SurvivorMan or Man vs Wild?

[LevesqueIsKing]

Woohoo, I just thought of a cool thread. So, which is better, Survivorman or Man vs Wild? If you've only watched one, I highly suggest that you watch the other (or both) on youtube, WITH AN OPEN MIND. They both have their ups and downs, and they both apply themselves to different types of people. Here's a quick UNBIASED rundown:

Man v Wild: Honestly I don't know too much about it. He travels around with a camera crew and survives harsh conditions for 7 full days. He does more extreme things than Survivorman, but does not necessarily always need to. He is always traveling whereas Survivorman stays put for the most part.
Survivorman: Les Stroud attempts to re-enact a survival situation (plane crash, canoe wreck, gets lost while hiking, etc.). He has no water, no food, no camera crew, and most importantly he is all alone. He too endures the harsh conditions for a full 7 days.

Now then, my opinions:

Survivorman: Personally, I love Survivorman. The show originated after the hit series 'Survivor' because everyone was going nuts about it. Les called up a producer and told him that this was a once in a lifetime oppurtunity because he wouldn't find anyone that could match his survival and camera skills. Unlike Bear, Les is all alone, which imho makes all the difference. Survival is as much of a mental game as it is a physical one, and that is put to the test in Survivorman. Just to clarify, Les has four different camera's and two self-mounts, but he does not allow himself to use any of that equipment to survive.

Man vs Wild: Again, this is my opinion. If you don't like it, prove me wrong.

Personally, I think he stole all the glory with his fake-ass hollywood version of Survivorman. I think it is Survivorman all glittered up for the media. Bear has been proven as a liar on multiple occasions. Firstly, being that when he followed the current of a freezing cold river for quite a few miles, that he wasn't just holding onto his bag, he was wearing a LIFE JACKET. Secondly, it has also been proven the he chooses to sleep in hotels some nights, after his crew is done taping. I wouldn't put it past him to eat whatever his crew has on him. When it comes down to the facts, the show is misleading.
He doesn't do things to survive, he just does them for ratings. When Les eats a spider its because he hasn't had anything to eat for four days, when Bear eats a spider its because he knows the fans at home will think its cool.
Not only that, but he has misled his audience on multiple occasions. For example, drinking your piss is NOT always safe to do. If you had not had anything to drink for 48 hours than you might want to consider it, but again, that was not the case. Les has taught the correct way to evaporate all of the toxins out of it so that it is clean water, which is very helpful.

In conclusion, I think that Survivorman is much more educational and really revolves around SURVIVAL. If a regular person tried to do what Bear did out in the wild, they would never make it because it is so unrealistic and risky. All in all, I would much rather have Les at my side when I'm trying to survive.

[/Rant]

Feel free to post your opinions, questions and responses about both shows.

 

[nic7]

I've watched Survivorman a few times. I always find it entertaining when he sets up his camera and walks by it. It's really odd thinking about it. Obviously, the producers want him to do it, but he looks very odd doing it.

I think Man Vs. Wild would have been my obvious choice if it weren't for them finding out that Bear was faking it. Now, I'd say survivorman.

 

[Nuke RedL]

I haven't watched survivorman . But I have watched man vs wild .
I think Bear is a pure freaking idiot . He has done some obviously stupid things like climbing across the face of a water fall , holding a vine . Or how about making a raft to escape a deserted island , in the hope that he can sail/drift it in the path of an oncoming vessel .
And some favorite Man vs Wild moments -
(1) Placing a vine around the neck of a very still but completely(?) WILD HORSE , and then trying unsuccessfully to mount it .
(2) My personal favorite- The Indian throwing Stick . Which is a largish stick with a bend in it . Ground sort of flat like a big boomerang . And then he used it to kill a rabbit .( Our joke is " He should have used an Indian
Throwing Rock instead") .
I think the guy is just dangerous , but looking back ,and as stupid as he is , his show has brought this household a lot of laughs . We laugh more at him than with him , but in a strange way his show is very entertaining .