two ways to survive

i am a huge fan of "survivor." you probably already know that.

what you don't know is that i have become addicted to a show on the discovery channel called "survivorman." though they're similar in title, they are worlds apart in content.

sure, both shows feature people stranded in a desolate location, but that's where the similarites end. on "survivor", 16 so-called castaways are marooned in a bikini-friendly area of the world and though they have to scrounge for food and shelter the survival element of the show really only comes into play when they deal with their fellow tribemates. it's a mental game of survival more than physical survival. that's why i love the show so much... these people are certainly struggling physically, but their survival in the game comes down to mental strategy, and their ability to think clearly is compromised by their lack of food and protein. they make dumb interpersonal decisions. "survivor" is also heavily edited and feels almost scripted in its silliness. it's actually kind of predictable. lovingly so.

"survivorman," though, is something altogether different. one man, les stroud, has a crew purposefully abandon him in the wilderness, putting him in life-threatening situations: in the open ocean on a life raft, in the costa rican jungle, in the sonoran desert. he then sets about filming his own surviva, alonel. no crew. no food. nothing besides the clothes on his back, a couple of video cameras, and whatever he can find in the wilderness. it's utterly fascinating.

he likes to set up each episode with a believable scenario... some situation you could possibly encounter. one episode, for example, was built upon his survival after a theoretical small plane crash. he showed how to use the carcass of the plane to start a fire (using gas, fabric from the wing & a the plane battery) and to build shelter. he also showed how to use elements of the aircraft to build a rabbit trap. the episode in the sonoran desert was fascinating, too. some of the things he found to eat would have never occurred to me (duh), and he showed an amazing way to get a needle & thread from an agave plant.

the man is incredible. (he's also kind of a hottie, with that canadian accent.) i am continually amazed by him, and ray is forever worried about his actual survival. (though les knows the crew will pick him up 7 days after being stranded, there is no guarantee he will actually survive that week.) i downloaded a discovery channel podcast --an interview with les stroud himself-- just to hear him give some behind-the-scenes information about his show.

i am totally and utterly hooked.

Posted by xta at February 21, 2006 05:15 PM | TrackBack