Critic Reviews

Presumably, the goal behind the show was for viewers to find the smartest way for Bear to survive but I just wanted to try to kill or hurt him in the worst way possible, or at the very least, make him drink his own pee.

From Grylls’s devil-may-care brio to the modest length – choose wisely and you can get through an episode in less than 20 minutes – this is a throwaway distraction fully aware of its inherent silliness. Approached in the same spirit, it’s a walk on the wild side that just about justifies your time.

It is not a very good game, neither difficult nor surprising, and its mechanics are so simple that I’m not sure game is even the right term. Nor is it a very good show; it’s the opposite of engrossing, instead leading you to constantly wonder how much of it is produced and whether the wolf Grylls “fights” is actually anything close to a “wolf.” But to say that it is simply “not very good” doesn’t feel right either. ... I can’t say I wasn’t entertained. I was.

No matter which way you go, Grylls keeps up a constant monologue of exposition, laying out your options and repeating your decisions back to you. It’s diverting enough for a time, but it isn’t long before you think: if you’re going to make me edit all these programmes for you, I want to be paid.