Man vs Wild /Real or Real Fake?

Has anyone seen this show. I've been watching it for a few weeks and this guy is amazing. They drop him in remote places and he has to get out with a water canteen a flint and a knife. Last nite he was eating the maggots out of a dead animals stomach. Some of the stuff he does just takes brass balls. Sometimes I think he must have help during the show there is just no way he could make it without. I'm sure he hand picks the spots to be dropped in and knows the area fairly well before being dropped in. Possibly studying a map of the area beforehand.

[edit on 13-12-2006 by Digital_Reality]

Here is a link to the show if anyone is interested or has not seen it yet. Check it out..
dsc.discovery.com...

[edit on 13-12-2006 by Digital_Reality]

Well he has the camera crew with him so I'm sure they have some kind of medical kit if he really is hurt or needs help badly. But the things he does are amazing, even if he isn't alone or knows where he is. Like when he climbed down that waterfall...that was awsome.

I think Survivorman is a better show for real survival situations, but Man Vs Wild is a pretty great show too and Bear Grills is amazing.

[edit on 13-12-2006 by enjoies05]

lol, I don't think id call this a proper survival show, entertaining yes, should you listen to any advice from it? probably not.

Originally posted by enjoies05
I think Survivorman is a better show for real survival situations,

Survivorman is awesome! Les Stroud also made a documentary where he dealt with living through a katrina like situation, in a house, in an office, in a car, etc. I hope he does more of those 'Urban Disaster" documentaries.

www.survivorman.ca...




The whole premise of Survivorman is that he gets dropped off in remote locations, with minimal equipment, and then lots of camera equipment. He's alone, and he has a set period of time to get back.

Usually he has things that might happen to a person. Likesay, instead of landing in the desert with a little bit of regular survival equipment, he goes out to the mojave in spandex with a bicycle, as if he had been biking one day and got lost. He'll tear apart the bike to get useful peices out of it, and then try to survive.

Its great too because you know its just him out there, everytime you see him walk off into the distance, you know he's gotta come back to get teh camera, pack it back up, and walk away again. Or run down a hill, set up the camera, run back up, then come back down on film, etc.

edn
don't think id call this a proper survival show, entertaining yes

Well, at least you get to see on Man v Wild a guy take a leak on a scrap of cloth and then wrap it around his face to keep cool.

Now thats quality entertainment!



It seems like the Man V Wild show is geared to have people say 'wow, he tore that animal apart with his bare teeth/drank putrid water/used his own feces as fire fuel/etc, whereas Survivorman is showing people how to deal with problems.

[edit on 13-12-2006 by Nygdan]

Ive never seen Suvivorman, ill need to watch Episode 9 - Lost at Sea, it can be demoralizing living in one of those life rafts, small space, little food or water with 6-11 other men with you, you never get dry.

Bear and Les are okay but Myke Hawke rules all.

www.specops.com...

His "how to survive in the Amazon" deal on Dicovery was the best thing Ive ever seen.

He grabbed a big ass python, pulled it out of the water by its tail and told us that it was good eatin'.

The next seen he was eating some kind of meat off of his knife.

He also led rebel mujahadeem forces in Afganistan. Hes crazy.

Myke Hawke 4 E.

I have not heard of Survivorman but now that I know about him ill have to check him out thanks. Who came first Man vs Wild or Survivorman?
When I was watching the Rain forest episode Bear was cutting downs trees with his knife anyone know what kind of knife he carries?

I believe that knife was a Seal Pup by SOG. SOG makes 3 knives that passed the Navy Seals tests and have been approved for Seal use.

The Seal knife 2000
The Seal Pup
and the Tigershark.

Seal knife 2000, or some version of it, is what the Seals carry.
The Seal pup is a little smaller.
The Tigershark is obnoxiously large and good for felling timber I suppose.

Nygdan - That urban disaster show was great. I hope he does more too. And I'm pretty sure Les is doing another season of Survivorman in Feb 07. Can't wait

I think I've watched every episode of Survivorman, at least 4 times.
I can't wait for his new season.

Man Vs Wild is a tad overproduced, and he has the camera crew with him.
Which is quite a psychological advantage.

Survivorman Les Stroud..is ALL alone, talking to the camera.
I've learned quite a bit from his shows.

Originally posted by Digital_Reality Who came first Man vs Wild or Survivorman?

Survivorman came first. I think it was on Canadian TV then aired in the US last year maybe? Man VS Wild just came out a month or two ago.

Survivorman rules - he's all alone and must come out of his situation on his wits alone.

MvW is ok - and the guy does some wacky ballsy stuff - but much of the footage and the settings look 'staged', made-for tv. The guy might bite into the back of a live fish, eat live snakes and maggots, etc., but you can't feel too sorry for him because he has this camera crew always watching and ready to lend a hand, etc.

Survivorman films himself, carries all his own camera gear, and is more 'believable' - though I suspect he can summon help if he really gets in trouble (breaks a leg, gets attacked by a bear, etc.). \

On both shows they tend to ham it up for the show - you know, panting extra heavily into the camera, showing them struggling on cliff faces etc. But that's the showmanship part I guess.

Bottom line for me - I've learned a few things that may help me save my own life or others if the same situations ever confront me. That alone is worth it. I can probably keep warm and fed until help arrives at least. For TV - sure beats some of the blonde airhead sitcoms and mindless drivel on most of the other channels...

Les Stroud has a satellite mobile phone (or something like that) that he can use to call people to come get him. According to him though, though random testing it only works 50% of the time

Honestly, I think Man Vs. Wild is a poor show.....The things the guy does are often completely absurd in regards to survival....He is offering extremely bad advice in my opinion, and the show pretty much centers around shock value...

Survivorman on the other hand is completely valid, and very informative...It is rarely done in a way intended to shock people, and he explains everything very well... Les Stroud is an amazing man, and I cannot wait for another season of the show...

I know at the beginning of every show they say Bear Grills was in the British Special service or something like that and that he climbed Mount Everest. I have not seen Survivorman yet so what is Les Stroud's background?

Survivorman smokes Man vs. Wild. That Bear guy is a total chud, if you ask me.

Now, I'm no ace survivor guy or anything, but I have read my share of survival-oriented books (Survival With Style, by Bradford Angier, is probably my favorite. Mounds and mounds of good info. If you can find a copy, I recommend you pick it up.)
Every book I've read on the subject stresses "move slowly and cautiously". If you break your leg when lost in the wild, you're pretty much done. Yet every show, there's Bear scampering down a rockface, or a volcano. Running! Down a rocky-ass mountain!!
I've also never found the book that says you should make a point to have a nice dangerous rock/waterfall/lava tube climb when you're lost in the wild. Sure, avocados are great food, but are they worth the risk of a 40 or 50 foot climb to get them? I'm pretty sure most folks would recommend staying dry in cold weather, too. Tough to do when you're scrambling down a waterfall

Bear does know a lot of stuff, but as far as learning to survive, I'll watch Survivorman any day. You don't see him running anywhere.

I do agree that Bear is fun to watch, though. I laugh through the whole show.

I cant believe no one has mentioned Ray Mears yet. I think his Bushcraft and World of Survival series are great. A little different than Survivorman the series are more focused on the history and the people who still use the skills something suvivorman cant really provide its more focused on 'situation x heres how id try and get out of it' with some great tips along the way.

Man vs. Wild well id say its 'situation x heres how an idiot would try to survive'

I like Stroud's Survivorman a whole lot better than Man Vs. Wild. Last nights Man vs. Wild episode where Bear jumps in a Sierra Nevada lake to take a short cut to reach a road is total ridiculous. With a nearby water source, you just walk around the lake. Food won't be a problem because lakes and other water sources in arid climates are meat magnets. I wish Ron Hood or Tom Brown would do a show instead of either of these guys.

These TV shows are for the novice outdoorsman and campers. If your serious about primitive survival, I'd recommend Wilderness Way magazine or the Backwoodsman mag if you're not so primitive.

Originally posted by Digital_Reality
I have not seen Survivorman yet so what is Les Stroud's background?

From Les Strouds Website
www.lesstroudonline.com...

About Les

Les Stroud’s passion for the outdoors was fueled by growing up pre ‘outdoor adventure craze’ on TV shows like Wild Kingdom and Jacques Cousteau. But fate would keep him from pursuing his outdoor dreams by instilling a stronger desire to follow his musical leanings throughout his teens and early twenties. Working on rock videos he also developed a talent for filmmaking.

A complete about-face at the age of twenty five saw Stroud spending from thaw to freeze up in a canoe learning and eventually guiding non stop for his own company and organizations such as Black Feather. He has successfully been able to combine his love for outdoor adventure, filmmaking and music into what he calls a beautiful three-way marriage. He makes films about the wilderness and scores his own music to them. As he puts it: All that he is involved in and every decision he makes must in some way, lead him to or keep him in, the wilderness on one adventure or another.