What is Digg?635 Comments
- tonybls12, on 10/10/2007, -10/+416this was not a bbc show. "The series was originally made for the Discovery Channel in the US
and was acquired for UK transmission by Channel 4. "
so this makes your post a fraud :) - dblespresso, on 10/10/2007, -38/+381He is no "survivorman". Now that guy is tough
- CaptMonkey, on 10/10/2007, -7/+305It doesn't change the fact that he drank water from squeezed elephant dung.
- smartalecks, on 10/10/2007, -14/+216Aw come on, Bear Grylls has done some pretty damn amazing things off the show as well!
1996: Breaks spinal cord in several places after a parachute failure while training in the SAS in Africa. Spends a year in rehabilitation (only a year!).
1997: Youngest Briton to summit Ama Dablam in the Himalayas. (Called unclimbable by Sir Edmund Hillary)
1998: Summited Mount Everest (lost 4 companions in the process). Would be the youngest Briton ever to, but another, younger, man did it the following year but died on the way down.
2000: Led team to circumnavigate the UK on personal watercraft (canoes, rafts, etc).
2003: Led team of 5 men on the first crossing of the Northern Atlantic Ocean, which regularly experiences freezing temperatures, giant waves, and icebergs, on an INFLATABLE BOAT.
2005: Led attempt to paramotor over the jungle plateau of Angel Falls, while staying at a high enough altitude to reach the highest and most remote tepui.
2007: Broke a world record by flying a petrol-powered PARAGLIDER over the Himalayas, higher than Mount Everest at 29,500ft. -60C temperatures, very low oxygen levels. Did it for CHARITY.
Come on you guys, Bear is ***** elite. - crweaks23, on 10/10/2007, -11/+161Maybe some things are for ratings, but honestly, I don't consider any of this news a "fraud." The beginning of the show explains the point of it - to show you how to survive in the wild. He does a good job explaining everything he's doing and has shown me some pretty damn cool tricks. It's not like he's faking being in the wild, he's doing all the ***** that matters (climbing trees, finding food, etc).
One more thing.. if you watch the episode when the crew supposedly built his raft for him, he was in the rain forest puking his guts out from either drinking bad water or catching the flu. The dude was sick as hell, so what if the camera crew built his raft. Never does he claim anywhere that he is alone and without help. He claims to help you learn how to survive in the wild, which he does. - incognegro, on 10/17/2007, -10/+160Why eat the bugs? Ever seen Jackass? Are you familiar with this thing called the "Television"? Ratings, my friend. Anything for ratings.
- spearce, on 10/10/2007, -27/+140that really sucks....i have such a completely heterosexual man crush on bear. i kind of considered him my hero. stupid me.
- 0xbaadf00d, on 10/10/2007, -22/+122survivorman > manvwild
http://www.survivorman.ca/ - Error601, on 10/10/2007, -5/+102There are people that think reality TV is really reality?
- Shrubber, on 10/10/2007, -11/+98Indeed. THAT guy (Les Stroud, I think) does some real stuff. I saw an ad on the Discovery Channel that said the new season of Survivorman starts August 10th.
I'm thinking the first season of Man vs Wild ends August 9th. - donkz, on 10/10/2007, -2/+84He was drinking his own piss to avoid dehidration in the desert while cameraman next to him sipped water out of a bottle...
- FoxOrian, on 10/10/2007, -1/+74It was pretty obvious to begin with that Man vs Wild was more or less planned out beforehand. I still enjoy the show even though awfully "convenient" things tend to happen. I think the purpose behind Man vs Wild is almost a demonstration of things you could do in those situations rather than watching a man go through different conditions for the sake of telling a story. I think Survivorman was created for the purpose of doing it for real, hence no crew.
- gutterboy, on 10/10/2007, -4/+68I thought it was obvious the difference between Man v. Wild and Survivor man. Bear Grylls never claimed sole survival and mentions in many shows this is to show you the viewer what to do in desperate times. Of course one man could build a raft but when you have full camera crews and health and safety people following you around why waste the time having one man build it and the others stand around having a laugh. He clearly is a hardcore dude and there is no doubt in my mind that given a true alone in the woods scenario he would have no problem doing all of the "assisted" things on his own. It is a wildly entertaining show and this does not alter my opinion one bit. The dude catches fish with his bare hands then bites into them while they are still alive. Ne'er has a man with the first name Bear lived up to his name as much as he has.
- tokyomonster, on 10/10/2007, -6/+67Survivorman not only has to lug the camera equipment(50+ pounds) around himself, he has to endure being all alone, with no one to talk to, for a week straight, not 2 or 3 nights.
He could possibly die, or be dying, by day 2, and help still wouldn't come until day 7. - conley, on 10/10/2007, -4/+60Or bit the head off of a snake, or jump into freezing water and pulled himself out, or any of the other crazy things he does that entertain viewers.
- modulus5, on 10/10/2007, -7/+61Who did you think was holding the camera? Bear is the youngest Briton to have climbed Everest and survived (at 23). He was in the SAS until he broke his back in a parachuting accident. He's lead an expidition across the Arctic Ocean in an inflatable boat. He also has participated with the French Foreign Legion. This man is elite.
- cozb, on 10/10/2007, -3/+54you guys want real tv? Look at youtube and how freaking boring LIFE is... Give me a well edited, put together show anytime..
- Drahkar, on 10/10/2007, -14/+61Frankly I think that show is a joke. If you want a good survivor style show then watch Survivorman. Its far more realistic to what you would find yourself in and he doesn't promote ravingly stupid things like climbing through a glacier. Nobody should attempt to climb through a glacier. They are far too unstable and unpredictable. Especially on your own attempting to 'Survive'.
- chipwar, on 10/10/2007, -7/+51I don't care if it's all fake, it's entertaining. I love this show!
- Skitals, on 10/10/2007, -2/+42Then I guess he shouldn't say at the beginning of the episode that the crew will only intervene in life or death situations.
- BobMysterioso, on 10/10/2007, -3/+42I really dig Survivorman. I have seen almost every episode. I will tell you though, if you saw or grab the torrent of "Off The Grid" you'll see he is a bit of a quack. He wants to live off the electric grid, his kids constantly spout this mantra of "we'll be the ones ready when the hydro bills get too big". The big fallacy of whole situation is, to bulid this ecofriendly house he uses all sorts of extreme measures. Choosing to fly materials in via heli since he waited too long and the snow caught up with him.
Seriously, great show, kinda odd guy. - torched, on 10/10/2007, -6/+45Cops is about the only respectable "reality" shows, even then they have to film about 200 hours of just sitting around to get those 25 minutes of action.
- 0crabby0, on 10/10/2007, -3/+41"So why eat the bugs?"
So why pee on a shirt and wear it as a hat? - arbulus, on 10/10/2007, -9/+47Survirorman is real. This guy has no lifeline. If he slips and falls down a mountain side on day 1, he'll lay there and die before his crew comes back 7 days later. There's no one to help him and he has to prove that what he's demonstrating actually works because he as no choice but to do so.
Man V. Wild is contrived and unrealistic. Plus the guy take unnecessary risks because he has a crew right there with him and doesn't have to worry about being left alone in the woods with a broken leg for a week before anyone comes looking for him. - CaptMonkey, on 10/10/2007, -1/+38According to the Wikipedia article, it's aired in Britain as Born Survivor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_vs_wild - longbow486, on 10/10/2007, -4/+40you know, digg has a built in spell checker...
- Easty, on 10/10/2007, -2/+38It's Channel 4, you fool.
- hockey, on 10/10/2007, -4/+39The shows are fundamentally different in nature. I don't consider Bear's show a "fraud" because of its premise. Survivorman is a show about a guy against the elements. It's just him. Man vs Wild never reports itself as being that. He tells you up front. "If you ever get caught in a situation like this, this is what you need to do to survive". He's not trying to be some man against the elements kind of person. Look at his show. "I'm going to jump into this quick sand to demonstrate how to get out. I'm going to show you which kind of water sources you can drink from in a situation like this. I'm going to show you what to do if you ever get caught in sub-zero temps. This is how you build a fire if you don't have a flint. This is how you build a shelter if you get caught in the rain." It's meant to provide educational information in an entertainment like format.
Besides I saw him on Oprah once and about the camera crew his basic attitude is "I've been to Everest and seen people die. . . I'm never going to be in an extreme situation and be alone because I've got a wife and kids to think about"
I see them as two different types of shows personally. - schragnasher, on 10/10/2007, -17/+51no kidding, i liked SM till i saw MvW though the camera crew always kinda got to me, i assumed they were following the rules and the stuff he did was alot more interesting then SM, but after hearing of these allegations, bear can suck it. Stroud FTW if this checks out.
- stradv16, on 10/10/2007, -4/+35Or that he was part of one of the most elite special forces units of the British Army. Or that he was, at 23, the youngest Briton to climb Mt. Everest. Even though he's not completely unaided on the show, he does a good job of making it interesting and entertaining for viewers.
- logicalnoise, on 10/10/2007, -11/+41I agree. Mry friends and me always argue about this. Les Stroud is is own camera crew 98% of the time. He has carry all his equipment do tasks sometimes 3x because he needs to record them properly. Yet still manages to get great footage and actully be fully immersed in the wild. True because of this he sometimes looks foolish when he can't quite start a fire with teh supposed tatic he intended but that's teh reality fo teh situation. It's always thrilling to watch him. WHen I watch man vs wild its still interesting but I know that guy isn't going through anywhere near as much stress or discomfort.
- sephiroth965, on 10/10/2007, -17/+47Survivorman is 10x better.
- bardamu, on 10/10/2007, -1/+30There have been more than one occasion where I see a life vest mysteriously appear under his shirt when in water. I know the show is fake to some extent but it is still filled with a lot of good information. Plus eating maggots out of a rotting wolf corpse and drinking your own urine does have shock value.
- EochaidRiata, on 10/10/2007, -12/+40"He claims to help you learn how to survive in the wild"
Ahh, I see. So when I am sick as hell in the wild I simply have my crew build me a raft. Good to know. - SlantyEyes, on 10/10/2007, -4/+32Bear is still one bad ass mo-fo. Lets not forget the time he hit a rabbit in the face with a stick from 20 yards away instantly rendering it unconsious. I'm pretty sure that there was no assistance on that one
- alexanEmpire, on 10/10/2007, -1/+28"So why eat the bugs??"
Because someone is waving several giant wads of cash in your face. - adoggz, on 10/10/2007, -5/+32Man i read that article twice and saw no mention Of Man Vs Wild, only a show called Born Survivor. Are they the same show?
- Slovenian6474, on 10/10/2007, -6/+31I already knew most of the stuff he does isn't what you'd do in a survival situation. Either way, I'd still love to do that anyways....well except for drinking dung juice.
- AussieJimbo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+25What is it with the woefully inaccurate headlines we're getting on digg these days. How about reading the ***** article. Idiot.
- KennMac, on 10/10/2007, -3/+27Everyone is so programmed to expect every show to be "reality". While much of this show is real, a lot of it is scripted to show you the things it was intended for, how to survive in the wild. There is no expectation of reality authenticity.
- kevsedg, on 10/10/2007, -3/+27You'd think the submitter would read the article really.
And I don't think every single programme needs to be thoroughly checked for accuracy.
BREAKING - EAST END FLY ON THE WALL DOCUMENTARY "EASTENDERS" SCRIPTED, ACTORS PAID - manapkt, on 10/10/2007, -7/+30I saw that episode, and he does mention that you shouldn't ever try to do it unless it was absolutely necessary because of the same reasons you stated.
- damnyooneek, on 10/10/2007, -2/+24its tv who cares. 99% of the things on tv isnt real. the show is still pretty cool.
- pmuschi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22He carries a satellite phone for emergencies. See the Survivorman FAQ http://www.survivorman.ca/faq.html
- louiedog, on 10/10/2007, -4/+26Of course he could, because his crew would step in and help.
- duzytata, on 10/10/2007, -6/+28Survivorman > Man verses Wild
The guy hauls his own camera equipment with him. No crew. That means when he climbs down a crevice, he goes down there first with the camera, sets it up, climbs back up, and then climbs back down again with the camera rolling. Now that's good television. - Cross5900, on 10/10/2007, -6/+27Frankly until the can prove it with footage, I stand by Bear on this one. The man climbed Mt. Everest at the age of 23 only shortly after from breaking his back from a parachute accident which left him crippled for quite some time. This guy is the real deal, unless he faked the mountain climb and persuaded all these people to go with the story, which I highly doubt.
- zeno60, on 10/10/2007, -7/+28None of these shows are a true "solo survival adventure." Even Les Stroud writes in his blog that he has a radio with him at all times and one call or flick of the emergency beacon and a stand-by crew are there in a second. Would you think a TV company would allow someone to just wander off without some risk assesment, pre-planned route, or backup gear for when they run into trouble, get killed, and have the heat come down on their asses?
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -2/+23If it's on TV, then it must be real!
- kylenalepa, on 10/10/2007, -8/+29This is a real shame. I love the show, but never knew he was assisted or that it was fake in any way. And staying in a motel while on a "deserted" island? Pathetic. If these claims turn out to be true, then I'm going to be very disappointed in the Discovery Channel.
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