Bear Grylls- TV programme

mayfly

Life Member
May 25, 2005
690
1
Switzerland
Mikey B said:
Although I quite enjoyed it and there are some bits of usefull knowledge within - I have much more respect for someone like benedict allen who does this stuff for real with no camera crew.

I somehow quite enjoyed Bear too, warts and all, but I agree 100% with you about Benedict Allen. Some of his adventures have been truly excellent.

Chris
 

billycan

Forager
Jan 21, 2006
240
1
Sussex
I thought it was irresponsible and inaccurate but interesting to see never the less.

I dont know if any of you noticed, but in the credits, immediately after a few names went past was 'Survival Expert- Henriquez someone' !!! Hmmm ;) :lmao:
 

Steve R

Forager
Jan 29, 2007
177
1
71
Lincolnshire UK
billycan said:
I dont know if any of you noticed, but in the credits, immediately after a few names went past was 'Survival Expert- Henriquez someone' !!! Hmmm ;) :lmao:


I noticed that, maybe they should have filmed him :D
 

nobby

Nomad
Jun 26, 2005
370
2
76
English Midlands
mayfly said:
I somehow quite enjoyed Bear too, warts and all, but I agree 100% with you about Benedict Allen. Some of his adventures have been truly excellent.

Chris


I can't forgiven him for eating his dog on his first journey. It would have been much more noble to die and let the dog eat him. Then a few impoverished natives could have shared the dog.
Mind you, my brother tels me he does a good talk.
 

madrussian

Nomad
Aug 18, 2006
466
1
61
New Iberia, Louisiana USA
He's a showman. You've got to pour it on thick if your going to compete with the likes of Ray Mears. (Can you tell I'm partial to Ray :D ) In my humble opinion, Ray is a teacher, were as Bear Grylls is a performer. Maybe he should start his program with a catchall warning like "don't try this at all kids". :)
 

wilekayote

Tenderfoot
Feb 7, 2005
57
0
sydney
"Ray is a teacher, were as Bear Grylls is a performer. "

Well said, I think both are great but if Bear is too exciting for you just watch Ray or Eastenders.
 
O

Old Timer

Guest
There are many differences between bushcraft and survival.
What you are seeing with Bear Grylls is survival at an escape and evasion tempo, fast moving with calculated risks.
Ray Mears is pure bushcraft or survival using bushcraft techniques.
All are valid if you learn something from them. :rolleyes:
 
O

Old Timer

Guest
Ray is God and that's why God knows!!! :D[/QUOTE]

I hope you don't really believe that.
 

moduser

Life Member
May 9, 2005
1,356
6
60
Farnborough, Hampshire
I've merged the two threads to keep the forum tidy

There may be some mix up in continuity but based on the responses so far I doubt it will cause a problem.

David
 

Wink

Need to contact Admin...
Nov 4, 2004
129
0
Norfolk
There seems to be quite a bandwagon rolling here, my po-faced friends! I think you lot are kinda missing the point. Bear is not doing a programme on Bushcraft, and if that's the way you watch it you will be disappointed. This is survival, by hook or by crook, revved up to be entertaining for the viewer. I can't believe how some of you are slagging him off for having a camera crew! Does anyone think that Ray Mears is wandering around on his own with a handycam?

This guy obviously knows his stuff and has loads of bottle. He has crossed the Atlantic in a rubber dinghy and climbed Everest for Pete's sake! He really does all the stuff in the programmes, and gets out of there alive, whilst giving us something entertaining to watch, yet people on this forum are picking holes in his bowdrill technique. Bottom line is, he is out in the jungle with virtually nothing, and manages to light a fire in the pouring rain with his so called lousy skills. Doing things in your local wood on a Saturday afternoon before nipping down to the local for a pint is not quite the same thing!

Give the guy a break. He's brilliant at what he does, and he's not trying to be Ray Mears. I really enjoyed it - bring on the next episode!
 
O

Old Timer

Guest
Wink said:
There seems to be quite a bandwagon rolling here, my po-faced friends! I think you lot are kinda missing the point. Bear is not doing a programme on Bushcraft, and if that's the way you watch it you will be disappointed. This is survival, by hook or by crook, revved up to be entertaining for the viewer. I can't believe how some of you are slagging him off for having a camera crew! Does anyone think that Ray Mears is wandering around on his own with a handycam?

This guy obviously knows his stuff and has loads of bottle. He has crossed the Atlantic in a rubber dinghy and climbed Everest for Pete's sake! He really does all the stuff in the programmes, and gets out of there alive, whilst giving us something entertaining to watch, yet people on this forum are picking holes in his bowdrill technique. Bottom line is, he is out in the jungle with virtually nothing, and manages to light a fire in the pouring rain with his so called lousy skills. Doing things in your local wood on a Saturday afternoon before nipping down to the local for a pint is not quite the same thing!

Give the guy a break. He's brilliant at what he does, and he's not trying to be Ray Mears. I really enjoyed it - bring on the next episode!


I'll second that
 
I'm pmsl at this thread...



Hey folks stand back and take a very hard look inwards before you look out.

A lot of you guys (I mean guys) appear to idolise Ray Mears and slag anyone else off.the evidence is right in front of you. If it's not "oh what smock was Ray wearing last night" "Ray is God", it's "Oh Ray doesn't do that"...how daft do u look to him or anyone else?

Be your own masters and learn from whatever source you can. Who the heck cares if you think Ray Mears is God or what Bear Grylliss was doing as long as you learn from watching and don't be so judgenmental. Otherwise it tells us more about you than them! It's really bad karma folks.
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
I think my only problem is that he is touting it as a survival programme, and therefore he should show the correct way of doing things and that's it. You should never teach something the wrong way, it causes confusion and doubt.

If he had the metal mug all along, why did he not boil the water in the first place? Why did he even attempt to race through the mangrove swamp? If he was trying to survive, he would be trying to conserve as much energy as possible, he doesn't know how far he has to travel and what his food supply is gonna be like, so why try to push through mangrove swamps which are notoriously difficult to traverse?

I saw straight away how he could have recovered most if not all of his parachute and the rope, why didn't he? Maybe he only used the parachute insertion as a means of getting on the ground and wanted to make it look like somebody who had just got lost in the jungle so I can deal with that. And I have no problem with his camera crew tagging along, I doubt they roughed it like Bear did but then why should they?

For the record, although I have no doubt of Mears' knowledge and skills, I sometimes get the feeling he is doing something for the first time, or he has done it a couple of times before the camera starts to roll. I can't think of anything off the top of my head, it's just a feeling sometimes and I got it more on his bushcraft series. I just think sometimes he has read it in a book, picked up his kit and shouted "ACTION!!" to the camera crew!

Saying that, I prefer his style of presenting, he is calmer and more relaxed in his enviornment and he doesn't show us the wrong way of doing things. I really cannot believe that Bear took a swig from that water, it was like he wanted to get the squits to prove a point!
 

Marts

Native
May 5, 2005
1,435
32
London
I've no feeling either way about Bear Grylls - I didn't watch the show.

What does make me wonder though is the way threads like these often seem to draw alot of polarised comment from members of the rarely posting brigade. I may be wrong but it seems strange that members who are usually so quiet will suddenly break cover and leap to the defence of someone that is being questioned by regular users of the site.

Old Timer you are of course free to voice your opinion, but since you rarely post anyway, spending a large percentage of your total BCUK comments by critisizing a well-respected member for what, at least to those of us who regularly converse on these boards, was clearly a toungue in cheek comment does not seem that constructive.

On a more practical note, and since I missed the first episode fairly relevant, does anyone know if this will be repeated?
 

Zammo

Settler
Jul 29, 2006
927
2
48
London
I didn't watch the first episode so correct me if i'm wrong.

But if Bear is handing out incorrect advice that could lead to illness or maybe worse! Surely he is no better than tthe BOSS Survival course which didn't let the bloke drink water after marching through the desert.
 

ScottC

Banned
May 2, 2004
1,176
13
uk
w00dsmoke said:
I'm pmsl at this thread...



Hey folks stand back and take a very hard look inwards before you look out.

A lot of you guys (I mean guys) appear to idolise Ray Mears and slag anyone else off.the evidence is right in front of you. If it's not "oh what smock was Ray wearing last night" "Ray is God", it's "Oh Ray doesn't do that"...how daft do u look to him or anyone else?

Be your own masters and learn from whatever source you can. Who the heck cares if you think Ray Mears is God or what Bear Grylliss was doing as long as you learn from watching and don't be so judgenmental. Otherwise it tells us more about you than them! It's really bad karma folks.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of the show mate - in this case the average consensus of the show seems to be pretty poor, not because he isn't a direct clone of Lord Raymond of Mears but because of the unnecessary risks, poor advice and just plain old bu****** he was spouting.

Still, it's better tv than a lot of what's on the box, unless you prefer big brother or singing on ice; or whatever it is :rolleyes:

Who the heck cares if you think Ray Mears is God
You obviously do ;) you seem to spend alot of your time criticising people who take a marked interest in his shows or what kit he has! Aslong as you get out and practice what you preach who cares????
 

Butchd

Forager
Feb 20, 2007
119
0
60
Surrey
I think the metal mug incident does sum it up for me, though I still think it was entertainment value. Clearly he didn't have the mug before and only acquired it when he realised that he needed it. I'd have been more impressed if he'd improvised, after all if you really are there with just yourself, knife and waterbottle then chances are you don't have a metal mug.
 
ScottC said:
You obviously do ;) you seem to spend alot of your time criticising people who take a marked interest in his shows or what kit he has! Aslong as you get out and practice what you preach who cares????


I am not a follower, I am my own master. I think it is a very sad reflection on our society that so many men need to follow others as opposed to their selves and that Is the point I'm making. Whether it is fashion/Ray Mears or whatever...it shows a lot of things that I find troubling about society, the shallowness of it at times, or for a better word how superficial it can be. Without substance a man is nothing, not even himself don't you think?
 

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