Bear on Ray

Wallenstein

Settler
Feb 14, 2008
753
1
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Warwickshire, UK
Short interview in The Guardian this morning with Bear Grylls, with a couple of interesting comments.

Best exchange is this one:

Your great TV rival Ray Mears called you a boy scout.
I love boy scouts. One of the best things this country has ever done is boy scouts. I love Ray Mears. He's brilliant. He's so rude about me in the press, it's outrageous!

Who is tougher. You or Ray?
He's much tougher! There aren't many of us doing these adventures and we need to look out for each other. Ray has given me a bit of a grilling in the press. I know all the inside stories because we've had the same crew on a lot of things so I could really go to town but I don't want to. He's a great guy and he does a great job.

I think that last bit's interesting... Bear gets a lot of hassle for "faking" his shows, but anyone who's worked in TV knows that you can't believe anything you watch in the final programme. I bet Ray has taken as many shortcuts for the sake of good TV as Bear, just not been caught out by the Daily Mail. ;)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/18/questiontime.beargrylls
 

Matt_M

Member
Sep 3, 2008
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Agree'd the final product we see is pure script, maybe they should release some outtakes!!! I shuould imagine bear has some great outtakes due to the crazy situations he creates for himself!
 

crazyclimber

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Jul 20, 2007
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Haha, nice comments by Bear there! I remember seeing one RM show where he was lighting a fire. He got his tinder bundle lit and stuck it under the kindling but I remember thinking the kindling all looked quite big and not completely dry, seemed pretty marginal. Sure enough the tinder flared away but the kindling didn't seem to be taking...
cue cut to a big fire burning well :)
In fairness nobody gets things right all of the time but its a good point, I bet the outtakes could be a real laugh!
 

Shewie

Mod
Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
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I remember when Ray was doing one of the Sweden episodes, he was talking about what you should do if you fell through the ice and the technique for pulling yourself out etc. Next thing you know he`s got some poor squaddie jumping in to show us, at least Bear had the nouse to do it himself.
A bit of oneupmanship there me thinks on Bear`s part.
 

scanker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 15, 2005
2,326
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Cardiff, South Wales

They're superb.

I remember when Ray was doing one of the Sweden episodes, he was talking about what you should do if you fell through the ice and the technique for pulling yourself out etc. Next thing you know he`s got some poor squaddie jumping in to show us, at least Bear had the nouse to do it himself.
A bit of oneupmanship there me thinks on Bear`s part.

Albeit with ready made hand holds iirc.
 

Tor helge

Settler
May 23, 2005
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Northern Norway
www.torbygjordet.com
As before said they both do a TV show. Tv is edited. I don`t really care if they sleep in a hotel at night as long as I enjoy the show. I presume that a (most of them anyway) TV programs are edited and not real. The only TV programs I need to tell the truth is documentaries and the news.
That said I prefer Ray Mears on the telly over Bare Girls.
Ray Mears is calm, seems to know what he`s doing and show you how to enjoy yourself in the woods. Very good TV IMO:beerchug: .
Bear Grylls, on the other hand, is like a ADHD kid stuffed with speed running around carelessly eating anything he passes while trying to get himself killed. Somebody please put him out of his misery:aargh4: . I just hate his show no matter if he sleeps out in the bush or at the Hilton. Horrible TV IMO, or maybe I`m too old.

Tor
 

Bushwhacker

Banned
Jun 26, 2008
3,882
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Dorset
Ray is showing bushcraft and how to live comfortably in the wild.
Bear is showing extreme survival skills, with little or no kit, that wouldn't normally be practised in the field - there are easier ways of getting water than drinking elephant urine out of elephant dung.

Bear's show is about entertainment and is NOT a documentary about his time in the wild, so I think he's perfectly entitled to stay in a hotel in between filming if he wishes.
 

saddle_tramp

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Jul 13, 2008
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Ray Mears is calm, seems to know what he`s doing and show you how to enjoy yourself in the woods. Very good TV IMO:beerchug: .
Bear Grylls, on the other hand, is like a ADHD kid stuffed with speed running around carelessly eating anything he passes while trying to get himself killed. Somebody please put him out of his misery:aargh4

I think anyone that ever had the slightest interest in bushcraft, clearly knows which of the two knows his subject inside out, and im pretty certain that if there were a poll done. . 99.5% would agree. But on that note, im kinda suprised that ray has ever felt the need to speak out against bear.

Maybe bear appeals to youngsters who arnt interested in woodcraft or learning stuff, and just want to watch some nut skydiving and wrestling snakes for a laugh. Cant see ray doing that anymore than i can see bear sat down carving a spoon.

I think they should make a programme together :lmao:
 

Mikey P

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Nov 22, 2003
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The mere (Mear?) fact that we are discussing this is worrying! There is plenty of room in the world for more than one TV survival instructor and it's just the media trying to play them both off against each other. I bet that if they met/worked together in real life, they'd have far more in common than they would have differences.

It's TV! Admittedly, it's not Big Brother, but aren't we getting drawn into a 'who's better than who' debate which ultimately means nothing?

Mind you, thinking about it for a moment, there'd be no need for this forum if we all agreed and were nice to each other so just ignore what I said above. :D
 

Andy2112

On a new journey
Jan 4, 2007
1,874
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West Midlands
doesn't Ray go down to Hereford to teach the lads bushcraft and survival ? If that's the case he might have taught BG something ? think i heard it once from someone !!! I:D
 

Mike Ameling

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Jan 18, 2007
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The only TV programs I need to tell the truth is documentaries and the news.
Tor

And those "documentaries" and the "news" programs are often times edited/adjusted/compartmentalized and just plain fabrications that you can't trust them any more than one of those "reality shows". Too often they just present the ... official approved version that somebody has decided is the way people should see/view/think about a story.

It sure would be nice if we could believe in and depend on the news and documentaries, but real life is different.

And the same applies to these two individuals. They both make shows for TV that have ... entertainment ... as a primary function. If it doesn't "entertain", then it doesn't get broadcast - and then no one will pay to make it in the first place.

Just my humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
 

gregorach

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 15, 2005
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Edinburgh
The title of this thread brings the most appalling images to mind - especially for anyone who knows the meaning of the term "slash fanfic"... (Don't google it if you don't already know!)
 

Tadpole

Full Member
Nov 12, 2005
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Bristol
The title of this thread brings the most appalling images to mind - especially for anyone who knows the meaning of the term "slash fanfic"... (Don't google it if you don't already know!)
And the name of that slash shall be Bray, as it was so it shall be.
Both are making arses of themselves. Ray should know better
 

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