Into the Mild

Wow. This one has me a bit... woozy.

It appears that the entire Into the Wild series on Discovery is completely full of shit. According to new reports, star Bear Grylls and crew often receive help in the form of hotel rooms (replete with hot tub and internet access), use safety harnesses and other protective measures when undergoing "life-threatening" exercises, and even have some "discoveries" planted. The crew also sometimes helps Grylls fashion transportation and other necessities he is supposed to have made himself.

Show consultant, Mark Weinert, told reporters "If you really believe everything happens the way it is shown on TV, you are being a little bit naive."

Well, we don't - usually; but when we're told we're supposed to - when, in fact, that reality is the very basis of the fucking show - it tends to be a bit easier to expect. After all, Steve Irwin really died. Didn't he?

I don't mean to speak ill of the dead; I'm just making the point. We all know that certain situations and exchanges are staged when it comes to silly "reality" game shows like Survivor or Blow Out - hell, we expect it! Those shows just wouldn't be that interesting without some staging. But this is a whole other level.

What is it about this modern culture that makes people think that we all "got what we deserved" for being "dumb enough to believe them" when they openly deceive us? Yes, we want to be entertained, but if we're watching a "reality" show that purports to show us survival techniques or what we should do if we are ever caught in this situation or that, then we have every right to expect that what we are watching is what we were told we were watching!

And this extends all the way across the board, culminating in sleazy "contractual" deals and obligations, ala Girls Gone Wild, and even the agreements we're fished into with credit card and insurance companies. "Buyer Beware" may be a motto to live by, but we shouldn't have to be lawyers to avoid being defrauded by "reputable" companies, we shouldn't need an agent to go drinking in a bar, and we shouldn't need a SFX technician beside us when we watch "educational" programming!