PaulThology

I’ve often said to colleagues and friends that reality tv is anything but…as the editors have the ultimate power in shaping the reality for the viewers.  Tonight I watched almost an hour of Bear Grylls on The Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild.  Not the first time, perhaps the last.  His editors and camera crews piece together footage with post-production voiceovers to tell a completely unbelievable tale.  My favorite part is the disclaimer at the end of the show, which includes the opening sentence “Bear Grylls and the crew receive support when they are in potentially life threatening situations, as required by health and safety regulations.”

I am curious about this and the following statement, which reads “On some occasions, situations are presented to Bear so he can demonstrate survival techniques.”

Translated by a viewer who had little problem with 7th grade honors English:

Bear is never really alone, or in any sort of danger that might threaten the viability of the show.  In fact, laws all across the world protect actors from the vicious videographers who will do anything to get advertisers true access to a highly segmented target audience. That music, though not part of the jungle experience if you’re there, increases the likelihood that we can consider this a life threatening situation. Sometimes several crew members claim to hear it in our heads when we are there.  Crew members often chew coca leaves on set, and are known to give Bear some wild dares, like jumping off of a speeding boat onto an cargo net hanging over the chilly urban seascape in Iceland, just in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

“The key thing is not to try to grab the net, but to punch through it.”

Survivorman doesn’t make for the best entertainmen, but at least it feels real.