Idea for a bushcraft reality TV show.

[Hawkeye The Noo]

Imagine twelve bushcrafters, none of whom speak the same language in a bushcraft situation having to get on together and survive. A bit like what it would have been like at the tower of Babal in Genesis; hypothesise even if you don't believe in that story. This is not a religion topic.

You would quickly find that many had similar skills that overlapped but all 12 would have specialities. I wonder if over time if some of tose skills would become lost, not because you could not easily pass them on but because they needed materials from another sphere of bushcraft as raw material. For example you can make a sheath but cannot cure leather etc. I also wonder how long it would take people to coordenate their efforts and how they would deal with their frustrations without resorting to toddler behaviour.

feel free to speculate away.

cheers

Jamie

 

[Matt Weir]

Now then is this just a language issue or are we talking about folks from differing environments i.e. arctic, desert, jungle etc... which leads to the question of where are they?

Either way I'd be watching it

 

[firecrest]

well if the people represented any number of nations (including our own) we could expect them to be forming little alliances and starting wars with each other once they had mastered the basic weaponry ;-)

The rest would be procreating.

 

[andy_e]

...The rest would be procreating....

Prior to which would be more conflict, if the group comprised the average bushcrafter gender ratios.

 

[Hawkeye The Noo]

I said twelve bushcrafters, not twelve random people. Most of the bushcrafters I have met have not thought with the same patterns as your average Joe, sex, violence, greed etc.

I give bushcrafters more credit than that, when I meet up with my brothers at Shadowhawk tracking courses, I recognise people from my tribe, despite the daft accents.

If it was about procreating, I would be looking for good hips and good cooking rather than good looks. (Good looks would be a bonus)

 

[Jared]

I think a mix of people would be more interesting.

Allow them some sets of clothing, and each given a fixed budget for gear. And then see how they get on.

 

[abushcrafter]

I think a mix of people would be more interesting.

Allow them some sets of clothing, and each given a fixed budget for gear. And then see how they get on.

sounds very intresting

 

[andy_bell]

If you gave the "contestants" food then I don't think much would happen after the initial flurry of shelter building and fire lighting. If you didn't give them food then you would see more tracking foraging and hunting skills coming into play but you might starve a couple of them to death (depending on the duration of the show) which i don't think is allowed on tv (yet).
I suppose the way to do it would be give them only the minimum (clothing and a cutting tool?) then let them make everything else they needed, I can't see any skills being lost as that sort of thing requires a generation change and I can't see bbc2 holding a slot open for the next 40 years or so.

It could be interesting tv but I think it would just end up looking like another pale imitation of the already drab castaway type programs. I could be called "I'm a bushcraft castaway celebrity, get me out of the bigbrother house" or something equally catchy.

 

[Jared]

If you gave the "contestants" food then I don't think much would happen after the initial flurry of shelter building and fire lighting. If you didn't give them food then you would see more tracking foraging and hunting skills coming into play but you might starve a couple of them to death (depending on the duration of the show) which i don't think is allowed on tv (yet).

There was some pretty good foraging on the last series of Castaway, when t hey had depleted they're supply of food, and only a few seemed to be willing to fish. They were on a NewZeland island on the coast, with no real trees. Actually I think the site was a camping site, had two wooden huts with wood burning stoves.
They must have devistated the local snail population.

US Survivor is pretty interesting too, two groups of 10 dumped somewhere, with just the clothing on their backs, a single machete/parang and a few cooking pots, and some initial rice I think.

Have only watched last two series (first set in China, and the current one in Micronesia ), but they seem to do fairly well, building their shelters out of bamboo. Though one teams this season had theirs blow down in a storm. And suffered badly.

One guy this season started a fire with his glasses and a drop of water using coconut fibre as tinder.

The two teams then compete for rewards. Firesteel is usually one reward, another is visit by a couple/family of local inhabitants to teach them local skills.

They also compete to keep their team together, the losing team having to vote and send one of their group home.

 

[Wolfie]

.....when I meet up with my brothers at Shadowhawk tracking courses, I recognise people from my tribe, despite the daft accents.

If it was about procreating, I would be looking for good hips and good cooking rather than good looks. (Good looks would be a bonus)

Note to self: keep a closer eye on Hawkeye when on Shadowhawk tracking courses

 

[Hawkeye The Noo]

There are reality shows that have covered bushcraft, for me the new element for discussion was about bushcraft with a real lack of communication and how they would learn to communicate without a common language.

I will try to put you in the picture a bit. I believe this forum is portraying the communication aspect of bushcraft and most of us have a fair grasp of the English language; nevertheless there are still misunderstandings and you see arguments erupting now and again. We even try to simplify things by using smilies. Remove this forum from your bushcraft resources and see how slow your personal development becomes. I hope you are starting to get the point about the original post. Maybe reread it and think through your comments.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[TheGreenMan]

I don’t think that mutual instruction would be a much of a problem between people with similar ‘skill sets’ interests and experience.

As you imply, even with a shared language, communication can still turn into something of a farce.

Sometimes, a visual demonstration is much more direct. It may take longer for nuances to be conveyed in respect to skills, it’s the intention of an activity that would be more difficult to convey, and finding a consensus. I’m thinking of coordinating group activity, here.

If all the participants had an understanding of what needed to be accomplished in order to survive, and if the participants had experience in that, then things might go much easier than might be anticipated (but that isn’t the purpose of ‘reality TV’, is it?).

What might be described as ‘personality clashes’ would have to be suspended in such circumstances, as most survivors would understand, perhaps by instinct if not by previous experience. In times of crisis even animals that are normally bound together in the behaviour of prey and predator can, I understand, temporarily suspend these instincts for the sake of mutual survival.

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[Pablo]

Note to self: keep a closer eye on Hawkeye when on Shadowhawk tracking courses

Now cancelling any further courses at Shadowhawk

 

[TheGreenMan]

An interesting variant might be that the participants share a common language but are not permitted to speak during the day’s activity. Conversation to be allowed in evening camp on all topics except for discussion of that day’s events or planning the next day’s activity


Best regards,
Paul.