Defending Bear

All this flap about Bear Grylls. It's been reported that the host of Discovery Channel's "Man vs. Wild" show doesn't always rough it the way it appears on TV. He has, on occasion, slept in hotels rather than in the wild, eaten candy bars provided by the film crew rather than starve, and floated on rafts made with help from crew members rather than on his own.

Some say it's an outrage. I say it's entertainment!

This is TELEVISION, and Bear is the host of a show. It's not a serious documentary, it's an hour-long, weekly show meant to provide tips about surviving in the wild. Of course there's editing, scripting, help, dramatization and trickery. That's television! It's naive to think otherwise.

It's not as if anyone could question Bear's authenticity. He's not just TV host beefcake with a pretty smile, good camera presence and likable personality. This guy knows what he's doing out there. He summited Everest at age 23 (then a record), led the first team to circumnavigate the UK on personal watercraft, and broke a world record by flying a gas-powered paraglider over the Himalayas. Not to mention his time with the UK Special Forces Selection, serving as a soldier, trained in unarmed combat, desert and winter warfare, combat survival, medics, parachuting, signals, evasive driving, climbing and explosives. His time with them was cut short when he shattered his back in a parachuting accident. Needless to say, he's paid more than his dues.

So let's not pretend that this guy doesn't know how to do all the things he demonstrates on his show. The fact that he gets a little help for the purposes of good TV is simply no big deal.

If you've ever seen "Survivorman" you'll notice the difference immediately. Les Stroud's show, also on Discovery (currently airing in place of Man vs. Wild), borders on boring. Why? Because Stroud works so hard to be completely authentic! He gets strangely loopy when he's hot and dehydrated, he films himself sitting out the sun's rays in the shade (snore), and he doesn't try hard enough to truly explain everything he's doing on camera (like how a scorpion tastes, how he managed to cook an ostrich egg, or the way insect bites feel). Maybe his show is more authentic, but its also much less watchable. Take your pick.

If you've never seen it, catch an episode of "Man vs. Wild" sometime (provided Discovery doesn't cave under the pressure and cancel it). You'll quickly find that Bear is fun to watch no matter what might happen off-camera. Sit back, relax and be entertained, inspired, grossed out and delighted (and the beefcake ain't bad either).