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Is Discovery's Man vs. Wild a Hoax?
Just the other day, my girlfriend and I were watching Bear Grylls on the Discovery Channel's Man vs. Wild and commenting on how crazy he was -- eating spiders, sleeping with snakes, and climbing up and down waterfalls while battling a massive case of diarrhea. Maybe he's not so crazy?The New York Post is running an article that questions the reality of Man vs. Wild, saying, "On the program, Grylls appears to camp out in quickly-built shelters deep in the wilderness while battling hypothermia and dehydration. But when the cameras stop rolling, Grylls has actually moved to luxurious hotels."
Mark Weinert, "an Oregon-based survival consultant," is claiming that producers for the show hired him as a consultant. "According to Weinert, while filming in California's Sierra Nevada mountains - an episode in which Grylls, 33, is seen biting off the head of a snake for breakfast - Grylls actually spent some nights with the show's crew in a lodge outfitted with television, stone fireplaces, hot tubs and Internet access."
I don't doubt Grylls' ability to sever the head of a snake with his teeth for a quick snack -- that stuff seems true enough -- but what goes on behind the scenes is anyone's guess. Here's what Discovery had to say:
"Discovery Communications has learned that isolated elements of the 'Man vs. Wild' show in some episodes were not natural to the environment, and that for health and safety concerns the crew and host received some survival assistance while in the field."
Previously: Gadling writer Erik questions the reality of the show almost a year ago.
Sad really. [via]
Filed under: Stories
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
christ May 7th 2008 9:34PM
people don't really realize what's the purpose of that man vs wild(Bear Grylls)..Bears just want to show how to survive in an odd place. just incase you are hungry and lost and no food at all,you would be dying without any reason, that's why Bear is trying to show how to get food in the desert, forest,etc..Bear's would not eat insects/animals without any purpose. people just watch and watch and watch and they feel YUCKY they don't even realize what's the purpose of that show,......
Adrien Dec 26th 2011 8:50PM
I just watched the first episode of his show. I was laughing all along this "educational" stuff. I don't care of how it's made. British army or whatever, man I'm worried for your soldiers, and more for the tourists who take it as a lesson. If you don't wanna die in this sort of situation... just don't do that. Don't run to a snake to eat it, don't cook 2 feet from your shelter in a grizzly area, don't do yourself transpire by trying to escape a "nearby" grizzly, don't fucking jump from a cliff... This man have never seen a bear in the eyes, and less have suffered of hunger. There is simple rules to follow to survive in a hostile area. There is VERY - SIMPLE- RULES to make the good choices in an extreme situation. Many men and women experienced thousand of "hot" situations, and wrote BOOKS. Books develop your critical spirit, and most of them are RECONIZED by their community. I hope that nobody take it seriously and make some research to confirm the informations this joker spread on TV and on the net.
Anyway, if you are a fan, I really wish you to be lucky in your life.
shamala Jul 23rd 2008 1:57AM
The guy is trying to teach ? well, wake up he is only making his buck. He is no freaking survivor in the wild, he is only a greedy fake. Why, read about tribals if you really want to know how to survive in the wild ?, they take only if they need and if you are the type who can wake up only with your eyes open only then you'll see that the whole thing is not a fake. Most importantly what's the purpose of it all ? Nothing. Well, only...Grylls' making whole lot of money, jobless and stupid people watch it and admire it and ofcourse the crew leaves behind a trail of 'dead wild animals' and am sure these guys create a lot of unnecessary disturbance in the wild only to entertain the 'bored ignorant' mass and ofcourse the most devastating - 'all the wrong message imparted for the kids'
Doc Aug 27th 2010 12:26PM
Shamala, aren't you the moron! Can't you tell, it's just television and Bear Grylls is just making a paycheck as everyone does. You're just jealous he's doing it before you did! Most of what he does IS for real, I know this as Airborne Rangers don't fool around!!! Leave the man alone!
Me Sep 13th 2008 9:43PM
The show is a sham, just like the Canadian one they ripped off: Survivorman. The key to survival is not to go to the places these guys film in, for the most part. The "skills" they portray won't do a bit of good in the real world.
Adam Jun 27th 2009 1:38PM
I just watched the Sierra Nevada episode. It is clearly faked. When Bear fashions a raft behind him you can see Digger Pines (a low elevation pine tree). Bear then floats down a river, finds a cave and spends the night in a cave. When Bear wakes up he is suddenly hiking in Sugar Pines and Fur trees (trees found much higher than digger pines). Bear must have found some magic river which flows from low elevation to high elevation.
Brooksie Oct 6th 2009 1:47AM
What a hero! Bear jumps on a wild boar, that was tied up to limit its defenses and contain its freedom and slits its throat. I didn't even have to articulate my disgust. I was in the company of a friend's son, who happens to quarterback his high school football team, when he remarked, "What bull---- theater, at the expense of a terrified pig...man vs wild?...the stud is a dud!" Out of the mouths of babes (a/k/a teenager)...
What's more, had the producers really done their due diligence, they would not have branded this section of Alabama as a carbon copy of an area clearly at the opposite end of the state.
Being in the production stages of a pilot for TV, the Man vs. Wild episode in The Heart of Dixie only underscores and reminds us of the importance of offering undressed and accurate footage that presents a credible message to viewers who assume what they are watching is the real McKoy and not a counterfeit message and exploitation of helpless animals.
At the risk of curing lip cancer by cutting off the head, I've just watched my final program on the Discovery channel for a while. Hopefully, the channel's decision-makers will see the wisdom of improving the quality and prudence of its programming and alter its ways.
Tim Jul 24th 2007 6:01PM
First off, I think we should all be a bit careful taking our news from the New York Post, I mean....really!
News source aside, if you watch the show, it becomes quite clear that portions of it must be staged. For example, in the Alaska episode when his boat "suddenly" starts sinking....
I think thats fine, though. Doing the things that are done on that show in an uncontrolled environment are downright reckless, expert or not.
If they take 10 days to film an episode, but only have him spend a 2 or 3 nights in the wild. Filming the rest in smaller segments, and stitching it together for and illusion of continuity, i really don't see a problem with that. The information conveyed is still good.
Adam Sep 13th 2008 10:35PM
I agree with you.Maybe some of it is staged maybe he does not sleep outside when cameras are off.But the point is to show you how to survive in the wilderness in dangerous cituations.He showes you how to catch food what parts to eat whats parts not to eat.See I dont like people that are scepticul about the show if you think its fake than dont watch it.Like im a scepticul on the chris angle show cause I dont belive in magic so I dont watch it cause Ill be wasting my time.But Im a fan of the show ad people can say what they want but I learn things that know one else knows......
Oana Jul 24th 2007 7:09PM
Wait, is this the same guy as Survivor Man? That's the name of the show (or a similar one) in Canada - and he definitely does the real thing, no shortcuts.
K Jul 24th 2007 9:54PM
I don't think Bear's show is meant to be completely real. It is meant to be more educational and informative - of course a little gross-out entertainment never hurts, and so what if the scenes are staged?
As he says, on every show, that these are the kinds of things that you and I could do, if we ever get caught in these situations.
I personally don't care if they are staged - I watch them for the things I can learn from them. For Bear's sake, I hope he gets to drink Pepto-Bismal every time the camera goes off, after he's just eaten something gross. I hope his insurance is good just in case he contracts anything, and I hope they take care of him after every episode.
Adam Jul 27th 2007 1:20PM
I don’t really think its a big deal, bear still does alot of stupid things and has proved his worth with his accomplishments, the fact that he gets to kick back and relax during shooting doesn’t mean the information is any less useful, its not meant to be a documentary, more of a how to.
I mean come on, the guy broke his back and was told he wouldn’t be able to walk and a year later (at 23 no less) climbed mount everest!
Long Tall Sally Jul 30th 2007 8:38PM
I don't care if the dude slept in a hotel or not. I am a single mom of a 12-year-old. He LOVES this guy! I think it has enough honesty and reality to keep my son's attention and I'd rather him watch this than other things TV has to offer. I give the guy a thumbs up.....The show is GREAT!!!!
ChuckSteak Aug 1st 2007 9:02PM
I see that a lot of people don't care about the lies. Let's know fool ourselves, that is what they are...lies. Long Tall Sally, he's lying to your 12 year old. And who will have to explain it to your 12 year old when he finds out his "hero" is a fake?
Now, can Baer survive? Of course he can. He does have the skills/guts. The fact that he says he IS doing it when, in fact, he is NOT shows me he has little or no honor. And as far as his information being a "how to" guide...he has given off so much bad information it is not funny. To his "credit" he has said a few times that the thing he was doing wasn't to be taken lightly. But, in the situation he was "supposed" to be in he makes some bad mistakes and it is passed off as the right thing to do.
And, as seen here in this blog, people seem to not care they are being lied to. If he "manned" up and just admitted that mosty of his show is staged and he isn't actually out there vs'ing the Wild then I wouldn't have a problem with it.
adam Sep 13th 2008 10:40PM
Ok first off that is her son not yours so dont worry about it and you know your a sceptical so dont watch the show no one is forcing you to.See you just want something to complain about and talk about.
brused not broke Aug 2nd 2007 9:26AM
As a mother of a 10 year old daughter with whom I watch the show with great anticipation, (to see what we may learn and to see what crazy things Bear will do next) I am to an extent dissapointed if these alligations are true. With every show I feel we learn SOMETHING, regardless if it is something we will ever use.. it is nonetheless..informational and entertaining. I won't be mentioning these aligations to my daughter, though she may hear about them and we'll have to disguss them then. The longer she watches the more she may learn and that is what could save her life one day,truly all that matters to me. We will continue to watch him, as his show is much better than many offered up to hold the attention of a 10 year old. But each and every time from now on that I hear him say.."today I must find food" or "today I must find water" it will not be an honorable statement to me, as I can only assume that along with shelter comes room service.
gator25 Aug 6th 2007 4:27PM
Chuck steak, relax, so what if the guys spends a couple (2) nights in a motel, he is crazy, not stupid. Although his show is a survival show, he does have a camera crew and they are not the ones in front of the camera, they are behind it, so if it gets down to 30 below in the artic, and the crew decides to take it in, you and everyone else in the world would do just that. dont make a mountain out of a mole hill. yes, he stayed in a couple night, big deal, if i were him, i would do it again, its not enough that the guy already does things he shouldnt be doing, risking his life for god sake to teach viewers a thing or two about survival when half the places he goes to most of us will never see, and lest not forget to mention the things and stuff he puts into his mouth that regardless how bad it got, most people just wouldnt do ....the point is, he does alot and puts himself in unspeakable danger for 72 hours during each episode, so what if he takes 8 hours of comfort, i and most people, wouldn't last 30 minutes in any of the places this guy goes to, so give the guy a break, his show rocks and its real. let me see you drink water out of elephant poo.
James Aug 11th 2007 1:56PM
I think this show rocks! I have been a few times in a survival situation myself. Why do you want to know what's not on the show? The situation in the show is true, I have been there before. Getting lost in a Jungle in the mountains because our guide forgot half of the route, it really is hard. It's a good thing there were three of us and I had knowledge of survival. I think the show is true to people who can relate, and information for those who haven't experience just so in case they are in that situation, they may know what to do that could save their lives. The thing he really teaches here is focus, have a plan, get organized. It's better than panic, it really makes you survive. Someday, if ever you get to be in that situation, you will thank him for saving your life just by watching the show. The show was very useful for me since I climb mountains and explore jungles. I think it's one of the good shows on tv with sense and adventure. I thank the guys at Discovery Channel for making shows like that. it's a good show! For those who hate the show because of what's not on the show (like rumors and lies and stuff), find yourself another show, this is not the show for you. Try watching survivor for more lies and scripts, maybe you'll appreciate man vs wild. Bear Grylls, you rock man! Cool Rock climbing and stuff!
trehugr Aug 22nd 2007 12:27PM
The thing with this is that he says right at the beginning that he's going to show the viewers what it takes to survive in various settings. I'm fine with the fact that he's not out there the whole time. He has a camera crew with him and it takes a week and a half to shoot a 3-5 day survival trek. That adds up to some down time. I've deffinatly noticed some scenes where they have re-shot the same thing form different angles like when it shows him shimming up a tree to get to avacados then all of a sudden he has a camera in his hand. I've learned a lot from this guy. Granted I may never be lost in the Amazon but if I am I have a better idea of how not to die: "go down hill, find a stream, follow it to a river, follow it to a road"