Best survival TV show

[2coastcamper]

I got the idea for this post from Nate9000's post about a survival thread ...

... but, what is your favorite survival show???

And, no, Survivor doesn't count.

Ones that I like to watch are:
Survivorman
Man vs. Wild
Out of the Wild: Alaskan Experiment
and, sure, I'll even count Mantracker. Hey, the prey have to survive for a day and a half, even.

I enjoy Survivorman way more than Man vs. Wild. I'll be the first to admit that Bear is "better for TV" and Les is, but Survivorman is my favorite because he actually shows you things you can use. Bear shows you how to repel off the side of a rockface using a suicide knot, sure, but Les shows you how build a shelter in almost any location and how to stay hydrated in a desert environment.

I also enjoyed the first season of Out of the Wild: Alaskan Experiment. The show took nine random people (ranging from a horse trainer to a school bus driver), and put them on a month-long hike through Alaska. It was pretty interesting to watch them learn and adapt as the season progressed.

But, for me, Survivorman is the show that fills my DVR.

What's your favorite? Maybe there's one I haven't heard of yet.

[kernow]

I don't watch shows like that, in fact I don't think we have anything that could be termed a survival show in England.

[Nate9000]

im going to have to say Survivorman.. not just for the simple fact that he shows you what to do. but he does it alone. actually puts his own life on the line.as little danger as you think he's in.. he's actually quite alone.. with safty camps sometimes miles away from him.

mantracker.. haha its interesting to watch... but at the same time this show is a joke. theirs camera men running around everywhere.... everytime they do something to cover their tracks or something i always yell.. what about the camera crews tracks! then they always have those dramatic shots of one another when they see eachother.. yet... you never see the camera men in either shot.. meaning they had to have contacted eachother to get out of the shot.. then to return later to run away. haha i can go all day.. but yea mantracker = joke.

survivorman. completely interesting to watch. not to mention you actually learn something usefull out of it and les stroud is amazing.

[Buster]

I am a Man v Wild fan, but I have not seen Survivorman. If he is truly offering more practical advice and information, I will check out that show.

[greengrass]

For a while we would not miss an episode of Survivorman as a family. But I don't think we've watched any this season. I love what he does by himself out in the woods though. I've learned a lot from his show!

[jason]

I watch Survivorman when I can catch it. Man Vs Wild is second. I have not seen the Alaska show. I did see some previews for one in Africa but have not been able to catch it yet.

As for ManTracker, great show. I have only caught a handful of shows though. I like to learn how he is tracking the people. That I think is great information. Especially if someone gets lost on their way back to camp.

[Tomboy]

I was hooked to the Alaskan Experiment from the beginning. It was interesting to me though, that the peopple who had the hunting and outdoor experience were the first to give up. It looked like a real struggle and seemed to me to be the most authentic of the survival shows on tv that I have seen.

I'm not much interested in the African survival show as they all have experience(except for the writer) and they have a ton of help. If they did the Alaskan show with another group, I would watch it again.

[justontime]

A number of years ago we had a show about a group of people who had to spend a year on a remote Scottish island being completely self sufficient. That was more interesting and more real than anything else I have seen.

[kernow]

I remember that, it was quite a few years ago, but it was very good. It was not necessarily the people you expected to cope well that managed to gain most from the experience.