Man vs Wild /Real or Real Fake?

I don't know about this Man vs. Wild show. It seems more like a shock factor type show to impress people. Like... Eating a raw snake. I seriously can't believe it would be a good idea to eat "raw" anything in the wild. As was mentioned before... Why did he have to climb down a waterfall? Apparently he clubbed a wild rabbit in one episode. (although the cynic in me says it was a tamed rabbit edited into the scene.) Seriously... Chasing a wild rabbit with a stick has to be about one of the worst things you could do in the wild. Making a damn snare would be the smart thing. Bu that's not entertaining enough.

I don't claim to be an expert on survival in any way shape or form. But, common, someone has to see what I'm talking about right?

That reminds me..
Didn't he sqeeze a fresh Elephant turd, and drink the water that came forth?
Wasn't that on a Man vs Wild episode?

I guess everyone makes mistakes I been watching Survivormans Life at Sea and he just used 1 of 3 of his only means of being rescued, his flares. That I'm sorry to say if the stupidest thing to do, what if the other 2 don't work, your dead on a tiny island.

I could nick pick at that episode there were a few anomalies but it wasn't to bad.

back on topic, Man vs Wild..

I think the guy on MvW is just a little bit more nuts ... and not necessarily all that more helpful. I was watching the one where he was showing issues with being stranded like a snowboarder or skier I think (kinda was flipping around) and he took his clothes off and actually jumped in this crack in the ice with water and continued talking. I mean granted he was in for maybe a minute and the whole segment was maybe 4 but that dude still has balls to do that crap just for a show.

Survivorman seems to be more useful, but for some reason I couldn't get into it when it was on TV. I thought there were too many elements of it that said "camera crew" even though supposedly there isn't one. Maybe it's just the editing. At least MvW screamed "hey im an idiot but I have this camera crew with me and they got my back."

So my opinion:

MvW: real stuff done, but blankies and camera crew always near him, entertaining, not so much useful
Surviovman: real stuff done, maybe camera crew, real skills can be learned from it

if you go back and watch the last episode of man vs wild you will notice it is fake, for the first time I noticed it.

when he goes to build his make shift TP for shelter and he starts ripping off them long pieces of wood from that old downed tree you will notice directly behind him thier is a tree that has been cut with a chainsaw and if you have ever been in the woods were thier has been logging you would know that there is skidder trails all over, All this while he was still looking for a way out. however i am convinced after seeing this that the show is not 100% authentic however i still do like the show and will keep watching it he does show some good survival techniques.

The full episode that I saw of MvW was enough to let me know not to waste my time watching another full episode. I have caught bits and pieces since, and they were along the same lines of worthlessness...

The episode I watched, Bear was in a canyonlands/desert environment.

He made his way down into one of the canyons in search of water. What he eventually found was a long river of stagnant/stationary water. After finding a dead mouse floating in it, he decided to jump right in and try to swim/walk his way out of the canyon and find a way towards floating water.

Point A: The water was stagnant/stationary. This is a known breeding ground for impurities and bacteria. Dead animals floating around only add to the problem. It is not a good idea to go swimming in this type of environment.

Point B: He was in the middle of a canyon/desert environment. These places are notorious for being hot during the day and extremely cold at night. Bear jumped right in to the water fully clothed. If that were a real life survival situation, you would want to stay as dry as possible in that environment. Even sweating enough during the heat can be enough to store moisture in your clothing that can cause hypothermia at night.

Point C: At one point, he came to a debris blockage in canyon. He had the choices of either turning around and going back, trying to swim under it, or trying to climb out. The safer more survival friendly way would have been to go back out the way you had gotten there. He chooses to put himself at further risk of bacteria and hypothermia and dive right under head first. He has to come back up, but then succeeds on the second attempt. All this, as expected by anyone with survival sense, was for naught. He came to another blockage that was impassable and had to end up climbing out anyways. This was all a complete waste of time and energy, not to mention dumb when considering the amount of sickness and diseases that could be lurking in the water, and a complete example of how NOT to survive.

These were just a few of the more obvious things that I noticed.

In the same episode, he tries to show he has some knowledge of survival by demonstrating how to make a headwrap out of a T-Shirt. That part was ok, but it's only common sense that if you are in a hot environment for a long period of time, that you need to protect your head and face from the elements.

I have not watched another show, and seeing the previews are enough to let me know that I am making the right decision.

Some of the stupid things I have seen in previews...

..eating a raw snake (salmonella anyone?)

..trying to get water from elephant dung (salmonella anyone?)

Not only salmonella, but all kinds of bacteria and potential viruses.....

Les Stroud approaches survival in a true way....He stresses the need for water, food, shelter, and fire first.....THEN finding a way to rescue...The animals he kills are strictly for his survival, and he always stresses that he would not be doing it if not for that.....He goes about getting those animals in a safe, logical way.....Les is truly alone, even though his rescuers have a radio to him, as was mentioned earlier, it only works 50% of the time....

If you want to improve your chances of surviving a situation and be entertained, watch Survivorman...

If you want to be entertained for an hour, but come away with nothing, then watch MvW...

[edit on 14-12-2006 by Azazelus]

Survivorman is a real man against nature. No hollywooding Bogart scenes in that. I particularly liked the artic one. When he thought he was almost out and came across the guide that he had worked with to get in and found out he was much further away that he had thought.

That was rough having to sleep with one eye open for Polar Bears and eating raw seal meat. Although when you are actually starving, anything tastes like filet.

I knew a guy that was a real life Survivorman. He was thrown out of the house at 15 and lived in the woods. Often eating things he didn't want to like bugs or roots. He actually knew everything about the environment he lived in and survived quite a few years including harsh winters in the woods. He could treat wounds and illness with different plants, bark or roots and start a fire in a pinch without matches or a lighter.

If you want to get right down to it, think back to all the Mountain Men, Pioneers, Eskimo's and Indians who traveled the early USA. They didn't get to check in to the local hotel after the adventure.

I have allot of experience in the wild and think I would be OK but how about the rest of you? Could you do it?

I think I could survive - for a while at least. With some military training and a passing interest in survival techniques, plus lots of experience in the backcountry of many places, I may make it through.

I'm probably deluding myself though. It's one thing watching a TV show about a guy ripping apart a bicycle to make gear or chewing into a squirrel smashed by a rock - another entirely to actually be faced with those circumstances yourself.

A bigger fear would be to have others with me (family, friends, helpless strangers) say, after a plane crash or something, and be the only one who knows anything about basic survival, first aid, etc. I don't think I'd handle that very well.

Anyway - I'd suggest everyone at least buy and read through a basic survival manual (e.g., the US Army has a good one) and have a small, very rudimentary emergency kit in their car and luggage (mylar blanket, water purification tablets, matches, signaling devices, fishing line/hooks, etc).

If nothing else, these new Survivor shows increase general awareness to the public. That in itself can't be all bad.

Nevertheless, it makes sense to follow the Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared". Even today we're hearing pleanty of stories of hikers and wrong-turn drivers succumbing to the elements when it wasn't necessary. Remember: the life you save may be your own - or a that of a loved one...


Thanks for the post....

Originally posted by spacedoubt


That reminds me..
Didn't he sqeeze a fresh Elephant turd, and drink the water that came forth?
Wasn't that on a Man vs Wild episode?

That was a preview of tommorows Man Vs Wild episode.

[edit on 14-12-2006 by enjoies05]

Yeah its from the upcomming show this friday. I dont think I would be able to squeeze a mound of elephant poop for water. I also dont think that elephants would be that far from water for that matter. I guess we will see the logic on friday.

Originally posted by Outrageo
A bigger fear would be to have others with me (family, friends, helpless strangers) say, after a plane crash or something, and be the only one who knows anything about basic survival, first aid, etc. I don't think I'd handle that very well.

Good point!

Then there is the scenario where you may have to decide on life or death for someone that is weak or injured. Are you going to sacrifice the entire group for one person?

Man, that just sends chills up your spine! Reminds me of that MASH episode where the Korean woman suffocates her own baby because it is crying too loudly.

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

Survivorman is the original show. Came out pretty recently. I was surprised to see that they started this man vs. wild thing with surivorman out there.

I guess its like having 'american hotrod' come out after American Chopper.

I think that hte big difference is that Grills is military trained, from the french foreign legion, whereas Stroude is more of a survivalist on its own.

enjoies05
And I'm pretty sure Les is doing another season of Survivorman in Feb 07.

Sweet!

According to him though, though random testing it only works 50% of the time

Wow, thats surprising. Though I guess with that percentage, chances are it will work as you are trying to survive and get out.

outrageo
though I suspect he can summon help if he really gets in trouble (breaks a leg, gets attacked by a bear, etc.).

I get the impression that if it came to that, it'd be part of the show, and he'd show what to do to keep himself safe and alive while he waits for the rescue crew, how to let them know where he is better, etc.

crgintx
These TV shows are for the novice outdoorsman and campers

Lets keep in mind though, thats the audience that they are expecting to have. Theres only a tiny number of people that even know what survivalism is, before these shows came along. So they're preparing things for that average, very uniformed veiwer. Of the two, Survivorman seems like it'd prep you better. He talks alot about the mentality, to keep calm, not over exert yourself, (how many times has he said 'i can't break a sweat or i will freeze to death, even overnight in this desert' ) and just think about what you have in front of you and how to use it.

fiverz
Surviovman: real stuff done, maybe camera crew

There's no camera crew on survivorman. He actually takes the time and effort and energy to go to a spot, set up the camera, walk back, and then walk to the camera, pick it up, set the next one, walk to it, etc. THen its edited together. He even jokes about it sometimes in the show.
It makes it more impressive, really, to think that he's lugging that extra equipment around, and expending all the extra effort to use it, and still manages.

As far as MvW being nutso, lets also remember, he's from the french foreign legion. They'e be expected to be able to rush up a ravine, kill any food they can find and eat it, then storm back down the ravine during war time. So he's going to be doing stuff that'd just be a bad idea if you were trying to get out of the wilderness and back to civilization. Its a different concept than survivorman, in a way.

ever been in the woods were thier has been logging you would know that there is skidder trails all over, All this while he was still looking for a way out

WEll, lets keep in mind, all TV is fake, one way or another. Stroude doesn't seem to have no idea where to go when he gets droped off. Infact, I don' tthink that any of these shows have ever said "Ok boys and girls, today we're going to learn how to navigate with a compass and a map'.

I mean, most people can't even do that. But it'd be a boring show. So its not so much about whether the hosts of the tv show are tacking their way through the woods, in the end, its still a presentation. Hopefully its a good presentation that we can learn a little from.

I don' tthink that anyone's going to find themselves lost in the wilderness and think back to specifics from these shows, like what kind of plants they can eat, or how to build a snare to catch a rabbit. BUt at least from surivorman they'll remember to stop, stay calm, not panic, and think their way through it. And fro MvW, maybe they'll realize that they can do whatever they end up needing to do, even if it seems daunting or disgusting.

[edit on 15-12-2006 by Nygdan]

So who watched Man VS Wild last night? He did some crazy stuff as always. Like running down hills? I thought that was pretty dumb. He also drank from crap and ate raw zebra meet.

He did give some good tips on what to do if you come face to face with any big animals like lions, rhinos or elephants.

I saw it, and thought it was quite entertaining...I do like Man Vs. Wild, but agree that "survivorman" is a lot better for practical purposes. Still, there are some useful tips in Man Vs Wild, and it is fun to watch.

Some of the things he does though are pretty stupid, unless you are in a combat situation and don't have time to waste, or need to avoid detection (running down hills, glaciers, climbing down waterfalls, etc). One slip up there, and instead of being stranded in the wilderness in good health, you are stranded with a broken leg or something else. Also, eating meat that has just been out in the open and picked upon by many other animals, drinking water straight from a creek in Africa without boiling it (I wonder if he REALLY does this, and it isn't just staged, because you can end up with some pretty nasty parasites and other problems drinking African water if you aren't African). Although at least he does say "well, I should boil this first, but..."

Mostly entertainment, some useful information, and a good deal of reckless bravado make it worth watching.



[edit on 16-12-2006 by Shoktek]

Just letting everyone know - New Man VS Wild episode on tonight (Friday) at 9:00 EST. I believe he is somewhere in Alaska this time.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I usually record the shows on my DVR so I can skip the commercials. Thanks for the update. I thought the last show where he said not to run from lions because you cant out run them was good advice lol. Instead he said to try to scare them away witch I'm not sure is any better than running. I guess its just a toss up!

Bear from MvW is a total bad*ss if you ask me. Anybody that will pick a snake up off the ground and eat it raw right there without even wincing is okay in my book. Tear the meat off a stipped zebra neck with your teeth after its been picked clean by predators, YES! And then top it off with squeezing water from a steaming pile of elephant dung into your mouth! WOW.

I haven't seen Survivorman (don't get the channel) but I hear he's more informative, which I wish Bear was. He doesn't elaborate much on some of the techniques he uses. Alot seems to be left to the imagination. Some of the things he did were not advisable if you ask me: diving into unknown waters in Africa, I mean dude, isn't there crocs and things that eat you in those waters? Not to mention the bacteria and malaria. Hopefully they will show Survivorman on another channel. But Bear is definitely entertaining and I would highly recommend the show!!

lol.
Well, sure, the fact that the cameraman is present may suggest he 'could' have help... but the show wouldn't be much fun if the cameraman wasnt there now would it?

Originally posted by super70
I haven't seen Survivorman (don't get the channel)

Aren't they on the same channel? (Discovery)

Anyone watch it? It was the same as the others I thought. Some good tips and some crazy stuff. Entertaining though, watching him go 50 mph down a snow hill.