Bear Grylls returns to the wild with his new show, Bear Grylls: Face the Wild, but this time there is a twist. The series, exclusively streaming through Facebook Watch, features Grylls teaching "unsung heroes" how to survive outdoors.
"This show is one that I wanted to do for a long time because it takes every day, unsung heroes on adventures into the wild," Grylls told Newsweek in a phone interview. "There's a real commonality to what really keeps people alive in the wild and what helps people survive in life."
"I'm so proud of them," Grylls said about the participants. "[The show] is something I know will really move [viewers] and inspire them."
While Grylls isn't the most active social media user, he said the series "showed the best side of Facebook."
The world-renowned survival expert described the participants as having courage, humility, resourcefulness and a tenacious "never say die" sprit. "I loved seeing their faces when they arrived, when they were thinking they were not going to have the skills to survive out in the wild, but then they realize they've already got their skills," the adventurer said.
Grylls, 43, was personally inspired by the story of Jonathon Blank, a U.S. veteran who lost his legs in Afghanistan. Before heading back to the U.S., he was hospitalized in the U.K. And at least fifty Royal Marines lined up to donate blood.
"I served for the Royal Marines, so to be able to sit with him and hear his story and realize those bonds between servicemen across nations… to realize their blood was pumping through him and keeping him alive was really moving for me," Grylls said. "That one stood out to me."
While most people don't have the opportunity to climb a mountain with the renowned survivalist, Grylls had simple advice for anyone in search of adventure: "Begin."
"You've got to pick something, whatever it is. It doesn't have to be Mt. Everest. In the United States, you have adventure everywhere you look," he said. "Just go locally and hike and maybe spend a night out under the stars and just begin. Just plan it. And do it with a friend. Do it with a loved one. And when you're out there remember it's all about spirit. Never give up."
Bear Grylls: Face the Wild streams Wednesdays at 12 p.m. ET on Facebook Watch.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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