By Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times –
LOS ANGELES — Bear Grylls, the hard-charging adventurer host of Discovery’s “Man vs. Wild,” has climbed Mount Everest and crossed the North Atlantic in an inflatable boat, but he’s now crossing into even more treacherous territory: network TV.
NBC said Monday it has given the green light to a reality show starring Grylls with the working title “Get Out Alive.” The competition show will feature teams of two attempting to survive in the wild.
The network has ordered eight episodes of the series, which is set to debut in prime time next summer.
In a statement, Paul Telegdy, president of alternative and late night programming at NBC, said: “To meet Bear is to meet a force of nature. He is a magnetic and charismatic talent, whose infectious enthusiasm for adventure inspires people to push themselves beyond their limits. These contestants are in for the ride of their lives!”
The network says that further creative details will be released later. So we’ll probably be learning where, exactly, these poor people have to get out alive from. The Antarctic? The Gobi Desert? Grylls’ backyard?
Grylls faced a little reality show controversy in 2006 when his show came under criticism for not presenting survival situations exactly how they happened. Discovery subsequently re-edited certain episodes of the show and added new voice-over to more accurately depict what Grylls was doing.
