Survivorman VS. Man vs. Wild

[legion]

I think Les Stroud could kick Bear Grills ass. I can't be the only one.

Les goes out and films a real survival experience by himself. Bear has a film crew following him doing crazy stunts (and providing off-camera assistance).

Discuss amongst yourselves...

[David Goodman]

Completely disagree. Crew or not anyone who can eat goat eyes, strained elephant crap and camel gut cocktails has the nod in my book. I think he would eat Les if necessary. Burn that goddamn harmonica for warmth.

[competentone]

Bear is great to watch to learn exactly what not to do if you're ever stranded in the wilderness!

Bear: "I'll climb this vertical granite wall, then leap to that pine tree, then jump into that creek nearly frozen over with ice so I can get to that ridge and get a better view of the landscape..."

[M.D. Holloway]

Les plays a better Harmonica

[MattKellett]

No way would Les kick Bear's ass!

Maybe Bear does have a film crew, after all it's an entertainment show, played up for entertainment purposes, but what he's been though in his life and trained for and accomplished there's no way anyone is going to kick his butt!

I think they would both hold their own remarkably well in a real survival scenario.

[Rick Lee]

Les is the man. Bear is no wuss, but he's more about showing off and taking unnecessary risks, whereas Les is all business. I get the feeling Bear eats stuff that would make a billygoat puke just to show that he can, when less revolting meals are easier to get. Les starves himself and then shows how to get really creative.

[HHI944]

I'll concede that Bear is a bit of a show-off and takes some unnecessary risks. However, if the two were stranded on an island, I think that Bear would be found barbecuing Les.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by competentone

Bear: "I'll climb this vertical granite wall, then leap to that pine tree, then jump into that creek nearly frozen over with ice so I can get to that ridge and get a better view of the landscape..."

L O L !!!

Exactly my impression of him (as he is portrayed on the show).

I'll go with Les.

I think both of them know their stuff, but Bear takes way too many crazy risks that could put him in jeopardy in a real life situation. I haven't seen many episodes of Man vs. Wild... has he ever screwed up badly and broken an ankle?

Les knows how to pace himself and conserve energy... that's a much more valuable skill in dangerous conditions.

[m21sniper]

I like survivorman way better.

[cvriv.charles]

With the amount of stuff Les is allowed to have,... a child could survive. Les is always eatin grass and bugs. Bear is straightup catchin giant lizards bashing them to death on rocks by the tail, rippin meat off of a zebra with his teeth. Didnt he also gut a camel for shelter in a desert? He's is the friggin man. Bear will jump in and show you how to get out of neck deep mud,... LES, "that could be dangerous lets not go there." Bear has a knife. Les has a Walmart.

[masraum]

Well, they'd both do much better stranded in the wilderness than I would, but I have to agree with most of the comments here. Les's show is much more realistic. Bear's show is like a WWE version of Les's show.

[pksystems]

saw one ep with bear..... now I have no idea where this cave goes, and I'm going to have to go underwater to get to the other side, but it could save me days climbing over this mountain. Did anyone think... hmm.. and you could get trapped and drown.

[legion]

Originally Posted by pksystems

saw one ep with bear..... now I have no idea where this cave goes, and I'm going to have to go underwater to get to the other side, but it could save me days climbing over this mountain. Did anyone think... hmm.. and you could get trapped and drown.

Or the one where he crawls down a crevasse into a glacier?

Those are not smart decisions to make when in a survival situation.

Those are not smart decisions to make in most situations.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by masraum

Well, they'd both do much better stranded in the wilderness than I would, but I have to agree with most of the comments here. Les's show is much more realistic. Bear's show is like a WWE version of Les's show.

+1

Bear gets into situations just for the show. No one would try those stunts by themselves. Bear walked up to a skunk and clobbered it and got sprayed. Then he ate the skunk. The only time I have seen him puke after eating something was the fresh warm goat testicles. He just could not hold that down. The locals considered them a delicious.

Les is great but he really is by himself filming everything himself.

[sammyg2]

Man vs, wild is staged, scripted, and is an info-mercial for rock climbing. Not much there that could be considered reality.
survivorman has a little of that but it closer to the mark.

[Rick Lee]

Did you see the one where Bear went into a beehive for honey? Who does that? I heard he and crew stay in hotels too.

Best Survivorman I saw was when Les demonstrated how to rescue yourself and survive falling through the ice and did it in a controlled environment.

[cstreit]

I wouldn't hire either as my personal chef.

....but I think I'd rather have Les for assistance and company.

[cvriv.charles]

LOL. Bear isnt saying to climp into a glacier. He is telling you that you cold fall into one and lose your lief. He went in to show you what it was like inside. The one where he went under water instead of wasiting days going over the mountain,... he's teaching you that you have to make tough/ drastic decisions to survive. What if it was a clear short swim and he turned it down to make the walk up the mountain and then died up there. Being stranded can lead to death no matter what route you take. But you have to decide. He went underwater to get to the other side of the canyon to teach you other stuff. Like how to climb a narrow canyon. That you can ball your fist up in as crack in the wall to get a good grip to climb. Neither of them are really stranded. Both have a team of people waiting for them. Should something bad happen or they just finish. it's alll staged. Both have equal surviving capabilities. Its just a show. And in my opinion the one thats more entertaining wins. MVW. Les is boring. Grass eating. wild cucumber. yadda yadda. Bear, "if your really desperate, you can drink your own pee." The guy saved his own piss in a gutted snake! You just cant beat that!

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Man vs, wild is staged, scripted, and is an info-mercial for rock climbing. Not much there that could be considered reality.
survivorman has a little of that but it closer to the mark.

+1. But bear in mind - as the show indicates in the messages - both shows are meant to simulate survival situations.

While Les is alone, his crew is not far from him. When he was in Canada in the late winter for one episode, they had to air lift him and the crew out of there since the ice was melting, and they would have been water-locked. And there was another episode when he was 'lost at sea' in a raft. When the big storm came in at night, the ship that was shadowing him (by his admittance), came in and had the raft tethered to the ship to ride out the storm. The next day, they had 'drifted' closer to an island Les was hoping to get to.

And I won't get into all of the scripted and staged stuff on Man vs. Wild.

Regardless, I find both shows entertaining, and at least they do have a positive element in them - if I were ever stranded and need to be in survivor mode, I can apply some of what they teach in those shows. Biggest theme they both teach -- stay calm, use your head.

My $0.42,
-Z-man.

[BeyGon]

They are both just funny reality shows. Nothing more.