In Another World

I was a fan of the first season of The Discovery Channel show Man vs. Wild. Host Bear Grylls would allow himself to be lost in the most remote places on this planet to show us his adventure and survival as he sought a way to civilization and safety. In the French Alps, Alaskan wilderness, South Pacific Islands and many other places Bear would walk, swim and climb his way out of every situation that faced him. He would sometimes intentionally put himself in perilous situation to show us, the viewer, the proper way to handle that situation if ever faced with it. He would hunt and kill his own meals, eat whatever he could and do all of it with a flint, a knife and a water bottle. It was fantastic.

The second season of Man vs. Wild has just began airing on Discovery and it's fantastic. In a nice change from the first season, Bear not only find himself so remote in places like the Patagonia Mountains and the Sahara Desert, but he mixes things up a bit by spending time with people native to those areas to learn and experience their lives in these beautiful, but treacherous areas. There's never a dull moment.

Now, recently Bear came under some scrutiny about how he handled certain situations while filming the first season of the show. Some claimed that he had assistance with catching animals, having lodging prepared for him and receiving help with assembling rafts and huts. All of this was kind of silly, because not only is this entertainment, but if you click the link above to Bear's biography you will see that he is more of a man and holds more accomplishments in his 35 years than many of us combined.

I guess all this to say that if you don't watch the show, you should. I know many people who watch it aren't even interested in the outdoors or survival, but still enjoy this show. And also it's appropriate to give respect where respect is due.