Say It Ain't So, Bear
by
Motte Brown
on Jul 25, 2007 at 3:35 PM
A writer at World Magazine Blog recently wrote that "[i]f TV fries your brain, then TV in the summer deep fries your brain in old funnel cake oil from the 1972 Mississippi State Fair." Meaning, there isn't a great selection of quality television programming during the summer months. Except, I would argue, for Discovery Channel's "Man vs. Wild."
"Man vs. Wild" is a reality production where survival-expert and host Bear Grylls gets dropped in remote locations with extreme climates and terrain like Australia's outback, Utah's Moab desert and the Costa Rican rain forest. A camera crew follows him as he tries to make it to civilization by climbing down snow covered mountains, fording rivers, crossing glaciers, and surviving sub-zero temperatures by sleeping in snow caves and motels.
Motels?!
That's right, allegations have surfaced that Grylls may have "misled" viewers into thinking he was bedding down in the wild while staying in motels; or building a raft to get off a deserted island when consultants for the show built it for him; or happening upon "wild horses" that were brought in from a trekking station.
Grylls is a confessing Christian (though not overtly on the show) and he often speaks of God's grandeur exhibited through his creation while he's trying get out of these exotic locations. So I'll be a little disappointed if these allegations prove true. But only a little. I mean, the guy still has to eat grubs for energy and drink his own urine to stay hydrated.
Reports are that the Discovery Channel has no plans to cut the popular series, only to ensure that future productions are completely transparent. I'm glad to hear it. If there's one thing I need to know it's how to squeeze water out of poo if I'm ever stranded in the African savannah.
1. Elena had the following to say on Jul 25 at 5:54 PM:
Motte,
Your blog post title needs a comma.
"Say It Ain't So, Bear"
I'll let you know to what address you may send a box of Christy cookies. I prefer peanut butter chip. ;o)
2. Motte had the following to say on Jul 25 at 7:00 PM:
Thanks for the catch, Elena. But if I had to send a box of cookies everytime someone corrected my grammar ... well, you get the point. =)
3. Joshua Stevenson had the following to say on Jul 25 at 10:39 PM:
Love that show. I watched 4 straight shows during a Man Vs Wild Marathon last sunday.
I've wondered about some details of the show, but I've never suspected anything that outrageous.
4. Melissa had the following to say on Jul 25 at 11:25 PM:
I was stuck inside with sun poisoning and a Discovery Channel "Man vs. Wild" marathon earlier this summer, so I'm very familiar with the show.
I, too, had wondered a few things about the show (for example, cameras are often beyond a point where he's trying to be, such as when he--yikes--decided to prove that you can survive falling off a frozen cliff with a backpack and rope trailing behind you), though most of my questions were closer to, "Why on earth is he doing this?" rather than, "Is he really doing all of that?"
It's interesting and nice to hear that he's a professing Christian. Some of his comments just on the show made me wonder if might be.
I personally wouldn't mind if he stayed in a motel (the show would be rather ruined if he did die out there), but it's certainly no good to mislead the audience. I'm glad that's being cleared up. And it looks like he'll continue to eat live fish, jump into frozen lakes, and lick trees in the mean time.
5. Joseph had the following to say on Jul 26 at 12:00 AM:
Hrmmm, making sure a raft assembles properly and actually building it for the man is a different story... Not sure what to think of all the accusations but since it is clear that he is going with crew back-up it may be a strong enough alibi.
I would just wonder if the man will drink his own urine for a survival technique I won't give him a hassle for sleeping in a motel a few times.
6. kman had the following to say on Jul 26 at 7:54 AM:
"If there's one thing I need to know it's how to squeeze water out of poo if I'm ever stranded in the African savannah."
My vote for disgusting quote of the year. LOL
7. Mark Willard had the following to say on Jul 26 at 9:31 AM:
"[i]f TV fries your brain, then TV in the summer deep fries your brain in old funnel cake oil from the 1972 Mississippi State Fair."
"If there's one thing I need to know it's how to squeeze water out of poo if I'm ever stranded in the African savannah."
I couldn't agree more.
8. Ben Greene had the following to say on Jul 26 at 9:49 AM:
If it turns out not to be totally true, I'd say welcome to TV, it's almost all acting to some degree. For the record, I see the urine drinking thing come up a lot but truth is, that's bad practice. Your urine is mainly waste and contains almost no water so it's hydration value is disputable at best. I point this out to show not everything he does is "real", it's TV.
9. Esther had the following to say on Jul 26 at 10:39 AM:
I just saw my first episode last week. Let me just say: if the guy is willing to jump essentially naked into a peat bog in the winter, or wrap himself in the raw skin of a dead goat, then I think he deserves a motel room. The stunts may not be as completely wild as they look, but he's still doing some remarkable things.
10. Adam Sloope had the following to say on Jul 26 at 11:17 AM:
Bear is quite honestly probably the coolest guy ever! I watch the back to back episodes all the time. I often wonder how in shape his camera crew must be in because they are along the journey with him as well. I'm sure they are just as cool as he is so give up for the camera man!
11. Laura N. had the following to say on Jul 26 at 3:06 PM:
Tv is Tv and staying in a hotel doesn't diminish what this man has already accomplished both on his tv show and in his life (like being the youngest Brit to ever climb Mt. Everest). Considering the fact that the show has never claimed to leave Bear working all alone, I don't have a problem with it. Now if the guy on Survivorman stayed in a hotel I might be annoyed (since the basis of his show is that he is COMPLETELY alone and doing EVERYTHING by himself).
12. Aranel Alasse had the following to say on Jul 26 at 5:39 PM:
I haven't seen Man Vs. Wild, yet, but I've seen a few episodes of Survivorman, and that's a pretty cool show, too!
http://science.discovery.com/convergence/survivorman/survivorman.html
13. Bri had the following to say on Jul 26 at 11:38 PM:
Even though I work in television production and almost always question the "reality" of everything I watch now (it's kind of a drag sometimes!), I can't help but love how Bear and the production staff go to great lengths to give the audience as much useful and entertaining info as possible in such a short amount of time. Even when things happen just so conveniently (or on the sly, as in the motel allegations), I believe that in this case it is all in the name of producing better television. No matter what, the goal of TV is get and keep viewers. All in all, the show is fun and can be educational at times--even despite a few production 'tricks'. It's definitely on my DVR schedule!
14. Hannah had the following to say on Jul 27 at 7:52 AM:
I'm afraid I tend to watch this programme imagining what his poor wife has to go through. Does he leave home saying I'm just nipping of to Alaska to fall down some glaciers, take a quick dip into a freezing river and tackle a grizzly? Don't worry about dinner I'll just gnaw on my own leg! There's lots to be said for an office job after all.