I didn't watch the show regularly, but didn't Les Stroud have a safety net? A back-up team to get him out of trouble if he got in too deep.

Richard Code went into the bush with apparently inadequate gear and his only back-up was to "call police if he wasn't back by Sunday night". A lot can happen between Thursday AM and Sunday night, that was no back-up at all, it was a prearranged call for the recovery.