We’ve all read about the recent dust up over Bear Grylls and the allegations that he may have exaggerated, embellished, or faked some of the things we’ve seen him do on his show Man vs. Wild airing on The Discovery Channel.
Well, Bear has been pretty silent about everything since the stories broke, but he did post some thoughts to his blog a couple of weeks back that were tactful, well worded, and didn’t take any major swipes at media in general. He also talks about filming new episodes in the Sahara desert, and changes to the show that will be more inclusive of his crew.
But the really interesting thing is that he thanks his supporters for sending him e-mails and letters of encouragement. He even goes so far as to post a few of the letters he’s received in support, including this one from Sir Ranulph Fiennes:
Dear Sir/Madam
The Daily Mail’s attack on Bear Grylls mentions that he is ‘the cheese soufflé’ of the adventure world and, by way of pushing this assertion, suggests that he may not have been the youngest Brit to scale Everest, and implies that the T.A’s/21 SAS Regiment is not as tough as the Regular 22 SAS Regiment. I would comment that he was indeed the youngest Brit because the only possible rival claimant was clearly Australian. And that 21 SAS membership requires distinctly non-cheese soufflé people. Its comparison to 22 SAS is therefore irrelevant and cheap, suggestive journalism of a misleading nature.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
(‘World’s greatest living explorer’ Guinness book of Records)
The letter was written by Sir Ranulph to the Daily Mail, and the mere fact he would do something like that is pretty telling. Sir Ranulph’s accomplishments speak for themselves, and he’s a real heavyweight to have in Bear’s corner. Especially in the U.K. The other two letters that he posted on his blog are from Seven Summitteers who also have some kind things to say, as you would expect.
It doesn’t sound like the format of his show will change much following the recent fallout. There will be a new disclaimer at the beginning, and as I mentioned already, his crew will now take a more active roll, or more likely take the same roll, it’ll just be acknowledged a bit more.
Thanks to Team Geared Up for this one.
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Bear has a great many followers of his adventures where I work. We have all agreed that we would rather watch Bear find his way around a hotel room than to watch the other “survival expert” do anything. We feel very sorry that Bear has had to go through this harrassment. Keep your chin up Bear and remember all those out here that you have and will continue to help.
Obviously everyone has their favorite between Bear and Les. But for me, I don’t have to choose. They are both entertaining in their own way and I can appreciate both shows.
there’s something about Bear’s personailty and genuine know-how that make Man vs. Wild (Born Survivor) more entertaining than most television. He seems like he really enjoys what he does and is doing it for both an entertainment and education value. I rarely turn on the tv anymore, but since episode one i’m glued to my tv at 9 on Fridays for this stuff. Keep it coming.
I just now heard of all this and though I’m disappointed that he may be faking or sleeping in hotels, I cant help but think “Big friggin deal! He’s a great guy, who’s done great things, and making a great show! In the big scheme of things, it makes little difference.” And you never know, the media could be stretching the truth or lieing. I think Bear rules, and only hope he’ll be more honest about what really happens. God bless dude, and thanx for MVW!
He’s definitely more up front about everything now, but yeah, it doesn’t really take anything away from the show. It just gives fuel the Les Stroud vs. Bear debate.