Survivorman or Man vs Wild??

[keb]

I know Jay has posted things about Survivorman quite awhile ago and in general this crowd probably is not a big TV crew, but I was wondering what folks who have seen these think.

I am NOT a reality TV person, oh well, at least I wasn't until I stumbled on Survivorman 6 months or so ago. I really liked it. I had heard about Man vs Wild but had not caught it until recently. Both entertaining, but both very different. The biggest difference is that Survivorman is all alone. Man vs Wild has a camera crew with him. No matter how tough a situation, that makes such a huge difference.

I was curious what others here who had seen both shows thought.

 

[NewHampshire]

This is funny because me and my Uncle discuss this quite often.

We both agree, Survivorman (Les Stroud) is da man. Bear to us seems too show off-ish. Its like its all about him eating gross stuff, parachuting everywheres or drinking and wearing his urine. And then he does this annoying thing where he shows a cliff face, says "this here is for experienced climbers ONLY" but then shows him climbing it anyways....ummm, if its for experts only, why bother? Les has to carry all the extra camera gear, and to get the shots he has to set up the camera, turn it on, walk off, return, and pack the camera, so he does double the duty. Bear has nothing to carry. Yes Bear goes bare bones, but lets face it, many people are going to have SOMETHING to use, but I will give it to Bear on this point that he does show you how to make do with nothing. But I truely wonder how far away help is for bear (like the time he was floating down an Amazon river and if you look close enough he has on a life jacket....where did that come from????)

So My vote goes to Survivorman....who apparently is no longer making new episodes

Brian

 

[Artex]

There are some interesting nuggets of information. But like most TV, it is simply entertainment. Having said that, I am entertained and enjoy both shows.

 

[dms]

Both seem to be accomplished survival experts, I really enjoy this kind of program. But, Les is more self sufficent, he carries all the camera equipment himself, and I enjoy his low key demeanor. Both shows demonstrate some interesting survival tips. It does appear that Bear's much more theatrical style is more popular, and "better" for tv.

 

[NewHampshire]

It does appear that Bear's much more theatrical style is more popular, and "better" for tv.

Which is probably why Man vs. WIld is now on season 2 and Survivorman is now no more.....that or its Bear's English accent .

Brian

 

[dirt]

Les Stroud is the winner in my book. They're both survival experts, yes, but in a "true" survival situation I think the way Stroud portrays his survival techniques are far more realistic than Bear Grylls'. With no cameras around Grylls would never pull some of the stunts I've seen him manage. I just hope he doesn't get hurt trying to get better ratings. As for Les, I miss him.

 

[cbcbd]

I think the fastest way to find civilization is to jump into an unknown glacier-melt fed river with possible class 5 rapids

And yes, please make sure to boil your water so you don't get sick... but don't hesitate to drink elephant feces liquid in case of desperation

Lol, Bear does some stuff that one would probably not do if they really were careful about trying to survive. They are both entertaining, but as has been said, Les is the real deal and is efficient and practical. Even though Bear is no pushover the stuff he does to survive is more entertainment than practical. Definitively cool stuff, though.

 

[sleeping bear]

"If you found yourself up here, you would NOT want to go down this way. It would take hours to bushwhack around though, so I'll show you how to downclimb this 300 foot slippery, raging waterfall."

Sweet! If I ever find myself in that situation I'll know how to... spend hours bushwhacking around so I don't kill myself. I love that show anyway.

I've only seen a couple of episodes of survivorman, it seems a lot more realistic. But the guy isn't as good looking or have the accent, so...

Survivor, the reality show, is the clear winner in my opinion.

 

[Shardik]

"If you found yourself up here, you would NOT want to go down this way. It would take hours to bushwhack around though, so I'll show you how to downclimb this 300 foot slippery, raging waterfall."

Sweet! If I ever find myself in that situation I'll know how to... spend hours bushwhacking around so I don't kill myself. I love that show anyway.

I saw that too.. ..thought he was nuts...Bear takes too many risks..

I like both of them.
A good reminder , how bad things can get sometimes...

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Survivorman is pretty good. Bear is full of you know what and I don't just mean what he drinks from. He is teaching people to get themselves hurt. He takes ridiculous risks that we would never teach people to do in a survival situation. He also has some credentials that appear to be somewhat inflated from what I have read. He is not teaching survival, he is entertainment. Very good example was that waterfall stunt. Others are the leap off the cliff and various other stunts that are lots of show but not really survival.

Also pay careful attention to the names of the real "experts" who actually taught Bear in each of the areas he is in. They are listed at the end of the shows.

I liked Les much better. At least he was alone, carrying all his own equipment.

Keith

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I never had much use for Survivorman as you always knew that in 4 or 5 days his producers would come looking for him, and anybody with enough sense to come in out of the rain can survive that long, so where's the risk?

As for Man vs Wild - in all fairness, the only episode I saw was the one where he was dropped into the Sierras (my 'new' backyard), and he made a big point of heading West - into the interior. I'm thinking to myself - this guy is really dumb - all he's got to do is head East, over the Sierra Crest, and voila - the entire Owens Valley and US 395 is visible below. I double-checked this a few days later with some hiking buds who are veterans of years of SAR work with China Lake Mountain Rescue, and they really ripped him as well. The other huge error on that show was rafting down a serious stream (maybe Class 3? 4?) with glacier run-off? Not only did he risk physical injury on a river he wasn't familiar with, but he could have gotten hypothermic as well. And what about those horses he tried to make out were wild and got within a few feet of? That was so bogus - have you ever seen wild horses? Hell, unless you're damn lucky it's nearly impossible to get within 500 hundred yards of a band of wild horses. The ones he saw were obviously at summer pasture in open range in the backcountry, a rather common practice by ranchers for horses, sheep and even beef cows. Needless to say ... everything seemed staged, and I haven't bothered to watch another show.

But ... I did like his English accent, and he had done his homework re: the Monos (the native peoples of that region).

 

[SAR-EMT40]

he had done his homework re: the Monos (the native peoples of that region).

Again, don't give him credit for that. That is what the experts listed at the end of the show prep him on before he goes into a specific area. As well as what foods are available, types of wood, ways to make shelter and fire, etc.

Keith

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Understood, Keith. But, at least he's a good student and parroted the information back at the appropriate times. (Am doing my best to be as even-handed as possible!)

 

[bikehikeskifish]

It's on TV, ergo, it is entertainment. The best you can hope for, in this case, it is also edutainment. Are some of his stunts foolhardy? Perhaps, but I think he warns the audience sufficiently when they are.

Tim
p.s. in full disclosure, I've only watch Man v. Wild, and I do enjoy it... It's a good way to unwind before bed time when there are no new posts here to read

 

[dug]

I've always been waiting for the time they drop Les off in the Bronx. No map, no money, no food, no shelter, and see if he can find his way home.

Seriously, I always liked Survivorman and haven't been too fond of M v. W. Too arrogant.

 

[Oldsmores]

I'll just repeat my comment from the last thread on this subject, which was something like: I really wanted to like Man vs. Wild. The premise was promising, but it just turned out to be Jackass in the Wilderness.
Bear G. has had some great experiences, and I can't blame the guy for cashing in on them, but a lot of what he does on the show is just ridiculous. Give me Survivorman any day. I even prefer "I Shouldn't be Alive" - at least it shows people what not to do in a relatively realistic way.

 

[marty]

Well, I must have been living in a bubble. I hadn't heard of either show.

I plan to record Survivorman, however. It is on the Discovery Channel this Friday from 7:00 - 8:00 pm EDT. Les is going to be in a boreal forest and must survive with only a handful of cashews and beef jerky, one match and a multi-tool.

Right up my alley. Thanks for posting this, KEB.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Ever the contrarian, I much prefer Man v. Wild. I actually find Bear to be relatively humble and certainly resourceful (although it's probably the accent that hooks me). The other guy's camera work is too reminiscent of stuff like the Blair Witch Project.

It's obviously entertainment and not a realistic primer on survival. But why not? More fun watching nicely photographed scenes of challenging environments than 95% of the sludge that spews out of the TV.

 

[Pamola]

Awesome thread. I have this debate seemingly weekly with my housemates.

Stroud is the man. The hauling his own stuff and truly being alone is impressive enough to set him apart. Watching MvW trying to be something it's not is mildly painful. Bear is atop a 40 foot waterfall and going to descend via vines. Viola! The cameraman is getting a shot from the bottom. I remember the lifejacket as well.

They both do have some great pearls though if you know what to retain.
Bear crushing quartz and slathering it on a wet stick to sharpen his knife.
Stroud eating an entire rabbit (bones and all) to get some fat out of it.
Bear actually cooking a raven egg on a hot rock.
Stroud starting a fire with a battery and gasoline fumes.
etc etc etc.

Thumbs up for MvW. Four thumbs up for Survivorman. We, VFTT nation, should beseech Discovery to bring it back.

 

[KMartman]

Stroud is definitely the man as he carries his own equipment and has to do a lot more work...

Bear is cool as well...

Obviously as voiced over and over in this thread these are for entertainment.

You can pull out a few good tips from the shows. If I can get one good "survival" tip from each show, it's worth watching.

M