 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Man vs. Wild
- Discovery Channel
- Genre: Reality TV
Common Sense Media says
How not to die in the wilderness -- tweens and up.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this riveting adventure show depicts a trained survival expert escaping from dangerous natural locations. Viewers see him attempting dangerous maneuvers while describing the reasons for his choices, as well as the proper technique for achieving success. His actions are never rash, though at times he takes risks to demonstrate something particularly interesting, like how to escape quicksand. Occasionally Grylls appears naked, but his genitals are always blurred and the nudity is never sexual.
What's the story?
In MAN VS. WILD, survival expert Bear Grylls helicopter drops into some of the world's harshest terrain and then fights his way back to safety. With only a few basic instruments, Grylls demonstrates survival techniques and teaches skills like finding water in the desert, climbing out of quicksand, catching fish without a pole, and fighting hypothermia after falling into a frozen lake. The idea is to provide help to adventure tourists who might find themselves stranded in inhospitable circumstances and would otherwise die or create a search-and-rescue nightmare. Throughout Grylls' adventures, he relates recent real-life tragedies of people stuck in similar situations.
Is it any good?
The combination of gorgeous locales -- like Utah's Moab Desert, the Costa Rican rainforest, and the Swiss Alps -- and Grylls' considerable British charm make Man vs. Wild a pleasure to watch. Whether an average tourist could recreate some of his feats (his first name is Bear, after all) is disputable, but it's certainly nail-biting to watch him scale a slippery desert wall and swim across the swift Colorado River. Throughout each gnarly adventure, Grylls is able to narrate his experience surprisingly well.
Tweens and up will enjoy Grylls' adventures, though parents may want to do a reality check with younger viewers to make sure they know that Grylls is highly trained -- and that kids shouldn't try any of his techniques, even for fun, without checking with an adult first (frying an egg on a rock is probably harmless, but catching a snake with a rock and a stick, not so much).
What families can talk about
Families can talk about dangerous situations. What's the scariest place that parents and kids have ever been in? Has there ever been a situation you wondered how you'd get out of? What did you do? Have you taken any training to prepare for dangerous situations (first aid, self-defense, wilderness training)? What would you do if you found yourself in one of the situations that Grylls demonstrates?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Man vs. Wild
Great show! Not as good as Survivorman in my opinion, but still a fun, educational show to watch. He sure does bring spunk and energy, but some of his survival techniques seem pretty unnecessary, unless of course you need to be absolutly desperate.
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AGE
Real life Survivor...great for the whole family.
My family loves this show, correction me and my boys love this show my wife gets grossed out when he eats raw fish/animals. Us "men" are simply amazed by what he does. Very entertaining and educational. Who knew how easy it can be to survive these situations!...If you're not afraid of eating scorpions and climbing up trees to make your nights resting place...LOL
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AGE
Aside from all the unmentioned "assisantance" the guy gets, I too am disgusted by why animals must be killed for viewers entertainmentl. I am not a "PETA" lover, but seeing animals senselessly killed for ratings is disgusting. I do not see why discovery rates this show PG. It should be R or even X since the killings are real.
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AGE
This show is kinda a phony. I mean he does tough out the harsh places. But he has about 5 people with him the whole time. And as soon as season 4 hit he was butt naked in every episode. Only the Arctic Circle is completely censored
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AGE
Even though Bear Gryllis encounters some non-realistic situations, it has great survival tips. I do think he does take off his clothes too much for kids under 8 to see. Overall, it is a great show. truly for entertainment purposes in my opinion.
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Kid, 11 years old
February 6, 2010
AGE
AWESOME!
This show's pretty good. I like watching it and so does my brother.
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AGE
Best TV show ever!
I love this show so much! It's a great nature/survival show if your feeling the mood to watch something like that. I love it!!!!
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AGE
Fine for 10+, there's some nudity..blurred out of course when he bathes, as for the "terrible" killing of animals, uhmm...would u let the animals live if you had to survive?...or would you eat them...thats what is being portrayed here. How to SURVIVE..not how to save the poor animals and starve to death..
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AGE
Now for a nice cup of pine needle tea... Lots of vitamins
This is a pretty entertaining show. Some of the stuff he has to eat (bugs, etc.) is pretty gross, but that's what you need to do to survive, which is what this show is about.
For many kids, this show is the closest they will get to being in the wilderness, and god forbid, if they ever got stranded in the wilderness alone (e.g., a plane crash) I hope they might remember some of what they learn (finding safe water to drink, seeking shelter, building a fire) to help them survive.
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Kid, 12 years old
November 30, 2011
AGE
man vs review
its great i think it educates people and how to survive in the wild
very very minimum blood and its real but its safe and not bad at all.
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| TV rating: | TV-PG |
| Network: | Discovery Channel |
| Cast: | Bear Grylls |
| Genre: | Reality TV |
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