What is it with Bear Grylls and Pee!?!

[GGTBod]

The only parts i don't like about some of Ray's shows is when he is clearly there with a whole crew but making it look onscreen like he is alone especially when he is in some barren wilderness and we see him hiking towards and past the camera off into the background with no kit except the clothing he is wearing, i much prefer the versions of his shows where he is acknowledging the crew and the vehicles full of kit and getting them all involved in doing their share of the work, in either types of his shows he is always sharing good info and skills which he is clearly proficient in.

The recent canoeing in Canada video is like this although it is a very enjoyable watch, all we see is Ray doing all the paddling, all the campside work, slow motion sawing and pontificating about what it all means in his near empty canoe talking about taking only minimal gear and having to pack light, then roll the titles and the production crew list scrolls on for 2 minutes and half of them clearly had to be there judging by the job title, he doesn't even go anywhere other than paddle about for a bit being shot from multiple angles in slow motion, saw halfway through a big log in slow motion and stand a tripod over the fire, then comes the edit splice in a few dramatic dawn shots and old footage of him making a canoe paddle with his axe, add some mellow music and then narrating back in the studio over all the footage? For all we know the whole thing was shot in one morning on a single lake

I much prefer the shows he makes where he actually goes on an adventure and tells a story of why he and his production crew is there, just seems more honest and holds integrity

 

[kawasemi]

Bear...no way. Even as Chief Scout he should learn to put his uniform on properly. I'm sure there were times in the military when he needed to be smart.

Ray...really interesting. Great philosophy towards nature and bushcraft. Does occasionally put his foot in it (see comments about caravans prior to guesting at the Caravan and Camping show).

Les Hiddins...an hour with him is really interesting and inspiring.

Top of the Bushcraft Pops...

Les

Ray





























Bear



K

 

[dwardo]

Everyone loves a celebrity, give him a weekend, a rusty sardine can and Angelina Jolie, and he'd be the happiest man on earth."

I'll a take that weekend!

Got to love a bear versus ray thread. Its been ages

 

[Stevie777]

I stick to Ray Mears,
Less drama, real solid advice and without all the fluff.

Watching Bear just frustrates me. I'd rather be at peace and work with nature, than exhaust myself trying to beat it into submission.

What's not to like..
[video=youtube;fWQkLIXNQzA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWQkLIXNQzA[/video]

 

[ADz-1983]

.................

 

[woodsorrel]

Hi Everyone!

If you will excuse me, I need a moment to vent about "survival TV" in general.

I just finished writing an article about firesteel technique where I relate the following true story:

I was traveling for business and had an hour to kill at the hotel. I flipped the television on and ran across a popular American “survival” show. One of the “characters” (I won’t call them experts) was attempting to light a pile of wood shavings using a firesteel. The conditions were wet and he needed the fire to keep warm.

What he did next amazed me. Kneeling in front of his tinder pile, he started sawing away at the firesteel with the spine of his knife. But the firesteel was up by his bellybutton!

“Get Down!” I yelled at the television, like a crazed football fanatic. How can a "survival expert" not place the firesteel near the tinder?!!!

I realize after the fact that holding the firesteel high above the tinder gave the cameras a better vantage to see the sparks. It also made it much harder to light the fire, which added to the drama.

But most of us don’t need that kind of drama! The example he set for viewers was horrendous. It was yet another example where television showed an important outdoor skill done incorrectly. It has been months and I'm still shaking my head.

Thank you for tolerating my frustration. I think I'm going to go lie down...

- Woodsorrel

 

[fredohyeah]

It is showing off...

Eye candy for TV....

Sensation to keep the media world interested....

It's a shame - considering the regiment he comes from - a bit more maturity would be in order

i know a man who knew a man who said nobody in the regiment ever heard of him.

 

[mick91]

It's a weird one. Drinking urine when you're VERY well hydrated is reasonably safe, if not advisable. It won't do you massive or long term harm, apart from probably making you vomit. That being said if you're well hydrated why would you drink it. Its not viable as a survival option as the chemicals and salts in concentrated dehydrated urine will make you really quite poorly. And you'll spill some and spend the day smelling of wee (just saying it's a consideration) I think uncle Ray should teach bear frills some other, more pleasant, and far safer methods of finding and making water safe. Every one of his shows I've seen where he advises it I've spotted several other viable sources within a few short yards of where he's making his own. And personally I'd rather wait and boil some water

 

[Stevie777]

i know a man who knew a man who said nobody in the regiment ever heard of him.

According to Wiki he was in the TA Version os the SAS, Doesn't say for how long...could have been two years, could have been two weeks.? As it's wiki it could be Fantasy.

 

[dewi]

Bear is just the Jackass version of the survival world... everything sensationalised, everything staged for effect.

I watched a couple of his celebrity jaunts and as far as I can see, there is no benefit whatsoever to dangling outside a helicopter rather than sitting in it. That was enough for me to understand its pure entertainment rather than information that could be useful... but I've watched them for the chatting and the scenery... I was entertained, but not how the producers of the show had intended.

When it comes to drinking urine, I can imagine there being scenarios where you'd be tempted, but with Bear he tends to have people drinking it on his shows when there is plenty of drinkable water supplies nearby. So its for effect... not survival, but the way he presents it.. can you imagine what would happen if some of the viewers of that programme ever ended up in a survival situation? They'd be thinking that drinking p!ss is a good idea and with laziness as it is in todays society, why expend the effort to find a water supply when you have your own on 'tap'?

That is why Bear is dangerous. He propagates what not to do under the guise of survival information. As Lofty Wiseman once said, who in their right mind would chow down on raw snake? Salmonella isn't a risk I'd want to take, so why aren't the producers of these shows putting up in big letters on the screen the risks of what Bear is doing?

There was an episode where Bear was showing how to cross a ravine and makes a big deal about jumping across some fallen rocks. A local put up a youtube of the location, and 100ft further on the ravine ends completely and you can just walk around. To make matters worse, the 'ravine' was less than 500ft from a busy main road. Yes, its an example of Bear faking it, yes its ridiculous but that's something to laugh about... eating raw snake, drinking his own (or someone else's) fluids or jumping blind into rock pools or the sea... that is no laughing matter.

 

[Stevie777]

if i ever find myself lost in the scorching heat of a desert with Bear i will gladly give him some of my urine.

 

[GGTBod]

The only 'celebrity survivalist' example to follow and get killed quicker than Bear Grylls is Christopher McCandless

 

[Stevie777]

The only 'celebrity survivalist' example to follow and get killed quicker than Bear Grylls is Christopher McCandless

Chris AKA Alexander Supertramp wasn't really a Celebrity until after he died though. quite a sad story actually. If anything let Chris's story be a warning to others. It aint as easy as it appears in books and TV.

 

[GGTBod]

I agree a very sad story, i was thinking more the act of heading into Alaska without the proper skills and knowledge needed to live there as the bad example, his choice of living a free life with no strings on the other hand read like one hell of an adventure

 

[Stevie777]

I agree a very sad story, i was thinking more the act of heading into Alaska without the proper skills and knowledge needed to live there as the bad example, his choice of living a free life with no strings on the other hand read like one hell of an adventure

Yeah, he certainly took a huge gamble. A costly one in the end. Bit of a dreamer but a Doo-er.

 

[Pete E]

Apparently after each filming session he is helicoptered back to his luxury hotel and then back again next morning to be filmed climbing out of the dead camel he has" just spent the night in " . Check out his watch, it changes during every sequence !!! I too refuse to watch him anymore, give me Ray Mears anytime

You don't think Ray Mears doesn't do that as well? I met somebody who was part of the crew on the programme Mears did about the WW2 Norwegian Saboteurs..He claimed the RM' s who played the saboteurs stayed on set most of the time, where as Mears only appeared when and as needed for filming. Even when onset, he apparently sent most of his time on a sat phone organising other business..

I have no idea how true this is, but it would not surprise me..Its probably down to the reality of filming a TV show in a cost effective and safe manner more than a refection of Mears or Grylls for that matter....

 

[santaman2000]

You don't think Ray Mears doesn't do that as well? I met somebody who was part of the crew on the programme Mears did about the WW2 Norwegian Saboteurs..He claimed the RM' s who played the saboteurs stayed on set most of the time, where as Mears only appeared when and as needed for filming. Even when onset, he apparently sent most of his time on a sat phone organising other business..

I have no idea how true this is, but it would not surprise me..Its probably down to the reality of filming a TV show in a cost effective and safe manner more than a refection of Mears or Grylls for that matter....

Exactly. It is a business after all and they have to attend to business for it to succeed.

 

[sunndog]

Aye, it does pay to remember that its a day at work for these people, and i suspect ray mears is still pretty hands on at woodlore plus he has kids....i'v no idea what bear grylls does outside of tv

The only time i'd have a problem with it is if they flat out lie to the veiwers. Yes in filming not everything can be done well in sequence so allow a little poetic license
But dont tell us how cold you got in your shelter last night if werent even in it

 

[DurhamBushcrafter]

Grylls, a risk taker, a liar, and a complete and utter loon! I think of him as the Bam Margera or Steve O of the survival world

Mears, good advice, sometimes a little boring, knows his stuff, gains respect from people, I like the Chap.

 

[dewi]

Chris AKA Alexander Supertramp wasn't really a Celebrity until after he died though. quite a sad story actually. If anything let Chris's story be a warning to others. It aint as easy as it appears in books and TV.

Without meaning to sound heartless, Christopher McCandless proved Darwin's point about natural selection. He knowingly went out there with a lack of knowledge, incorrect equipment and no exit route... and arguably if it wasn't for an inventive writer who takes creative licence to the edge and Sean Penn (who I have come to dislike considerably in recent years) the world would never have known just how monumentally stupid this bloke was.

Unfortunately the likes of Bear Grylls will unknowingly inspire someone equally as young and naive as McCandless to venture out alone into the wilderness, ill-equipped to deal with what lies there and succumb to nature.