MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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I watched an episode last night with my son and wasn't convinced by him. Stuck in a vast jungle and happened to come across a cave, a lonely catfish in a pool then a vine that happened to cross a ravine he had to cross!
Now I realise that, if you know what you are looking for, it is all out there. Those just seemed too much like coincidence to be on his route.
No the situations are pretty much stage managed. He openly admits this but the show is meant to be good TV which i thimk it manages well.
i think it's all bollocks. i've seen snippets of it, he'll be on some vertical rock face commenting on how it's a struggle.... but who is holding the camera ffs.
did you see that top gear amazon thingy they did? on one of the in-car shots, if you were quick enough you could see the crew in the background before they cut away, on freeze frame i counted 10 crew members and loads of recording equipment but when they do the final edit it looks like the presenters are all alone in the wilderness. that's only one example but i now tend to treat all television with contempt and scepticism.
He openly admits this
They openly admitted it after the first series when it was exposed as all being bullshit - they then added a disclaimer at the start. Many of the things he recommends you do are pretty much the opposite of what you should really do.
I don't enjoy having my intelligence insulted so I'm not a fan.
Someone who worked on the show even claimed that in one scene someone dressed up in a bear suit and made 'scary noises' while 'Bear' or rather, Edward Grylls pretended to be petrified.
I'm not a fan. In fact I think he's a complete knob.
it's bollox, i won't watch it, the things he suggests would be more likely to lead to death. he's ridiculed and despised in the outdoor industry. i can imagine this is response from other people is nothing new to him.
He is a complete nob and it's obviously all bollocks..... I'd like to see Bruce Parry and Ray Mears (sp?) kick his arse 😈
This is his best work, 😆
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stuartcmorrison, Topgear never say they doing it alone they often mention the crew support, they often appear in shot too because they don't plan to hide them.
Bear Grylls was exposed as a fraud as Grum says.
Clearly a complete fruad and secretly a pampered luvvy who films it all in a studio and does the bad bits with CGI.
It's not like he:
- was Youngest Briton to climb Mount Ama Dablam.
- was in the Guinnes Book of Records as the youngest person to climb Everest.
- has crossed the North Atlantic Arctic Ocean in a small open rigid inflatable.
- became the first man to fly a powered paraglider to a height above Mount Everest in the Himalaya.
And raised millions for charities in the process.
What a cock eh? 🙄
Nice one GrahamS!! Made me Smile!!
I quite like the guy, admittedly some of it is staged, but its quite good TV.
TBH that just makes it worse, as he must know full well that what he is doing/saying is bollocks and if people followed it they would probably end up dead. He also probably could have got commissioned and made some genuinely interesting and exciting programmes about some of the stuff he has done - rather than telling outright lies and deceptions.
for the paraglider thing alone hes worth applauding - not that i'd want to have a beer with him though
Actually roper, I think this is his best work.
NSFW and very very funny
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=47b_1258399178
Well that answers that then! Thought it was a bit too contrived.
Whatever your opinion on him I know a few people who have been inspired to get outdoors because of his show/him. Thats a good thing in my book! Some pretty impressive stuff there GrahamS!
Whatever his achievements, it does not give him the liberty to deliberately mislead purely for personal gain. It also does not mean he's not a cock.
What is this "deliberately misleading information" he gives? YouTube clips please?
And if he is so despised by the "real" outdoor community then why do major outdoor suppliers sponsor him and why was he elected the yougest ever Chief Scout?
He's sponsored by craghoppers. 'nuff said.
He may have been the youngest to do this and that but the main reason is that he's massively priveliged to be from a very very wealthy family.
Do you not think that making these survival programmes and getting in his sleeping bag for the camera before staying in a hotel is misleading?
What is this "deliberately misleading information" he gives? YouTube clips please?
Look it up yourself, there's plenty of evidence of fakery, deception and misleading information.
One striking example I remember of dangerous advice was his recommending jumping (I think off a small cliff) into a fast flowing river, as a means of transport in a survival situation. Pretty sure that's not a good idea for all sorts of reasons.
He's not even a real bear.
He's not even a real bear.
😆
he's massively priveliged to be from a very very wealthy family.
But at least he still did that stuff - other young and rich kids would just snort away a few million £...
Fair comment MF, but I'm sure that there are plently of people capable of doing these things but do not get the opportunity because they're not very rich.
The guy is awesome, seriously, it may be staged but what he does is real.
My hero !!!
GrahamS - Member
Clearly a complete fruad and secretly a pampered luvvy who films it all in a studio and does the bad bits with CGI.It's not like he:
- was Youngest Briton to climb Mount Ama Dablam.
- was in the Guinnes Book of Records as the youngest person to climb Everest.
- has crossed the North Atlantic Arctic Ocean in a small open rigid inflatable.
- became the first man to fly a powered paraglider to a height above Mount Everest in the Himalaya.And raised millions for charities in the process.
What a cock eh?
+1 well said
He is a plonker and his advice is utter cack.
its an entertainment show and nothing to do with survival.
better than all or most of the drivel on tv,entertaining yes..
He is a plonker and his advice is utter cack.
I'd say he's done pretty well making a good business out of the talent's he's got- hardly a plonker. He said himself he'd like his son's to do better at school than he did so they don't have to eat creepy crawlies etc for a living.
Ok the show is staged and if you were out on your own in a survival situation you wouldn't free climb up cliffs, pole vault gorges or leap into rivers but are you telling me the advice he gives about what plants and animals you could eat is cack- given that he employs a local survival expert for each show.
Does he have the wrong background for you by any chance TJ?
dont see how people say hes a plonker or whatever,seems ok to me,would have a pint with him.acheieved alot in life he has.
uponthedowns.
His advice is cack. Free climbing cliffs and so is is cack as is eating local plants. You can survive without food for a few days no problem all you need is water and basic advice about how to get out of the situation. What he does is very bad practice.
He went to eton. He is the son of tory politician SIR Michael grylls.
Not a fan.
Well at least you're honest about your prejudice backhander- unlike some.
TandemJeremy - Member
He is a plonker and his advice is utter cack.
ha ha ha
you know Easterners isn't real right? star trek.... that's misleading people!
i love watching the show it entertains me!
As long as you accept it for entertainment and nothing to do with survival advice then its fine. As survival advice its wrong and dangerous
WTF is "Easterners" ?
Have they got a series on TV about Lithuanians and Poles ?
The problem appears to be that to a large extent he's sold his soul to various media outlets, so our perception of him as a cock is largely driven by the exposure the media has given him.
The issue is deciding whether he is a fantastically focused really nice chap, who accepts that his media image is a price worth paying for the money, or that he's a bell end with an ego the size of a small planet.
I guess people who have spent time with him are the only ones who can truly answer this.
Of course the problem with this is that the people who have spent time with him, might themselves be really nice chaps, or bell ends with similar planet sized egos.
I image he's probably a bit of both.
I watched an episode where he was on the Skeleton coast .. he gave his usual drivel .. and ate (and spat out as usual) some disgusting mixture of things he found laying about..
The following evening Ray Mears was on tv at the skeleton coast. In his usual unassuming fashion he cooked up an absolute feast of shell fish etc.
If Grylls is really an ex-SAS as the story goes(dont almost every ex-serviceman claim to be) - then those guys need some lessons off Ray Mears on real survival.
Isn't Ray Mears sponsored by Burger King?
As an armchair survivalist, keyboard warrior and internet hard-man, I reckon in order of media icons most likely to survive for real, we have -
1) Lofty Wiseman
2) Bruce Parry
3) Davina McCall
4) all the rest.
If Grylls is really an ex-SAS as the story
It's the reservists SAS - still fairly tough but nowhere near the same entry requirements/commitment required as the real thing. Strangely he generally just refers to it as the SAS.
watch the special with will ferrel is well funny!
I reckon he's probably alright, and I'm inclined to think he knows what he's doing, but his show is ridiculous and makes him look like a knob. But maybe he has to take what he can get to put food on the table.
Comparisons with Ray Mears are a bit misleading, I don't think their two shows are really trying to do the same thing. Rightly or wrongly Grylls' show is all about 'good' TV while Mear's seems to actually be about getting by in the back of beyond.
IMHO - Bruce Parry is the best of Mears and Gryll
Never comes across as annoying and self-rightous
You know who is annoying though- Simon Reeve, off the Tropic of Capricorn thing. I don't know how he has ended up fronting a TV program.
It's the reservists SAS - still fairly tough but nowhere near the same entry requirements/commitment required as the real thing. Strangely he generally just refers to it as the SAS.
hmm..
...spent three years with the British Special Air Service (21 SAS). What makes his story even more remarkable is that during this time he suffered a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa where he broke his back in three places.--[URL] http://www.beargrylls.com/biography.html [/URL]
seems to state pretty clearly that it was the 21 SAS?
IanMunro - MemberAs an armchair survivalist, keyboard warrior and internet hard-man, I reckon in order of media icons most likely to survive for real, we have -
1) Lofty Wiseman
2) Bruce Parry
3) Davina McCall
Applauds! 🙂
Grylls was TA-SAS, and has done some fascinating stuff that never made it to TV. His shows are entertainment, not [i]real[/i] survival. Get over it!
Oh, and Lofty would whittle a nice spoon out of Bear's femur, before making a tasty Mears Bourgoine with McCall Dumplings.
Usual inverse stw snobbery at it's finest here
He did a couple of years in 21 after OCT Bristol. never went on ops despite claims. A couple of years TA service does not equals much actual soldiering (generally).
seems to state pretty clearly that it was the 21 SAS
Yeah it does, but then look up what 21 SAS is.
A few weekends and a few weeks of training/exercises - lets you claim to have been in the SAS. Strangely never got called up for anywhere nasty though.
His shows are entertainment, not real survival.
That's not how they were originally presented though.
Absolute C**K of the first order, my hatred knows no bounds! by way of his ability, his integrity, his honesty and his huge all-consuming ego!
And like a certain 'Mcnabb' not exactly well liked in certain quarters.
The Kenyan Safari lodge/Gnarly unarmed near death bivvy incident just about sums him up. Or the magically appearing, disposable 50m rope with bolt belay for that matter.
Not jealous or anything mind 😮 Wish I could grease palm my way into that sort of job.
Noone has said that he or she knows someone who has worked with him and his team (which includes people who are paid to [i]really[/i] know about survival) so I will then. His crew all refer to Mears as Fatty Ray.
deadlydarcy, as you mentioned it, I have a bit of experience with a few of the people mentioned in the thread- Parry, Grylls, Mears- and their ilk through work I used to do (involving research, logistics, support and crewing for the type of things they do). For what it's worth, I've can't remember hearing any serious bad words about Mears (other than him being a fatty but I never took that to be real criticism, just piss taking), Parry has some critics, but I've never heard of anyone describing Grylls as anything other than an utter knobend. Doesn't necessarily mean you should/shouldn't like their series although there are plenty of reasons why you might- I know which programmes/presenters I prefer.
C_p, you might know the same girl I do then.
I think the Mears thing is just jealousy because they'd love to be as respected. But yeah, knobend, albeit a very charming one, is one of the nicer things I've heard said.
Not that I ever expected any different.
The one where he landed on the west coast of that little known bleak wilderness, Ireland was the one of the more comedic of his efforts. FFS, walk a few miles, you'll find a brightly coloured bungalow soon enough where they'll make you a cup of tea and let you use their interweb to book a Ryanair flight home.
Can't stand the bloke...and yes I've met him ... Had the misfortune of having to sit on his table at one of his record breaking attempts - a painful hour of listening to how bloody wonderful he is!
Born survivor my arse!!
Go to any sally army soup kitchen on any evening of the week to find lifes real survivors...the nfa's, the poor souls from less priveliged backgrounds fighting their own battles with depression, mental health issues, cold and hunger!!
This is all very strange. When his programmes first came out on to the TV people were saying on here how good he was and how good his programmes were. The monority were saying he's a c@ck and fabricated stuff to much slagging off by others...... how things change.
IMO the most annoying thing is his bloody voice!
oh my effing word!!
there's people getting grumpy cos a TV programme is staged and contrived!?
whatever next?
you'll be telling me next that pantomime dames are just men dressed uip as women.. and that santa isn't real..
get a grip FFS
there's people getting grumpy cos a TV programme is staged and contrived!?
You seem to be getting confused between things claiming to be factual, informative programming and drama. As are the producers of this tripe.
Get a grip FFS.
oh dear.. sorry grum.. are not up to date with this style of Tv..?
I'm aware of the programme.. and your gripe
are you 7?
FFS FFS
were you particularly shocked by the execution of Gary Glitter?
or the horrendous tretment of that suspect in 'The Bill' last week?
I'm glad that I don't live in Albert Square etc etc.. oh god those Zombies on Big Brother look nasty I hope they don't turn up round here!
silly billies
IMHO - Bruce Parry is the best of Mears and Gryll
Bruce Parry's programmes generally should be called "Bruce Parry - Getting off his face in 20 out of the way places and loving it"
> seems to state pretty clearly that it was the 21 SASYeah it does, but then look up what 21 SAS is.
That's what I mean. [url= http://www.eliteukforces.info/special-air-service/sas-reserves/ ]21st SAS is the Reservist/TA regiment[/url] and he is openly states that's what he was a member of.
Strangely never got called up for anywhere nasty though.
couple of years TA service does not equals much actual soldiering (generally).
Yeah I imagine him breaking his back in three places may have somewhat limited his soldiering career. 🙄
Saying that he 'spent three years with the British Special Air Service (21 SAS).' is disingenuous - unless you know or look up what the 21 SAS you would assume he was a full time professional member of the SAS for three years.
He was so badly injured that he couldn't possibly serve in the 'SAS' but miraculously recovered and managed to climb everest.
😆
He was so badly injured that he couldn't possibly serve in the 'SAS' but miraculously recovered and managed to climb everest.
Yeah, three crushed vertebrae after his main parachute canopy ripped at 1,600 feet, resulting in 18 months of rehabilitation at Headley Court before being discharged.
What a big blouse eh?
[url= http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/future-weapons/future-weapons.html ]Mack[/url] best ex spec-ops presenter on tv, just for the phrase 'I love blowing stuff up'
Yeah, three crushed vertebrae after his main parachute canopy ripped at 1,600 feet, resulting in 18 months of rehabilitation at Headley Court before being discharged.
Wow you really love him don't you?
Never said he was a blouse - I'm sure he's much 'arder and more capable than me, I just wish he didn't feel the need to bullshit and exaggerate.
Wow you really love him don't you?
Actually I find him slightly irritating. Far too earnest, driven and enthusiastic about everything for me to have a pint with.
But I do have a lot of respect for him and I hate the typically British way that folk dismiss him and anyone else that has actually managed to achieve something.
But I do have a lot of respect for him and I hate the typically British way that folk dismiss him and anyone else that has actually managed to achieve something.
I have lots of respect for all sorts of people who have achieved plenty, as do most of the British public. Has anyone slagged off our recent winter olympics gold medal winner for instance?
What British people don't like is someone who is full of themselves, and bullshits and exaggerates their achievements for increased media profile/financial gain.
I think the lack of integrity shown by the Scouts Association is very bad.
If you are teaching children, why pick someone whose techniques are known to be actually dangerous and cavalier and which seem successful only because they are dishonestly faked? Why present 'survival' to kids in ways which could be physically dangerous to them, or to adults for that matter- who might at least be a bit less trusting or use more judgement than young children are able to.
Also why pick someone who has been so deceitful in his TV presentations? Is the Scout message 'Its OK to be dishonest in your dealings with the public if you can climb Everest'? So kids thing its OK to lie, as long as they look good? Or do you say to your kids 'Don't believe in the scout leader he talks rubbish a lot of the time' which really undermines the whole scout association and indeed, highlights its view of the children in it as being less important than having a leader with a high publicity profile?
FFS, this just in... Ray Mears also has a cameraman.
Midnighthour - I totally agree. They are obviously trying to make the scouts seem young and 'edgy' - but he's a very poor role model.
[i]Next up on "Bear Grylls: Real Life Survival", Bear attempts to wait in a safe area next to his vehicle and calls the AA.[/i]
Gripping stuff..
As a keen wearer of the woggle, I was dismayed by his selection because of the points that Grum & Midnighthour make. However it would seem that I am in the minority.... [url= http://www.escouts.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=10538 ]survey[/url].
He is also an advocate of the Alpha Course, which again makes me twitchy.
At ground level, I have seen no changes in the recruitment of adults or kids due to the publicity he provides. Neither did Peter Duncan seem to make any difference. At least Bear has not been in any soft porn films ....
Hmmm, similar to a thread a while back about Ranulph Fiennes.
Personally I am always disappointed to find out that these people are "someone" - ie as great as their personal achievements have been, they need to be viewed through the lens of easy (easier??) entry into the "club".... and yes, if that's being "chippy" then so be it - it happens to reflect reality, sadly.
As a 19 year old I was lucky enough to go on a mountaineering expedition. I raised the money through sponsorship, donations and hard work (mainly farm labouring). I was massively inspired by that expedition, but have never really had the funds / time to follow up and do more.
Most of us will have the capability to achieve great feats of endurance and survival - either individually, or in my experience more likely through team work and camaraderie - BUT, most do not have the OPPORTUNITY.
Oh Jesus, he's god squad now as well?
Increasingly difficult for you G...you always seemed such a nice guy and BG is clearly a cock.
Next thing he'll be exaggerating his snowboard skills... 🙄
it's his claims that he's showing you what to do in survival situation that show him up to be a ****tard, eg, slide down a rope over an overhanging cliff when you have no idea whether the end touches the ground? i don't think so mate. if it was promoted as a bloke gooning around in semi-outdoors then fine, but he should lose the pretense of it being a guide to anything. i'm sure he's reading this and will take note.
Ray Mears everytime for me also. Gryls will feast on disgusting things you wouldnt feed your dog (not that your dog would eat it) whilst Mears cooks up some things in the same scenario that gets your mouth watering..
On the SAS thing. Sad thing is, alot of guys coming out of the army claim to have done jobs they did not in there. I know of a guy who was a army waiter or something in the catering side of things .. before he left did a diving course as part of the army re-settlement program thing .. when he comes out he suddenly turns into an ex-army diver .. 😆
21 SAS - Otherwise known as the "Artists Rifles"
[url]= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_Regiment_Special_Air_Service_(Artists) ][/url]
... with a reputation for attracting the "great and the good"
was in the Guinnes Book of Records as the youngest person to climb Everest.
All that tells you is that he had a hell of a privileged background. If I'd had the money I'd have been up there too.
Mears has never seemed anything other than a great bloke as far as I can tell, although he might be a bit of a tory. The fact that he's tubby can only be a good thing - after all, if he was telling you how to survive in the bush whilst looking really scrawny and underfed, you'd be a bit suspicious 🙂 And he does know his stuff - he actually trains the SAS (or has done, it's in one of his programmes). What's perhaps more impressive is that he just started learning all that stuff about survival when he was a kid, out of a genuine interest, and he made a career out of teaching it - then he ended up on telly. That's why his shows are always like school lessons 🙂
Plus he doesn't always have a cameraman - the crews are frequently buggering off to a hotel leaving him with a video camera.
it's his claims that he's showing you what to do in survival situation that show him up to be a ****, eg, slide down a rope over an overhanging cliff when you have no idea whether the end touches the ground? i don't think so mate.
Can't find that clip on YouTube, but in these set ups he generally says something along the lines of "You would try to find another way down or go around, but if you had to then..."
e.g. http://www.yourdiscovery.com/video/born-survivor-cliff-jumping/
Oh Jesus, he's god squad now as well?
Like I said, I respect him, but I wouldn't go for a pint with him 😀
On the SAS thing. Sad thing is, alot of guys coming out of the army claim to have done jobs they did not in there
Yeah, the military clearly think he is a joke: that'll be why he was hired by the MoD to promote their anti-drugs campaign and was awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve for his Atlantic expedition.