Survival? Man vs Wild
By estherlou
@estherlou (5015)
United States
July 8, 2007 3:26pm CST
I caught part of a show the other night called Man vs Wild, I think. Anyway, this man was walking across the Australian outback with just the clothes on his back and a canteen. His plan was to walk to civilization and to survive on the land like the aborigines. He ate a spider, said it tasted like pus; ate some figs, caught and cooked a snake, found an underground spring of water and much more. The humidity was 100% and your body couldn't even sweat to cool yourself. Very very hot. He ran out of water right away. He even drank some of his own urine...it seems it is 95% water and sterile if used right away, though it is salty and warm. Sounds to me like I wouldn't have made it. I don't think I could eat a spider or grubs...changed the channel and missed that part. Yuck! Can't see a woman filling up a canteen, either, so I'd die of thirst. He said 21 of the most dangerous/poisonous snakes in the world are in the Australian outback...how exciting! And you would have to know which ones are safe, and which are safe to eat! You have to cook them well, also, as they have worms or something that could make you sick or kill you. Oh yes, saw some killer crocodiles too. The Outback was certainly beautiful to see, but I like civilization. Whew!
11 people like this
20 responses
@Willowlady (10658)
• United States
8 Jul 07
We have seen this show a few times. He plays to the camera in my eyes and I am sure the camera men do not eat well and leave him out. I think he gives some good tips for those of us that think civilization could tank. We may in our lifetime need to entertain the possibility of thirst and/or hunger. I am not enthused by this guy however I try to learn something when the show is on.
@littlefranciscan (18327)
• United States
8 Jul 07
I watch man vs wild and also "survivor man" both are pretty gruesome to watch when it comes to how they survive on eating things..I saw the fellow on "man vs wild" catch a water snake and eat it while it was still living...I don't think I could do this..I think I would much rather eat grass or something..Why doesn't he eat the grass or bark..are they not edible?:)+
@Marie2473 (8512)
• Sweden
12 Jul 07
this man was actually on Oprah a while back and they showed clips from this show. In all the episodes he puts his life at risk when he tries to do the impossible. Somehow he always comes out ok though,
I would not have made it I am sure of that =)
2 people like this
@mummymo (23706)
•
8 Jul 07
I agree with you honey - I would hate to be put in that situation and I certainly wouldn't volounteer to do it! Thing is things we think we could never do may be the very things we would do if we had to to survive if by some horrible twist of fate we ended up in those circumstances - the self preservation instinct would kick in I am sure! xxx
2 people like this
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
14 Jul 07
I enjoy this show, but what I'd really like to see is a 'making of man vs wild' show. I mean, he's doing all these apparently wild stunts, up and down mountains and the like, and I'm wondering how is this being filmed? Supposedly he's dropped in the middle of nowhere, and I assume the camera man and sound engineer are also, presumably with minimal equipment. Maybe someone can tell me what I'm missing.
2 people like this
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
8 Jul 07
I'm with you in not wanting to ever go on a wilderness trek in the Australian outback. Just from what I've heard about their snakes is enough to scare me off. Supposedly, 99% of the snakes are poisonous and the other 1% swallow you whole!
2 people like this
@Lydia1901 (16351)
• United States
15 Jul 07
Yeah, I have heard about this show and I think I have seen it once or so and I thought it was just some cool show somewhat.
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
12 Jul 07
We caught it for a second the other day also... My husband said that it's based on the premise of what would happen to a normal person that got stranded in those situations - as you hear happening sometimes. He has much more knowledge of the wilderness and survival than most normal people would have, so he's still got an advantage over them, even if he doesn't have all the right tools.
I got bored after about 10 minutes of it though. My nieces and nephews like it though.
1 person likes this
@gh0stface (69)
• United States
16 Jul 07
I just recently started watching this show and got hooked. This guy gets mad props from me especially since this former British Special Forces broke his back in 3 different places in Africa and rehabilitated to be able to do this show.
Sure this show has been criticized for being too "Hollywood" but who cares, it's entertaining and fairly informative. Overall, it's still a pretty solid show.
1 person likes this
@Katlady2 (9904)
• United States
12 Jul 07
I've never seen the show, but I have seen the previews. From those and what you described, I don't think I would even want to TRY to go through all of that. I think I'd rather sit on my comfy sofa and watch someone else do it instead. LOL
1 person likes this
@kelly60 (4547)
• United States
8 Jul 07
The Outback might be beautiful, but I certainly wouldn't want to have to survive out there on my own. I couldn't eat those things, and wouldn't make it very long in that kind of heat and humidity. It is bad enough in my house right now!
@KATRINKA (1624)
• United States
8 Jul 07
I've seen a few episodes of this show. It is fascinating, but I also wonder how real it is. He is traveling with a camera crew, so when the cameras aren't rolling, how much is he really roughing it? When he tosses his broken ski pole behind him to slide down a 300 ft cliff, does someone pick it up for him? Regardless of that, the show is fun to watch. Some of the survival tips might prove useful to someone. When he crawled through a tunnel in a glacier, I felt the danger and held my breath. In another episode, he drenched a towel with urine and covered his head with it, so he could stay somewhat cool. I don't think I could stomach that...and the stench. I doubt I could eat bugs or snakes. I wonder how he knows what pus tastes like? Was that part of a survival skill I missed?
@kraker101 (11)
• United States
11 Jul 07
The only think that i do not like about this show is that he uses a flint to make fire. If he was really trying to teach tourist he would make fire without this. So i think they should not use a fully equipped camera crew it kinda makes t hard to believe
1 person likes this
@estherlou (5015)
• United States
12 Jul 07
I thought the flint thing was so cool! It was good to know there was such a thing! And as for the camera crew, you never see it, so I just assume he's looking and talking to me instead of the camera! LOL.
@sigma77 (5383)
• United States
9 Jul 07
Well, as far as going to the Outback, I think I'll stick to the restaurant. lol. I am sure Australia is a wonderful place. And going on a trek like this seems kind of cool. But, not for me. I'm glad you didn't include more of the details because I am about to be sick...
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (92388)
• United States
9 Jul 07
That is my sister's favorite show. Did you know he is a Christian?
@ZenDove (698)
• United States
9 Jul 07
You've gotta be talking about Bear! He's wild! I never really got into Steve Irwin, the crocodile guy, because it seemed like he was always going into an animal's home and bothering them, something I would never do. And I never, ever watched those Fear Factor shows, which were simply gross for the sake of being gross. But this guy, Bear, somehow he makes it all seem like vital information. Like I NEED to know how to keep warm in Arctic temperatures or I MUST know how to kill a rabbit with a stick and how to fish with strands of grass! Me, a person who won't touch the railings on an escalator 'cause it's too gross! lol I never once got the impression that he would cheat with off-camera help. Of course he just roughs it out!!! HaHa. For someone whose idea of roughing it is a Ramada instead of a Hyatt - this is a great show for vicarious thrills.
1 person likes this
@KarenO52 (2950)
• United States
8 Jul 07
I've seen survivorman, which sounds similar. It's interesting to see ways to survive, but I think I'll stay a little closer to easier resources to stay alive. I wouldn't want to try eating worms or grubs and I'm afraid of snakes.
@cynddvs (2948)
• United States
8 Jul 07
I haven't seen that one. But I saw the one where he was in the Everglades. He had to eat bugs and find different ways to get fresh water. And avoid alligators while going through the water. Oh and there was this thick high grass, I can't remember what it's called. But it's really sharp like a razor blade. He had to make it through that. I honestly don't think I could survive in the wild for too long. I'm pretty tough for a small girl but not that tough lol.
1 person likes this
@treasurelisa (1)
• United States
9 Jul 07
My fiance and I love this show (and pretty much anything on The Discovery Channel)! We love that his name is Bear, and he's all in the wilderness. ;) I've seen "Survivorman" too, and what I like about "Man vs. Wild" is that Bear is more outgoing I think. But on "Survivorman", he is by himself, carrying around his equipment, etc. Anyways, love the concept of the shows!
1 person likes this
