That Bear, from “Man vs. Wild” is fake.
Much has been said about the show’s apparent staging, and the Internets – as they are wont to do – are in a temporary uproar.
Personally, I don’t mind. All TV is at least partially faked, or at the very least edited or shot in a particular way to get a point across. While I’d love it if “Man vs. Wild” were more ‘real’ – or as real as a survival show can get with a multicamera film crew following you around – it’s all right by me.
A co-worker and fellow weekend-outdoorsman brought up the point that MvW is much more of a “how to” show than its Science Channel counterpart “Survivorman.” I like that Bear will jump into a glacial lake to show us how to warm up in the Alps, and I don’t care that he probably retreated to a chalet for some hot cocoa when the cameras turned off. The information is still useful.
Plus, if you want to watch a guy spear a salmon and eat it raw, there’s really nowhere else on TV.