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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:51 am
by Malcolm
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:01 am
by TPRJones
Never watched Man vs. Wild. Something about the hype leading up to it put me off, and I've had no interest. Glad I didn't watch.
Survivorman ftw. No hype at all, just some guy with a ton of cameras wondering off into the woods to make a show. That's the way to do it.
Edited By TPRJones on 1185289340
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:40 am
by Leisher
If true, that sucks. I thought the show was enjoyable.
I've seen enough to to think the guy is full of shit OR see how they could have faked it all.
He did swim two miles to shore in the deserted island one. Plus, he did get into the island through the rip tides and undertow, all which easily kill. Although, you never actually saw him come ashore.
He was on that shitty little raft with the tiger sharks swimming around it and banging into it. Although it was convenient that he was able to signal a boat.
He did climb through the glacier tunnels, which could have caved at any time.
I've seen enough night time scenes to know that if he is staying at a hotel, they at least stay long enough to film a scene or two at night.
I could go episode by episode and show you where he literally could've died, whether it was by animal, dehydration, or a physical stunt (he does climb trees and cliffs without gear constantly and they show it), but that doesn't mean everything else isn't faked.
It'd be disappointing if this were true, but it'd make sense. Considering the danger he put himself in every week, he would've been the next Steve Irwin.
As for Survivorman, I think the true survivors are the people who can watch it for an hour without being bored to death. The whole move his own cameras thing is a nice gimmick to show he's alone, but it's a waste of energy for him and film for us. Plus, he doesn't have a great personality. He's kind of dull.
The only entertaining thing is that I really believe his production team is trying to kill him. "Crossing Alaska in the middle of polar bear country, during their mating season, and when they primarily hunt seals? Here, carrying this raw seal meat on you."
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:44 am
by Malcolm
From what I got out of the article, he is physically capable of taking care of himself. Perhaps he just lacks knowledge in the finer points of not dying. & when the shoot's over, he's recuperating somewhere comfy. Some of the best times in Survivorman are when Les is trapped outdoors in the dead of night & can't get adequate rest cos his shelter sucks & it's raining or snowing or too cold. Not to take anything away from hang gliding near mountain summits or scaling trees like a goddamned monkey, but fatigue is a constant enemy. Taking that part out of the equation means it's "Man and Hotel vs. Wild."
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:01 pm
by TheCatt
Survivorman totally FTW.
I tried to watch Man vs. Wild once, but he struck me as a dramatic, whiny little girl.
Edited By TheCatt on 1185292928
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:14 pm
by Leisher
From what I got out of the article, he is physically capable of taking care of himself. Perhaps he just lacks knowledge in the finer points of not dying. & when the shoot's over, he's recuperating somewhere comfy. Some of the best times in Survivorman are when Les is trapped outdoors in the dead of night & can't get adequate rest cos his shelter sucks & it's raining or snowing or too cold. Not to take anything away from hang gliding near mountain summits or scaling trees like a goddamned monkey, but fatigue is a constant enemy. Taking that part out of the equation means it's "Man and Hotel vs. Wild."
I'm confused by that. I thought the article was implying that he was staying at hotels during shoots. You're saying he's staying there after shoots. Maybe you don't know the show...
MvW has him dropped into a location and he has to find civilization. He is supposed to live off the land and survive in the wild until he gets to a road, town, etc.
If he's going to a hotel afterwards, who gives a shit? If he's going during a shoot, that'd be a problem.
Bear does the same shit of finding shelter and not getting sleep if it's raining or snowing or whatever, and it's on film in episodes. I remember one episode where he abandons camp because of a real bear coming around in the middle of the night.
Survivorman totally FTW.
I tried to watch Man vs. Wild once, but he struck me as a dramatic, whiny little girl.
That's funny because I thought the same of Les. In the Alaska one all he did was bitch the whole episode. "All I've got is seal meat to eat." "It's so cold." "I don't have the tools to build an igloo." He must've complained about it being polar bear season 100 times.
Of course, THAT'S THEIR JOB. They have to tell you what is dangerous about the places they're in. So you can't hold it against either man.
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:04 pm
by Leisher
Based on this article it would appear that there's some truth to the allegations and that next season would be produced differently so that nobody gets mislead about what's occurring in any episode.
Like I said, it was terribly convenient that floating in the pacific he just happens to see a boat and is able to signal it. I've got no problem with them building the raft and him going out and/or them even faking the boat finding him (no reason for Bear or Les or anyone to put their lives at more danger than they already are), but tell the audience up front what's going on.
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:34 pm
by TPRJones
What I like about Survivorman is that it's supposed to be semi-controlled simulated danger, but about half the shows something goes wrong and the danger isn't so simulated after all. Like the polar bear within a few feet of him as he was sleeping with his seal liver. Or the storm that came up and nearly washed him away in the mountains.
Good stuff.
EDIT: Plus, I guess part of it is that even though Les has a production team, it's got a very home-grown feel to it since he's doing all the shooting himself. It's like Les is the cute girl next door, while Bear is the model with fake tits and an empty smile. I prefer the former.
Edited By TPRJones on 1185302321
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 3:03 pm
by TheCatt
The one thing I don't like about Survivorman is that he overhypes some of the dangers (and, repetitiously at that). However, being out there on his own in the conditions he has been in, totally makes up for that.
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 3:20 pm
by Leisher
Like the polar bear within a few feet of him as he was sleeping with his seal liver.
I'm not so sure those tracks weren't there and he just didn't see them until morning. Polar bears have a great sense of smell and would've smelled him and the meat unless he was lucky enough to be downwind.
I do not remember him specifying whether or not the tracks were fresh, just that they were there.
Trying to determine the validity of these shows reminds me of how amazed I was at watching fishing shows as a kid. I thought they were awesome catching fish left and right. Of course, that was before learning concepts like video editing and learning how they actually prepare the lake and fish (in certain cases).
Edited By Leisher on 1185304927
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 3:48 pm
by Malcolm
Malcolm wrote:& when the shoot's over ...
Shoot = shooting for the day.