He picks the hard way to do everything. Not the smart way. He takes stupid risks that aren't needed.

Also, a lot of his stuff has got to be staged. Like a life jacket under his coat when he taunts a bear, jumps off a cliff into a river he doesn't "know" the depth of, and leaves his crew behind- odds are, if there was a bear, it was a trained one, he probably knew that the depth of the river, and couldn't be bothered to be man enough to admit this was stupid and instead hid his float gear. Or the "wild horse" that let him get on it and was wearing the shoes? And those are just the two episodes I watched- I've heard about the boat. Sure, he conveniently finds a leaky boat and one that doesn't for the crew. And the rotting zebra, and the infamous elephant poo. The comparison to wrassling is a good one. Yes, it's real. As real as the scripts and props and hidden safety measures allow.

I had some concerns about Les when he started. But I honestly started to think of the camera gear as a young child he has take care of to- it has to be warm, most of it has to be dry, it has to be carried most of the time (60 pounds, good spawnling simulator), and not everything goes according to plan- it probably flusters him a little. What he shows is pretty real world, to. Eating a rotting caribou is not something we're likely to see, becuase if you are out for a week, in most climates your risks are a LOT higher than the gains. I'd love to see Bear do the same- no crew, no helicopter on standby, no scouting of good locations- and play stupid games like he does.

No, Bear is at best a stunt man and at worst a con artist (there are some questions as to his service record, and some of his adventures). I hate to agree with bentirran like this, but caricature is a good word to describe MvW as any I can think of.

And then there is the deal of the $700 dollar knife. It still looks like a hunk of cheap junk to me, even if it is from a smith with a good rep who charges about half that for the same thing without doofus' signature on it. That's just being insulting, no living person's signature magically makes a blade that much better.

I personally find the show entertaining and watch to try and glean some tidbit of information that I can use for myself. But I do recognize the show to be entertainment. I think people react the way they do and talk about him the way they do because the stuff he does is not something most anyone would do. It makes for great watercooler conversation.

Personally, I respect Bear's abilities and knowledge as I respect everyone else's. I just find some of the things that he does to be so alien and unthinkable, that it makes for something to talk about. Like the elephant poo drink. Or climbing up and down a waterfall against the water. I think the show is staged, as it probably wouldn't be reasonable or safe to film otherwise.

But I guess in show business, any news is good news since it gets people to watch. I bet there are lots of people who watch just to see if he ever goes splat. Not to be mean, but I thought the episode where he drank untreated jungle water and got sick to be funny. But I did like his shelter.

Well Bear sang a good rendition of 'the bare necessities' on british tv one time so can't be all bad.
But as you say it's all staged. Whenever he 'parachutes' into trees or slides down a glacier, there is always a camera crew at the exact spot he comes to land.
That doesn't affect whether the advice is good though.

And you notice survivormans 'knife' is a multitool? And seems to work for everything.
simon

I agree with Bentirran. The risks Bear takes are unnecessary (such as running down a steep slope of loose scree), the advice he gives out is questionable (e.g., it's safe to drink unfiltered, unboiled water because there are critters swimming in it). The public is taken for a ride on the shock value of the program, not the educational value.

Still, it is the show you love to hate, isn't it?

Frank2135

I guess it is all about context, isn't it. The thing is we are conscientious about what is put out there in the media. We compare Bear to guys like Doug and Les, who would not ever advocate much of what Bear purports, not because it is right or wrong, but simply inappropriate for the layman. There is some redemption in Bear's wild demonstrations, that being the notion of inspiring people to step up to the challenge at least and try to survive. "What one man can do, another can do" was the mantra of Anthony Hopkins in "The Edge", and I have no doubt no one in the survival business is going to recommend fighting a bear with sticks, but the notion that you do what you gotta is in that message somewhere. That Bear is able to do what he does, staged or otherwise, can have some meaning in inspiring otherwise intelligent folks to think for themselves, to at least try and do something within reason, or maybe even take a risk, bearing in mind their known limitations and that all men are not equal to the task at hand.

Bear's actions on the show would be foolhardy for most folks put into survival situations. He demonstrates extreme actions, which can be construed to exemplify that more is perhaps possible than first appears, if we are willing to think a bit and perhaps prepare ourselves for when the time would come. If you have to kill the bear, then it is good to know it can be done, and with less than you would ideally like to have to git 'er done with. That doesn't mean putting yourself deliberately into that situation. It means 'Never give up, never surrender". It means not believing in the "No win scenario", gees can I come up with any more theatrical cliches for ya.

Should Bear and his buddies make a buck or two by striking while the iron is hot? Hey, I won't knock the guy for marketing himself. If people weren't willing to pay, then that'd be that. I wouldn't confuse making a living with bad endorsements. His knife will get the job done just as much as any other. If people want to pay the $700 for it, that's their deal, and you really can't hold it against him, or you would have to condemn the whole danged lot, including Doug.

So yes, if you wanna compare him to some public service standard, then he will come up short, and is criticizable on many counts. I don't think that is the context of his production, so I take it for what it is and don't hold it against him too much if he seems to be excessive most of the time. Les Stroud he ain't, and I don't think his objectives are similar. Is he entertaining? Yeah, that's seems pretty obvious, so just take it for what it is, and realize that what he's selling is just food for thought, and not necessarily universal altruisms.

"I think it's pretty obvious that this is mock survival, and think people in general including city dwellers can make the difference between theater and real life..."

Actually, that's not true. If you're old enough to remember a TV show called "Marcus Welby, M.D.", you'll remember that it was totally fiction, not meant to be any kind of documentary, and the star was a well known actor. Yet he received thousands upon thousands of letters from people who wanted advice on their physical and medical problems. And there are many more who think what they read in the National Inquirer and the other rags is accurate information.

No, a lot of people raised on television seem to think that whatever they see there is true and accurate.

Movie writers and directors don't bother to research much of anything you see. Some of it is so stupid that its painful to watch.

I don't know about the rest of the world, but way too many Americans are stupid beyond belief. I'm waiting to hear of someone suing Bear's show/production company because someone followed his antics and died.

Sue

Susan:

Ha, Ha, Ha !!!

Wish I had said that.

If people are stupid enough to hurt or kill themselves trying to emulate what that see on television, who's dumber, the one giving the advice or the one following it?

I've watched a few episodes of Man vs Wild, although I think Bear is somewhat of a loose nut, it's entertaining. I also don't understand why there's the criticism of the show, just take it for what it is. If you don't like it, don't watch it and it will go away. No, it doesn't teach you anything remotely useful, but it's not supposed to be a educational showand they make no claims as such. It's purely for entertainment and ratings value only. It seems that some people just don't understand the difference. TV is not real life, and most of the time has no resemblence to real life. If it did, who would want to watch it? Watching ER won't make you into a doctor, or The apprentice won't turn you into a Donald Trump, Man vs. Wild isn't going to make you into a uber-survivalist. If you think that Man vs. Wild should have more realism, why aren't people also saying the same thing about Survivor? Just the name should lead you to believe that it should have something to do with survival, but it doesn't, and nobody seems to care.

As for his knife, if he can sell it at that price, I'm all for him. That's capitalism at it's finest. Nobody's forcing people to buy one, they're not misleading anyone or lying about it, he's just trying to capitalize on his 15 minutes of fame. There are a lot of people that spend a lot more than that on other knives and toys without a second thought, value is all relative.

I like Survivorman a lot more than MvW, but again, it's still a television show. I'm don't watch it thinking I'm going to able to do anything that Les does, I still consider it just a TV show. Maybe a higher class or entertainment, but still entertainment.

I know I have commented on Bear’s show before and thought I could bite my tongue and stay out of this discussion, but my tongue was beginning to bleed too much, so here goes.

I am not as concerned about the supposed adults out there who are unable to distinguish thoughtful, useful survival skills and techniques from those which pose great risk (such as climbing up a waterfall or running down a steep spree or jumping into a river of unknown depth), but I am real concerned about the kids and teens who may seek to emulate Bear.

We have had a number of younger individuals inquire about survival skills/techniques, as they wish to “try it on their own” for a while. Hopefully, we have given good advice and they will heed our warnings and suggestions, but I imagine for every one that comes here for advice, there are likely dozens out there, that will view Bear’s show and attempt to emulate his actions.

I have said it before, a show like his, especially shown on the station on which it appears and in the portrayed format (authoritative action documentary) in which it is filmed, there is an obligation to hold it to a higher standard then a show like “Survivor”.

While it is fine to view Bear’s show as good entertainment as opposed to a serious or informative show on survival and yes, he may have valuable advise as times, including the very positive “can do” attitude, my feeling is the general public (especially kids) may not be able to distinguish the subtleties, which will eventually lead to someone’s serious injury or death.

Please keep in mind; it may not only be the individual who is attempting to emulate Bear, that is seriously injured or killed, but a rescuer who responds to the call.

Just my 2 cents, for what it is worth.

Pete

I happen to be hooked on MvW and find it extremely entertaining and even somewhat educational.

I like Bear, although I have always considered him a bit of a nut for the insane chances he takes on the show. But that's the show - worst-case scenarios and most desperate measures.

Comparing Bear to Les is appropriate, but those who consider Les to be less of a nutjob just because he doesn't take some of the flashy chances that Les takes forget the basic point - Les intentionally strands himself in hostile country, completely alone, with minimal kit and 60 pounds of freakin' camera equipment. And of course, there there have been times when Les has climbed down a dangerous rock or ice face, set up a camera, then climbed back up and back down again just to get the video footage.

You can also criticize Bear for walking himself out, in direct violation of the prevailing "stay put" wisdom on ETS, but don't forget that Les does the same thing.

Bear may have staged some of his close calls, but if you watch camera positions and behavior carefully you may find that Les stages a whole lotta stuff as well; he just does it with more sublety than Bear.

Frankly, I think they're both equally nuts, equally entertaining, and equally melodramatic about their situations. I enjoy watching both shows, I pick up a few useful tidbits of info from both, and I'm smart enough to know that what they are both showing are survival techniques that are beyond the skill level of most ordinary people, including me.

I don't think you should blame either one of them for the idiots who might try to emulate them, any more than you should blame Jackie Chan or the Governator for idiots who may try to emulate the semi-super-human feats they accomplish in their movies.