I've watched the show and though I think surviorman is a better show because of what Les does and how he does it; man vs wild is good in that by his doing these stunts(jumping in the freezing water, swimming under an obstacle) he is showing what can happen to people (worst case scenarion) and that you can make it. on this very forum we see all kinds of discussion about different scenarios and what to do if this item is lost or malfunctions. Well those things happen to people, and some times it is not gear, or knowledge, it is simply determination that makes the difference. See Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why. Whether he has a camera crew or not does not matter it is that he is showing that you can walk away.
just my 02