Bear Grylls Injured After Antarctic Fall

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Grand Master

Mouldy Punk

Posted
Posted

This thread's ignorance is quite depressing.

To whoever it was saying that it's all instinct & common sense;

Yes, back in the stone age, they survived without Bear Grylls' TV show. Reason being, they worked out what trees had poisonous fruit through trial and error, learnt from other people's mistakes and spread the word. If you're stuck in the desert on your own, you can't just experiment with trial and error - because you only get 1 chance. We no longer live out in the wilderness, so we don't learn from other people's mistakes either - unless we're told of them - which is essentially, what Bear Grylls is doing. When he says "Don't eat this, it will kill you" he's really saying "Other people have tried eating this and have died" - something that he may not have witnessed, and you will not have witnessed, but it's valuable information nonetheless.

Is it common sense or instinct to know that Elephants are very territorial, so if you're near them, stay down wind so they don't know you're there? Hell no is that instinct. Again, the only way to find out is trial and error. Getting it wrong will have a bunch of elephants trampling on you.

Is it instinct to know that when making a fire to sleep next to in a desert to have a flat rock behind you with the fire in front of you so that the heat reflects back onto you? No. You might be able to figure that out from prior knowledge, but would you necessarily think of it if you were starving, dehydrating and alone in the middle of a desert - heck, you might not even know deserts get really cold at night.

Grand Master

+Audioboxer Subscriber²

Posted
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Posted (edited)
Common sense is I need to eat if I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere. I'm going to look for food any way I can. What else am I going to do, sit around and make sand castles?

No not everyone has the same knowledge, but I'd hope everyone knows they need food and water and will try a lot of different ideas where to find it! I never said people will go straight to the source of them, it's obviously going to be a learning experience if it ever happened.

And yes I'm summarising the show because I don't want to fill the topic with walls of text!

Well, you'll probably be dead :laugh:

Guess you forgot all those parts of the shows that introduce you to how much of the wild plant population is poisonous/can kill. Even insects at that, many need parts of their bodies removed before eating. And many of them are just plain and simply dangerous alive, and need to be killed tactfully. Then if you are bitten/infected, do you even have a scooby what's wrong with you, or how to increase how long you'll live?

Common sense and instinct can kill you, like I said earlier. Knowlegde is needed in many cases to aid instinct.

And I'm sure many people will go finding these key things needed for survival, but the point in the show is to show you how to quickly find them, and even find them in places your eyes tell you there's nothing.

Then when you do find them, often Grylls tells you how to ration properly, when it's best to eat/drink, etc.

Again you're assuming I said I know more than him? I never did that at all. I said a lot of it is common sense. I said his show was a fraud because he doesn't present the 100% truth what he does when filming.

The point of the shows is to pass on knowledge, quite frankly why does it matter if he didn't actually sleep outside. Is that the most important part of the show to you?

And yes I'm summarising the show because I don't want to fill the topic with walls of text!

Well try to summarise the show more efficiently.

This thread's ignorance is quite depressing.

To whoever it was saying that it's all instinct & common sense;

Yes, back in the stone age, they survived without Bear Grylls' TV show. Reason being, they worked out what trees had poisonous fruit through trial and error, learnt from other people's mistakes and spread the word. If you're stuck in the desert on your own, you can't just experiment with trial and error - because you only get 1 chance. We no longer live out in the wilderness, so we don't learn from other people's mistakes either - unless we're told of them - which is essentially, what Bear Grylls is doing. When he says "Don't eat this, it will kill you" he's really saying "Other people have tried eating this and have died" - something that he may not have witnessed, and you will not have witnessed, but it's valuable information nonetheless.

Is it common sense or instinct to know that Elephants are very territorial, so if you're near them, stay down wind so they don't know you're there? Hell no is that instinct. Again, the only way to find out is trial and error. Getting it wrong will have a bunch of elephants trampling on you.

Is it instinct to know that when making a fire to sleep next to in a desert to have a flat rock behind you with the fire in front of you so that the heat reflects back onto you? No. You might be able to figure that out from prior knowledge, but would you necessarily think of it if you were starving, dehydrating and alone in the middle of a desert - heck, you might not even know deserts get really cold at night.

Well said, I forgot how "trial and error" isn't something you can really play around with.

One mistake, and you'll probably end up dead, or with your chances of survival severely impacted.

The point in many of these scenarios isn't always to survive long enough till you "walk your way home", many times it's sadly about just trying to survive as long as possible in the hope you'll be found. The longer you're out there, the lower your chances keep getting. So you need to learn to be efficient, you need to know when to eat, you need to know a lot about your bodys limits, what it can/can't do, etc. It's not just about finding food/water.

I appreciate hearing about how you can turn pee into water or how it can help against sunburn, etc. I'll probably never need to use any of this, but it's the educational element that's interesting, and to know many of these technics have been born from trial and error and have saved lives.

Edited by Audioboxer
Proficient

Shadow Dragon

Posted
Posted

I think I'm gonna be a nice guy here and end the argument between Audioboxer and DrunknMunky:

@DrunknMunky:

No one is saying that you'll die without the show, all they are saying is that Grylls gives many useful tips on how to survive in extreme situations, which could raise your chances of survival should you end up in a similar situation.

And of course maybe some of what he says/does is "common sense" (for some people), but I can guarantee you that it's not all something you can just get from "instincts" so the show is definitely educational for ordinary people.

@Audioboxer:

You've made your point very clearly, so if anyone doesn't get it now then it's because they lack a certain amount of mental capacity, and not because of you (so no need to waste more time on lengthy replies ;))

Grand Master

fix-this!

Posted
Posted
His show is not gonna save your life.

none of those survival shows will save your life because you wont remember what they showed you anyways. the situations he shows more than likely would NEVER happen in real life. i actually prefer the survival man show, at least he is totally by himself with no camera crew.

Grand Master

mattmatik

Posted
Posted

Wow, what a bunch of grumps in this thread. The guy was doing this for research as well as to raise money for children's charity and all you guys can do is go back and forth about what is real and what isn't on TV. Hell, if Survivorman wasn't edited we'd be watching a 24-hour live feed. IT'S ALL EDITED. It's entertainment.

Hope he recovers to good health. We still need those who go out and explore the world for those who sit on the computer and argue.

Grand Master

former1

Posted
Posted

Wow there's really high levels of ignorance in this thread I'm amazed :o some people are to used to their home comforts! If you go out into the wilderness to 'get food' is not as easy as it seems. First you need to know how to make snares, traps or honey pots for animals if you're going to eat them, even then an animal doesn't just come bounding a long because you've set a trap. It really can take days before you capture an animal.

So before then you generally have to eat any shrubbery around you and conserve your energy as much as possible. Such who knows from these plants which are poisonous, and which aren't?

foxglove-flowers.jpgpoison_sumac_plants.jpgtobaccob.jpg14051nettle.jpg

There are thousands of plants out in the wilderness and how are you to know which are and aren't poisonous to yourself? Even some grass is poisonous to humans and can cause severe rashes, vomiting and fever. In order to survive in the wild you require knowledge, from a teacher. Bear Grylls is just that a teacher.

I don't expect a survival instructor to sleep outside 365 days of the year whilst teaching survival skills because it's his job to educate to say that he's a fraud is utterly ridiculous. The show is educational, and it's also meant to be entertaining. It meets all those criteria in my eyes, and why purposfuly put yourself in those conditions?

Unless you go out with a group of people into the wilderness to teach survival there is no need to stay in it.

I would love to see those who think otherwise out there on a survival course, I've done plenty with my career and I can tell you that it's the most horrible situation to be in when you have no clue as to what you can or can't eat, can or can't do.

Whilst some may argue that survival is improvisation and adapting to your environment yes it is, but you also require a basic skill set to obtain that ingenuity and shows like Bears give you that skill set. (NB I'm not saying thats it you've watched it out you go into the wilderness now! But it gives you a basic idea)

---

Anyways I hope he recovers soon, the injury sounds horrible!

Grand Master

fix-this!

Posted
Posted
I need to watch some of that survivorman, but I will probably end up watching the new series of Bear Grylls :p

whats the name of his new show again ?

Wow there's really high levels of ignorance in this thread I'm amazed :o some people are to used to their home comforts! If you go out into the wilderness to 'get food' is not as easy as it seems. First you need to know how to make snares, traps or honey pots for animals if you're going to eat them, even then an animal doesn't just come bounding a long because you've set a trap. It really can take days before you capture an animal.

So before then you generally have to eat any shrubbery around you and conserve your energy as much as possible. Such who knows from these plants which are poisonous, and which aren't?

foxglove-flowers.jpgpoison_sumac_plants.jpgtobaccob.jpg14051nettle.jpg

There are thousands of plants out in the wilderness and how are you to know which are and aren't poisonous to yourself? Even some grass is poisonous to humans and can cause severe rashes, vomiting and fever. In order to survive in the wild you require knowledge, from a teacher. Bear Grylls is just that a teacher.

I don't expect a survival instructor to sleep outside 365 days of the year whilst teaching survival skills because it's his job to educate to say that he's a fraud is utterly ridiculous. The show is educational, and it's also meant to be entertaining. It meets all those criteria in my eyes, and why purposfuly put yourself in those conditions?

Unless you go out with a group of people into the wilderness to teach survival there is no need to stay in it.

I would love to see those who think otherwise out there on a survival course, I've done plenty with my career and I can tell you that it's the most horrible situation to be in when you have no clue as to what you can or can't eat, can or can't do.

Whilst some may argue that survival is improvisation and adapting to your environment yes it is, but you also require a basic skill set to obtain that ingenuity and shows like Bears give you that skill set. (NB I'm not saying thats it you've watched it out you go into the wilderness now! But it gives you a basic idea)

---

Anyways I hope he recovers soon, the injury sounds horrible!

i know not to eat anything with 4 leaves. come on man, no one will remember what he showed you anyways.

Grand Master

+Audioboxer Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted
Wow there's really high levels of ignorance in this thread I'm amazed :o some people are to used to their home comforts! If you go out into the wilderness to 'get food' is not as easy as it seems. First you need to know how to make snares, traps or honey pots for animals if you're going to eat them, even then an animal doesn't just come bounding a long because you've set a trap. It really can take days before you capture an animal.

So before then you generally have to eat any shrubbery around you and conserve your energy as much as possible. Such who knows from these plants which are poisonous, and which aren't?

foxglove-flowers.jpgpoison_sumac_plants.jpgtobaccob.jpg14051nettle.jpg

There are thousands of plants out in the wilderness and how are you to know which are and aren't poisonous to yourself? Even some grass is poisonous to humans and can cause severe rashes, vomiting and fever. In order to survive in the wild you require knowledge, from a teacher. Bear Grylls is just that a teacher.

I don't expect a survival instructor to sleep outside 365 days of the year whilst teaching survival skills because it's his job to educate to say that he's a fraud is utterly ridiculous. The show is educational, and it's also meant to be entertaining. It meets all those criteria in my eyes, and why purposfuly put yourself in those conditions?

Unless you go out with a group of people into the wilderness to teach survival there is no need to stay in it.

I would love to see those who think otherwise out there on a survival course, I've done plenty with my career and I can tell you that it's the most horrible situation to be in when you have no clue as to what you can or can't eat, can or can't do.

Whilst some may argue that survival is improvisation and adapting to your environment yes it is, but you also require a basic skill set to obtain that ingenuity and shows like Bears give you that skill set. (NB I'm not saying thats it you've watched it out you go into the wilderness now! But it gives you a basic idea)

---

Anyways I hope he recovers soon, the injury sounds horrible!

Well said, much more elegantly than me :laugh: (Y)

Grand Master

+Audioboxer Subscriber²

Posted
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Posted
i know not to eat anything with 4 leaves. come on man, no one will remember what he showed you anyways.

Actually if you were to be put in a situation he described to you, it's possible to recall things through imagery/seeing the plant in front of you, etc.

For most of us though it's mainly just about being educated, learning and interest, not so much the actual practice of it.

However some things he's taught are general survival tactics/tips you could have a reasonable chance of coming up against depending on where later life takes you.

Grand Master

fix-this!

Posted
Posted
i like his show but im pretty sure behind the camera there is sound/camera/assistants with food/water/etc

of course there is real food, how else do you think the camera crew eat ? id love to see how many takes it took for him to down some of that crap he eats and drinks without puking it up. that's why i like survival man better, at least when he ate something that made him puke, they showed it.

Grand Master

+Audioboxer Subscriber²

Posted
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Posted
i like his show but im pretty sure behind the camera there is 5/6 others with food/water/first aid kits/etc

No doubt, but as Mi6 said, it's about educating, not actually about Grylls dieing/being badly injured.

Even in the scenarios with snakes, etc, of course there's going to be vaccine near by.

Grand Master

Angelic Marge

Posted
Posted
So before then you generally have to eat any shrubbery around you and conserve your energy as much as possible. Such who knows from these plants which are poisonous, and which aren't?

There are thousands of plants out in the wilderness and how are you to know which are and aren't poisonous to yourself? Even some grass is poisonous to humans and can cause severe rashes, vomiting and fever. In order to survive in the wild you require knowledge, from a teacher. Bear Grylls is just that a teacher.

A book can tell me that and more.

Grand Master

+Audioboxer Subscriber²

Posted
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Posted
A book can tell me that and more.

That's your passage to education then.

Some people prefer visual/spoken, and of course when talking about some of the things he does, obviously some people prefer the constructed scenarios - It's entertaining, more so than reading a book on deadly plants, unless that is your interest.

Because I doubt I'll find myself stranded in a jungle needing to eat plants, I enjoy watching the show and I do get educated at the same time over reading strictly educational only material - Like books. That however doesn't make the guy any less intelligent about what he's talking about.

Don't think MI6 meant Grylls is the only person who can teach you that, his comments are more aimed at all the people calling him a fraud as a passage to education.

Grand Master

shakey

Posted
Posted

Real or not, he does more than most any other person would do. He has the training, so no point in actually putting his life on the line for tv. call him a fraud all you want, but hes not stupid. Only stupid people put their lives on the line for TV. If you want that kind of tv, please, start making your own show.

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      AdGuard Family lifetime deal now only $14.97 by Steven Parker Today's highlighted Neowin Deal comes via our Apps + Software section, where you can get a lifetime subscription and save 91% on a lifetime AdGuard Family Plan. AdGuard is a unique program that has all the necessary features for what they claim to be "the best web experience." The software combines the an advanced ad blocker, a privacy protection module, and a parental control tool—all working in one app. This software deals with annoying ads, hides your data from a multitude of trackers, protects you from malware attacks, and even lets you restrict your kids from accessing inappropriate content. Install AdGuard and see the internet as it was supposed to be: clean and safe. Get rid of annoying banners, pop-ups & video ads once and for all Hide your data from the multitude of trackers & activity analyzers that swarm the web Avoid fraudulent and phishing website and malware attacks Protect your kids online by restricting them from accessing inappropriate & adult content Good to know Family Plan Length of access: lifetime This plan is only available to new users Redemption deadline: redeem your code within 30 days of purchase Max number of devices: 9 Access options: desktop & mobile Software version: AdGuard Family Updates included A lifetime subscription of AdGuard Family Plan normally costs $169.99, but this deal can be yours for just $14.97, that's a saving of $157.02. For full terms, specifications, and license info please click the link below. Get this AdGuard Family lifetime deal for just $14.97 (was $169.99) Although priced in U.S. dollars, this deal is available for digital purchase worldwide. As an online publication, Neowin too relies on ads for operating costs and, if you use an ad blocker, we'd appreciate being whitelisted. In addition, we have an ad-free subscription for $28 a year, which is another way to show support! Support queries If you have queries or need support for any of the Neowin Deals, please use the contact form here. Neowin Deals are managed and sold by StackCommerce who represent Neowin on an affiliate basis. Why we post these deals We post these because we earn commission on each sale so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. So for those that keep moaning and complaining, be thankful we're still online for you to even do that. Other ways to support Neowin Whitelist Neowin by not blocking our ads Create a free member account to see fewer ads Make a donation to support our day to day running costs Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: Neowin benefits from revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site powered by StackCommerce.
    • Newegg offers insane combo deal on Amazon Prime Day 2026 that beats Steam Machine

      By sphbecker · Posted

      Sadly "beats Steam Machine" isn't much of a brag.
    • An oversimplified explanations of Passkeys

      By +Warwagon · Posted

      Passkeys: Think of them like a broken heart necklace. Imagine one of those heart necklaces that breaks into two matching pieces. One person keeps one half, and the other person keeps the other half. With passkeys, the website has one half, and you have the other half. If the website gets hacked and someone steals its half, that stolen piece is useless by itself. It cannot unlock your account without your matching half. This particular heart necklace is one of a kind, there is only one in existence. Your half of the necklace has to be stored somewhere. It might be stored on your phone, tablet, computer, security key, or a password manager that can sync it between all your devices. A security key is a small physical device that you keep with you, kind of like a house key, car key, or flash drive. I would not usually recommend a security key as the first option for the average person. For most people, it is easier to use their phone, computer, or a password manager that can sync passkeys between their devices. A security key is more like a spare key you keep in a safe place, just in case you lose access to your other devices or your password manager. Some security keys plug into your computer. Some plug into your phone or tablet. Some get tapped against your device. The idea is simple: a security key can hold another passkey for the same website. Think of it like creating a second one-of-a-kind heart necklace for the same account. One necklace could be paired with your password manager, while another necklace could be paired with your security key. That means the website has more than one matching half on file. One half matches the passkey in your password manager. Another half matches the passkey stored on your security key. So, if you lose access to your phone, computer, or password manager, you would still be able to log in using the passkey stored on your security key. Think of it like keeping an extra special necklace piece on a tiny keychain, stored somewhere safe. The website still has the matching half for that security key, but your half is safely stored inside the little key. A passkey does not automatically exist on every device you own. It lives wherever you save it. If your half is stored on one device, then that device is the one that has the matching piece. For example, if you create the passkey on your Windows computer and it is only saved to that computer, your iPhone does not automatically have that same half. If you create it on your iPhone and it only stays on that iPhone, your Android phone does not automatically have it either. That is where password managers come in. A password manager can act like a protected jewelry box for your passkeys. Instead of your half of the necklace being locked to only one device, the password manager can securely sync that half to your other approved devices. For example, Apple Passwords and iCloud Keychain can sync passkeys between your Apple devices. Google Password Manager can sync passkeys with your Google account. But password managers such as 1Password and Bitwarden can sync passkeys between everything, your phones, tablets and computers. Now, you might ask: “What happens if I lose access to the device that has my passkey?” That depends on where your passkey was saved and what recovery options the website gives you. If your passkey was synced through a password manager, you may be able to sign in from another device that has access to that same password manager. For example, if your passkey is saved in iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager, 1Password, or Bitwarden, another approved device may still have access to it. If your passkey was saved only on one phone, computer, or security key, and you lose that device, then you may not have your half of the necklace anymore. In that case, you would usually need to use the website’s backup login or account recovery options. A lot of websites that support passkeys still let you fall back to your regular password. So if you lose access to your passkey, the site may still let you log in with your password, a code sent to your email, a text message, a recovery code, or some other account recovery process. That is convenient, but it is also important to understand: if the website still allows password login, then your password still matters. Passkeys are safer than passwords, but if your account still has a password as a backup, you should still use a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor authentication if the website offers it. This is why it is a good idea to have more than one safe way back into important accounts. For example, you might keep your passkey in a syncing password manager, add a second trusted device, save recovery codes somewhere safe, or set up a backup security key. A passkey is very secure, but just like a real key, you need a backup plan in case you lose access to it. Now, you might ask: “What stops a hacker from copying my half of the necklace?” That’s the important part: your half is protected. It is not something you type in, and it is not something the website gets to keep. Think of your half as being locked inside a tiny safe on your phone, computer, security key, or password manager. That safe only opens when you approve it with your fingerprint, face, PIN, or device password. When you log in, the website does not need to see your half. It only needs proof that your half matches its half. Your actual half is not handed over to the website. This is different from a password. With a password, you type the secret into the website. If you type it into a fake website, the hacker now has it. With a passkey, you are not typing your secret into the website. Your device is proving you have the matching half without giving the half away. That also helps protect you from fake websites. If someone makes a fake login page that looks like the real site, your device can tell it is not the real match. It will not use your passkey there. Now, could someone use your passkey if they stole your device, got into your password manager, or somehow unlocked the safe that holds your half? Yes, that is why your device password, PIN, fingerprint, face unlock, and password manager security still matter. But a hacker cannot just steal your passkey from the website or trick you into typing it into a fake page like they can with a password. That is why passkeys are safer than passwords. The two matching pieces have to come together, like two lovebirds who were once separated and are finally reunited.

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