I’m excited about the return tonight of the Discovery Channel series, “Man vs. Wild [1].” If you haven’t seen it, you should. Former British special forces adventurer-extraordinaire Bear Grylls [2] parachutes into a remote location with only a knife, a flint, a water bottle (and a camera crew that refuses to give him aid). His goal is to survive long enough to find civilization, and along the way show us, the viewers, how to survive in the wild. It’s great fun to see just how Bear Grylls will find food, shelter, and fend off the wildlife.
Bear Grylls is a tough guy. Anybody who can drink water out of elephant dung or kill a fish by breaking its back — with his mouth — is a force with which to be reckoned.
That’s why, in the spirit of Chuck Norris Facts [3], Jack Bauer Facts [4], and Fred Thompson Facts [5], I’ve decided to enter the realm of internet copycatism and create a list of Bear Grylls Facts. Here they are:
- It is a known fact that Bear Grylls once broke his back during a parachute accident while in the British Special Forces. Lesser known is the fact that he built a makeshift hospital in the wilderness and performed back surgery on himself using only a knife, a flint, and a water bottle.
- In the wild, Bear Grylls eats all kinds of bugs and twigs for the protein. In civilization, he eats spare car parts for the iron.
- Bear Grylls’ peculiar name is derived from two things: his favorite food, and the manner in which he likes to cook it.
- When Bear Grylls got married, he was so excited that he forgot to bring his wife on the honeymoon — but he did remember to bring his knife, a flint, and a water bottle.
Those are just a few (I know, I could do better…). I’ll try to add other facts as I “discover” them. Anyone else know any “facts” about Bear Grylls?