While viewers have seen Bear Grylls during his most vulnerable moments while trekking
it on television, there are still quite a few facts that fans would be fascinated to
know about this celebrity survivalist. Here are a few surprising things you never knew
about Bear Grylls.
We all know how Bear Grylls finds himself in many extreme circumstances while on television.
Not surprisingly, his big break onto our TV screens put him in the middle of another pretty
sweaty situation. It was a starring role in a deodorant commercial.
In 2003, Grylls was approached to appear in the advertisement five years after his monumental
trek up Mount Everest. According to BearGrylls.com, he was only 23 years old when he became the
youngest person ever to reach the top of the mountain.
Like his successful climb up the summit, the commercial catapulted his media career. It
immediately became campaign of the week and brought attention to the young adventurer.
Documentaries were developed about his outdoor encounters, and, eventually, Discovery Channel
approached him to star in a series called Man vs. Wild. Grylls explained to Newsday:
"I always knew what I loved. It was always about being outside with my dad, climbing
or making stuff, and getting in and out of scrapes. That was how it all started."
For a man who enjoys spending time out in the wilderness so much, the Man vs. Wild celeb
couldn't have been given a more fitting name than Bear. However, it's not his real name.
Born as an Edward, the name was way too fancy for someone who always enjoyed getting their
feet dirty — or so his older sister said. Friends and family began shortening his name
to Ted and then to the even friendlier nickname Teddy Bear, and finally shortened it to — well,
you get the idea. He's been called Bear for quite some time. Grylls laughed as he told
ABC News:
"Everyone always asks, 'Did you wrestle a bear when you were young?'"
We've got to admit, that would have been an even more amazing story. Luckily, long before
television came calling, he already had this successful stage name. He added:
"It's actually more that I had an older, bossy sister who said, 'Edward's such a boring name.'"
Bear Grylls spends a lot of time on deserted islands — so much so that he actually decided
to live on one. Radio Times reported that in 2001, Grylls and his family of five purchased
a 20-acre island off the coast of Wales to build their remote home on. While it may seem
like the perfect place to escape the paparazzi and relax after running around in the wild,
it's not exactly the oasis most of us would expect. There's no running water, and, unfortunately,
Grylls can't watch himself on TV because there's no electricity either. At least it's precisely
what he's used to when he's out adventuring, right?
To keep their house at a habitable temperature, the Grylls family built it up with limestone
walls that are two feet thick. He told Vanity Fair:
"But when those gales come in, you can still feel it almost shake."
Setting world records out in the wilderness seems to be Bear Grylls' thing. The sky truly
is the limit for what this man can do — except in 2005, when he decided to attempt a new
record up in the atmosphere.
Grylls put on a tuxedo, hopped in a hot air balloon, and hosted the world's highest formal
dinner party. Along with two other guests, he enjoyed a three-course meal almost five
miles above the earth. The menu consisted of asparagus tips, duck a l'orange, and fruit
terrine. The Guardian reported that when they were done dining, they skydived back down
to the ground.
At least they were able to enjoy some beautiful weather up there! It was -58 degrees Fahrenheit.
When Bear Grylls met the love of his life, he was doing the last thing any of us want
to be during a moment as magical as that: he was skinny dipping. However, maybe it's
not that big of a shocker if you're a devoted fan of his shows on Discovery Channel; he's
in the buff quite often.
It was a few months before heading to Mount Everest when it happened. Grylls was getting
in the water for his regular New Year's tradition when he spotted a woman walking by on the
shore. At that point, a wave took his clothes away that were sitting on the sand, and he
was scrambling to pick them up when Shara stopped to help him. He admitted on Piers
Morgan's Life Stories:
"It was the worst time in the world to fall in love [...] [She] probably felt sorry for
me — this weird man running around."
When Grylls arrived back from Mount Everest, he knew he had to marry her. To make the moment
super special, he decided to propose in the same way he met her, so they went skinny dipping.
It's kind of like their own rendition of Dating Naked, huh?
It shouldn't come as a shock that Bear Grylls has sustained too many injuries to count while
surviving in the craziest places. However, there was one injury that almost ended it
all. Before Grylls broke the world record for the youngest man to climb Mount Everest,
he broke his back. He told The Telegraph:
"I left that hospital with a fire inside to live life boldly and with gratitude. I had
been given a second chance and that doesn't always happen."
He headed out again into the world and has since broken a lot more bones and been bitten
by an assortment of animals. The Daily Star reported that in 2019, Grylls knocked on death's
door a second time when he was stung by a bee that put him into shock while shooting
one of his shows.
Not too surprisingly, Grylls is also covered in scars. It's, unfortunately, just part of
putting on a show as a survivalist. The one he gets asked about often is on his chest.
His wife, Shara, explained on Piers Morgan's Life Stories that he earned it in quite an
unexpected way:
"It was him, taking the pizza out of the oven, naked, naturally, and burning himself on the
tray."
After conquering Mount Everest, Bear Grylls wasn't searching for money — only for more
mountains to climb. He told ABC News:
"I might never make any money, but it's going to be an adventure."
For someone known for surviving with very little, Grylls actually has a lot. According
to Celebrity Net Worth, he is worth $25 million. Between the books he's written, television
shows he stars in, and merchandise he sells, Grylls has quickly become a millionaire. He
said on Piers Morgan's Life Stories:
"It's great not having to worry about paying the bills."
That being said, there's really no reason he should be spending so much time sleeping
outside. This is exactly what got him in trouble in 2007. He made headlines for staying in
a hotel one night while shooting his show. As Grylls explained, his son had just been
born, and he was eager to see his family. He booked them all a room and headed back
to "set" as soon as the sun came up.
According to Reuters, he explained such scenarios further during a press tour:
"Often at nighttime, [the crew] will get helicoptered out, and they might have to recharge camera
batteries and hand in footage, and then they leave me a little minicamera for the night
stuff, and they come and rejoin me in the morning."
Grylls roughing it is very real. He just makes sure to fit in time with family on occasion.
With all of the terrifying encounters Bear Grylls has experienced out in the wild, it
wouldn't seem like he's scared of anything at all. However, every human has their fair
share of fears, and Grylls' may just surprise you. He admitted on an episode of Running
Wild with Bear Grylls:
"Cocktail parties. I'm not joking. I get, like, the fear of God."
For being both a celebrity and a public speaker, Grylls is still pretty shy. Surprisingly,
on his newest television series, he's forced to socialize with other stars as he shares
survival tips with them while out in the wilderness. BBC reported the thoughts he shared during
a conference in Dubai:
"I've learned that the best way over our fears is right bang through the middle. It really
is. The only way you don't see the fear is when you're right on it."
Running Wild with Bear Grylls has featured big names like Channing Tatum and Brie Larson.
Obviously, Grylls doesn't easily get starstruck.
There's no denying that Bear Grylls is seriously the ultimate Boy Scout. Aside from teaching
the world how to survive the wilderness on television, it only makes sense that he mentors
young men as a scout leader. In 2009, Grylls broke yet another world record when he was
named the youngest Chief Scout at 34 years old.
"Just never give up. Never give up."
While his world records are astounding, the ultimate honor was appointed to him by the
Queen of England. The Telegraph reported that Grylls was officially named an OBE, or Officer
of the Order of the British Empire, for his work with young people. The title is so important
to this outdoor enthusiast that he even has it listed on his Instagram profile.
There's a real reason why he volunteers with adolescent expeditionists. Even as Grylls
goes all over the world sharing his survival tips, there's a simple something he wants
to hit home with them. He explained to LAist:
"Get out there and live life a bit and live it boldly. Don't be scared to take some risks
and push the boundaries a bit. This is a message I'm trying to get to the Scouts."
Bear once revealed,
"So many people have asked me over the years where they can learn extreme, practical survival."
In response, he created the Bear Grylls Survival Academy in 2012.
Though none of the classes are taught specifically by Grylls himself — after all, he has a
pretty strenuous schedule between shooting his show and, you know, surviving in the middle
of nowhere — all of the lessons were laid out by Grylls himself. His experience as a
part of the British Special Forces influenced much of the content. Anybody, from the experienced
outdoor enthusiast to your everyday air-conditioning-loving person, is able to master what it takes to
make it in the wild.
The program is now available in the United Kingdom, the United States, and China.
Though Bear Grylls is up for any adventure that's thrown his way, he understands that
not everybody else is up for a treacherous task — even those celebrities who volunteer
to be on Running Wild with Bear Grylls.
In 2015, Barack Obama happened to be the one starring alongside the excursionist. Apparently,
he's a big fan of the show and was ready to embark on an adventure. Yet, just behind-the-scenes,
producers were set on getting him to do something pretty unenjoyable. It's something that Grylls
has had to do time and time again — drink his own urine. Yikes.
Grylls, of course, isn't from the states, but it seems he has the utmost respect for
the former president. He admitted to The Sun:
"I jumped in and said 'Guys, we're done. I'm not asking him to do that. We're moving on.'"
In fact, Obama had to have many precautions in place in order to be a part of the production
in the first place. According to The Jonathan Ross Show, Secret Service had to be present,
and a large "black crate" was even kept nearby for him to crawl into, ready to be airlifted
out by helicopter in the event that, quote, "everything goes wrong".
While they may be out in the wild where dangerous things are likely to happen, these celebrity
guests still can't show up to their other expensive projects with broken bones. Grylls
said:
"My job is always to listen and to look after them on the journey."
Bear Grylls has been popping up on our television screens for nearly two decades, so it's a
bit shocking to hear that he originally wanted no part in being broadcast to the world. He
told ABC News:
"I never knew anything about TV, and I certainly never wanted to be a TV host."
It was after speaking with other nature enthusiasts that he knew he was doing a good deed. Many
fans felt inspired and empowered after seeing him survive in the wild. It wasn't just because
he taught them how to manage in the middle of nowhere, either. In the wild, like in life,
Grylls was being tested and always triumphed.
Aside from receiving inspiring words from all over the world, Grylls also gets asked
some silly questions. He told The New York Times:
"People come up to me and go, 'You're the dude who slept in that camel.' Or, 'You're
the dude who drank your own urine'. And I keep thinking, at the end of my life, do I
want to be known as the person who slept in a camel and drank my own urine? Maybe there
are worse things to be known for."
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