If Stroud is less over the top than Grylls (you rarely see Stroud leaping out of a plane into the ocean, for example), he has the calm assurance of someone who has "been there, done that" and lived to tell about it. With his camera aimed at himself on a sort of rigged up pole device, each episode is an up close and personal look at Stroud in a variety of exotic locales, from deep, humid jungles to vast arid deserts. There is of course some overlap between Man vs. Wild and Survivorman, especially in the kind of stomach turning moments when either host is forced to consume "food" that any sane person would probably prefer to die from starvation first rather than eat.

Stroud makes no bones about various mistakes even he can make. In one of the few episodes where he's accompanied, he and his hunting buddy split up on the first night. Stroud it turns out forgets to turn off his GPS unit, so it runs out of battery power, and he has a harder time finding his companion. Now the entire thing may have been planned (and indeed Stroud even seems to allude to it that way in a passing comment), but it shows what can happen even to the "experts" when they rely too much on technology and not any native survival skills.

What also sets Stroud apart from the pack is, strangely enough, his musical skill. Stroud started his career at Canada's version of MTV, and he is one hell of a harmonica player, something he shows off in a number of different episodes. It may have absolutely nothing to do with survival, but it puts a unique spin on the series and seems to make Stroud less of a superman, and more of an everyman you wouldn't mind hanging out with (maybe in a backyard, though, instead of Papua New Guinea). Stroud also contributed the guitar-laden theme to the series.

Though the show follows a formula (Stroud descends into the wilderness, manages to overcome many an obstacle, and then is ultimately rescued at the end by his rescue team), there is enough variety here to keep most viewers entertained throughout the season, though this is probably not a show most will want to watch all at once. Stroud visits a number of stateside locations, including the Sierra Nevadas and Colorado Rockies, but also branches out worldwide to the Arctic tundra and Australian outback. It gives the series a huge variety of ecosystems that Stroud must make his way through, and it provides ample opportunity for great glimpses of various wildlife and insects that inhabit these places. (Squeamish viewer alert: Stroud is not above showing carcasses of dead animals, some in pretty bad states of decomposition).

Survivorman certainly feels like the more authentic survival show when compared to Man vs. Wild. Grylls may be showier and more in your face, but Stroud's calm and quiet mastery of whatever domain he finds himself in, ultimately makes Survivorman the better show. Hopefully after a well-deserved rest Stroud will be back with more survival tips. Or at least some killer blues harp.

The DVD

Video:
Though Survivorman does sport an enhanced 1.78:1 image, you must keep in mind the conditions under which it is filmed, namely with either handheld or mounted minicams that Stroud himself takes on his travels. Therefore, image quality can be spotty at times, frequently dark and with poor contrast, and not especially well saturated colors. However, it matters not one whit in the long run--it simply makes the show all the more "real," which is the point.

Sound:
The DD 2.0 soundtrack is just fine, if unexceptional. Dialogue and narration are both completely clear, and Stroud gets some great ambient environmental sounds into each episode. There's not an astounding amount of separation here, but everything is reproduced with excellent fidelity.

Extras:
One extra episode about surviving a flood in an urban environment is included.

Final Thoughts:
Survivorman is the "real deal," with a knowledgeable, low key host in Les Stroud. A wide variety of environments and survival modes helps to keep the show fresh. Plus you get Stroud's phenomenal harmonica playing in a lot of episodes, an unusual, but very worthwhile, bonus. Recommended.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet