Bear Grylls vs. Les Stroud

[Iz Man]

Well ?

If you don't know who they are, go look them up. I'm not wasting my time with your ignorance.

Personally, with all due respect to Les because he's a badass in his own right, I've got to go with Bear.
British Special Forces, French Foreign Legion, climbed Mt. Everest, etc.
If I had to be stuck in the wilderness with one or the other, Bear gets my vote.

A tough Enlglishman.......go figure.........

[Bertros Bertros]

Film maker and musician who did a 'survival' tv show or special forces loon who drank water squeezed from elephant shit or took all his clothes off to jump in an frozen alpine lake and then dried himself with snow... The question is pratically an irrelevancy. Still if I had to be stuck in the wild with one dude it would be Ray Mears for sure...

[Nickbaldwin]

Ray Mears FTW

[got tonkaed]

personally ive always favored Les Stroud, simply because not only is he doing the survival bit, hes also doing his own filming, where as Bear Grylls tends to have a team, and apparently doesnt always stay in the outdoors during filming.

While Bear maybe does some cooler things, Les is actually the one doing stuff that might happen to a person, and doing what seems to be a lot more work as opposed to Bear.

Therefore Les imo wins.

[Iz Man]

Film maker and musician who did a 'survival' tv show or special forces loon who drank water squeezed from elephant shit or took all his clothes off to jump in an frozen alpine lake and then dried himself with snow... The question is pratically an irrelevancy. Still if I had to be stuck in the wild with one dude it would be Ray Mears for sure...

Not too familiar with Ray Mears. Looks like he's an author & TV personality?

I'll still take some SAS training over growing up on the North Downs any day.......

[Iz Man]

personally ive always favored Les Stroud, simply because not only is he doing the survival bit, hes also doing his own filming, where as Bear Grylls tends to have a team, and apparently doesnt always stay in the outdoors during filming.

While Bear maybe does some cooler things, Les is actually the one doing stuff that might happen to a person, and doing what seems to be a lot more work as opposed to Bear.

Therefore Les imo wins.

That's an argument I agree with. The fact that Les goes into the bush with items that one might typically have with them if caught in that situation, and he's "technically" alone. The fact that he sets his camera up, walks off into the distance for the shot, then walks all the way back to get his gear is something else.
I do know Bear has a cameraman that follows him, but I don't believe there's a whole crew. I may be wrong, I'll have to look it up.
Both Bear & Les have emergency crews on stand by in case of a dire emergency. So while Les doesn't have a cameraman there with him to suck rattlesnake poison out of his leg , there are emergency services available if required.

[got tonkaed]

yeah i mean it obviously only goes to a certain point. It would probably be pretty bad for business to send your guy out there completely on his own, and then end up having him killed in some freak accident.

Either way, both shows are pretty entertaining, and both of the leads do a pretty good job from the episodes ive seen of each.

[alcazar]

personally ive always favored Les Stroud, simply because not only is he doing the survival bit, hes also doing his own filming, where as Bear Grylls tends to have a team, and apparently doesnt always stay in the outdoors during filming.

While Bear maybe does some cooler things, Les is actually the one doing stuff that might happen to a person, and doing what seems to be a lot more work as opposed to Bear.

Therefore Les imo wins.

cool thread

Big Fan of Bear but Les wins as tonkaed puts it.

Are there new survivorman shows coming up ?

[Bertros Bertros]

Ray Mears is the original woodsman. He hasn't got SAS training and he may be a little bit porky but he's the real deal. Bear Grylls would undoubtedly kick his arse in a fight and as I said may do some truly hard stuff but Ray is calm, collected with years of skills and knowledge who wouldn't do somethign stupid like jump in a frozen lake in the first place. And besides you'd eat well if you were stuck out wiht him and if things we're looking really bad he'd probably build you a all terrain go kart from a couple sticks and power it with nectar to get you home.

[Iz Man]

Ray Mears is the original woodsman. He hasn't got SAS training and he may be a little bit porky but he's the real deal. Bear Grylls would undoubtedly kick his arse in a fight and as I said may do some truly hard stuff but Ray is calm, collected with years of skills and knowledge who wouldn't do somethign stupid like jump in a frozen lake in the first place. And besides you'd eat well if you were stuck out wiht him and if things we're looking really bad he'd probably build you a all terrain go kart from a couple sticks and power it with nectar to get you home.

Good points all.
Obviously both Les & Bear are going to play for the camera, as they are entertainment shows.
I'll have to see if I can find a Ray Mears show to watch, maybe Netflix has one.....

[2dimes]

The shows sound pretty good I'll have to try to find them and watch.

When I used to help do the search part of search and rescue I used to joke about my survival kit. "I put in the most usefull tools that weight would allow me to because if I'm parked out in the middle of no-where with you guys looking for me I'm building a town while I wait."

While watching a guy drink the fluid from elephant droppings would be pretty good on the television or while I have a supply of bottled water and beers on hand. I'd much rather be stuck in the middle of no where with either someone that wants to build a nice shelter and find some good eats and clean water or a nice looking woman.

Catch you later, back to my online persona of being the guy drinking the elephant effluent water.

[whitestazn88]

i'm gonna be honest with all of you

i don't give a shit who i'd rather be if i got stuck in the wilderness... cuz i really don't want to ever think of being in that god-forsaken situation

with that said, i prefer bear because even if he does shit i'll never think of doing, he's a lot more entertaining. he ate a fucking camel's nut! he climbed a chasm to eat 2 bird eggs, one raw and whole with the shell included, and he drinks his own piss.

he's a fucking bad-ass and we need to show him the respect he's due. so what if he stays in a hotel at night? he still does crazy shit that i love watching

[bedub1]

Les Stroud, because he is more practical. Bear Grylls is just wild and reckless. Survival tip, find water, shelter, and stay alive.

At first I love Bear, saw a couple shows with Les...and blew Les off. But then I finished all of Bears episodes...so watched all of Les's. And I gotta say, Les is a far superior man. Bear puts on a better show with his camera team, but Les actually does the shit. One is honest, the other deceives you. Wearing a life-jacket to float down the river.....he trys to show me how to do it...but he's too much of a pussy to do it without a life-jacket. So stop giving me shitty advice!

[Juan_Bottom]

Les wins, hands down.

I heard on VH1 that Bear was busted out for having the camara man carrying his stuff. He really does the stunts(like sucking water out of a fish's spine) but when the camara is off the camara man hands him his sack lunch.
It is really more of a entertainment show in this respect.

Whereas again, Les is living the dream.


But I give Bear props, cauze I would never drink my own pee on cable.

[DAZMCFC]

Ray Mears is the dogs bollocks, he is THE MAN. this bloke can build you your shelter, find food anywhere and know whats poisonous. he can even build you a canoe if you need.

[Iz Man]

I wouldn't call Bear a fraud.
I haven't heard anything about hotel stays, lunches, and that other B.S.
The guy was British Special Forces, and he did climb Everest......at 23! The youngest Brit ever to do that. He also jet-skied around the U.K. apparently.
Given that I find it hard to believe the guy is a fraud.

What he's doing when he does some of the off-the-wall stuff is showing the viewer what is possible in extreme cases of survival.
Is it pumped up a bit? Sure, its a T.V. show.......but I guarantee if for some reason (who knows why) you're stuck in the Sahara and are dieing of thirst, you'll be squeezing some elephant shit and thanking Bear for giving you the idea....

But Les is cool, no doubt.

[Juan_Bottom]

Ray Mears is the dogs bollocks, he is THE MAN. this bloke can build you your shelter, find food anywhere and know whats poisonous. he can even build you a canoe if you need.

One time Les Stroud was lost in the Bayou, and built a time machine out of moss and bugs and stuff. Then he went back in time, and told his younger-self not to get lost in the Bayou. That's the story of how Les escaped the Bayou.

And that's the other reason that Les is the best survival expert.

[bedub1]

I wanna jet ski around the UK! that would be awesome! NOT survival....

I wouldn't call Bear a fraud.
I haven't heard anything about hotel stays, lunches, and that other B.S.
The guy was British Special Forces, and he did climb Everest......at 23! The youngest Brit ever to do that. He also jet-skied around the U.K. apparently.
Given that I find it hard to believe the guy is a fraud.

What he's doing when he does some of the off-the-wall stuff is showing the viewer what is possible in extreme cases of survival.
Is it pumped up a bit? Sure, its a T.V. show.......but I guarantee if for some reason (who knows why) you're stuck in the Sahara and are dieing of thirst, you'll be squeezing some elephant shit and thanking Bear for giving you the idea....

But Les is cool, no doubt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_vs._Wild#Criticism

Criticism

After a series of exposés by the Daily Mail,[2][3][4] the show was put on hiatus while Discovery reviewed claims that it deceived viewers.[5] The show resumed on September 24, 2007, with a disclaimer at the beginning of each episode, scenes removed, and altered voiceover indicating where situations were staged. The decision to rebroadcast the show on Channel 4 is yet undecided.[6]

[edit] Realism

Grylls has stated numerous times on camera that he is not to receive any assistance unless his life is in danger. However, in July 2007 it was reported in the mainstream media that Grylls allegedly received aid during some sequences of certain episodes. In response to criticism, British Channel 4 issued a statement saying that:

"The programme explicitly does not claim that presenter Bear Grylls' experience is one of unaided solo survival. For example, he often directly addresses the production team, including the cameraman, making it clear he is receiving an element of back-up." [7]

An article on the BBC News website also reported on the sentiments of Channel 4 towards the allegations:

"The broadcaster [Channel 4] said Grylls carried out his own stunts and did place himself in perilous situations, "though he does so within clearly-observed health and safety guidelines required on productions of this kind"". [8]

The Discovery Channel said that future airings would be edited (including a disclaimer at the beginning of each episode) so as not to imply to viewers that Grylls was left alone to survive during production of the show. Since then, Grylls has stated on camera when he has received assistance in order to demonstrate survival tactics (such as attaining a dead camel from Saharan indigenous peoples to show viewers how to extract water from the carcass and make a shelter for sand storms) or is exiting the setting for a period of time due to safety concerns (as in the episode in the Scottish Highlands). Grylls also tells the cameras filming behind the scenes footage how the film crew sometimes assists him in order to film certain sequences (such as rummaging for earthworms for food along with Grylls in the Patagonia episode or when a crew member caught a salmon which Bear then ate during the Alaskan mountains episode).[9][10][11][12]

On August 3, 2007, Grylls posted on his blog that the "press accusations of motels and stagings in the show that have been doing the rounds, all I can say is they don't always tell the full story, but that's life and part of being in the public eye I guess." [13]

In reponse to allegations of spending nights in local hotels as opposed to staying in the shelters built during filming, Grylls clarifies in an article in the December 3 issue of People Magazine that:

“Episodes take about ten days to tape, explains Grylls: “The night stuff [shown on camera] is all done for real. But when I’m not filming I stay with the crew in some sort of base camp." Episodes now clarify when Grylls gets support from his crew and when situations are staged, “We should have done that from the start,” he says. “The more you see, the more real it feels.”” [14]

In spite of allegations, The Discovery Channel has released behind the scenes footage showing how sequences of "Man VS Wild" are filmed. In the footage, while setting up a scene, each production crew member is introduced and their role is briefly explained, including a safety consultant who served in the Royal Marines. During the scenes, Bear Grylls tells how each crew members' role ensures his safety while he explains survival tactics. The footage includes open discussion over a safety harness and other precautions and also contains the production crew doing various takes with Grylls during dangerous stunts (including three sky diving jumps from a helicopter in the Patagonia episode). The crew of Man VS Wild go to great lengths during filming to comply with safety regulations without any pretense of covering up their actions. No member of the production crew, including Grylls, attempts to alter or omit details of how episodes are filmed in the behind the scenes footage. Portions of the footage can be viewed on YouTube. [15]

[edit] Survival advice

On March 13, 2006, the show's first survival consultant, Ron Hood, posted on his website:

"I want to remind everyone that Bear is very capable and highly skilled in survival skills. We both objected to portions of the show when we filmed but thought we knew that my narration would enlighten the viewers about the hows, whys and wherefores of what look like dangerous activities. When that narration was removed it left Bear looking like he was clueless. He is not clueless. He is clever, courageous and capable. If anyone can save this show it is Bear. As I posted when we started this project months ago, the show was supposed to be a new format that was drama driven with an educational and adventure component. The script I have looks nothing like the final show."

"I think Discovery did the viewing public a serious disservice by excluding the educational narration and concentrating on travel. Someone WILL attempt river travel as shown and there will be problems. Others will run from camp because they hear noises... Someone will attempt a rappel with paracord. People are like that. Discovery holds a huge credibility advantage and that alone will act as an endorsement of the actions seen in the show. Keep in mind that a LOT of people saw the show and a few of them are ignorant enough to attempt what they saw. Disclaimers aside, the presentation looks feasible. The fact that some folks overlooked the errors just proves the point."[16]

[bedub1]

It's not that he receives help, it's that he lies about it and deceives us. And what good is a survival show to the average guy, if the guy showing you the stuff...is so highly trained with monkey like skills, and has help!??? When is the last time you were stranded with a tv crew and help? WTF do you need survival skills for then? You just whip out your cell phone and get your ass out of there......the realism lost in the show, and the impracticality of it, makes the show a failure. Les Stroud though, packing around his own camera gear, with some of the basic cheat's he takes (like a firestarter....but who goes hiking where he does the show without one?), and a emergency crew camped a ways away that he never talks to....

Les talks about how the loneliness of the situation is extremely hard. Yet Bear has always got his crew around to talk to, and make him lunch....

I say Bear is a hyped up pussy who needs mommy and his crewmen to do all the work, while Les is a caveman who does everything in tripple. (walk away from camera, walk back to go get camera, walk back away) That makes Les 9 times as good as Bear.

[AndrewLC]

Watching Les is like watching someone bitch for a hour because they wern't smart enough to bring a guy with a camera

[2dimes]

i'm gonna be honest with all of you

i don't give a shit who i'd rather be if i got stuck in the wilderness... cuz i really don't want to ever think of being in that god-forsaken situation

with that said, i prefer bear because even if he does shit i'll never think of doing, he's a lot more entertaining. he ate a fucking camel's nut! he climbed a chasm to eat 2 bird eggs, one raw and whole with the shell included, and he drinks his own piss.

he's a fucking bad-ass and we need to show him the respect he's due. so what if he stays in a hotel at night? he still does crazy shit that i love watching

I think that's where the question would head though, you're stranded, it's nasty because there's no store and your wallet got lost in the plane crash anyway.

Do you want to be with someone who will build a nice shelter and help you find clean water or do you want to eat camel nuts and drink the fluid squeezed from elephant pies? Unless you have skills and perhaps even if you do you'll probably be dining on the same things your buddy is.

[fireedud]

I'm with Les because both Les and Lack are Canadians.

[AndrewLC]

i'm gonna be honest with all of you

i don't give a shit who i'd rather be if i got stuck in the wilderness... cuz i really don't want to ever think of being in that god-forsaken situation

with that said, i prefer bear because even if he does shit i'll never think of doing, he's a lot more entertaining. he ate a fucking camel's nut! he climbed a chasm to eat 2 bird eggs, one raw and whole with the shell included, and he drinks his own piss.

he's a fucking bad-ass and we need to show him the respect he's due. so what if he stays in a hotel at night? he still does crazy shit that i love watching

I think that's where the question would head though, you're stranded, it's nasty because there's no store and your wallet got lost in the plane crash anyway.

Do you want to be with someone who will build a nice shelter and help you find clean water or do you want to eat camel nuts and drink the fluid squeezed from elephant pies? Unless you have skills and perhaps even if you do you'll probably be dining on the same things your buddy is.

Yeah, but the way Bear does it is walk out of the wild, Les just stays put usually, and when he does move all he does it bitch about carrying a camera

[fireedud]

i'm gonna be honest with all of you

i don't give a shit who i'd rather be if i got stuck in the wilderness... cuz i really don't want to ever think of being in that god-forsaken situation

with that said, i prefer bear because even if he does shit i'll never think of doing, he's a lot more entertaining. he ate a fucking camel's nut! he climbed a chasm to eat 2 bird eggs, one raw and whole with the shell included, and he drinks his own piss.

he's a fucking bad-ass and we need to show him the respect he's due. so what if he stays in a hotel at night? he still does crazy shit that i love watching

I think that's where the question would head though, you're stranded, it's nasty because there's no store and your wallet got lost in the plane crash anyway.

Do you want to be with someone who will build a nice shelter and help you find clean water or do you want to eat camel nuts and drink the fluid squeezed from elephant pies? Unless you have skills and perhaps even if you do you'll probably be dining on the same things your buddy is.

Yeah, but the way Bear does it is walk out of the wild, Les just stays put usually, and when he does move all he does it bitch about carrying a camera

Well Les has to be there for seven days. Bear is usually there for at most 3 days.

[Iz Man]

Well Les has to be there for seven days. Bear is usually there for at most 3 days.

That's what helps the argument for Bear. The "goal" of the show is to get back to civilization somehow, not just hang out; and he shows how to find the best way to do it.

He also shows you how along the way, if you happen to come across a dead Yak, you can eat its eyeballs......