I like both shows. I watch to pick up survival tips and entertainment. I know both guys are not really doing the real thing. I do find Bear more entertaining. .................QUOTE]
RedHawk, I agree about Bear not really doing the real thing but I beg to differ as your comment relates to STROUD. It's possible you're right that Les Stroud id not doing the real thing, but highly improbable.
Stroud gets dropped off on scene and he carries with him at least one, and sometimes two or more, cameras. He films ALL of his own shots. Many times, you'll see shots of him walking way down a valley or something... but what people don;t realize is he has to walk all the way back up to get the camera. He's even said once on his show that he's too tired and cold to go back-and-forth with the camera and he's going to forego that. He'll say "I've just gotta keep moving" and stop the long-distance shots. On one show in Canada (old plain wreck site), he wrapped one arm to simulate having an injury. He got so cold and had such a hard time making do with little things that he said, on camera, "I'm going to give up on this simulated injury, this is just too tough" or something like that.
Stroud is ALL BY HIMSELF out there. He carries a SAT-phone for emergencies (and probably a PLB, though I don;t know that for sure). He can call in his SAR team if he gets in deep trouble. He stays out there for 7 days.... he has to arrive at a designated pick-up area by then or they come get him. He's admitted in interviews that during two shows, he just had to call the team in to pick him up a day early or before he got to the meeting site to avoid suffering from hypo-thermia or something else. I guess he reasoned that, if he waited longer, knowing it would take them some time to get to him and get him to a hospital, he may suffer permanent damage. After all, he does this show for a living....not for a dying.
Stroud has an internet site and there's a web site for the Survivorman show (Google "Les Stroud" or "Survivorman [one word]). He's recognized and usually lauded by well-known survivalists. Yes, it's TV, but in Stroud's case, what you see is what you get. Not so in Bear's show (though I'll still like his show too).
Stroud knows what he's doing (as does Bear Grylls). He's got some real-world camping, hiking, climbing, and survival experience. I like him. If you haven't seen the episode where he's in either Arizona or Utah and all he has is a mountain bike, a dime-sized piece of old, moldy energy bar, a tiny handful of corn chips, and I think his multi-tool or a knife or something. Anyway, if you havent seen it, I recommend it.
. If you were really trying to survive the last thing you would want to do is trip and break your leg, arm, back, neck, etc. 
) I've seen him slide down icy hills, jump down rocky embankments, and more or less just take to many stupid risks!