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A14 PEOPLE /ARTS
Thursday 6 July 2023

Bear Grylls goes into the wild with a new batch of celebrities, from

Bradley Cooper to Rita Ora

By MARK KENNEDY people.”
AP Entertainment Writer One commonality among
NEW YORK (AP) — For his the guests is that viewers will
latest role, Bradley Cooper often hear it was the celeb-
leapt onto a hovering he- rity’s parents who instilled in
licopter, rappelled down them a sense of adventure
a 400-foot cliff and pulled and testing themselves.
himself across a 100-foot ra- “It’s a reminder just how im-
vine in one of the harshest portant parenting is,” Grylls
climates in North America. said. “Almost invariably
His reward wasn’t an Oscar when I ask stars, ‘Where
nomination or a big box of- does it come from?’ they
fice hit. It was a hug from go, ‘Oh, my dad was
adventurist Bear Grylls and amazing when I was re-
some words of encourage- ally struggling at school.’
ment. Or, ‘My mum was just such
“He smashed it,” Grylls says. inspiration holding down
Cooper is one of several ce- three jobs.’”
lebrities including Benedict “Running Wild with Bear
Cumberbatch, Cynthia Eri- Grylls” is only one of several
vo, Russell Brand, Troy Kot- shows the adventurist is jug-
sur, Rita Ora, Daveed Diggs gling. On TBS this year, he
and Tatiana Maslany who debuted “I Survived Bear
put their survival skills to the Grylls,” a competition se-
test in a new season of Nat ries that bridges the survival
Geo’s “Running Wild with and game show genres by
Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” having regular contestants
premiering Friday. recreate some of Grylls’
“I’m really proud of this This combination of photos released by Nat Geo shows celebrities, top row from left, Russell stunts like digging through
season. We’ve had incred- Brand, Bradley Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daveed Diggs, bottom row from left, Cynthia poop or drinking urine.
Erivo, Troy Kotsur, Tatiana Maslany and Rita Ora in separate episodes of “Running Wild with Bear
ible guests who pushed the Grylls: The Challenge,” premiering on July 9. Younger fans can also en-
boundaries in terms of ter- Associated Press joy “You vs. Wild,” an in-
rain and the challenge,” teractive Netflix show that
Grylls told The Associated rope tugs to communicate. able and stuff is always up and made up and you asks viewers to choose how
Press. “When there’s real Kotsur’s reward: haggis, a happening. You can’t get three minutes.” Grylls will make it out of the
tough weather with fun Scottish delicacy in which look cool all the time in the Cumberbatch is taken to wilderness alive.
people, it’s often really organ meat is put inside wild,” he said. the Isle of Skye, where his “I’m not going to be do-
compelling TV.” a sheep’s stomach and The show is not just about grandfather trained as a ing these shows forever
The series pairs Grylls with cooked. survival. Grylls’ guests usual- submariner. He learns how but hopefully having an
a celebrity for 48 hours in Diggs, a city kid, finds him- ly open up and show a dif- to use climbing talons and adventurous spirit and
a harsh environment. The self in the inhospitable ferent side. Ora talks about how to tie an Italian hitch knowing the value of great
first day, Grylls teaches key Great Basin Desert in Ne- her ties to Kosovo, Cooper knot. friends and the power of a
skills climbing techniques, vada. seems unfazed eating mule “It’s not the same as doing never-give-up attitude in
water-finding tips and fire- “I don’t know how this is deer tongue and Cumber- a stunt on a Marvel film. It’s the world hopefully those
setting, among them and going to go and that’s why batch reveals stories about a lot more real,” Cumber- things will keep going,” the
then the guest must do I’m doing it,” he says. Diggs his grandfather. Over a batch says. His meal is sea- 49-year-old said.
them alone the second learns how to use anchor campfire, Grylls goes deep- weed and limpets “Defi- He seems to have tapped

day. points, track a target and er than many TV interview- nitely al dente,” he jokes into something deep in the
Kotsur, who won an Oscar make a signal fire. His din- ers. and his bed is a wet field. human DNA a need to be
for “CODA,” was tested in ner is a tarantula. “It’s as much about the Ora arrives at the Valley of able to start a fire, use tools
the Scottish Highlands, de- “It’s not what I was hoping stars and their own personal Fire in Nevada following a and master the wild. But
scending 2,500 feet (760 for, I’m not going to lie to journeys and struggles and 15,000-foot (4,570-meter) Grylls thinks it’s more than
meters) across eight miles you,” Diggs says. battles as it is about the ad- skydive, learns a chimney that.
(13 kilometers) of harsh Grylls told the AP the best venture and the places,” climb, butchers a dead pi- “I really believe it’s a state
terrain and freezing riv- guests are always those he says. “I think that combi- geon, sacrifices her lip balm of mind. We don’t have to
ers, including a 150-foot who come with a willing- nation works well because to make a fire and uses a be in the wild to live an ad-
(45-meter) rappel down a ness to go with it, not to it doesn’t feel like a perfor- sock to soak up water. She venturous life,” he said. “It’s
waterfall. Because Kotsur look good. mance, like a chat show and Grylls even dance on how we live our life, how
is deaf, the two men used “The wild is so unpredict- does, where you’re dressed a rock ledge, casting their we approach our work, our
LIKE US ON shadows tall. relationships, our dreams,
“The wild strips us all bare, our aspirations, our interac-
doesn’t it?” Grylls told the tions with people. Are we
AP. “It’s like a grape when leaning on the adventure
you squeeze us, you see side? Are we always push-
what we’re made of. And ing the boundaries, taking
that’s always the appeal- a few risks?”q
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getting to know the real