Tag Archives: Human Interest

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6450 Bear Grylls with Inno McKeown How do I contact Bear Grylls? is the most common question I have been asked, since I started writing about Bear Grylls in 2007.

Several readers asked me this week. I wrote this article, with easy instructions, because my 2009 answer and 2012 answer are both wrong. The Web keeps changing. I added a message to my previous instructions to read this article.

It is harder to send Bear Grylls a message in 2013. Bear Grylls only has a contact page for scouting and speaking engagements.

Bear Grylls still has an Ask Bear page. However, you can only read old questions.

What Is The Best Way To Send A Message to Bear Grylls?

Use Twitter. It is easy. I will explain how to do it.

  1. Login to Twitter or Join Twitter.
    • If you are joining, take your time to create a profile with a photo and your location. Your photo will be displayed with your message.
    • Anyone can join. Twitter is free and there is no minimum age.
  2. Write a short message. Twitter messages must be less than 140 characters. Everything counts, including spaces and periods.
    • Check your message for spelling errors!

Is Your Message Perfect?

If Bear Grylls answers your question, a million people will see your message, because Bear Grylls has about a million followers on Twitter.

An Example from a Question I Received

A reader asked if Bear Grylls would be visiting India. If Bear Grylls was here, I would ask:

Do you have any plans to visit India?

Twitter is like email. Instead of an email address, I must add Bear Grylls’s name to the question. Like this:

@BearGrylls Do you have any plans to visit India?

An Example From a Question I Asked Bear Grylls

@beargrylls Do you have any plans to visit India?

— Mitchell Miller on January 6, 2013

Sadly, Bear Grylls has not replied. He might reply to you. You will never know unless you try!

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Bear Grylls Bear Grylls has a new show, but few details are available. We know that he will avoid injuries as a spectator. I will explain how you can participate in the NBC Bear Grylls Adventure.

This show was created for Bear Grylls. A previous version, Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls, was described as:

extreme adventure reality-competition series headlined by world-renowned adventurer Bear Grylls

The current version, The NBC Bear Grylls Adventure was developed by a company with a cute name: ElectUs. (I added caps).

ElectUS is led by Ben Silverman. Mr. Silverman also produced The Office, Ugly Betty and The Biggest Loser for NBC.

I have never watched Mr. Silverman’s previous shows. I am familiar with The Biggest Loser because it appeared in an advertisement for StreetStrider, the first elliptical tricycle. I enjoy riding a bicycle. I would really like to try a StreetStrider. Unfortunately, there are no StreetStrider showrooms near me, in Lexington, Kentucky.

Starving for Dollars

Mr. Silverman is smart. Losing weight is not exciting. Nevertheless, Americans have enjoyed watching The Biggest Loser, where obese contestants have starved and dehydrated themselves for prizes, since 2004. On TV, contestant Kai Hibbard lost 118 pounds in twelve weeks. However, she said:

I have people that come up to me and talk to me and ask me why they can’t lose 12 pound in a week when I did. When I didn’t. It didn’t happen. It’s TV. I helped perpetuate a myth that’s dangerous.

Bear Grylls has been caught faking stuff. I hope his new show is legitimate.

Incidentally, Kai Hibbard regained 31 pounds in two weeks after the show.

Eating Bugs for Dollars

I do not why Bear Grylls is scowling, with a wrinkled forehead, in this show’s publicity photos. I expect the contestants on the new Bear Grylls show to make worse faces eating non-kosher insects.

Although this was not mentioned in the press release, the new Bear Grylls show sounds like Fear Factor. If you have forgotten Fear Factor, The New York Times described it as a:

Reality series in which contestants compete by performing extreme physical, mental and gastronomic challenges under the supervision of Hollywood stunt coordinators.

Fear Factor contestants were couples. Just like the new Bear Grylls show. They competed eating insects and other silly stuff. I watched Fear Factor many times. I stopped watching Fear Factor, after host Joe Rogan, who never scowled, forced a nearly blind, 75-year-old G. Gordon Liddy, who was winning, to drive around an obstacle course. Mr. Liddy crashed almost immediately, so someone else could win.

Now or Neverland

Fear Factor was created by Endemol. It began on Dutch TV as Now or Neverland. The New York Times listed “Nerves of Steel” as an alternate title, but I was unable to find any information about that.

Drinking Donkey Semen For Dollars

I found a Fear Factor video of two women drinking donkey semen and urine which was not shown on American TV.

They might have been unemployed. They definitely needed cash.

Why Copy Fear Factor?

Fear Factor was syndicated after its fifth season. It earned hundreds of millions of dollars.

Fear Factor was revived for two episodes in 2012. One stunt was:

being submerged in a tub full of leeches before having to consume 10 leeches

Fear Factor stunts are completed under the supervision of professional Hollywood stunt coordinators. Bear Grylls is the ideal person to supervise these stunts.

Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi

Fear Factor is popular in India. The Indian host is Ashkay Kumar, a Bollywood action star. Indian stunts are milder than American stunts. Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi won an Indian Telly Award for “Best Reality Show” during its second season.

The winning season, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi – Level 2, was described as:

Thirteen women— minor celebrities— are paired with people in need of money. The idea is for the pairs to complete two difficult tasks, involving both creepy crawlies and physical challenges, with the weakest performers being eliminated at the end of the day’s tasks.

Bear Grylls is the logical host

Bear Grylls knows more about “creepy crawlies and physical challenges” than almost anyone on Earth.

How To Meet Bear Grylls On His New Show

Contestants should submit a video for the best chance of being selected. I doubt that we will see many contestants over 40, none over 70. G. Gordon Liddy would not be selected.

If you want the best chance of being selected:

  • Fill out an application
  • Create a compelling video with your partner
  • Attend an audition with your partner. Dates below.
Date City Location / Map
Dec 8AtlantaGeorgian Terrace Hotel
Dec 8Detroit Gardner-White
Dec 9DallasGilley's Dallas
Dec 15FayettevilleFayetteville Athletic Club
Dec 15Los AngelesBoys & Girls Club of Venice
Jan 12New YorkFlatotel
Jan 12PhoenixSuperstition Springs Center
NOTE: All times are 10 AM — 4 PM local time.

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by Mark Pullen Bear Grylls, who just finished filming three more episodes of Man vs. Wild, has started a five year mission to visit 10,000 UK Scouts. Grylls is making 24 stops this weekend, across Northeast UK from Northumberland, through Yorkshire, to Lincolnshire County. Bear Grylls said:

My goal as Chief Scout is for every young person that wants to be involved in Scouting to be able to take part. But in order to make this happen we need even more adult volunteers to keep up with the demand. So my aim is to encourage even more adults to volunteer alongside me and join in that Scouting adventure.

Bear Grylls brought his seven-year-old son Jesse, who has joined the Scouts as a Beaver, to Northumberland yesterday. Bear Grylls joined the Scouts when he was eight.

Bear Grylls will participate in activities, including sailing, rock climbing, canoe polo, and a canal boat expedition along Salterhebble Basin, through the Salterhebble Locks– one of the shortest locks on UK inland waterway system.

Where Is Bear Grylls Right Now?

Follow Bear Grylls, and the weekend activites on Flickr and Twitter. For photos, visit Bear Grylls takes to the air to visit 10,000 Scouts. For news, check UKScouting or search for #bearinthenortheast on Twitter.

For more information on UK Scouts visit: www.scouts.org.uk

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by Robb Hill / Robb Hill Photo National Public Radio has a new contest for everyone who likes to write. Can you write a story about this photo (shown) that can be read in three minutes?

Stories will be judged by Alan Cheuse, who reviews books for All Things Considered. Winner receives an autographed copy of Cheuse’s novel, To Catch the Lightning: A Novel of American Dreaming. Entries must be received by February 28 – in three days, but monthly contests will continue. Read the rules for more info.

How I Wrote My Story

I installed the photo as desktop wallpaper, to see it as often as possible, until I wrote “Flight”. I copied/pasted into entry form and submitted it. I found Previous Three-Minute Stories later!

Update

(March 21, 2010) Congratulations to winner, Rhonda Strickland, for Please Read. The fourth round of the contest will be announced next week.

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Bear Grylls: Escape to The Legion I have not written about Bear Grylls lately, so I decided to catch up, with three interesting items at once.

Man vs Wild Video Game

Discovery Channel has selected Crave Entertainment to turn Man vs. Wild into a video game. There should be versions for PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Xbox 360 available by the end of 2011.

Players will control a character under the guidance of Bear Grylls.

Bear Grylls Promotes Alpha Course

Bear Grylls visited Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach, which houses 1263 male inmates on October 22, 2009. Grylls introduced inmates to Alpha Course a free ten week course about Christianity, developed at Holy Trinity Brompton Church, an Anglican church in London.

Grylls also made two appearances at 2009 National Alpha Conference to promote this course.

It is nice to see Grylls endorsing a non-commercial product he believes in.

Grylls Has Third Best Job in World

A poll by Shell and Auto Express concluded that Jeremy Clarkson, who drives fast cars on UK TV Show Top Gear, has the best job in the world. Nigella Lawson, known as Queen of Food Porn was second, and Bear Grylls finished third.

I was surprised that Queen Elizabeth finished sixth, because I think that she has the best job.

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Sarah Palin addressing RNC Sarah Palin resigned on Sunday, with a speech that made as much sense as her reasons for resigning.

In my opinion, she quit because her approval rating dropped from 93% in June 2007, to 56% in July 2009. Palin has also incurred $500,000 in legal fees defending herself from about 20 lawsuits, claiming ethics violations.

Indeed, Palin’s first statement complained that:

“Political operatives descended on Alaska last August, digging for dirt. The ethics law I championed became their weapon of choice.”

Mike Huckabee commented on her critics, and lawsuits, saying:

“Well, if that had been the case for me, I’d have quit about my first month, because I was a Republican governor in a state where 89 percent of my legislature were Democrats”

The Lamest Excuse

Although she had 17 months left to serve, Palin claimed that she did not want to be a “lame duck” saying:

“And so as I thought about this announcement that I wouldn’t run for re-election and what it means for Alaska, I thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks… travel around the state, to the Lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade – as so many politicians do. And then I thought – that’s what’s wrong – many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and “milk it.” I’m not putting Alaska through that – I promised efficiencies and effectiveness! That’s not how I am wired. I am not wired to operate under the same old “politics as usual.” I promised that four years ago – and I meant it.”

If that was true, Presidents would not bother running for a second term.

Palin’s Farewell Speech

Sarah Palin’s farewell address was bizarre. How can anyone believe:

“when I took the oath to serve you, I promised…remember I promised to steadfastly and doggedly guard the interests of this great state like that grizzly guards her cubs, as a mother naturally guards her own.”

She seems to have forgotten that she took an oath to serve a full term!

Jim David of Huffington Post commented:

“Her farewell speech should be required viewing in political science classes until the end of time, so that students can see the ultimate example of style over substance and form over content. Viewing this speech should be accompanied by Dan Quayle’s “Murphy Brown” speech and Bill Clinton’s “I did not have sex with that woman” speech.

Mr. David succinctly summed up Palin, saying:

“the truth is, she is quitting because she has one of the thinnest skins and smallest minds ever to hold office”

Shatner Says It Best

78 year old William Shatner, who enjoys reciting poetry, did a great job turning Palin’s speech into poetry on The Tonight Show.