Bear Grylls- TV programme

[pag_3833]

Definitely "Made for TV" - ie highly dramatised with everything seeming urgent.

absolutely, the first show i saw of this i found it hard to watch as i thought it was stupidly set-up. Then I started hearing alot of interviews and such and I agree, nice guy so decided to give the show another chance. I'm glad I did as i really enjoyed the whole series - besides the 'AHHHHHHHH LETS GO SURVIVE, IN YOUR FACE' aspect of course hehe

cant wait for the second series

 

[crazydave]

if you notice the predominantly US locations then I can only assume that its aimed to compete with the survivorman series which have a similar format.

paying attention I think it does show a predominantly militaristic or combat survival format but to be fair that was how he was trained and its meant to make good tv. Having followed the guys career for a few years then yes its set up in a certain way with so much shock/urgh value. I think its main strength is saying that there's always something you can do if you have a positive mental attitude and the will to live.

If you watch them closely of a few times then you can pick up something different from every show as you'll notice a different food/fire/shelter and water technique in every episode.

As to the super fast lets get out of here format - well I guess its better than sitting in the woods starving to death with an impressive collection of wicker baskets and lets face it if stuck we would all want to be out of there as quick as possible

 

[C_Claycomb]

- well I guess its better than sitting in the woods starving to death...

mmmm...I wonder how many minnows and live tree frogs you would have to eat to avoid starvation at that level of physical activity.

 

[Chay]

i think that you need to give the guy some credit. in all of the interveiws he seems like a real nice bloke and most of the "IN YOUR FACE SURVIVAL" is down to the channel 4 editors. when ever i have learnt it i have always learnt something new, for instance there is a new type of primitive firelighting in most of the episodes, fire plough, bow and drill, hand drill and i think its called a fire saw have all been demonstrated and i havent seen the whole series yet. a great thing about him is that he doesnt just talk about different situations, he will actually jump into a frozen lake just to show you how!

 

[Biddlesby]

mmmm...I wonder how many minnows and live tree frogs you would have to eat to avoid starvation at that level of physical activity.

Too true!!

 

[crazydave]

mmmm...I wonder how many minnows and live tree frogs you would have to eat to avoid starvation at that level of physical activity.

not sure, we'd need to work it out and most of us probably have enough fat to last the distance - tree frogs would likely kill you anyway

if you read the story of the brazillian airliner which broke apart. one girl decided to walk out of the jngle by following the river. she got out two weeks later, starved except for half a packet of sweets and riddled with blowflies. when the rescuers finally found the wreckage there were people still sat in or next to their seats awaiting a rescue which never came.

I do however imagine that most people in those situations including a lot on here would die through lack of interest or reliance on being rescued rather than self motivation and a strong will to live.

As a survival program I rate it because it gets people talking real issues rather than castaway or that stupid channel 4 program

 

[pag_3833]

hehe, i do enjoy his attitude to food, just eats everything live pretty much, no messing about. I definitely wouldnt do that myself but fair play to him

 

[rik_uk3]

I think the guy is an idiot, with some dangerous ideas that could lead to some new wannabe survial type to get hurt, just my pennies worth

 

[traderran]

I think the guy is an idiot, with some dangerous ideas that could lead to some new wannabe survival type to get hurt, just my pennies worth

I have to agree with you on this. He is a lot of hot air. IMHO

 

[British Red]

I have to agree with you on this. He is a lot of hot air. IMHO

Agreed - half of one programme was enough

 

[Nightwalker]

Well I've watched more than half an episode I've watched a couple, that was enough for me. I think he is stupid and dangerous in his actions and teaching it on to others. In just the first couple of episodes I saw him put himself in numerous dangerous situations that he didnt need to put himself into and we part of his survival tactics, for example climbing the highest posible tree around him to get a lay of the land, personally I would have liked to have seen full-footage of the pleb climbing back down! That was a tremendous tree and a tremendous waste of his time, strength & energy, which is something not to waste in that situation. Aswell as climbing down slippery rock face with a waterfall beating down on him with some natural-cordage he'd gathered. Just stupid and risky, one bad slip and thats it you could be dead. I thought he was meant to be teaching survival? Not how to put yourself in an even more dangerous situation.

And then I later see him in a magazine someone showed me, cooking and eating a turtle live, eating a carcus from a lion kill, pictures of him covered in blood and looking grusome.

 

[crazydave]

I think the discussion is steered on your attitude to survival techniques in the same way rambo movies are scorned by those who dont appreciate the need to do what you have to to survive which was supposed to be the essence of the stories. The will to live.

If anyone watches the survivor man - he generally just sits around failing to get any food till the rescue plane picks him up or he walks 400 meters to the road for a lift - bit boring really. Now he's going green and sustainable with a different set of programmes.

While the Bear grylls stuff is glory edited for tv who could say that we wouldn't try to do the same things if we were fit enough seeing as how you might be sat around for weeks waiting for rescue. Every area has a different 'expert' to advise on what he could do safely and if they tell him that without proper cold weather gear then he should get off the rock before he becomes physically incapable though hyperthermia or malnutricion then he has the right idea. It is a military approach I admit but it maybe the only way a novice could survive in some situations. Some knowledge is still better than no knowledge and if people are squeamish because he ate a scorpion well at least we know that scorpions are edible.

Whether for tv or not - how many of us would willingly do a similar thing with just a knife, flint, mug and a bottle for company. letting him loose with our pocket contents might be boring viewing though.

At least he's rightly or wrongly given us something to watch and hopefully improve his camera technique, there's woefully little survival, bushcraft stuff out there as it is. I used to like RM's little skits on tracks as they were usefull and informative giving me no end of grief from eager scouts wanting to learn. While I enoy watching RM's later and current stuff it would be fair to say that it too is watered down and tv edited concentrating on vista shots etc.. making it more of a here's RM in a different wilderness each week interviewing the locals.

I cant see there ever being a true survival/bushcraft production on normal tv unless channel four decides to show lofty's new dvd or the dryad stuff when it comes out. To be fair most people would probably find it extremely boring unless they had the chance to vote someone out.

As for the lad himself anyone who breaks his back and is told that he might never walk again, To then go on to climb everest and throw himself down waterfalls deliberately has to get my grudging respect especially with two young kids to feed.

Bit dismayed that he never saves his chute or uses any of the harness, cord etc... like we know we would, he'd have no end of hammocks and sleeping bags by now

 

[British Red]

I think the discussion is steered on your attitude to survival techniques in the same way rambo movies are scorned by those who dont appreciate the need to do what you have to to survive which was supposed to be the essence of the stories. The will to live.

Hmm you do know that end of the book (First Blood by David Morrell) that Johnny Rambo gets his head blown off? The actual story had very little to do with the will to survive and a great deal to do with suffering and the inability of military veterans to adjust to normality. A great book and a great story totally trashed by the film that bears no resemblance to the orignal

Red

 

[leon-1]

Hmm you do know that end of the book (First Blood by David Morrell) that Johnny Rambo gets his head blown off? The actual story had very little to do with the will to survive and a great deal to do with suffering and the inability of military veterans to adjust to normality. A great book and a great story totally trashed by the film that bears no resemblance to the orignal

Red

Yes, very true Colonel Trautman (sp?) does indeed dispose of Johnny Boy in a most professional manner.

David Morrell also writes an apology at the beginning of the second book for bringing the character back and explains his reasons for doing the second book (effectively he didn't want someone to ruin his character).

Infact David Morrell wrote a number of books where people were driven and hunted by others that demonstrate in a far better way what people will do just to prolong their lives, one is called Testament and that literally has plenty of information on how and why people do things that they "NEED" to do just to maintain their lives in a survival situation.

With this I agree with Red that the book First Blood deals more with the consequences of a system that was not fully prepared to care for service personnel on their return from a traumatic conflict.

I have already stated my opinion on this matter so rather than going off on some fictitious book review and talking about a fictitious character in a book, I would like this thread to "GET BACK ON TOPIC"

Thank You

 

[Outdoorsman]

http://www.bayleyknife.com/bear.htm

Looks like he has a signature knife now. I like it, not £350 like it tho.

 

[British Red]

I think the words "cool" and "stealth like" when applied to a knife say more about the man than I ever could.

Red