Ray Mears or Bear Grylls?

**Rheghead** · 28-May-09, 20:54

Who would you prefer to get you out of a survival situation? Is Bear Grylls for real or is it just me? Ray Mears seems more knowledgeable to me.

**MadPict** · 28-May-09, 21:22

Ray Mears without a shadow of doubt.

Grylls is just a 'charlatan' - turns out he is less than truthful. He apparently often stays in hotels while shooting his "survival" series. Guess you can survive anything with a hot shower, mini bar and room service...
Also situations are 'set up' by the crew to demonstrate some techniques for "survival".

In one of his programmes he stated ""Eat anything in the mangroves and you risk dancing with the Devil - anything from dysentery to liver failure..."

So, why the hell did he eat that raw crab? Mears doesn't need to use such 'tricks' - he doesn't kill something just to prove a point...

Funnily enough Ray Mears was asked in an interview (Radio Times) about the Bear fiction (as opposed to the bare facts...)

Do you watch Bear Grylls for tips?
Ha ha ha ha ha [laughs for about a minute]. Do I look for tips from Bear Grylls? Yes - on how not to make television programmes! As far as I am concerned, these people are just showmen. I think the viewer knows that if you want to really know how to take care of yourself in the wild, I'm the person to talk to.

Did you laugh out loud when you heard that Bear Grylls had been caught "surviving" in a motel?
Yeah. You can take short cuts if you want, but we never have. I've had many arguments with the directors, telling them, "We do it the right way or not at all". That caused a problem in the old days, but now directors see what happens if you cheat. It's a sad indictment of the world we live in that television wants that kind of hype. And it's crap television. When people break those rules and think it's Ok to dress the stage a little bit, that spoils the whole thing. I think that's an abuse of a powerful medium.

**joxville** · 28-May-09, 22:58

I've never heard of either of them.

**crayola** · 28-May-09, 23:09

Originally Posted by Rheghead

Who would you prefer to get you out of a survival situation?

It's total no brainer. It's the bear of course. He's easy on the eye, he has a decent body and they don't all look the same in the dark.

Mears would bore me to death mentally. With a bit of luck the bear would bore me...... Well, you know.

**Gene Hunt** · 28-May-09, 23:09

Originally Posted by Rheghead

Who would you prefer to get you out of a survival situation? Is Bear Grylls for real or is it just me? Ray Mears seems more knowledgeable to me.

Neither.

If I was out in the boonies I would want Chris Ryan with me. Forget the rubbish books and the disputes over the real events of Bravo Two Zero this guy made the longest Escape and Evasion in SAS history in walking from Iraq to Syria and losing a near fatal 30 odd pounds of body weight and suffering from severe muscular atrophy along the way. He also mistakenly drunk water that was contimated with nuclear effluent and still made it.

I would rather have a guy with me who has done it for real rather than for a TV programme.

**crayola** · 28-May-09, 23:12

Originally Posted by Gene Hunt

If I was out in the boonies I would want Chris Ryan with me.

You can't have him, he'll be mine when I'm done with the bear.

**Gene Hunt** · 28-May-09, 23:16

Originally Posted by crayola

You can't have him, he'll be mine when I'm done with the bear.

I like your style ..

**sweetpea** · 28-May-09, 23:19

TBH, I preferred Steve Irwin to them but he got killed by a stingray!

**Gene Hunt** · 28-May-09, 23:28

Originally Posted by sweetpea

TBH, I preferred Steve Irwin to them but he got killed by a stingray!

He should have worn sunglasses. Just the thing for protection from harmful rays.

**sweetpea** · 28-May-09, 23:30

Originally Posted by Gene Hunt

He should have worn sunglasses. Just the thing for protection from harmful rays.

Too true! invisability as well.

**scorrie** · 28-May-09, 23:30

Originally Posted by crayola

With a bit of luck the bear would bore me...... Well, you know.

As usual, Bear Grylls got into difficulties fulfilling an offer and had to be pulled out by the real professionals:-

**MadPict** · 28-May-09, 23:32

Originally Posted by crayola

Mears would bore me to death mentally.

I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at Ray's knowledge. He is certainly more in tune with indigenous people and their abilities at surviving and working with nature than Bear "book me into a five star hotel" Grylls...

**thebigman** · 28-May-09, 23:33

Les Hiddins the bush tucker man from the late '80s was the first of these guys to show survival stuff on TV. Did a couple of shows with Ray Mears recently.

**Gene Hunt** · 28-May-09, 23:33

Originally Posted by scorrie

As usual, Bear Grylls got into difficulties fulfilling an offer and had to be pulled out by the real professionals:-

Is he growing clones of himself in his veggie patch or something ??

**MadPict** · 28-May-09, 23:34

Originally Posted by scorrie

"OK Ray, I admit it - you're THE man....."

**crayola** · 28-May-09, 23:36

Originally Posted by MadPict

I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at Ray's knowledge. He is certainly more in tune with indigenous people and their abilities at surviving and working with nature than Bear "book me into a five star hotel" Grylls...

Maybe but their bellies tell a different story, I'd rather feast on lean ribs than jelly and blancmange any night.

**wifie** · 28-May-09, 23:41

Originally Posted by crayola

It's total no brainer. It's the bear of course. He's easy on the eye, he has a decent body and they don't all look the same in the dark.

Mears would bore me to death mentally. With a bit of luck the bear would bore me...... Well, you know.

And we all know the bear eats crap a lot!

**crayola** · 29-May-09, 00:01

The no brainer bear doesn't eat the stuff, it leaves it in the woods.

You're welcome to Mears if you want him but I doubt even he will find a scone in the woods.