Les "Survivor man" Stroud or Bear "Man Vs Wild" Grylls

[Cerveza]

And feel free to discuss your vote 

[_C2_]

I'm all for Bear's show being more fun, for at least me, to watch.  Kudos to the other guy for doing everything his self - even the taping.  Both are bad ass!!! 

I think I would pick Bear.   

[TrailMyx]

Lol, I can't really discuss my vote because when you were explaining it, all I got was a "mental test pattern".  heh

[12TimesOver]

I voted Les. If Bear was lost in the woods by himself he would forget he didn't have the full support of his camera crew, rescue crew, medical crew, and blowjob crew and he'd do something stupid like climb over a cliff just because there is a technique to it when he could more easily go around only to find his intestines exploding halfway up because of a bug he got when he thought he was showing people how to drink water out of a hole in the mud next to a swamp to avoid parasites.

Plus, with Les you get a harmonica 

[Xclio]

I have to agree, Les is the much better candidate.

[_C2_]

   my response - no way...lol

[Cerveza]

Ok, didn't want to sound up till there were some comments in here.

Man Vs Wild = Stunt Show
Survivorman = Survival Show

Bear takes mega-chances and unnecessarily wastes energy. "I'll climb this 60' tree just to get a better view". Well Mr. Grylls, most of us can't climb a 60' tree, and if we tried, we'd be falling 59'. Of course that doesn't affect good ole Bear cause he's got his crew there to take care of him.

Les keeps things very simple. Shelter, as soon as he's able. Fire, if he can. Water, as soon as possible. Food, if he gets the chance. If Les gets hurt, seriously hurt, all he has for backup is his satellite phone. Now lets say he falls out of that 60' tree, breaks his leg and his phone is damaged. Les probably dies in the forest. So he doesn't take those chances like Bear does.

Credibility isn't even comparable. Les does it all himself. Packs his camera gear. Sets up the shots, then walks back to get the camera gear. No help at all. Bear has his crew next to him the entire time. He sleeps in hotels and eats at Applebees, he has life vests HIDDEN under his jacket, and his fires magically start themselves... etc.

Les is actually isolated in the wilderness. No roads, towns, lodges or any civilization anywhere around him. Bear might do an episode from a city park. There's a video on Youtube with Bear in Hawaii... he's crossing a lava bridge, talking about how dangerous it is. In the Youtube video a guy is in the exact same place, exactly the same lava bridge... the camera pulls back and there's a road with cars on it in the background.

Bottom line is that if you dig fake "reality" television and accents, then Bear is your guy. If you want to learn about survival, Les is the guy to teach it.

 

[12TimesOver]

Couldn't have said it better myself...

...but you left out the harmonica.

XII

[Cerveza]

If you want to see how much of a fake Bear Grylls really is... just look HERE

That said.... I don't mind his show. What I mind is him RUNNING everywhere and CLIMBING everything. "I HAVE to get across this river", "I MUST get up that cliff". Then trying to sell all this off as a survival show.

In reality it's just good entertainment. Plant some grubs in some loose bark, set up the cameras for the best angles, "Bear finds food, take one.... and.... ACTION" , then watching bear explain how you might be able to find a snack in the bark of a tree.... switch to camera 4... "Here's some loose bark that might hold some protein".... steady on camera 4, ready on camera 2.... "YES, look at the size of this grub"... ok switch to camera 2, zoom in for the bite shot.... "Mmmm woody taste!". OK, great shot, wash out his mouth and lets have some lunch.

But the stuff he "teaches" is counter to surviving in most cases. Most is false, and some is just plain dangerous.

Yes Les will fail at stuff... but thats because thats what happens most of the time. Bear succeeds in almost every scene because if he doesn't, it's just "Bear builds a fire... Take seventy-three", and the one shot that he makes it, is the only one you ever see.

[Endless Night]

Its pretty much a hands down competition... Thier is only one survivor man.  LOL....

Although i dont go out of my way to watch either show so i take what i get..

[Xclio]

Couldn't agree with you more Cerv!

[TrailMyx]

I think I would pick Bear.   

Haha, C2 picked Bear.  At least he had an opinion....   

[Cerveza]

I think I would pick Bear.   

Haha, C2 picked Bear.  At least he had an opinion....   

If you want an action "reality" show, then Man vs Wild is the way to go.

If you want a survivor show, then watch Survivorman.

Bear RUNS everywhere. He CLIMBS everything. He DRINKS from anything. He EATS conveniently found fresh kills. He BUILDS shelters (not that he uses them). It's all about action.

Check out some Survivorman videos on youtube. There's a couple interviews that explain some of Les' views on that stuff.

Running everywhere wastes energy. If you've seen SM, then you know he might go 4 days without eating. You are burning tons of calories and putting 0 back in. Running is completely the wrong thing to do.

Climbing everything not only wastes the energy, but adds in a safety factor. If you were in a survival situation, you take the LEAST amount of risks involved. A twisted ankle or broken bone could easily mean death.

Drinking everything? If you squeezed the water out of elephant poop to drink.... blegh.... you would loose 100x that much in the diarrhea that will surely follow. And drinking your own pee? Bear takes it straight... Les makes a solar still to get the water out. Pee is like 20% toxins. Thats toxins your body has already filtered and removed. Drinking it straight puts those toxins straight back into the body in a greater concentration.

Eating is never a problem for Bear. There's always a carcass laying around for him to cut up and eat. Funny how they never have rigor mortis. Bear dives right in and cuts out chunks of raw meat. Les talks more about parasites and the dangers of raw. Les cooks about everything he gets, except insects. And what Les gets is usually pretty meager.

Shelters - Well, it's a classic case of what looks good on paper. Bear builds them, and really relies on the lean-to a lot. This is because he's not actually going to be sleeping in it. Les builds shelter to protect himself from the elements. He explains why the lean-to is a poor shelter. Les really has to occupy his shelter, so he obviously spends more time to make it as good as possible.

Bottom line is, there's really no right or wrong answer to the poll. It's what type of entertainment you like more.

Bear "Man vs Wild" Grylls - Action/adventure show about a guy surviving.
Les "Survivorman" Stroud - Real survival show, showing a guy really surviving.

*I might make another poll... "Who would survive an actual survival situation" but I think I know what the overwhelming response would be 

[_C2_]

Wow the passion for Survivor man is really intense here!!!  I am going to send you a life size poster of that crazy guy.

I knew when I voted Bear- I would get hammered but voted it anyway as he seems to have a deep knowledge of places to find water, plants, animals...etc and I wouldn't know crap in all those areas.    I just like watching him do his thing. 

I've seen survivor man 2x and he was in the artic both times.  I need to see some different episodes.  I get bored watching the Survivor man but have crazy respect for how much more hard core he is.  I never really put a lot of thought into the validity of what Bear does (ex. your elephant water comment).  Frankly, like you said- he is entertaining to watch.  I typically watch tv for brainless entertainment though) 
 

I don't watch the show for ed value like a PBS special so hence I always enjoyed the little facts about trees that could kill you etc.  I do have to say the show has become quite routine and predictable.  I bet it is on it's last season or they radically change the format.

I know Cerv will say that will ge tme killed but then again I won't be anywhere near a desert or Kongo etc. anytime soon.

[Tidus]

Bear is just an overbearing boyscout.  Out to get the next thrill of being in the wilderness.  When i used to go on scout trips...that is the crap i did..  when i actually needed to survive, i did it like Les.  Just depends on your situation. If you in true need of survival, follow les.  if you want to have some fun while out and about getting lost, go with bear.