The island with Bear Grylls

[susiedaisy]

Anyone watching??

You can bank it, too, with rocks, but if you're not really practiced at this the best thing to do is make several fires and sit watches around them, continually boiling water all through the night because when you have only a tin can to use for water, you will need a lot, then practice banking one and if you smother it by accident, well, you still have the other fires to use for clean water. Setting it on the beach away from the trees is a good idea, but then you have wind to worry about.

Also start practicing shimmying up those trees for coconuts, because it is extremely difficult to do and takes a lot of practice. A coconut is another source of water and you can eat it, too.

I hope they were all just putting on an act and not that incredibly stupid.

I remember camping with a true Old Man of the Mountains and his first directive once we all arrived at camp was to send some of us for larger sticks whilst he prepared a circle with bank for a fire and assembled tinder. If it were winter or late Spring several more were to go and fill buckets with snow for water. Others would set to work putting up the tents and getting everyone's gear into the dry, then get back in to strip sticks whilst the fire was being built up.

Was I the only one rather disappointed Bear Grylls wasn't actually in it much??

I don't really understand what the long haired one is doing there - what a moaner! When everyone else is pleased to finally have a drink and he is whinging on about it tasting like piss water!

Everyone's going to end up using him as shark bait.

I think it's good Bear isn't there with them. Otherwise it would be too easy.

Anyone seen the US series "Survivors"? I bloody loved all the backstabbing and tactics in it..

I was screaming at them to use the hairdressers glasses to start a fire! Plus why wait until you have a fire before you get water etc.

I think I might need Survivors in my life, is it on at the moment?

Fox - Not sure, maybe on sky or something? We only have Freeview. I used to watch it every year back in Finland [unhelpful]

I'll have to see if I can find it, thanks for the tip off!

Oh, it's actually called "Survivor" (singular).

Didn't show men as being do-ers, that's for sure. If I'd have been one of the three trying to light the fire for hours on end, I'd have got pretty ratty with the others for loafing around all day.

Most glasses won't work to start a fire - they need to be for long sight and I think quite strong.

When are they going to kill the annoying policeman?

Did enjoy it but dear God, there was no sense of urgency with getting the fire lit!

Agree about the moany one.

You have to be careful with coconut water, they are a powerful natural laxative, so in their situation you shouldnt have too many.

Couldn't they start a fire with the camera lens or would that be cheating?
Last night I decided I was going to attempt the string fire thing but this morning I realised the house is destroyed and there is too much washing so I have had to put my survival practice on hold!

It really is a giant PITA to start a fire with no flints/matches/lighter and no tinder. A friend of mine has been doing it for about 20 years, he started as a Scout (is still a Scout leader) and does a lot of bushcraft workshops and the like and even he has a helluva time often enough. That's why essential kit even centuries ago for Native Americans included flints and tinder.

Even now, a small bag of Dorritos, cotton wool pads that have been soaked in melted wax, paper egg cups full of dryer fluff with melted wax poured over, all very good to carry round as well as lighter, flint strike or waterproof matches in a tin.

And they are lucky to have plentiful, dry wood sources.

That's why the first logical thing would be to get several people working on a fire, several more to hunt for a water source, several to start sourcing supplies for shelter, etc.

This must be choreographed. No group can be that stupid.

I only got halfway through so perhaps tactics improve but I agree with all of the points made. The programme just raised too many questions.

1. Apart from the first night, why not split in to groups with different tasks rather than sitting and watching one pair work?

2. Why did they keep running in to the sea to get stung? (Also, why did Grylls say poisonous when he meant venomous?).

3. Why did they stay on the open beach during the midday sun, complaining of heatstroke?

My suggestions:

1. Have Grylls doing little explanations as to what the group should be doing to make fire, find water etc at any given point.

2. Have some of the men explaining their actions after the event. What they were thinking when X, Y or Z happened.

I'm catching up with this now, although I have to say I'm especially enjoying reading expatinscotland's comments on here. Aaaand relax...

Oh I am glad I wasn't the only one thinking why not use glasses to start a fire? And surely there are coconuts about - food and drink there.

Are they that dim?

Why were they all flopping about and not having 2 teams on starting the fire while the others were getting the water collected and ready to be boiled, and collecting coconuts & firewood?

I guess it wouldn't be as interesting if there were women there who know all this stuff

3) Why did they stay on the open beach during the midday sun, complaining of heatstroke?
I know there was so much shade!!!

I have just finished watching this, my god are they thick, why on earth would so many people watch three people trying to make fire instead of going off and finding what else is available on the island, and would there really be that much washed up rubbish, most of what seemed to be old water/lucozade bottles and a colgate box, and if they have to survive for so long with no intervention whatsoever how will they cope if someone gets seriously ill, they have not been abandoned at all, there definitely has to be some sort of communication with BG and channel four

I will keep watching though, want to see who turns on who first

Oh and by the way, if there is ever such a thing as mumsnet island I want to be on expat team if that's ok with you expat

Why are there no women on this program?

Because the premise is how modern man copes when cast away.

Ellenora, I was lucky enough to go to the Bora Bora and Moorea and if you are up early enough before its all cleared, the amount of rubbish on the beaches is shocking. People lobbing their rubbish out of boats or abandon it on the beach and it all gets washed up on these beautiful little islands.

Isn't that shocking Foxsticks, I really never thought of it that way, people have no respect, they wouldn't chuck it out of a car so why chuck it out of a boat

I made DH watch it whilst he was home this weekend. He'd love to do something like this and was shocked at how slack they are. I'm definitely with the right person if we ever need to live of the land.