With all due respect, venturing alone and unprepared into the great unknown does not only show a measure of courage but also some incredible lack or judgment, a.k.a. stupidity.

Sometimes "tough is enough" but as far as most things in life, you really need a bit more than that IMHO. Outdoor survival is just common sense. That guy went into the wild armed to the teeth with semi-useless gear and called it adventure. But people have survived in the far North with far less for ages. Not just survived but lived with their families, you could say they even prospered as far as reasonably possible in such desolate environment. But they didn't make a big thing out of it. They didn't even call it survival or adventure. It was just everyday life.

I normally wouldn't comment on a TV show but I'm getting sick and tired of pseudo serious survival reality programs which are in effect plain old exploitation.

What's more, the audience watching those shows get all the wrong messages. They fall for the hype, the drama and lacking any first-hand experience they can't tell it's all either fake or very much dumb. Where is it going to end? What's going to be THE ultimate survival reality thing? Watching the host die on screen, close up and all? Do you really want to support that kind of TV?

IMO what a good survival show really ought to do apart from teaching some useful skills - ingrain some healthy respect for nature, survival skills and the people who devised them to live even in some very harsh environments. That's one reason why I like Ray Mears - his calm, respectful approach is so refreshing and I always pick up some useful bits of knowledge in the end.