacked people is when they are cornered..like by a hunter..or if they are being fed by people who then get too close. Even then, it's just a bite or two but Les would have us believe that they will chase you down in packs and eat you like dire wolves on a caveman.
Then there is a scene where Les is hiding up in a tree as a "dangerous" javelina passes underneath. He's clearly scared but he needn't be. I've gotten within inches of dozens of javelinas..since they can't see very well...and all have run off when they detected me. They're mostly shy and skittish but occasionally a boar will stand it's ground before running off.
Les also missed his opportunity to eat well by letting 15-20 pounds of meat walk off because he was afraid or pressing an erroneous point.
Les also had the incredible fortune to just stumble across a creek in the desert...which has about a 1 in 100,000 chance of happening on it's own so it's clear he and his crew made sure he would intersect that creek (looked like either Cienaga Creek or Davidson Canyon to me). That's called staging and it's what everyone is on Bear's ass for right now.
So more and more I see "Survivorman" the more I view it as how to hang out for a week in the woods and not eat anything, be unjustifiably frightened of the wildlife, and blunder about causing ecological damage (he's gotta poop somewhere) while NOT showing people really how to survive in the wilderness.
The End
CDB
Registered User
Perhaps I'm being too harsh.
He actually seems like a nice enough fellow...but I had to laugh at some of the stuff.
Nah. He calls soda "pop". Anyone who does that deserves to made fun of.
kwyckemynd00
Registered User
This section of your review was hilarious :rofl: Just last semester I spent a couple weeks in an ecology course getting optimal foraging theory pounded into my head, so the irony of SurvivorMan chasing grasshoppers around is too much to handle. That's like drinking salt water because you're thirsty.
kwyckemynd00
Registered User
CDB
Registered User
A big part of the US deserves to be made fun of, specifically for that. The only thing worse in that vein are people who call every kind of soda "coke."
"I'll have a Coke."
"What kinda coke ya want?"
"Coke."
"Yah, what kind?"
"A frigging Coke..."
Conversations go on like that for a good ten minutes. You'd think some people would have clued in to brand names by now.
CDB
Registered User
I just have weird psychotic hatreds. That's one of them. And I'm not affected by any other dialect specifics that I know of. For some reason the inability to properly identify soda drives me up a wall. And calling it "pop" makes me foam at the mouth.