Running Wild with Bear Grylls
American reality television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Running Wild with Bear Grylls is an American survival skills reality television series starring Bear Grylls. In each episode, Grylls brings a different celebrity on a wilderness trip that is pre-arranged and supervised, but is presented as raw and unplanned.[1] The crew includes host Grylls, a story producer, two camera cinematographers, two field recordists, and a mountain guide, who are present throughout filming.[2]
- Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge
- Bear Grylls Is Running Wild
| Running Wild with Bear Grylls | |
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| Also known as |
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| Created by | Delbert Shoopman |
| Starring | Bear Grylls |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 69 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 45 minutes |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | July 28, 2014 – July 15, 2018 |
| Network | Nat Geo |
| Release | November 5, 2019 – August 27, 2023 |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | April 21, 2026 – present |
Celebrities such as Zac Efron, Channing Tatum, and Ben Stiller made appearances on the first season of the show. In season 2, Kate Winslet, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Hudson, Michelle Rodriguez, James Marsden, and Barack Obama appeared.[3] The series' fourth season premiered on May 7, 2018.[4]
Grylls announced the show's fifth season on October 27, 2018, which began filming around the same time.[5] In February 2019, it was announced that the show would be moving to National Geographic for its fifth season, which premiered on November 5, 2019.[6][7] The show was rebranded as Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge starting with season 7. On February 9, 2026, the series was renewed for a ninth season with the show moving to Fox and rebranded as Bear Grylls Is Running Wild, which premiered on April 21, 2026.[8][9][10]
Description
The show is based on the same survivalist concept as Grylls' other shows, such as Man vs. Wild, but with a celebrity joining him for the journey. The journeys include skydiving into the Catskill Mountains and climbing the cliffs in Utah.[11]
The first season began on July 28, 2014, and ended on September 8, 2014, receiving generally positive reviews that improved week by week.[12] For three weeks it was the highest rated unscripted new show of the summer.[citation needed] A second season was announced on March 26, 2015, and began airing in July 2015.[13]
On August 31, 2015, NBC and the White House announced that President Barack Obama would appear as a guest, hike through Exit Glacier and discuss conservation as well as the impact of climate change on the Alaska wilderness.[14][15]
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Title | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | ||||
| 1 | N/a | 6 | July 28, 2014 | September 8, 2014 | NBC | |
| 2 | 9 | July 13, 2015 | December 17, 2015 | |||
| 3 | 10 | August 1, 2016 | September 16, 2017 | |||
| 4 | 8 | May 7, 2018 | July 15, 2018 | |||
| 5 | 10 | November 5, 2019 | January 21, 2020 | Nat Geo | ||
| 6 | 8 | March 29, 2021 | May 17, 2021 | |||
| 7 | The Challenge | 6 | July 25, 2022 | August 22, 2022 | ||
| 8 | 8 | July 9, 2023 | August 27, 2023 | |||
| 9 | Bear Grylls Is Running Wild | 8[16] | April 21, 2026 | June 9, 2026[16] | Fox | |
Season 1 (2014)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Zac Efron" | Catskill Mountains | July 28, 2014 | 4.43[17] | |
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Zac Efron joined Bear Grylls on a journey into the Northeast Appalachian wilderness. This journey began as the two of them parachute into the woods, with Grylls executing a front flip. Grylls and Efron proceeded by climbing down a slippery hill with a rope, with Grylls assisting Efron throughout. Efron also discovered a rabbit carcass, which he and Grylls cut open to smell. The two of them collected worms before heading to a cave as their shelter for the night. They then cooked a meal for themselves, which were worms and eggs, while holding a conversation about their backgrounds and the trip. On the next day, Efron and Grylls ventured out into a canyon, again with the help of a rope, and rappelled down a steep cliff. The two dove into a body of water and swam to the shore, ending the episode.[18] | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Ben Stiller" | Isle of Skye | August 4, 2014 | 3.97[19] | |
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Ben Stiller joined Bear Grylls on his journey into the Isle of Skye of Northern Scotland. The two of them began by climbing down a slippery terrain, using ropes and surrounding rocks. Grylls made sure to move at Stiller's pace, while asking questions about Stiller's background and career. They then gathered food at a seashore and sheltered themselves inside a cave, where they found clean water to drink. The next day, Stiller struggled to wake up energized, but he still managed to follow Grylls to the edge of a cliff. Similarly to Efron's trip, the two of them dove into the water and swam to the plane. In the UK, this episode was aired as a special in 2014, under the Bear's Wild Weekend banner.[20] | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Channing Tatum" | Yosemite National Park | August 11, 2014 | 4.54[21] | |
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Channing Tatum accompanied Bear Grylls on a 48-hour expedition in Yosemite National Park, where they hiked, explored, climbed, and rappelled off cliffs. Tatum and Grylls began their journey in a helicopter ride, later jumping out and doing backflips into the water. After reaching land, they traveled 40 miles through a dense forest to reach their destination. While in the forest, Tatum and Grylls encountered both a scorpion and a rattlesnake, both of which they killed and ate. After finally reaching their destination point, they slept on top of a cliff. The episode concludes as the two rappel down the cliff.[22] | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Tom Arnold" | Oregon Coast Range | August 18, 2014 | 3.80[23] | |
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In the fourth episode, Bear Grylls is joined by Tom Arnold on an adventure through the mountains of Oregon. This adventure began with a helicopter ride to an isolated forest, followed by a long hike throughout the woodland. The two reached their first cliff and rappelled down it, and they proceeded to slide down a hill of mud. Now near a river, Grylls and Arnold caught and killed a trout, and then crossed the river with the aid of a log. At the end of the first day, they constructed their own shelter, built a campfire, and cooked the caught trout. The next day, they crossed another river, and the episode was concluded by rappelling down a steep cliff into the water.[24] | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Tamron Hall" | Pink Cliffs | September 1, 2014 | 3.84[25] | |
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Tamron Hall, an anchor on The Today Show, explored the wild Utah desert with Bear. Their adventure began by rappelling from a helicopter, followed by rappelling down a cliff. While walking in the desert, Bear found a dead squirrel, proceeded to gut it, and placed it in Tamron's backpack. Later, the two set up camp, cooked the squirrel, and settled for the night. On the second day of their journey, they rappelled down a second, much larger canyon and rode off scene in a motorcycle.[26] | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Deion Sanders" | Utah desert | September 8, 2014 | 3.71[27] | |
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Deion Sanders, a retired NFL player, joined Bear in the southern Utah desert in the season finale. Deion's children prompted him to participate in the episode because they said he was becoming "soft." Their journey mainly consisted of hiking through the Utah desert, later rappelling from a tree. Sanders' fear of snakes was an obstacle through the journey, especially with an encounter with a wild snake, which Bear later cooked for their meal. After rappelling down a cliff with remarkable ease, Deion and Bear concluded the episode by climbing up a mesa.[28] | ||||||
Season 2 (2015)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Kate Hudson" | Dolomites | July 13, 2015 | 3.74[29] | |
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Actress Kate Hudson goes on a journey with Bear Grylls that involves a treacherous mountain range in Italy; Hudson shares details of her unique upbringing. | ||||||
| 8 | 2 | "Jesse Tyler Ferguson" | Italian Alps | July 20, 2015 | 3.34[30] | |
| 9 | 3 | "Kate Winslet" | Snowdonia | July 27, 2015 | 3.63[31] | |
| 10 | 4 | "Ed Helms" | Colorado Mountains | August 3, 2015 | 3.78[32] | |
| 11 | 5 | "Michelle Rodriguez" | Nevada Desert | August 10, 2015 | 3.84[33] | |
| 12 | 6 | "James Marsden" | Utah Canyon | August 24, 2015 | 2.91[34] | |
| 13 | 7 | "Michael B. Jordan" | Welsh Highlands | August 31, 2015 | 3.35[35] | |
| 14 | 8 | "Drew Brees" | Panama Jungle | September 7, 2015 | 2.83[36] | |
| 15 | Special–Episode | "President Barack Obama" | Exit Glacier | December 17, 2015 | 3.55[37] | |
Season 3 (2016–2017)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [38] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1 | "Nick Jonas" | Sierra Nevada mountains | August 1, 2016 | 3.17[39] |
| 17 | 2 | "Julianne Hough" | South African Savanna | August 2, 2016 | 5.15[40] |
| 18 | 3 | "Courteney Cox" | Irish Highlands | August 22, 2016 | 4.07[41] |
| 19 | 4 | "Shaquille O'Neal" | Adirondack Mountains | August 29, 2016 | 4.29[42] |
| 20 | 5 | "Lindsey Vonn" | Corsica | September 5, 2016 | 3.25[43] |
| 21 | 6 | "Mel B" | Wales | September 7, 2016 | 5.22[44] |
| 22 | 7 | "Marshawn Lynch" | Corsican Mountains | September 12, 2016 | 3.64[45] |
| 23 | 8 | "Sterling K. Brown" | Colorado Mountains | May 22, 2017 | 3.63[46] |
| 24 | 9 | "Julia Roberts" | Kenya | May 25, 2017 | 4.06[47] |
| 25 | 10 | "Vanessa Hudgens" | Sierra Nevada desert | September 16, 2017 | 2.11[48] |
Season 4 (2018)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [49] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "Joseph Gordon-Levitt" | Kenya | May 7, 2018 | 3.53[50] |
| 27 | 2 | "Keri Russell" | Canary Islands | May 14, 2018 | 3.01[51] |
| 28 | 3 | "Lena Headey" | Iberian Peninsula | May 21, 2018 | 2.92[52] |
| 29 | 4 | "Don Cheadle" | White Mountains | June 18, 2018 | 3.15[53] |
| 30 | 5 | "Derek Hough" | Rila | June 25, 2018 | 3.16[54] |
| 31 | 6 | "Scott Eastwood" | Balkan Peninsula | July 2, 2018 | 3.13[55] |
| 32 | 7 | "Roger Federer" | Swiss Alps | July 8, 2018 | 1.88[56] |
| 33 | 8 | "Uzo Aduba" | Pyrenees | July 15, 2018 | 2.01[57] |
Season 5 (2019)
The series premiered its fifth season on National Geographic on November 5, 2019. Guest celebrities featured include Alex Honnold, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Cara Delevingne, Dave Bautista, Zachary Quinto and returning season 1 guest Channing Tatum, among others, with locations including Iceland, Sardinia, Panama, Arizona and Utah.[58]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [59] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 1 | "Brie Larson" | Pearl Islands | November 5, 2019 | 0.399[60] |
| 35 | 2 | "Joel McHale" | Arizona Slot Canyons | November 12, 2019 | 0.360[61] |
| 36 | 3 | "Cara Delevingne" | Sardinia | November 19, 2019 | 0.351[62] |
| 37 | 4 | "Rob Riggle" | Iceland | November 26, 2019 | 0.517[63] |
| 38 | 5 | "Armie Hammer" | Sardinia | December 3, 2019 | 0.384[64] |
| 39 | 6 | "Dave Bautista" | Glen Canyon | December 10, 2019 | 0.493[65] |
| 40 | 7 | "Channing Tatum" | Norway | December 15, 2019 (AUS) December 17, 2019 (US) | 0.546[66] |
| 41 | 8 | "Alex Honnold" | Swiss Alps | January 7, 2020 | 0.314[67] |
| 42 | 9 | "Bobby Bones" | Norway | January 14, 2020 | 0.501[68] |
| 43 | 10 | "Zachary Quinto" | Panama | January 21, 2020 | 0.378[69] |
Season 6 (2021)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [59] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 1 | "Anthony Mackie" | Dolomites | March 29, 2021 | 0.437[70] | |
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Anthony Mackie joins Bear Grylls for an exhilarating journey in the Italian Dolomites mountain. | ||||||
| 45 | 2 | "Terry Crews" | Iceland | April 5, 2021 | 0.400[71] | |
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Terry Crews joins Bear Grylls for a journey in the Icelandic highlands, where survival is the name of the game, from jagged scree mountains to freezing floodwaters. | ||||||
| 46 | 3 | "Danica Patrick" | Moab, Utah | April 12, 2021 | 0.459[72] | |
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Bear Grylls takes champion auto racer Danica Patrick into the Moab Desert for some high-octane, pulse-pounding action in the wild. | ||||||
| 47 | 4 | "Rainn Wilson" | La Sal Mountains | April 19, 2021 | 0.560[73] | |
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Bear Grylls inspires Rainn Wilson with mountaineering training in the La Sal mountains. | ||||||
| 48 | 5 | "Keegan-Michael Key" | Iceland | April 26, 2021 | 0.391[74] | |
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Bear embarks on an adventure with Keegan-Michael Key in the lava fields of Iceland. | ||||||
| 49 | 6 | "Danny Trejo" | Arches National Park | May 3, 2021 | 0.487[75] | |
| 50 | 7 | "Gina Carano" | Dolomites | May 10, 2021 | 0.535[76] | |
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Bear takes Gina Carano out into the rugged wilderness of Italy's Dolomites mountain range. | ||||||
| 51 | 8 | "Bobby Bones & fiancée Caitlin Parker" | Sierra Nevada | May 17, 2021 | 0.470[77] | |
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Bear takes Bobby Bones out into the rugged wilderness of the eastern Sierra Nevada with his new fiancée, Caitlin Parker. | ||||||
Season 7: The Challenge (2022)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [59] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 1 | "Natalie Portman" | Escalante Desert | July 25, 2022 | 0.266[78] | |
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Bear sets challenges for Natalie Portman in the slot canyons of the Escalante Desert. | ||||||
| 53 | 2 | "Simu Liu" | Canadian Rockies | August 1, 2022 | 0.274[79] | |
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Bear Grylls teaches Simu Liu essential survival skills in the sub-zero weather of the Canadian Rockies. | ||||||
| 54 | 3 | "Ashton Kutcher" | Costa Rica | August 8, 2022 | 0.310[80] | |
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Bear Grylls tests Ashton Kutcher's ability to survive in the wilds of the Costa Rican jungle. | ||||||
| 55 | 4 | "Florence Pugh" | Costa Rica | August 15, 2022 | 0.333[81] | |
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Bear Grylls takes Florence Pugh on a challenging adventure in the volcanic rainforests of Costa Rica. | ||||||
| 56 | 5 | "Anthony Anderson" | Sierra Nevada | August 22, 2022 | 0.381[82] | |
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Bear Grylls takes Anthony Anderson into the Sierra Nevada Mountains to teach him mountaineering skills. | ||||||
| 57 | 6 | "Rob Riggle" | Great Basin Desert | August 22, 2022 | 0.301[82] | |
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To prepare for an upcoming movie role, actor Rob Riggle travels to the Great Basin Desert to learn mountain man survival skills from Bear Grylls. | ||||||
Season 8: The Challenge (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [59] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | 1 | "Bradley Cooper" | Wyoming Basin | July 9, 2023 | N/A |
| 59 | 2 | "Benedict Cumberbatch" | Isle of Skye | July 16, 2023 | N/A |
| 60 | 3 | "Cynthia Erivo" | Brecon Beacons | July 23, 2023 | N/A |
| 61 | 4 | "Troy Kotsur" | Scottish Highlands | July 30, 2023 | N/A |
| 61 | 5 | "Russell Brand" | Hebrides | August 6, 2023 | N/A |
| 62 | 6 | "Rita Ora" | Valley of Fire | August 13, 2023 | N/A |
| 63 | 7 | "Daveed Diggs" | Great Basin Desert | August 20, 2023 | N/A |
| 64 | 8 | "Tatiana Maslany" | Laramie Mountains | August 27, 2023 | N/A |
Season 9: Bear Grylls Is Running Wild
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [16][83] | Location [16] | Original release date [16][83] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 1 | "Bear with Matthew McConaughey" | Norway | April 21, 2026 | TBD |
| 66 | 2 | "Bear with Tiffany Haddish" | Colorado River | April 28, 2026 | TBD |
| 67 | 3 | "Bear with MGK" | Norwegian Arctic Rainforest | May 5, 2026 | TBD |
| 68 | 4 | "Bear with Uma Thurman" | Eryri Mountains | May 12, 2026 | TBD |
| 69 | 5 | "Bear with Michelle Monaghan" | Great Basin Desert | May 19, 2026 | TBD |
| 70 | 6 | "Bear with Elizabeth Banks" | Folgefonna | May 26, 2026 | TBD |
French version
A French version of Running Wild with Bear Grylls titled À l'état sauvage airs in the French on M6. It is hosted by Mike Horn and premiered on the network on June 28, 2016.
À L'État Sauvage
Six episodes aired between 2016 and 2018. In each episode, Horn brings a different celebrity along on his adventures. The following six French celebrities made their embarked on an adventure with Horn: Michaël Youn, Matt Pokora, Laure Manaudou, Christophe Dechavanne, Shy'm and Adriana Karembeu. Each episode is set in different countries around the world: Namibia, Sri Lanka, Botswana, Venezuela and Nepal.
Cap Horn
After the six episodes of À L'État Sauvage, Horn started his own format of the show: Cap Horn. Two episodes aired, featuring celebrities Arnaud Ducret and Bernard de La Villardière, whom he embarked on adventures with in the Philippines.