NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� For his latest role, leapt onto a hovering helicopter, rappelled down a 400-foot cliff and pulled himself across a 100-foot ravine in one of the harshest climates in North America.
His reward wasn't an Oscar nomination or a big box office hit. It was a hug from adventurist and some words of encouragement.
鈥淗e smashed it,鈥� Grylls says.
Cooper is one of several celebrities 鈥� including Benedict Cumberbatch, Cynthia Erivo, Russell Brand, Rita Ora, Daveed Diggs and Tatiana Maslany 鈥� who put their survival skills to the test in a new season of
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of this season. We鈥檝e had incredible guests who pushed the boundaries in terms of terrain and the challenge,鈥� Grylls told The Associated Press. 鈥淲hen there鈥檚 real tough weather with fun people, it鈥檚 often really compelling TV.鈥�
The series pairs Grylls with a celebrity for 48 hours in a harsh environment. The first day, Grylls teaches key skills 鈥� climbing techniques, water-finding tips and fire-setting, among them 鈥� and then the guest must do them alone the second day.
Kotsur, was tested in the Scottish Highlands, descending 2,500 feet (760 meters) across eight miles (13 kilometers) of harsh terrain and freezing rivers, including a 150-foot (45-meter) rappel down a waterfall. Because Kotsur is deaf, the two men used rope tugs to communicate. Kotsur's reward: haggis, a Scottish delicacy in which organ meat is put inside a sheep's stomach and cooked.
finds himself in the inhospitable Great Basin Desert in Nevada.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how this is going to go and that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 doing it,鈥� he says. Diggs learns how to use anchor points, track a target and make a signal fire. His dinner is a tarantula.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not what I was hoping for, I鈥檓 not going to lie to you,鈥� Diggs says.
Grylls told the AP the best guests are always those who come with a willingness to go with it, not to look good.
鈥淭he wild is so unpredictable and stuff is always happening. You can鈥檛 look cool all the time in the wild,鈥� he said.
The show is not just about survival. Grylls' guests usually open up and show a different side. Ora talks about her ties to Kosovo, Cooper seems unfazed eating mule deer tongue and Cumberbatch reveals stories about his grandfather. Over a campfire, Grylls goes deeper than many TV interviewers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as much about the stars and their own personal journeys and struggles and battles as it is about the adventure and the places,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think that combination works well because it doesn鈥檛 feel like a performance, like a chat show does, where you鈥檙e dressed up and made up and you get three minutes.鈥�
to the Isle of Skye, where his grandfather trained as a submariner. He learns how to use climbing talons and how to tie an Italian hitch knot.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not the same as doing a stunt on a Marvel film. It鈥檚 a lot more real,鈥� Cumberbatch says. His meal is seaweed and limpets 鈥� 鈥淒efinitely al dente,鈥� he jokes 鈥� and his bed is a wet field.
at the Valley of Fire in Nevada following a 15,000-foot (4,570-meter) skydive, learns a chimney climb, butchers a dead pigeon, sacrifices her lip balm to make a fire and uses a sock to soak up water. She and Grylls even dance on a rock ledge, casting their shadows tall.
鈥淭he wild strips us all bare, doesn鈥檛 it?鈥� Grylls told the AP. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a grape when you squeeze us, you see what we鈥檙e made of. And that鈥檚 always the appealing part of 鈥楻unning Wild鈥� 鈥� getting to know the real people.鈥�
One commonality among the guests is that viewers will often hear it was the celebrity's parents who instilled in them a sense of adventure and testing themselves.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a reminder just how important parenting is,鈥� Grylls said. 鈥淎lmost invariably when I ask stars, 鈥榃here does it come from?鈥� they go, 鈥極h, my dad was amazing when I was really struggling at school.鈥� Or, 鈥楳y mum was just such inspiration holding down three jobs.鈥欌��
鈥淩unning Wild with Bear Grylls" is only one of several shows the adventurist is juggling. On TBS this year, he debuted a competition series that bridges the survival and game show genres by having regular contestants recreate some of Grylls' stunts 鈥� like digging through poop or drinking urine. Younger fans can also enjoy an interactive Netflix show that asks viewers to choose how Grylls will make it out of the wilderness alive.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to be doing these shows forever but hopefully having an adventurous spirit and knowing the value of great friends and the power of a never-give-up attitude in the world 鈥� hopefully those things will keep going,鈥� the 49-year-old said.
He seems to have tapped into something deep in the human DNA 鈥� a need to be able to start a fire, use tools and master the wild. But Grylls thinks it's more than that.
鈥淚 really believe it鈥檚 a state of mind. We don鈥檛 have to be in the wild to live an adventurous life,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 how we live our life, how we approach our work, our relationships, our dreams, our aspirations, our interactions with people. Are we leaning on the adventure side? Are we always pushing the boundaries, taking a few risks?鈥�
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Mark Kennedy can be reached at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
