Grylls…Bear Grylls. He’s perhaps the suavest man on television, despite favouring cargo pants over Saville Row suits and preferring his own urine to martinis.
When he was born Edward in 1974 to proud parents Sir Michael and Lady Sarah, who could’ve guessed he’d grow up to become the preeminent insect-consuming adventurer of the 21st century? On paper, it would’ve made sense for the Eton-educated Grylls to pursue a career in politics, like his father, or perhaps host Antiques Roadshow.
It was not to be. Instead, he spearheads the show Man vs. Wild, an offering from Discovery Channel that sees Grylls subjected to a brutal environment from around the globe each week.
The show’s enduring popularity stems largely from Grylls. He revels in physical challenges, like climbing sheer rock faces and sliding down glaciers, that would bring the average person to tears. He is resourceful; possessing the ability to make a raft from three twigs and a shoelace (possibly an overstatement) and, once aboard said raft, giving himself an enema. Most impressive of all, he eats creatures you wouldn’t even step on. Highlights have included raw zebra meat, yak eyeball and goat testes.
Grylls’ childlike enthusiasm and affability makes the show a joy to watch. It boasts almost 1.5 million Facebook fans, with Man vs. Wild-inspired mugs, t-shirts and a video game available online. He obviously possesses stellar star power.
British bushman Ray Mears is a detractor. He calls Grylls a “showman” and has criticised his survival cred in the past. True, the show is far more refined — and choreographed in some instances — than those of Les Hiddins (the Bush Tucker Man), the recently departed Malcolm Douglas and Survivorman’s Les Stroud, but Grylls was a survival instructor in the SAS and has led numerous expeditions. In short, he’s qualified enough for us.
The adventures of Bear Grylls have been televised for five years. Men want to be him, women want to get lost in the wilderness — and his frosty blue eyes — with him, kids think he’s Tarzan 2.0. Let the wild times continue.
The details: Man vs. Wild (it’s a repeat, sadly) airs on SBS tonight at 8:30pm. New episodes are available to (illegally) download online.
showman? Irwin-like tool may be closer to it for mine
I want somebody on the production crew to explain what Bear did after he finished squeezing and drinking water out of fresh Elephant Dung.
I’m guessing he drank a strong saline solution, vomited it back up, and then lived on antibiotics for the next 3 weeks.
I do like that he put to air getting some help from a production crewmember to launch his home-made ladder, which promptly broke. Thats real, at least.
-G
First, Bear was not in the SAS; he was in the SAS(TA), a part time reserve unit. Second he was definitely NOT a survival instructor. He never rose above the rank of trooper (private) and broke his back during a training exercise. Common sense tells us that a private who hadn’t finished his own training would not be made an instructor. Most of Bear Grylls impressive resume is suspect at best. For example he used to claim to have served with the French Foreign Legion; the reality was he did a tv show where they simulated a small portion of FFL training.
Also he has never “led” any expedition. In his earlier expeditions he was essentially a tag along who took all of the glory (and much of the credit) because of his name recognition. Lately it has been that recognition (and the press coverage that comes with it) that has been the number one reason he is included in such endeavors.
His show is a total farce. People believe he gets dropped off in the wild and finds his way to civilization (a falsehood Bear often implies during interviews). The reality can be seen on a behind the scenes video on discovery.com – http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/man-vs-wild-behind-the-scenes-hanging-in-panama.html -there are at least a dozen guys standing around including a director who yells “ACTION”. The truth is they all return to what Bear calls “base camp” (often a hotel or resort) every night. Bear Grylls is a poser who rides the coattails of people like Ray Mears and Les Stroud.