The shows' popularity seem to have trumped any complaints about truthfulness.
They have inserted a disclaimer and voiceover narrations by Bear Grylls in his older shows that explain away some of the things he did. Not sure about the sleepovers at hotels and scenes taken at places near roads or civilization.
I get the impression that even Les Stroud wants to pre-empt any criticism on possible charges of bogus knowledge. In one of his specials, he features the survival experts who prep him for his shows.
Here's an excerpt on Bear Grylls from
Wikipedia:
Criticism
Sleeping Rough
One of the allegations is that while Grylls claimed to be sleeping outdoors, he was allegedly sleeping in hotels. Before the accusations surfaced, Bear stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live that only the cameramen were flown out at night. [10] British television's Channel 4 has acknowledged that in at least two instances Bear has stayed in hotels during filming.[11]
Use of crew and simulations of danger
Grylls has stated numerous times on camera that he is not to receive any assistance unless his life is in danger. However, in July 2007 it was reported in the mainstream media that at least portions of some episodes were staged and that Bear did not always survive without help. The Discovery Channel said that future airings would be edited to reflect such things.[12][13][14][15] Other reported instances of outside influence or staged situations include the following:
* Grylls admitted wearing a flotation device in the pilot episode to ride down a river in a staged shot, citing safety reasons. He claimed that he was displeased with the decision, which came from Discovery producers, and has since been able to avoid the use of such devices.[16]
* The director of the Desert Island episode, Graham Strong, noted that a diver was at hand who checked for sharks while Bear was adrift (he did not spot the tigers, only reef sharks), and that "we" beat on the raft to scare the tiger sharks away.
* In the Copper Canyon, Mexico episode, director Scott Tankard says that the local Indian tribe, the Rarámuri Indians, acted as their guides.[17]
* According to the survival consultant for the show's Sierra Nevada and Desert Island episodes, Mark Wienart of Lifesong Adventures, the "wild" horses in the Sierra Nevada episode were shipped in for a choreographed feature.[18][19][11]
* The Desert Island raft was not made by Bear; it was made by a team of people over a week and a half, using rope, and was disassembled for Bear to put together on camera.[20][19][11]
* Crew members simulated molten lava by using smoke machines and hot coals. The smoke machines were used to simulate poisonous sulphur dioxide, though Grylls was not in fact facing real danger.[6]
* Hiring a man in a bear suit because they could not get a tame bear, running the show with a "script" (with scheduled scenes such as "Scene 10 - Grizzly Attacks Camp"), pretending that a snake found dead on the side of a road was alive, eating steak inside a badger skin, and hoisting Bear into a tree to make it look like his parachute "snagged".[3]
According to a C4 executive, "If what has been alleged is proven to be true, I think the channel would have to think very seriously about its future relationship with him."[6]
On August 3 of 2007, Grylls posted on his blog that the "press accusations of motels and stagings in the show that have been doing the rounds, all I can say is they don't always tell the full story, but thats life and part of being in the public eye I guess."[21]
Survival advice
The show has also garnered criticism concerning the quality of its survival advice. On March 13 2006, the show's first survival consultant, Ron Hood, posted on his Web site:
"I want to remind everyone that Bear is very capable and highly skilled in survival skills. We both objected to portions of the show when we filmed but thought we knew that my narration would enlighten the viewers about the hows, whys and wherefores of what look like dangerous activities. When that narration was removed it left Bear looking like he was clueless. He is not clueless. He is clever, courageous and capable. If anyone can save this show it is Bear. As I posted when we started this project months ago, the show was supposed to be a new format that was drama driven with an educational and adventure component. The script I have looks nothing like the final show."
"I think Discovery did the viewing public a serious disservice by excluding the educational narration and concentrating on travel. Someone WILL attempt river travel as shown and there will be problems. Others will run from camp because they hear noises... Someone will attempt a rappel with paracord. People are like that. Discovery holds a huge credibility advantage and that alone will act as an endorsement of the actions seen in the show. Keep in mind that a LOT of people saw the show and a few of them are ignorant enough to attempt what they saw. Disclaimers aside, the presentation looks feasible. The fact that some folks overlooked the errors just proves the point."[22]
Arctic skier and explorer Tina Sjogren, who fell through the ice at the North Pole, reacted with disbelief when she saw Bear's demonstration of how to deal with falling in a frozen lake:
"What is he doing? And who dug those hand-holds for him? There were two problems when I fell in the water. 1. There were no holds to grab when I tried to get out. 2. The thin edge of the ice kept breaking off under my weight. It's important to know that you have more time than you think in the water. Don't panic, and don't kick about. Take a deep breath before hauling yourself out - the air in your lungs will increase your buoyancy."
"I definitely did not strip afterwards. That would have been extremely stupid - leading to instant hypothermia. Wet or dry, the clothes will insulate, giving you enough time to find a suitable place to make camp. You can roll in the snow to remove excess water from the clothing if you want to, but if you strip you'll really find yourself fast in trouble! There's nothing wrong with inexperience, we've all been there. But it's another matter when taught to a TV audience. Or when actors forget they're just that - it's like Sylvester Stallone starting to believe he actually is the World Heavyweight Champion. I have a hard time to believe the episode. Is it Bear for real? Eating a raw fish right after, too? That's the last thing you'd want to do - plus it's bad for you. Perhaps it's a comedy interpretation? I don't know what to think anymore. Why would people even want to watch this?" [23]
Editing of episodes in response to criticism
Man vs. Wild was re-edited in response to the criticisms, with an opening disclaimer, altered voiceover, and removed footage. A few of the edits made in response to the criticism of the show are: [24]
* In the Everglades episode, Bear admits that the crew helped him to build his shelter.
* In the Iceland episode, Bear admits that the dead sheep was left by a local farmer so that he could use it for a demonstration.
* In the Mexico episode, Bear admits that he used climbing equipment during a climb, and that the trout he caught was placed there by the crew.
* In the Ecuador episode, Bear admits that the crew helped him to build the ladder, and that he slept indoors.
* In the Scotland episode, Bear admits that the rabbit was placed there by the crew, and Bear was close to civilization.
* In the Sierra Nevada episode, Bear admits that the crew helps him to build a raft.
