BEAR GRYLLS SERIES

Grylls (right) with Simu Liu -PHOTOS COURTESY OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC As a former soldier, how do you feel about what’s going on in Ukraine these days? Did you feel the urge to go there and help? In this show, the wilds are the real superstar.

BEAR GRYLLS SERIES

That keeps the series spontaneous and fresh. The show has so much more longevity because you’re bringing in a new star and a new set of audience every episode. And that’s the beating heart of “Running Wild”-you see people transform.

I get a real kick out of seeing people’s confidence and pride in their own abilities grow. I feel much more comfortable when I can open somebody’s eyes to how amazing the natural world is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a show that will always be part of my life.īut I much prefer “Running Wild” because it’s not about me (laughs). Wild,” where one man is seen fighting the elements on his own. We did seven or eight seasons of “Man vs. Wild,” or do you prefer having some company, as you do in “Running Wild”? Is it more exciting for you to go on your own, as you did in “Man vs. You can’t always tell if something is crazy hot or crazy cold. The biggest factor normally is the time of year and the temperature because temperature is never conveyed as precisely on television. No, but we are mindful of the extremes of temperatures and the terrain, and how remote or easy access it is in terms of search and rescue, if we ever need evacuation or help-those are crucial elements to us. How do you choose a trip for a particular star? Are these adventures sort of “custom-built” around a celebrity’s perceived skill set? He said the journey felt like that for him-he went from zero to 10 super quick. His life has changed dramatically so fast. We had high winds, quite a lot of fresh snowfall and avalanche danger.Īt the end, he was in his underpants soaking himself in a frozen river and whooping with delight with raw, primal screams-it was amazing to see! He was truly fired up at the end of that journey. I just remember that within five minutes, both of us our hands were shaking because of the extreme cold. And he was a rookie to this sort of stuff. We were in northern Canada in the depths of winter-short days, super subzero temperatures. Simu, on the other hand, was in one of the coldest episodes we’ve ever done in seven seasons of the show. Because in these places, you only get it wrong once. But by the end of that, we see that light in their eyes after overcoming their fears. It’s that part of “Running Wild” that I love the most-seeing the stars arriving quite nervous, unsure of what’s ahead, and often doubting themselves.

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