Just to show you how old I’ve become, when commercials come on while I am watching television I no longer instinctively flip to MTV, VH1 or G4, but instead find myself surfing to the History Cannel, MSNBC, and the Discovery Channel. So tomorrow while NBC is showing those self-serving Go Green ads (isn’t NBC owned by GE that would benefit greatly if everyone went out and bought their energy efficient products?) during Friday Night Lights
, I’ll switching over to the Discover Channel to see bits of the second season premiere of Man vs. Wild. For those that have never seen the show, it follows this clinically insane dude Bear Grylls who gives survival trips in the field.Although what I really want to see is the cameramen turn the cameras on themselves because while Bear is stuck drinking is own urine for hydration, or these dudes just filming it with a traveling oasis of fresh cool water and sandwiches or are they going through some hardships aside from the weather and elements? Get on this Discover Channel. And if they do this I wonder if it would be the very first documentary on how a documentary is filmed? But anyways. Below is the official press release and I have scattered three videos (including Bear drinking his own pee) throughout it.
-- Fridays at 9 PM (ET/PT) Beginning November 9 --
(Silver Spring, Md.) – Fresh from his latest challenging adventures, Bear Grylls is back with a new one-hour special and the second season of MAN VS. WILD, airing Fridays at 9 PM (ET/PT) beginning November 9. Bear travels to the Himalayas for BEAR’S MISSION EVEREST, where this past spring he attempted to fulfill a dream to fly a powered paraglider higher than Everest, and takes MAN VS. WILD to the intense climates of the Sahara, Panama and Patagonia, where he shares invaluable knowledge for surviving in the extreme wild.
“We continue to seek out new exciting and daring adventures for Bear, and he continues to do what he does best – as exemplified in these two different types of shows,” said Discovery Channel President and General Manager Jane Root. “From an expedition documentary to hands-on demonstrations of life-saving tips for viewers, Bear Grylls brings out the adventurer in all of us.”
In 1998 at age 23, Bear became the youngest British climber to ever complete a summit and descent of Mount Everest. This spring, Bear returned to the Himalayas to chase a new dream – flying a powered paraglider higher than Everest. As a special companion piece to the second season of MAN VS. WILD, Discovery Channel will premiere a one-hour observational documentary that follows Bear, his close friend Gilo Cardozo, and their team as they attempt their dangerous feat – raising money for a children’s charity through their efforts. BEAR’S MISSION EVEREST, which premieres Friday, November 9, at 10 PM (ET/PT), follows the team during their meticulous preparations, recording their personal thoughts about motivation, hopes and fears that arise just before and during the flight – and the drama of the flight itself.
The second season of MAN VS. WILD, beginning first on Friday, November 9, at 9 PM (ET/PT), focuses on three geographic area visited by Bear. Each region will be the subject of each two consecutive weeks. From the barren deserts of the Sahara (November 9 and 16), to the mist-filled jungles of Panama (November 23 and 30) and the isolated plains and glaciers of Patagonia (December 7 and 14), each epic program illustrates the variety of landscapes and presents a wide range of possible survival challenges for Bear.
Followed by a camera crew, Bear tackles these different scenarios, using his training and adventurous spirit for everything from climbing out of crevasses and scaling waterfalls, to scavenging and eating raw insects, fish and goats’ testicles. Prior to production, Bear meets with local experts, guides and rangers and shares the knowledge he gains with viewers through action in the wilderness. Viewers will venture deeper into these forbidden landscapes alongside Bear as he encounters dangerous situations and meets nomadic tribesmen while filming.
Coming soon to discovery.com/manvswild, visitors will find an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview from Everest with Bear discussing what he missed while living at that altitude, what safety precautions he had to take, and whether he'd ever return to Everest for a third time. Other new online content will include video mash-ups of Bear's grossest and most frustrating moments, "in Bear's shoes" survival quizzes, top 10 lists from Bear, picture puzzles and more.
Bear Grylls is a seasoned adventurer who served with the Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British army, where he was trained as a survival expert. He has channeled his daring spirit into feats such as the highest-ever dinner party at a table suspended below a hot air balloon at 24,500 feet, and the first unassisted crossing of the frozen North Atlantic Ocean in an open rigid inflatable boat.
MAN VS. WILD and BEAR’S MISSION EVEREST are produced for Discovery Channel by Diverse Productions. For MAN VS. WILD and BEAR’S MISSION EVEREST, Jane Lomas is executive producer for Diverse. For MAN VS. WILD, Peter Lovering is executive in charge of production for Discovery Channel. For BEAR’S MISSION EVEREST, Mary Donahue is executive producer for Discovery Channel.
OH! I thought the same thing about feeling old and defaulting to History & Discovery....
ReplyDeleteWhat's worse, I have caught myself using the phrase, "back in my day" too often lately. Soon I'll be in bed by 8:00 and buying more prune juice.
ReplyDeleteThe nastiest thing ever was when Bear squeezed the moisture out of elephant shit. My brother and I watched that after getting home from the bars and we both nearly puked. BLECH!
ReplyDeleteI glad I missed that episode. But me and a buddy were discussing the other day that Man vs Wild is just Jackass for old people and that just helps my argument. They do basically the same things (well Bear doesn't nearly get as many kicks to the junk) but Bear just does it under the guise of survivalism.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in how a documentary is made, check out the documentary on the making of March of the Penguins on the special features of the DVD. The "behind the scenes," I thought, was more exciting and interesting than the actual film. Those cameramen went through hell to get that footage.
ReplyDeleteI do remember seeing that documentary, but Man vs. Wild is different because they are following guy who is living off the land, I just want to know how much they are roughing it. Do they have a real camp to go back too like the penguin guys or are they out there the whole time with bear eating/drinking the same crap or do they carry a cooler around so they don't have to drink their own urine?
ReplyDelete