DVD Man vs. Wild - Season 1 (6 DVD set)
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - This show is fake--here's proof
Do not confuse Man vs. Wild with Les Stroud's Survivorman, which is the real deal. In Survivorman, Stroud really is by himself in a survival situation, with nothing but the clothes on his back, limited supplies and his camera equipment so that he can film himself. Man vs. Wild, on the other hand, has become an embarrassment for the Discovery Channel, which now claims that all episodes of the show will be more honestly edited to show the viewer what is really happening (i.e., that the show is fake).

This is not to say that Bear Grylls is not a survival expert, but merely reflects the fact that much of the show is completely phony. For one thing, Bear is followed by a camera crew, who, contrary to the show's initial claims, regularly helps him out. For another, Bear is regularly aided by survival consultants. He did not, for example, build the raft that the show depicted him building. Most embarrassing of all to the Discovery Channel was the discovery that many of the situations that Bear finds himself in are entirely staged; they are not incidents that he just happens upon while surviving in the wild.

The Discovery Channel always prided itself on the accuracy and honesty of its shows (unlike, say, the History Channel), and so, because of this revelation, and after momentarily dumping unaired episodes of Man vs. Wild, now will only air the show with text disclaimers at the bottom of the screen explaining to the viewer what is actually happening, but in a positive light of course. So, instead of reading, "This scene was entirely staged," text will appear saying something like, "On some occasions situations are presented to Bear so he can demonstrate survival techniques."

After a huge controversy erupted when it came to light that Bear was not always sleeping in the campsites the show depicted him constructing (but was instead sleeping cozily in a nearby hotel room!), the Discovery Channel now requires Bear to admit such things. In one episode, after lighting a fire, he said, "I'm not staying the night, but this would make a good place to camp." Another fake part of the show was the success of Bear's traps. What would really happen is that the trap would catch nothing but an animal was brought to him by the crew so that he could act like he was successful. He now must admit (at least some of the time) when the crew is helping him.

People who actually know about real survival techniques often laugh at how Bear Grylls conducts himself, leaping about and running and unnecessarily risking injury at every turn. Les Stroud would be ashamed of him. In the end, Man vs. Wild can be entertaining, but it should be viewed as a staged show depicting somewhat useful survival techniques. It should NOT be viewed as a documentary depicting real survival techniques in action. If you still don't believe that Man vs. Wild is fake, go to Youtube and watch the clip entitled Man vs. Wild, Bear Grylls is a fake. It depicts good old Bear Grylls acting like he is trying to cross a "dangerous lava bridge" in the middle of nowhere. If you keep watching, the camera pans back and reveals that Bear is in fact just walking on some rocks immediately to the right of a busy highway! Deception at its finest.

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Rating: - A perfect show for the true man
This season is full of great knowledge and Bear is an expert at educating in a extremely enjoyable way.. this show will inspire you to visit the true outdoors! while keeping you truly entertained.

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Rating: - Man vs. Hotel
Bear Grylls has a somewhat entertaining show but it is completely worthless from a survival standpoint. I do not like the Title "Man vs. Wild"? There are enough people going against the natural world already. That title gives nature a bad name, like it is something you must fight against. The man has admitted to staging scenes of the show and staying in hotel rooms, to me, that discredits almost anything he has to say about natural living. If you are only interested in entertainment, then this show deserves about three stars. However, if you are interested in learning survival information, or not interested in seeing a fool run around in the woods, I would highly recommend Survivor Man. Also, any of Tom Brown's field guides are great for a person who is truly interested in survival and not just cheap entertainment.

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Rating: - Man Vs. Wild season 1
Man vs. Wild season one is a must buy for any outdoor loving man's man. Bear Grylls was an X-special forces british operative and explains and demonstrates survival skills.