Bear Grylls - hero or zero

[Polish]

So i watch the Ultimate Survival stories with keen interest.

The way Bear parachutes in, fights his way through dense jungles or blistering deserts, eats maggots or hunts a deer, sleeps in ice caves, crosses quicksand, etc.

All lekker mucho hero stuff, but done in a humble and tactful manner by an expert.

A real hero.

But i cannot help thinking the whole time while he seems to be alone in a world to hurt, there is a whole crew behind him, with camera men, light technicians, make up artists, safety crew, emergency doctors, support staff, blah blah.

Now i understand that there is a small amount of realism involved, and i know he's not completely alone, but is he for real ?

 

[Inevitable]

Its TV

C'mon, are you serious? The guy has been all over the world. Stunt actors don't even go through as much as he does. Did you see the episode when he got stung by bees and his face bloated up?

If you doubt him and don't like him, then just don't watch him.

 

[*SynergyX*]

dude...if the guy can drink his own pee...and say it tastes good he got my respect!!

 

[rurapente]

FAIL! google the show and see how much is actually shot in studios...

 

[Kheiron]

Actually he only has a small camera crew, normally consisting of at most 2 people.
They do have medical teams on standby when he is out in the field in case something happens.

They had an episode recently where they show you behind the scenes and how it all works.
There's nothing there to help him or make him feel comfortable.

Also, find a series called "Escape to the Legion", where he and a group of other guys join the French Foreign Legion to see if/how they will cope.
That series shows you how much pain and agony he goes through and removes any doubt that he's the real thing. This guy truly is tough.

 

[Polish]

Dude I never said i don't like him, i do and watch his programs with keen interest.

I am just trying to ascertain what degree of 'reality TV' like realism the show applies to put some perspective on the extremes.

 

[rurapente]

The show has been criticized for fabricating some of the situations Grylls finds himself in. In 2006 it was revealed that Born Survivor misled viewers into believing that Grylls was stranded in the wild alone when he was not and Channel 4 suspended the show for a few weeks.[10] The issue of scenes being manipulated was raised by Mark Weinert, a U.S. survival consultant. He told the UK's Sunday Times that Grylls spent nights in a motel in Hawaii when he was claiming to be stranded on a desert island. Mr Weinert also alleged that a raft was put together by team members before being taken apart so Grylls could be filmed building it.[11]

* Grylls was shown trying to ride "wild" horses that were in fact tame, and had been hired from a trekking station nearby.
* A scene where Grylls was purported to have escaped from an active volcano by leaping across lava, avoiding poisonous sulphur dioxide gas, was actually created with special effects, using hot coal and smoke machines[citation needed]
* Similarly, it was revealed that Grylls stayed at a crew base-camp in the Costa Rican jungle, while giving viewers the impression that he was alone.
* There have been several other incidents, including the impression Grylls built a raft "in a matter of hours with no tools". According to an adviser on the show, the raft was actually in part built by a stunt consultant.
* This episode implied it was filmed on a small South Pacific island, which Channel 4 admitted was actually a peninsula in Hawaii, the scene of Hollywood movie shoots.

These incidents were confirmed by Channel 4, who argued that it was not a documentary, but a "how-to" guide to survival, implying that staged scenes were acceptable in that context. [12][13][14][15] Discovery and Channel 4 aired re-edited episodes, removing elements that were too planned, with a fresh voice-over and a preceding announcement pointing out that some situations are "presented to Bear to show the viewer how to survive".

Sorry to burst your bubble, he was drinking lemonade, not pee

 

[Kheiron]

Sorry to burst your bubble, he was drinking lemonade, not pee

Actually, if you watch the show, in the beginning it DOES say that some of the events are staged for the purposes of showing survival techniques.
Bear himself has even mentioned this on camera in a few shows.

You have to remember that even though he may be a real tough guy, it would make no sense for the studio to allow him to do anything that has a really high risk of possible death. They not only have to protect him but the longevity of the show as well.

 

[Kheiron]

And since you like quotes so much:

However, in July 2007 it was reported in the mainstream news media that Grylls allegedly received aid during some sequences of certain episodes. In response to criticism, British Channel 4 issued a statement saying that:
"The programme explicitly does not claim that presenter Bear Grylls' experience is one of unaided solo survival. For example, he often directly addresses the production team, including the cameraman, making it clear he is receiving an element of back-up."
An article on the BBC News website also reported on the sentiments of Channel 4 towards the allegations:
"The broadcaster [Channel 4] said Grylls carried out his own stunts and did place himself in perilous situations, "though he does so within clearly-observed health and safety guidelines required on productions of this kind"".

 

[rurapente]

i wasnt complaining about it. Just raising case in point.

Even if it some of its staged, the purpose of the show is to show how research and fact explains what you could do in those situations.

I agree, that it was never intended to be a "throw an actor into the jungle" type thing cause sooner or later he would die. Which has negative influence on ratings

You dont need to quote to me. I dont like the show, dont watch the show and was just raising case in point about whether he actually does what they show

 

[D3x]

I like the show & have learned quite a few things from it. Who knows when you might need it.

Support might be there but jumping of a cliff onto a 10+ metre tall tree & making your way down is no joke. Neither is catching a live snake or jumping into a whole cut in the ice.

I still think he is a Legend!

 

[Devill]

FAIL! google the show and see how much is actually shot in studios...

Sorry to burst your bubble, he was drinking lemonade, not pee

No offence but if you are stupid enough to believe that everything just happens to happen like that your an idiot....(not aimed at you rurapente, its aimed at people that believe the show is 100% real).

I do however not doubt Bear himself is a tough as nails type of guy.

Bear is a man who has always loved adventure. After breaking his back in three places in a parachuting accident, he fought his way to recovery, and two years later entered the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest, aged only 23. He has since led ground-breaking expeditions across the world.

I have also picked up a few tips that would be helpful if ever in a survival situation.

 

[Hemps]

I dig Survivorman , that guy seems like just an ordinary oke and not some special forces trained guy.
Not as much action and death defying stuff but I feel it's more realistic plus the guy films himself.

 

[Alan]

Even if some of the stuff he does is staged or he has a crew to help when you see him climb down a steep crevice without any safety precautions etc it's clear the guy is as tough as nails

 

[f4ntom]

Just watched that episode where he's going through the swamps. I doubt that was staged and watching him try get through that muddy water and eventually that grass that cuts him was agonising. He actually cuts himself on purpose to demonstrate how dangerous that grass is.

 

[SlinkyMike]

At the very least - there is one cameraman who is as tough as he is.

...gloryboy.

 

[Kloofvreter]

Yeah his crew is pretty tough as well

 

[rurapente]

hehehe

 

[PeterCH]

So i watch the Ultimate Survival stories with keen interest.

The way Bear parachutes in, fights his way through dense jungles or blistering deserts, eats maggots or hunts a deer, sleeps in ice caves, crosses quicksand, etc.

All lekker mucho hero stuff, but done in a humble and tactful manner by an expert.

A real hero.

But i cannot help thinking the whole time while he seems to be alone in a world to hurt, there is a whole crew behind him, with camera men, light technicians, make up artists, safety crew, emergency doctors, support staff, blah blah.

Now i understand that there is a small amount of realism involved, and i know he's not completely alone, but is he for real ?

It's bollocks for the gullible. Of course he's not alone and of course he even sleeps in hotels. He tames tamed horses. He even builds pre-assembled rafts. Google it. It's fake.

Ray Mears is a real survivor man. Mears had a laugh at Grylls and would whip his ass in 5seconds. Even Ray Mears' show is full of tech support but Mears doesn't pretend he's alone over there.

Grylls is also reputed to be SAS but he was only reserve and never actually saw any action.

Ray Mears even called him a boy scout and Grylls admitted himself that Mears is better. If I was lost anywhere in the wild, I'd want to be with Mears not a clown like Grylls.

If you want to see a show where the guy is the camera man too, then watch Les Stroud.

 

[PeterCH]

Even if some of the stuff he does is staged or he has a crew to help when you see him climb down a steep crevice without any safety precautions etc it's clear the guy is as tough as nails

You obviously don't know too many soldiers. Grylls is a joke. There are millions like him. Mears is the guy to learn from and without his TV crew and hotels, Grylls would be dead from exposure within days while Mears would survive.