Surviorman, Season 2: Thoughts on the whole season

[misanthropist]

I get where you are coming from and no doubt conditions where you are are much tougher than many of the places most people here would be familiar with. I have lived most of my life in coastal BC which is very similar to lots of Alaska, and if you are not reliant on food, you are certainly reliant on a more forgiving micro-climate.

It is very possible to go for weeks without food in the Alaskan winter, but it would probably require you to keep a large fire going at all times. With no food this would be hard, but definitely possible.

But remember that having a fire is very much like changing the weather...with enough fire, it is no longer thirty below and wet as hell.

I am not advocating ignoring food by any stretch, but you can skip it for a few weeks and survive, even in rough conditions.

 

[JD Mandrell]

Great season, I really liked the behind the scenes episode.

I think they should revamp the show to just be a show about him traveling to these places and learning on camera from locals. I enjoyed that footage as much as the regular show.

 

[MG_Saldivar]

3. Whichever one of you guys coined "Starvingman" should trademark it.

I don't know if it's a faux pas to quote myself, but...

I noticed on the behind-the-scenes ep that at least two of his production team members made cracks about Les not eating for a week in Ecuador and in Labrador.

 

[winterland]

Love the show. I hope they keep making them for a sure.
I still enjoy watching the same ones over a few times.

I do like how Les stresses many times it is very important to keep level headed and positive. Very psychological.

I am sure it would be very easy to panic.

I know I have learned many things from watching the shows.

 

[savagesicslayer]

I really like the down to earth way Les does the shows.Very normal guy in the woods.There's none of this "I can survive cause I've been in X-special forces".He's just a guy in the wilderness staying alive and bringing us along for the ride.I really hope there's a third season.

 

[Wabajack]

My favorite was Alaska:

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I loved this season. Can't wait for another.

 

[GIBBY]

I wish he would film an episode showing what he would prefer to have in a "Pocket Survival Kit" or an "Otter Box" and why or things he normally has on him when going out in the bush. Then show the best ways to put those items to use. I wish I could play harmonica.

 

[kurodrago]

I really like the down to earth way Les does the shows.Very normal guy in the woods.There's none of this "I can survive cause I've been in X-special forces".He's just a guy in the wilderness staying alive and bringing us along for the ride.I really hope there's a third season.

Exactly I have to agree Well said!!!:thumbup:

 

[upnorth]

A third season would be great! (this one seemed pretty short.) Survivorman is a lot better than most of the other TV out there. The alaska episode he had ***gasp*** a fixed blade knife, a buck 119. A staple of hunters and outdoorsman everywhere because it is reasonably priced and widely available.

The cook islands and alaska episodes were really good, I agree that the South Africa episode was boring, but hopefully none of us will ever find ourselves in south africa...as survival seems really tough there.

every TV show has its flaws but this is one of the better shows out there. Les just needs to become a better fisherman, and then I think he would be less of a "starvingman."

Yup, just caught the tail end of some African episode were Les had almost zero chow, a tiny crab, a few termites etc. However, I like Les more and more over time because he isn't full of crap like Grylls, or whatever his name is. Grylls almost runs through his episodes with seemingly boundless energy, were Les is far more real and low energy from lack of food. I agree that Les has trouble in the food gathering area but then he just has to survive for a week in each scenario. It gave me the willys when Stroud walked to an Indian camp in the dusk jungle, with a predatory cat following him. I have seen Stroud in some very scary and dangerous situations with nothing but his cameras. Les doesn't know it all, admits it, and can laugh at himself and or admit mistakes. I'm liking him more and more over time.

 

[darthstrevel]

I wish he would film an episode showing what he would prefer to have in a "Pocket Survival Kit" or an "Otter Box" and why or things he normally has on him when going out in the bush. Then show the best ways to put those items to use. I wish I could play harmonica.

He did have a home-made survival kit (much like the ones we make - with a .22 LR) in the episode where he was a trapped dogsledder in Labrador. Oddly enough he had to be rescued 1/2 through the week by his crew due to the ice turning into mush and making the area inacessible to snowmobile/dogsled. Kind of ironic that on his best prepared trip he didn't make it through the week. Food for thought.

 

[GIBBY]

He did have a home-made survival kit (much like the ones we make - with a .22 LR) in the episode where he was a trapped dogsledder in Labrador. Oddly enough he had to be rescued 1/2 through the week by his crew due to the ice turning into mush and making the area inacessible to snowmobile/dogsled. Kind of ironic that on his best prepared trip he didn't make it through the week. Food for thought.

I wonder what would happen if he didn't have the multi-tool to take the butt plate off with? It would have been better to have a kit in his pocket.

 

[sketchbag]

I wonder what would happen if he didn't have the multi-tool to take the butt plate off with? It would have been better to have a kit in his pocket.

Edge of a rock, knife, rim of a .22 cartridge, handle of your fly zipper, ect. there's tons of stuff you could use to loose a screw

 

[kgd]

It was definitely nice to see him with some prepared kits - labrador.

I also agree that the 'Making-of' final episode was really great and provides a bit of a break to the standard format where they are forever searching for that high tension/drama to showcase (the hook) in the opening scene. I'd definately like to see more of this type of format perhaps even interspersed between the 7-d alone in the wild. For example, they could insert some of the background/prep work + training soundbites right within an episode itself. I find that the little piece of text about some factoid that pops up now and again to be rather insubstantial. Cutting away from the main part of the story and going to a little segment that talks about survival techniques or what aboriginal people do in similar circumstances would be quite good. It would also give the show a bit of filler to replace some of the redundant aspects.

I thought that some of the locations for season 2 were chosen more for exotic factor than anything else, but then again, my bias is that I like to see him in N. America more where I can apply his experiences better to my own.