He’s crossed mountains, rivers, jungles and deserts, and eaten everything from spiders to snakes to survive in remote locales around the globe. Extreme adventurer Bear Grylls, is now back with a new season of Man vs Wild. In an exclusive interview, Bear tells us what’s in store for fans this season.
Speaking about his new challenges, the survival expert says, “This season, we did a couple of shows in Borneo — some of the toughest jungles on earth. A couple in New Zealand and a couple in Iceland, one of which is with actor Jake Gyllenhaal. They had some of the worst storms they’d had in Iceland for 10 years and we were 5,000 feet off a mountain but Jake did amazingly.”
Being faced with the most inhospitable environments also means having to eat some unappetising things. Recalling some of his weirdest meals, Bear tells us, “I got bitten by a snake in the Borneo jungle, but I managed to have it for breakfast afterwards. But he weirdest was a particularly nasty tree wetter in New Zealand. These guys predate the dinosaurs and they taste like they’ve been around since the dinosaurs.”
Bear’s had more than his share of close encounters, and basic things like water, flint, a knife, a map and compass could mean the difference between life and death. “But the important thing if you’re going out is to let people know where you’re going and when you’re due back. If something goes wrong, at least you know somebody is going to be looking for you,” he says.