Steel cage: Survivorman vs. Man v. Wild
They’re both featured on the Discovery Channel. They both do shows about how to survive if you’re lost in the wild. But who would you rather have with you if you were stranded in the wilderness?
I’m talking about Les Stroud, star of the show “Survivorman,” and Bear Grylls, the former Brit military man, adventurer and star of “Man vs. Wild.” How do they stack up?
Grylls is a former British special forces member. Second-degree black belt in karate. Skydiver. Has climbed Mount Everest and Ama Dablam, two of the highest peaks in the world. Has done numerous expeditions in jungle, desert, savanah, alpine and arctic environments. One knock: “Man vs. Wild” episodes don’t really have him alone in the wilderness, and at times, he’s had help and lodging available during filming. But this is also a guy who crossed the artic Atlantic in an inflatable boat and circumnavigated the UK on a jet ski. Solid outdoorsman credentials.
Stroud is a wilderness guide, outdoor survival expert, film maker and a musician. He spent a year with his wife living in the wilds of Ontario, Canada. He’s also been a guide in some of the harshest wilderness environments in northwestern Canada. His shows have seen him showcase survival skills in desert, alpine, jungle, savanah and arctic conditions. He’s even shown his viewers how to make it if you’re stranded at sea. He may not have Grylls’ military/martial arts cred, but he films his shows by himself and is on his own for six days at a time. +1 on that count!
So there ya go. Both have eaten bugs and other wild things, hashed it out in remote places and know quite a bit about making it in the wilderness.
Who would you choose? Who wins the title of ultimate survivalist?
Bob Doucette
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Comments
Before anyone decides between the two some facts need to be made clear. First is that Bear Grylls was not in the Special Forces. His unit was part of the Territorial Army and he was a reservist, similar to the US Nation Guard. Even though SAS appears in his unit name (21 SAS(TA)), this is not the same SAS (22SAS) that is world renown as one of the most elite of all Special Forces units on the globe. A little fact rarely pointed out by Grylls and a misconception that he has obviously used to his advantage. Second is how Man Versus Wild is made. It’s not that he has help and lodging available some of the time; it’s that help and lodging are required for every aspect of his show. Basically what many people don’t realize is that he’s not out there traveling from point A to point B. His show is filmed like most tv shows; they start with a script and then they scout out locations to shoot the various scenes called for in the script. Bear travels with his crew, which can include as many as 8 or 9 people, to the predetermined site. They set up the shot, including all the safety gear required for everyone including Bear. And after they’ve done several takes and gotten all the angles right they pack up and head to the next location or back to “base camp”. The only time Bear is out at night is when the script calls for a night scene and even then he doesn’t always (ever?) actually spend the night “on location” so to speak. A discerning viewer will notice that often the scenes aren’t even shown in the same order in which they were filmed. Clues to this can include veg found at various altitudes, weather changing back and forth from one minute to the next, and knowledge of the area where his filming.
Taking into consideration the above facts. Considering the fact that he frequently makes mistakes regarding even the simplest and most basic of survival skills. Considering the fact that every single animal he kills on the show is “provided by the crew” and is often nothing more than a domestic animal passed off as being “wild”. Considering the fact that a large percentage of his “survival advice” is, in his own words, nothing more than “extreme stunts” and would be suicidal in an actual survival situation. I think I would stay as far away as possible from Bear Grylls if lost in the wilderness. In fact, if I were with him I’d probably leave him behind so as to avoid the extra burden of having to carry him after he injures himself.
Les Stroud is clearly the correct choice in this situation. He is the actual survival expert and your odds of survival would be considerably improved if you were in his company. Granted, Bear would probably be more entertaining (until you had to start carrying him anyway) but you’d actually learn something from Les and you’d get home in once piece which is, despite what you see on MvW, pretty much the objective.
And let’s just be brutally honest here. How many people really want to put their lives in the hands of someone who has developed a habit of naming his children after cartoon dogs? I don’t know, maybe it just me but…
Good stuff! Not a lot of love for “The Boy Who Climbed Everest.” A lot of the free climbing stunts he does bother me. You gotta do what ya gotta do sometimes, but free climbing stuff that is clearly class 5 is pretty risky for even experienced rock climbers. I could imagine some dope like me trying a 5.8 pitch unroped and solo just to save a few hours of hiking, then becoming food for crows and coyotes.
wow! i wouldn’t want to be any of the two really but i kinda like Bear Grylls since i have watched his shows more..
I’m all about Bear Grylls, that guy is made of steel and that show is very entertaining. Some of the stuff he teaches you is common sense, but others is not and is simply brilliant!
Les Stroud is definatly going to survive longer than Bear Grylls. I would love to see them agains each other and who would actually win a contest of that type. Over all I would want to be Lost anywhere with Les Stroud over Bear Grylls. He is not flashy but would get it done.
@ Frank
I disagree! Les Stroud actually goes alone when he is in the wild but Bear Grylls has his camera crew. Les is more realistic.
If you read what the question asks, the answer is clearly Bear. Don’t mistake their shows on tv for who they really are. The 21 SAS is not as Backcountry pointed out anything like the Nat Guard. They should not even be written about in the same sentence.When has the nat guard ever been deployed alongside a Seal team, or any special forces team. When has any nat guard unit completed the type of training that the 21 SAS must complete before been badged. The SAS are the very best in the world be it the 21st, 22nd or the 23rd.If I am stranded anywhere in the world and had to choose between a tv star or an ex (badged) member of the regiment the choice is obvious. Les Stoud is not and never will be in the same league.
at Pete, Bear was not in the special forces SAS (special air secvice if I remeber correctly) he was a member of the 21 SAS TA, not the “black ops” sas
[...] Awhile back, I stirred a little debate with this post, pitting Grylls against Les Stroud, star of the program “Survivorman.” You can read that post and some reader comments here: http://blog.newsok.com/outthere/2009/01/22/steel-cage-survivorman-vs-man-v-wild/ [...]
Les Stroud WINS !!!!
I don’t care what Bear Grylls in “Man vs Wild” has done in his past or how quaiifed he is…
What he presents…in Man vs Wild as “Survival Skills??” will get people killed and is “Totally” Irresponsible and he should be removed from the airways…before someone dies !!!!!