[sunwheel29]

There is more to survival than just walking around pointing a camera at yourself and pissing and moaning about how hungry you are — especially when you are in a game laden environment....

Both shows are entertaining, but one is funnier than it is meant to be for any of us who earned our boy scout merit badges.

If you had told me when I was a kid there would be a grown man pretending to be a wilderness survival expert who had a roughter time in the woods than my pack of scouts, I would have thought you were insane....

What is really funny is that in recent months, Les has started taking pot shots about how he is on his own without a film crew...only to be accompanied by a film crew in one episode and a buddy in the next....

WTF???

Discovery is touting this week's episode of Survivorman as the series final. I guess Grylls is winning in the ratings...

[Bravo]

All I'm saying is that Les has survived a week at a time for many many episodes. Bear Grylls has simply proved time after time that he can pull of crazy stunts in front of a camera crew and medical staff not far away.

Les and Bear are two very different people, and have two very different shows. Both are produced for entertainment, and both get the job done. They say before each show that nothing done on the show should be attempted by anyone.

Anyone who gets upset that these people are real "survivalists" should stop taking TV so seriously.

FYI, Les did the show about him in his hunting partner getting trapped because it hadn't been done before. He still didn't have a camera crew. Les also shows some great little tricks about starting fire and catching food, all of which you could learn in the boy scouts. Sunwheel, I don't think Les was claiming that his show was a substitute for the boy scouts...calm down.

But honestly, Bear has been called out time after time about rigging his show. He doesn't really have to "survive", because most of the time he isn't in any danger. Entertaining? Yes. A true survivor? No.

[milproakron]

Quote:       Originally Posted by firebird45331

and as I remember Bear drank is own piss straight from the wee-wee while Les Stroud made a still to evaporate the moisture then drank the condensation

No matter what anyone tells you, ask a medical or survival professional and they will tell you drinking your own urine will NOT aid you in any way. It will actually cause you to dehydrate more quickly. Evaporated or not. If you don't believe me.. uhh... well, just go try it for yourself. LOL This is one of the first things you learn in basic SERE training.

Your urine DOES however provide a good wound cleansing liquid in the absense of sterile irrigation fluid. Your urine is essentially sterile when it leaves the body and works well in this case.

As for the Stroud / Grylls debate, yes both shows are entertaining and yes Les is probably more of a real survival expert and his show is harder to produce. But, Grylls never claimed to be "actually" stranded or on his own. In fact, in the credits of the show it even states that medical assistance, etc is close by at all times. People who attributed this "claim" to him are probably just imagining that the show is supposed to be like Stroud's show. Grylls is trying to teach people usable survival techniques. The show even states that some scenarios are created in order to demonstrate viable survival options in certain environments. Sometimes I just think Stroud is trying to prove how tough he is.

[sunwheel29]

I guess you havn't heard. Stroud is pulling the plug on his show because "It's too difficult to go for seven days at a time with no food."

Thats funny. I thought a real wilderness type could live off the land...I can and I am not some big time tee vee star survival expert....I know plenty of people who can (and have) live off the land for more than a week at a time too.

Apparently a run of the boy scout has more of what it takes than "survivorman."

Also note that in one recent episode, Stroud admitted that he goes to places and spends a week studying with the local survival experts before he starts filming himself.
I guess he just doesn't study very hard....

I find the show where the person actually has some skills to share more entertaining than the one where the guy starves in GAME RICH ENVIRONMENTS far more informational and educational as well as entertaining. I could care less about film crews or how long the people are out in the bush. The whole reason this stuff is on "educational" television channels is to teach the viewer things.
Sorry, but pissing and moaning that an armadillo (which is edible) got into your camp and ate your weeds and grubs is not educational. Watching the other guy kill and cook and eat an armadillo is.
There is more to surviving than just enduring hunger.

Let me recommend the book "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen to you. Its about an average 12 year old stranded in the wilderness who survives for two months....all he has is a hatchet and some common sense and creativity. You will learn a lot more about survival from that than from Les Stroud.
To beat it all, its' a young adults book, and pure fiction.