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Out of the Wild
- Discovery Channel
- Genre: Reality TV
Common Sense Media says
Real-life survival show is engrossing, intense TV.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this reality series pits people against nature in a struggle to survive -- and makes it clear that the fundamental tasks of succeeding in that struggle are very difficult. The participants sometimes go days without eating ... and when they aren't even able to catch food regularly, there's certainly no energy left for romance, sex, or partying. There is a fair bit of (bleeped) profanity, as well as some bickering. And when the participants do catch something to eat, be prepared for scenes of the animals being skinned and gutted.
What's the story?
In OUT OF THE WILD, nine everyday people are dropped deep in the wilderness (first season: Alaska, second: Venezuela), given only the most basic supplies, and told to fend for themselves for month. They must find their own shelter, start a fire without matches, and, perhaps most difficult, catch their own food. A narrator explains when they do well and, more frequently, when they
blunder. Living off the land may sound romantic and exciting, but this series shows that it's also very, very hard. The hardy participants are often cold and wet, and they sometimes go hungry when they can't find anything to eat. In an environment teeming with life, it's the humans who are out of place.
Is it any good?
There are many advantages to modern civilization, and thousands of years of industrial development and technological innovation have led to some truly amazing inventions. But in the process, humans have lost some of the basic skills that helped us survive -- and thrive. This fascinating reality show makes it clear that satisfying the basic human needs of food and shelter is an enormously complicated task. All of the participants received three days of survival training before the show began, and they start out with some important tools. But training and equipment only go so far in this harsh wilderness; hunting and fishing take on a whole new level of importance when they're your only source of nutrition, rather than recreational activities. Watching the group hungrily share a single wild mouse after days without food, just one tiny nibble each, drives home the point that a world filled with grocery stores and restaurants has made mankind soft.
The participants aren't trying to win a game. There's no cash prize at the end, and nobody gets voted off -- they're simply trying to prove that they can live off the land (but everyone has an electronic beacon that can summon a rescue helicopter if they decide they can't hack it). Watching their struggle provides plenty of very real human drama; on some levels, it's more fundamentally compelling than politics, romance, or war. Still, there is voyeuristic irony in a TV show that turns suffering into a form of entertainment. And it must be said that part of the entertainment value for armchair survivalists is watching these newbies make mistakes. The narrator sternly explains where the group goes wrong, as well as the potential impact of these blunders: "The rules are simple -- survive, or die."
What families can talk about
Families can talk about survival. Do you think you could survive in the circumstances shown here? Would you do anything differently from the participants? Do you think they make good decisions?
How does this show compare to fictional TV shows or movies about people stranded in the wilderness?
Would you volunteer to participate in a show like this? Overall, how realistic do you think reality television is?
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| TV rating: | TV-PG |
| Network: | Discovery Channel |
| Genre: | Reality TV |
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