'Man vs. Wild' now truth vs. deception

[rado]

And I really like this show

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...b7b8843486eacc

By Andrew Wallenstein

July 28, 2007

First there was Santa Claus. Then came the Tooth Fairy. And just when you thought no one could fool you into believing in mythical figures again, along comes Bear Grylls. :laughnew:

Grylls is the star of "Man vs. Wild," an increasingly popular series on Discovery Channel that recently concluded its second season. Each episode he parachutes into a different uninhabited territory without a map or much else in the way of camping equipment and spends several days trying to find his way back to civilization.

But this British adventurer is now the subject of an investigation by U.K.'s Channel 4, which already has confirmed that Grylls checked into motels on a few occasions when he was depicted on TV having slept under the stars. Other allegations have been made suggesting that the crew that records Grylls in action isn't as hands-off as it might appear to viewers.

Knowing what I now know, I don't think I could ever watch "Wild" with the same zeal again :thumbsdow . Naive as it now seems, I bought the notion that Grylls really was roughing it. If he cut corners here or there, what's to stop fans from doubting every facet of the show?

Agreed

Discovery has made vague allusions to moving forward with the series, but repackaged with greater "transparency." What exactly that means will be an interesting question for the network, which hasn't had a headache like this since Steve Irwin decided to dangle his own infant child within the reach of a hungry crocodile.


If Grylls thought the barren landscape of the Outback was a challenge, wait until he faces the ultimate endurance contest: celebrity notoriety. With a handsome face and endearing accent that makes him a dead ringer for the Welsh actor Christian Bale, Grylls has more than star quality; he exudes integrity. There was an effortlessness to his appeal, he was charming without being a charmer.

I think the appeal of this series has always been that its verite style reverses a subtle untold effect of shows such as "Survivor" and "Lost." The way they depict average Joes living off the land with relative ease has made the specter of being stranded in the wilderness not as scary as it once was. Heck, even Gilligan managed to subsist on coconuts and bamboo.

But "Wild" restored a sense of realism to being marooned and sold us on the fantasy that we could learn the actual skills for survival.

Truth be told, though, "Wild" isn't so much 21st century "Gilligan's Island" as it is a hybrid of "McGyver" and "Jackass." Grylls has a knack for improvising solutions to dangerous predicaments and isn't above grossing out everyone in the process.

Who can forget the time Grylls, burning up in the heat of the Moab desert, urinated on his own T-shirt, which he then wrapped around his head to cool his soaring body temperature. Or the time the hungry Grylls bit the heads off maggots he found in a frozen animal carcass crushed by an avalanche, cheerfully explaining they were a good source of nutrition?

Saw them both and it was great

For all its self-professed realism, "Man" always required some suspension of disbelief. Grylls often commented on the painful loneliness of being alone in the wild, but unless his camera crew was staffed by bears, he did have some company out there.

In retrospect, Grylls' preternatural unflappability in even the most dire of circumstances always seemed a bit too good to be true. I recall one episode in which he made an interminable slog through hip-deep snow drifts in the French Alps. Braving the frigid conditions, his frustration was evident only in the following comment: "I'd really murder for a cup of tea."

For all we know now, perhaps he was sipping English Breakfast on fine china between takes.

[Mr incredible]

what a fag, he didn't sound tough to me, more like some rich kid whose parents had bought him into private school and cadets, then he probably went in as an officer instead of a grunt, and he apparently retired due to injury? give me a break he probably never fired a shot in anger and the only front line he saw was a white one with his posh mates.

Quite often you see these survival shows and you think well if they're on their own who the fuck is filming them

[beefcake]

It's tv for fucks sake. What do people expect? I thought it was entertaining and the info was good. What more do you want?

[rado]

Originally Posted by beefcake

It's tv for fucks sake. What do people expect? I thought it was entertaining and the info was good. What more do you want?

But I thought it was real...I'm a huge fan and now I've been let down

[beefcake]

Originally Posted by rado

But I thought it was real...I'm a huge fan and now I've been let down

Why? It shows you what it would be like if it was real. There's no way someone could keep doing that for multiple episodes. The toll it takes on your body is bad.

[THE BOUNCER]

First of all has this been confirmed by anyone besides some gossip mag? Second, what exact proof do they have? All I saw was he checked into some hotels. Do they know without a doubt those dates were the dates he was supposed to be in the wild? How do they know? Third of all, stop posting story's and adding in your stupid comments in quote tags in the middle of the story.

[rado]

Originally Posted by beefcake

Why? It shows you what it would be like if it was real. There's no way someone could keep doing that for multiple episodes. The toll it takes on your body is bad.

Ummm...I'm not for real here

[rado]

Originally Posted by THE BOUNCER

First of all has this been confirmed by anyone besides some gossip mag? Second, what exact proof do they have? All I saw was he checked into some hotels. Do they know without a doubt those dates were the dates he was supposed to be in the wild? How do they know? Third of all, stop posting story's and adding in your stupid comments in quote tags in the middle of the story.

STFU

[hlcn8]

you can see some strange things in the shows; i was speaking w/ an air-force SERES instructor (survival, evasion, rescue and escape) who pointed out that in one series, after jumping into the water, you can see he has a life-jacket on under his shirt, that the supposedly "wild" horses he attempts to lasso in another episode are groomed and obviously not truly wild, etc.

The other point he made was that he (Bear) obviously does his research and points out good information relevant to the particular area he is in. in that respect the show can give great info, but in the end, it's just t.v. as usual.

[NYCmitch25]

Rado your such a dumass "I thought it was real like santa claus" LOL
i like the show and watch it but of coarse its bullshit... like he saids its fuking tv

from his own mouth (Bear) he has a camera person with him at all times during the day who will help him if hes in serious danger or injured badly.

the only time he is alone is at night. he has a camera to do his gay nightime narrrations and phone or radio to get help if he is in trouble

if he is in trouble there is helicopter at all times within 5mins away to air lift him out.

[THE BOUNCER]

Originally Posted by NYCmitch25

Rado your such a dumass "I thought it was real like santa claus" LOL
i like the show and watch it but of coarse its bullshit... like he saids its fuking tv

from his own mouth (Bear) he has a camera person with him at all times during the day who will help him if hes in serious danger or injured badly.

the only time he is alone is at night. he has a camera to do his gay nightime narrrations and phone or radio to get help if he is in trouble

if he is in trouble there is helicopter at all times within 5mins away to air lift him out.

he has more then a camera man with him. he also has 1 other survival expert with him. says so in the show credits.

its obvious that the way they edit the show that more is going on then we see. for example, the camera man will be behind bear as he climbs a tree across a canyon. next thing ya know the camera man is on the other side of the canyon with bear. there is no way he could get across with camera gear. i assumed everyone could see this.

bottom line no matter how it is edited. he still drinks the liquid from elephant shit. he still pisses on his shirt and wraps in around his face. he still climbs 150ft tall trees. he has climbed everest, etc.. he is still one bad dude regardless of how the show is edited.

[Chadd77]

Originally Posted by THE BOUNCER

bottom line no matter how it is edited. he still drinks the liquid from elephant shit. he still pisses on his shirt and wraps in around his face. he still climbs 150ft tall trees. he has climbed everest, etc.. he is still one bad dude regardless of how the show is edited.

I agree 100%

[rado]

I should have my own show

[THE BOUNCER]

Originally Posted by rado

I should have my own show

you did in the 80's.

[rado]

Originally Posted by THE BOUNCER

you did in the 80's.

lmao...:laughnew:

[NYCmitch25]

Originally Posted by rado

I should have my own show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHLr5AYl5f4

[fog_hat1981]

Originally Posted by THE BOUNCER

you did in the 80's.

Omg - ahahaha...

[Kayak Jones]

There is only one survival series on that the main character is actually alone, and does all of his own camera work. Survivorman, with Les Stroud. It is an excellent show imho, as is Man vs Wild, both providing (in some cases) fairly acurate information that could/might make life a little easier should one find ones self in a real world survival situation, and in extremely rare cases possibly save a life. It was made clear on Man vs Wild that he has a full crew with him while filming. And don't think for a minute that even though Survivorman is actually alone that he doesn't have an EPIRB up his arse if needed.

[blm]

Originally Posted by Kayak Jones

There is only one survival series on that the main character is actually alone, and does all of his own camera work. Survivorman, with Les Stroud. It is an excellent show imho, as is Man vs Wild, both providing (in some cases) fairly acurate information that could/might make life a little easier should one find ones self in a real world survival situation, and in extremely rare cases possibly save a life. It was made clear on Man vs Wild that he has a full crew with him while filming. And don't think for a minute that even though Survivorman is actually alone that he doesn't have an EPIRB up his arse if needed.

Yeah I've been through this w/Bouncer and FH...they're gay for Bear though and fail to see Les as legit. lol

[Kayak Jones]

Originally Posted by blm

Yeah I've been through this w/Bouncer and FH...they're gay for Bear though and fail to see Les as legit. lol

Elaborate. What is not legit, (for Les) the information, camerawork, locations, him?

[blm]

Originally Posted by Kayak Jones

Elaborate. What is not legit, (for Les) the information, camerawork, locations, him?

Legit is probably the wrong choice of words, but either way we disagreed to which show seemed more realistic.


Man vs. Wild...