-There's a definite point of aggression
that can be brought out real easily,
and that's what we don't want to do.
You can't show him you're afraid.
♪♪
-Alright, so there's something I've been reading a lot
about online, it's something you can activate,
it's something you can channel, it's something you can unleash,
and It's called Beast Mode.
"Daily Reminder: Goals and Beast Mode."
"Beast Mode Today Means Gains Tomorrow."
"New Week. Beast Mode On!"
"If you're not where you want to be,
then it's time to go beast mode."
Alright, well, I guess it's time to go beast mode.
♪♪
Alright, so in order to activate my beast mode,
I'm going to come face-to-face with a grizzly bear.
♪♪
Is this thing on?
Just kidding?
So, in order to try to tap into my beast mode,
I'm heading to meet a man by the name of Mark
who lives with his wife Dawn alongside two different bears,
one being a polar bear by the name of Agee
and the other being a grizzly bear who goes by Billy.
So I'm going to go and learn from Mark
and all of his experiences with the animals
how to tap into my beast mode by
then putting it to the true test at the end
as I come face-to-face with the grizzly bear, Billy.
Billy the grizzly bear.
♪♪
Very eager to begin.
I think I'm equally eager as the polar bear over there
is continuously pacing back and forth.
♪♪
-Come in.
-Hi, Mark. -Hi.
-I'm Taji. -Taji, nice to meet you.
-So nice to meet you. -This is Dawn.
-Hi, Dawn. I'm Taji. It's nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you. -Hello, I'm Taji.
-Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you.
♪♪
-I brought a pie for the bear, potentially.
-He will love that.
I didn't know if it was just from the movies and stuff,
but I thought maybe they actually eat pies.
I wasn't sure. -Well --
-Hopefully -Bears love
blueberry pie, right.
Yes.
-What's your goal?
-So, I'm on a mission to try to become a better man,
and this particular set of advice that I've come across
is all about accessing your beast mode.
Kind of my end goal is kind of just to basically --
I can explain a little about this beast mode thing.
Yeah, sorry.
Basically, beast mode is a concept
where you kind of like are able to almost,
like, unleash the beast within.
There's this one beast mode
where it's like the sporting one.
This is a philosophy that can lead to great success.
Becoming rich and famous, finding true love.
But then there's other kind of ways of looking at it
that are more kind of like abstract
and just within life.
Through unlocking the beast mode
can basically assist that journey.
I was struggling.
If I couldn't explain what beast mode is,
how is I ever going to activate it?
I guess a large part of the whole beast mode thing,
at least, like, the one I'm trying to accomplish,
is kind of like learning from animals,
accessing your animalistic traits.
I can imagine for you, it's probably taken a lifetime.
-It has been a lifetime.
-Establishing a beast mode is an art.
You have to know when to use it, why to use it and how to use it.
We deal with the bears primarily,
but we dealt with many other animals
where we've had to unleash the beast mode,
even on a little Chihuahua.
You can't show him you're afraid.
-I was starting to think I was biting off
more than I could chew.
I was already afraid of Agee and Billy,
but now there was a third beast I needed to fear -- Mark.
-Mark's temperament is like a big old bear, though.
If he gets pushed, he'll react a lot.
But there's nobody I'd rather be with
in the way of bears than him.
-Good girl.
Good girl.
-You got to realize she's 800 pounds.
She sometimes counts,
so let's say he throws one cookie over there
to turn her around, she'll count.
She'll say, "You throw one. Now I want two over there."
-So, she's a quite smart animal.
Does it seem like over the years there's been things
that Mark has been able to learn from her?
-Of course. They teach us everything.
-While this was all fun and interesting,
it was time for some hands on learning
in the form of a posed picture with Agee.
-Well, just think about it this way.
You're turning your back on a Class A-type predator.
-Sign me up.
-Turn around right there, put your knee down.
There you go. Okay, stay there you look.
You look this direction.
-Good point, good girl. [ Agee growls ]
Good girl.
Stay right there. -Don't move.
You're doing good.
You don't have to hold perfectly still.
You can relax a bit. -Agee, back up.
Good girl, smile,
Good girl, really nice.
♪♪
-Say, I bet you're stronger than you think you know.
I bet you are.
You're standing up straighter. [ Laughs ]
-After the terrifying experience
of turning my back to a Class A predator,
I needed a break, and what better way to relax
than to be poolside with the polar bear?
♪♪
[ Whispering ] That is so cool.
-Smile. [ Agee roars ]
Good.
You're $10,000 teeth.
-She's very beautiful.
-Now, if she's going to cheat and go to the stairs.
[ Laughter ]
-Did she learned that from the humans?
-Yeah. You know, Mark taught her how to swim.
Mark was her daddy and her mommy.
-Do they raise each other almost?
-Who knows? Or is Mark always the...?
-Who knows? That's what I question.
-I mean, he does kind of resemble
the polar boy a little bit in appearance.
-So, he's going to help you carry some food, Mark.
-Alright, so I have a bucket of grapes with me
among various meats beneath the grapes,
and I'm about to head to Billy the grizzly bear with Mark.
I'm certainly feeling a little bit nervous,
but I sought out here to access my inner beast...mode, that is.
And that's what I'm going to -- what I'm going to attempt to do.
-You're not going to attempt, you're going to do it.
When you say you're going to do it, you do it.
-So, I'm with Mark right now.
I got a bucket of grapes and various meats,
and I'm going to go access my beast mode.
-That's right.
♪♪
-Along your journey of living with these bears,
have there been any traits that you've picked up on from them?
-I walk like a bear most of the time.
-How are you feeling?
-I feel, like, a little bit nervous,
but also like kind of like a weird, nervous happiness.
-Okay.
Okay, let's go.
♪♪
-Good boy.
-Looks like a pretty healthy bear.
It's like very, um...
-Oh, good bear. -...such a luscious coat.
-Kick it.
Kick it, kick it, kick it.
-Billy was quite the cute one,
but as playful as he was being, I knew that I could become
his lunch at the drop of a hat,
and that is not something I wanted to be.
So I entered the arena for my final beast mode test,
coming face-to-face with the grizzly bear.
-No, no. -Should I get out? Sorry.
So I wasn't supposed to go in there yet,
but, you know, we'll give it a minute.
They're just kind of preparing the bear it seems.
I don't want to say preparing,
but, you know, it's almost like a negotiation it seems.
Is it -- is it preparation?
So they're basically -- they're prepping the animal.
-I bet you're stronger than you think, you know.
-You're not going to attempt, you're going to do it.
-You can't show him you're afraid.
-When you say you're going to do it, you do it.
-Should I pet him more? -No.
-Not really. -You just -- you just --
you just leave your hand naturally on him.
Stay there.
-Stand up.
Good boy. Good bear.
[ Roaring ]
-That was pretty sweet. He licked me.
[ Laughs ]
He gave me a nice lick. Is that common?
-Not everyone gets a lick. -Wow.
-Did you enjoy it? -It's invigorating.
I mean, it's almost, like, it's literally the definition
of beast mode.
-Okay.
♪♪
-It was really fun meeting with Billy for the first time.
I feel like I've tapped into almost, like,
a small portion of my beast mode,
but in order to kind of go, you know, the full mile,
we're going to basically raise the stakes a little bit
and have a good old pie eating contest.
♪♪
Are you feeling kind of at your peak
in beast mode right now as well?
No, it's just kind of everything?
-I want it mellow, so I'm just mellow.
Billy, you ready?
I put my money on you, buddy.
All my per diem is on you.
There's a definite point of aggression
that can be brought out real easily,
and that's what we don't want to do.
♪♪
I don't know how to eat it.
Should I just go like how Billy is doing it?
-Yeah. Anyway, you want.
♪♪
So, it's kind of interesting watching Billy eat
compared to me because he has just
such a large snout and mouth
and he's almost just like stationary
with these giant claws and paws
just kind of set in place.
Very, very meticulous,
as well as just a bear on a mission.
Does Billy get doing get to finish my pie
if I don't want it. -Yep.
-Thanks.
I can't tell if I'm nervous or sick
from the pie.
-Goodbye, Bill. -Bye-bye.
-See you later. -Later
♪♪
Bye, Billy.
I'll catch you another time.
Bye, Billy.
-You may not be a beast mode of a bear,
but you'll be a beast mode somewhere.
Just let him grab it from you with his hands.
There you go. -Ah, he's sweet.
That wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be.
As my time was winding down, I still felt a little lost.
I came here to learn from the bears,
but they hadn't really taught me much.
Maybe like Mark had mentioned, I needed to spend years
with the Bears to really learn from them.
Or maybe I was looking for beast mode in all the wrong places.
-Mark's temperament is like a big old bear, though.
-This whole time I was trying to learn beast mode
from the bears when the real beast
was in front of me all along.
-I mean, he does kind of resemble the polar bear
a little bit in appearance.
-I walk like a bear most of the time.
-You know what beast mode really is, Taj?
Being calm in the storm?
-The key to most of it is to stay calm.
I want it mellow, so I'm just mellow.
-Beast mode is being the duck
on top of water with the legs
going 1,000 miles an hour underneath the water.
So, that Mark's the beast mode here.
He's the beast mode here.
-I guess beast mode isn't all about being tough and wild.
It's just about being present in the moment
and adapting to whatever life throws at you.
That's what the bears do, that's what Mark does,
and now that's what I'll do, too.
So, Mark and Dawn, I want to thank you for helping me
get one step closer to becoming a better man.
-A present for you, sir.
-Thank you so much.
Basically, Mark is passing down the torch.
-I feel like I'm blessed because I had an opportunity in my life
to really excel, not only excel
in getting to know these animals,
but to train these animals and animals that people say,
oh, you can't train.
So I have to look back and say it's been a blessing.
-Well, I don't think anything says beast mode
more than this T-shirt.
So thank you again, Mark. -It's our pleasure.
-And thank you, Dawn.
-Thank you for coming to our world.
♪♪
-I got nailed by a bee.
-Well, I hope you feel better soon, Mark.
-Well, if not, I'll just croak right on the grass
and let the bear take care of you.
So, like I said, I have a very dry sense of humor.
-I got nailed by a bee.
-Well, I hope you feel better soon, Mark.
-Well, if not, I'll just croak right on the grass
and let the bear take care of you.
So, like I said, I have a very dry sense of humor.