I live in Utah. I have trekked around the country Bear traveled in and his advice is horrible! Someone will definitely get themselves hurt if they attempt to try anything that Bear recommended. I am not watching this show again; why? Because it is fake. At least Les Stroud's show was real. Sure Les tried to trek around trying to free himself but Les's purpose was only to find shelter and be warm. Bear Grylls was opposite. His choices were careless and would only create a worse situation. What I saw wrong from his MOAB show is this: Never waste your urine to cool down a head wrap! Never chase down a rattle snake with a stick! Never enter a slot canyon! and if you do... Never try to cross a "choke Boulder" Never try to swim in a slot canyon's water Never try to swim beneath a "log jam" Never swim across the Colorado, or Green Rivers with out a floatation device! Never scale a cliff to obtain Raven's eggs! (many eggs/nests are old and the eggs could be rotten! Never trek across the desert in the dead of the sun! There are plenty of other ways that Bear could have gone about survival. Maybe he should learn a lesson from Les Stroud.
Survivor man was better in the fact that I could relate with how he survives. But Bear did seem to have some good ideas a lot of what you or you would not do depends on your ability's and how you fill. The show was entertaining however if I had to bet on who would last the longest in the Utah wilderness my money would be on Survivor man.
I like Les better because he is more personable and the entertainment value of his show is much better. On the other hand if was stuck in the jungle with someone I would choose Bear.
Les is on his own...Bear isn't. That should be the beginning and end of any comparison.
As far as the show goes. I feel that Surviorman is certainly more realistic and genuine. Especially with time lapse editing. Bear's show comes from an elite trained individual whereas Les is more about the common man needing to survive. Survivorman is certainly more genuine.
Bottomline however, with both shows, they are missing one crucial element.
The genuine real NEED to survive. The gap between entertainment and real life can never be closed.
I give them hats off for great entertainment though.
I think Les by being alone is much closer to the thinking and energy levels of somebody outside for seven days without supplies. I don't remember Bear saying if he was really not given help by his cameraman or camera crew. Les is really out there alone.
I almost felt as if Bear was copying Les's facial expressions and words intentionally in a given situation. It is like the clones of Irwin or the clones of the Motorcycle family from Orange County Choppers. This show with Bear feels like a very intentional "homage" to suvivorman. What happened? It must have to do with money or something and Les Stroud is out and they cloned him or something. A copy is never as good as the original usually and this is one of those times so far for me.
well if no one does these ridiculous things such as peeing on a shirt, it would be verrry boring and dry. for Les, its like you have to waste an hour of the show for him to do something ridiculous or outrageous Bear does things like pee on a shirt and eat a blue egg every 2 minuets, thats entertainment mate.
It's hilarious that Survivorman fans here are so THREATENED (yeah, threatened) by M vs W. You are so protective of Les that if any show even attempts a survival theme you launch a full-scale attack on it. Lighten up. There's plenty of room for both Les and Bear. I like both.
Yeah accept Bear is giving bad advise and showboating instead of surviving. He was out there for a few hours and I'm supposed to be impressed. Les stays out for 7 DAYS by himself!!!
I just wanted to add my support to the ridiculously obvious statement that Les' Survivor Man is much better as a realistic survival show. However, it doesn't come close to actualy picking up a book.
The one thing that really stands out in my mind was his trip trekking across the Artic where he didn't make it half way to his goal, and was obviously breaking down physically and a bit mentally. I've done a 17 mile hike up and down Mt. Ranier and on the last day of a long backpacking trip (not to the summit, just a glacier)what I looked and felt like on the end of that day was just like what I was seeing on Les, the look of someone who just got put in his place hard by nature.
It may not be the best way to learn about survival, but at least Les shows you what it's actualy like to live in the wild for a while. It is not all wild stunts and clean clothes and running from phantom bears.
I like Les's show. No pretensions about his skills, he really does things and he admits his mistakes. He simply does not try to be a "Survival Expert". On the other hand Bear is literally ignorant of desert survival as someone posted in this thread.
The "Survival Expert" Terry Moore they listed is a camel jockey who happens to live in Moab. He is no desert expert though he lives in one. 80% of the people rescued, live in the environment where they need rescuing. I suspect this Moore guy just wants to fill up the rooms at his lodge in Moab.
A quick thought..I still have nightmares or the like when Bear dove under the logjam...Never do that, unless you have a half dozen or so people around..Oh, that's right, you do..
Sorry Bear, Your show won't cut it. We (the viewers), are a lot smarter about survival since Les Stroud taught us how he survive without using a film crew with him. We (the members who posted here), seem to agree that you insult our intelligence by displaying your antics and dangerous actions which could in fact get someone killed. Please for your own sake, watch Les and learn from him before you continue to make a fool of yourself. from C. Simson Mt. Nebo WV.
"bear" (cub), You need to go back to survival school, and take some lessons from Les Stroud. If I were to go into the wild I wouldn't have the aid and assistance of a film crew to get out of the fiascos your teachings would get me into. You aren't teaching us anything. Your show is a fony fake and I will not watch it any longer. VIVA LES STROUD! Boo bear cub. from bess in Mt. Nebo, WV.
I think some of you are missing the point. I feel like I can learn something from both Bear and Les. Like Cody Lundin said in his book. You take what you need and leave the rest. I will watch both shows and try to learn as much as I can from both.
I have watched both shows and I have to say I am more impressed by Bear than by Les. We Survivorman would come, my hubbie and I would usually say something like, "Oh, it's time to watch Les starve!" Les rarely seemed to plan what he was going to do next. I've watched two Man vs Wild shows and Bear appears to plan a bit better than Les.
Now, I have a question which I hope someone can answer. I've seen a number of comments posted about never trying to catch a rattlesnake with a stick. So here is the question; what is the big deal? That is how I did it the few times one got a little to close to my camp for comfort. You use a stick with a small fork on the end and catch the head. Why is everyone so ezcited about this?
I was just about to say the same thing as survivorman-fan. Some people are saying that Les Stroud doesn't really need to survive or something, that it isnt close to the actual thing, its actually pretty close. The only thing that is not close to survival is the camera carrying/setup and the fact that he has to do things to put on the camera, if he actually needed to survive without filming Les would do it really easily, with the exception of the Artic and that one Ocean episode. Speaking of the Ocean episode, he couldve easily die in that episode if the conditions took a slight turn for the worse, and you say thats not close enough? His emergency crew people had to rescue him! Bear is unrealistic and he does really stupid things for entertainment.
You can call me all the names you want and it doesn't alter what I said. In most Survivorman shows it was watching Les spend a week straving.
As to the shows being staged. Well, they both are probably being dropped off in a predetermined location. But after that, I don't know. I have seen anything that says that the presence of a camera crew on MvW is offering any assistance to Bear.
As a matter of fact, the evidence is kinda of against it. I mean they let him swim under that log jam and in the contaminated water (I couldn't believe it when he did that! Especially after just telling everyone that the water was contaminated!). That was the dumbest thing I've seen Bear do so far.
On the other hand, Les almost always seems to leave a shelter and a fire to very late. He seems fat more focused in getting to a pickup point within the 7 day time limit than anything else. I also think that carrying a multi-tool is a dumb idea. I have never gone into the wild without a really good knife.
So there, now you have a reason to call me some more names. BTW, try to think up some new ones, okay? Repetition gets soooo boring!
Karen
This message has been edited. Last edited by: karen0302,
I recall Les doing lots of stupid things. People on these forums make it sound like Les was infallable. 1. In the 'Costa Rica' episode, he sliced his finger open. (Though Bear was doing the equivilent when he was slashing his way through the secondary jungle and cutting up his hands.) Both can lead to infections very fast. The best I've seen in this kind of environment was when they did the S.O.S. / I Shouldn't Be Alive shows, and they brought in that Army Ranger who specialized in jungle terrain. P.S. I thought the way he first showed how to survive with all his equipment, then with just his machete, and then with nothing, is hands down the best way to do a survival show! 2. When Les was in the Georgian swamps, he made the most pitiful raft ever! It was like three logs wide and he tried to stand on it at first! SPLASH! What a bonehead. 3. In his mountain episode he ate a mushroom. Now this might not be a big deal to some, but I have survival books that say not even to risk it! Why take a chance when there is probably other edibles around and your not on the verge of starving anyway? I admit that he gave a little warning to viewers at home before he ate the mushroom, which is more than Bear does before he does something wreckless. 4. Also in the mountain episode, he builds his shelter too close to the water's edge. P.S. alot of people have given Bear a hard time for trying to trek his way back to civilization in his survival situations, when he probably should have stopped and set up a more static position and waited for rescue (which is what people should do in most cases). But in this episode, Les takes on practically the same strategy. 5. Does anyone remember Les's fishing line with a bubble-gum bobber? That was ridiculous. (And don't reply back about how it can work in theory cause it will not convince me). 6. How about all the time and effort he spent making an Igloo in Canadian Artic, when a quinzhee is a much more practical shelter and easier to make. 7. How about him eating snow while he was in the Arctic. 8. How about him hiking through the night when he was in the Arctic. Etc... Granted, those were all the examples I could come up with off the top of my head, and there were 9 survivorman episodes. I could quickly come up with more examples of Bears foolishness, and I've only seen three episodes of his show. Les = Survival Manual with a harmonica. Bear = Rambo - First Blood. Nuff said.
Funny how people can watch an entire show and miss the part about being put in survival situations that an everyday person can find themselves in! Or, miss the part when he says this is absolutly the last resort and its not wise to do it, but there is a real threat and he needs to move quickly.
Put the picture of Les and box of kleenex down for two seconds and enjoy the "entertainment".
atl........ You make a good point here. But wouldn't you agree that they need to qualify the show a little more efficiently? I mean, come on, tell us up front about how the camera crew is involved, how they get the shots they do? There is no way he is in true survivor mode. It is so ambiguous and scripted not to mention mis-guided. I hate the promo term "learn" they encourage. Unless they're advertising to a screenwriter market. It's just not reality and they need to admit that.
But, what one should really do in the wild when lost would in fact be horrible television and very boring.
I just don't like the idea of Discovery putting entertainment and genuine advice in the same bed. They don't mix and will lead to trouble one day.
He's made mention of how difficult the job of his camera crew is. And from what has been said by many, it's obvious (no need of disclaimer) that scenes are set up at least most of the time.
There will probably be a behind the scenes show like other shows have. Animal shows have the expert "find" an animal yards away and runs to it. During the scene, the camera angle is shot from behind the animal as the expert approaches. There's no need for a subtext describing the event.
People should be responsible for their own judgement without everything explained. Do we all agree that there shouldn't be a need for a "Contents may be hot" on coffee? If something is obvious to sane people, I think the liability is void.
As for his methods, he explains them as last resort. And there Are scenerios where his methods are useful.
If the reason for so much venom is just the fact that the show Is setup, it doesn't take from what can be learned. And this forum would be a good place for you to offer your own advice as to what people should do.
If it's just that he got a show you figure you should have had, I wish ya luck and look forward to more teachers on the subject.
Due to the fact that I have never seen a person 180 on an opinion from a debate, I'll leave it at that and stick to passive technique exchange posts.
