Why is it that these sadistic morons feel that you need to be brought to the brink of death in order to learn about survival skills. A little bit of discomfort is good, it takes you out of your comfort zone and makes you think. However, pushing things this far just makes for a miserable experience. Our Boy Scout troop preferred to teach us how to be comfortable in the outdoors, not miserable. It became a game to see who could build the most comfortable shelter/bed and who could make the most out of the situation. Minimalism (except for what survival tools you carried) was not encouraged, creativity was.