“Man vs. Wild” and “Born Survivor” star Bear Grylls may not actually be roughing it in the wild, new reports claim. An investigation is being conducted in Britain into the allegations that his show “Born Survivor” is misleading the public to believe that he is actually living in the harsh environments, when in fact, he has been staying in hotels. Here are some other claims that his show mislead the public:
In one episode filmed in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains he was shown biting off the head of a snake for breakfast and boasting that he was living on ‘just a water bottle, a cup and a flint for making fire’.
Viewers were not told that he was actually spending some nights in the Pines Resort hotel at Bass Lake…In another episode when Grylls declared he was a ‘real life Robinson Crusoe’ stuck on a desert island, he was actually on an outlying part of the Hawaiian archipelago and retired to a motel at nightfall.
In another episode, Grylls was filmed attempting to lasso ‘wild’ mustang in the Sierra Nevada, when the horses were actually tame and had been brought in by trailer from a nearby trekking station.
Show consultant Mark Weinart also asserts that in one episode, which showed Grylls building a raft, it was actually his production team that built it and then took it apart so that Grylls could be shown making it on camera. He says:
If you really believe everything happens the way it is shown on TV, you are being a little bit naive.
Well that’s disappointing.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
used to really like this show but since finding out the entire thing is fake, and i was “naive” enough to have fallen for the lies, doubt i’ll be watching it again. hope a looooot of people feel the same way.
July 30th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
So what?! He’s still showing you how to survive in the wilderness. He’s also still eating tree frogs, snakes and little bugs. Even if he is lying, you can still learn alot from the show. Isn’t that why it’s on TV?
July 31st, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Bear Grylls does check into hotels when he’s shooting Mv.W. He meets with local survival experts of the are and spends a few days out in the wild with them to get knowledge about what animals to watch out for, history of the land, and tips for survival. Then bear spends 4-5 days shooting the show out in the area. After filming wraps, he goes back to the hotel and meets up up with his wife and two sons. Bear I’m sure has a map off camera, but that doesn’t mean he’s not sleeping in those crappy conditions. Bear is not a fraud and even if he was staying in hotels eating lobster and drinking champainge in his FILTHY muddy shirt & trowsers, I would still watch his show because he is showing you how to stay alive. I hope a looooot of people feel the same way. Face it people, If Bear was on the show “LOST” they would have to change the name to “FOUND.” Rock on Bear Grylls!
August 15th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
yea so wat hes an entertainer for crying out loud! and FYI i was very entertained. i hope they still air the show! NO they better air the show or else!!!
November 22nd, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I’m sure not everything he does is truly being done by him. He does have his team help out here and there, but it is just to save a bit of time. I hope whoever came up with all these bs lies about him being a fruad. I hope if you ever go on a vacation, you get lost. Then you’ll wish you watched Man vs. Wild instead of claiming unprovable ideas.
How someone already said, he is an entertainer, he still teaches what you should do, and it is something cool to watch.
And what about alot of his shows, how is he going to find a motel alot of the places he goes to? And is the Croc Hunter a fruad too?
Don’t just say someone is a fruad because you can’t do even close what they can.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Man vs. Wild is the most ridiculous show on tv today. It’s a show for pure entertainment only and in no way is it educational. Les Stroud on the other hand is the real deal holyfield; he stays by himself and does all of his own camera work. And for those of you who don’t know, it’s the being alone part that is rough about survival. Buy a US Survival manual and you will be on a level playing field with Bear; oh and Bear, i bet thats not even his name, just something catchy for tv. I will give him props on the entertainment factor though, but beyond that the show is crap.
April 29th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
all of you people are stupid… the show is for entertainment…. to amuse people….. do you not have better things to do with life than analyze an ENTERTAINMENT tv show?
May 11th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
I was getting ready to purchase how to survive in the desert. Not so sure now.
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
it just is a show!