Bear Grylls vs. Les Stroud
If you’ve never caught Man vs. Wild or Survivorman, they’re both basically the same. The guy on each show has to survive in some type of harsh wilderness for a few days with little or no resources. In this simulated survival experience, they have to gather food, avoid natural hazards and predators, and often try to make their way back to civilization. They’re both interesting and informative programs that give the viewer a decent picture of what it would be like to be stuck in the wild.
Watching these two shows, though, I can’t help but wonder which of the two hosts is the better survivor? Seriously, if you had to put money on either of them doing better than the other in any given survival situation, which would it be?
Bear Grylls…?
Okay, if the situation involves difficult terrain, Bear’s my top choice. I’ve often joked with my wife that his show ought to be called “Watch Bear Climb” instead of “Man vs. Wild.” The guy seems to go out of his way to find obstacles. In one episode, he even climbed up a ravine of smooth stone by bracing against both sides!
Another impressive thing about Bear is his ability to create shelters. In the rainforest episode, he throws together a lean-to in a few hours that looks like it would take anyone else a day to make. He’s definitely got the advantage here, considering Les’ igloo debacle. In situations where natural shelter is unavailable, Bears also gets my vote.
On the other hand, I have my doubts about Bear’s judgment. In one episode, he warns the viewer never go jump into arctic water since it could easily kill you, then proceeds to do so. Granted, he was doing it for educational purposes, and he’s definitely got guts, but he’s just too much of a thrill-seeker. If a situation was too challenging to resist, I think he might put his life in jeopardy.
…or Les Stroud?
Bear has a camera crew. Granted, they’re supposedly not allowed to help him, but he’s never actually alone, and they’d no doubt be prepared to help if he were in real peril. Les, on the other hand, is his own camera crew. He has to carry more weight as he travels and he’s truly alone when he’s out in the wilderness. If the survival situation requires a lot of mental and physical endurance, then, Les is my top choice.
Another impressive quality of Les is his ability to fashion survival tools from junk. I’ve seen him throw together spears, fishing hooks, traps, and an assortment of other useful things quite literally out of trash. In fact, he’s quite fond of tearing apart his vehicle for materials. He should really author the book, “101 uses for a car seat cover.” Clearly, if there are man-made materials around, Les would come out on top.
For this same reason, though, I think Les has a major shortcoming. All too often, he goes out into the wilderness with a random assortment of things on hand. Bear, on the other hand, rarely has more than his bowie knife. Don’t get me wrong; it’s great to see all the different uses you can find for seemingly worthless items, and certainly more realistic, but I can’t help but think Les relies upon them too much. As you get further away from human habitation, then, I think Les loses his advantage.
Obviously, both men are very skilled survival experts. Still, each has his own unique strengths and weaknesses. What do you think?