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Bear Grylls to NBC for more survival reality action

By April MacIntyre Oct 8, 2012, 14:03 GMT

Bear Grylls - Bear Grylls "Mud, Sweat and Tears" Book Signing at Waterstone\'s Piccadilly in London on June 21, 2011 - Waterstone\'s Piccadilly - London, UK © Landmark / PR Photos

NBC has given the green light to “Get Out Alive” (working title), a new, extreme adventure reality-competition series headlined by adventurer Bear Grylls, to be co-produced by Bear Grylls Ventures and Ben Silverman’s multimedia studio, Electus.

The show will test teams of two beyond their most extreme imaginations in the wild. NBC has ordered eight episodes of the series, with additional creative details to be revealed at a later date. “Get Out Alive” is set to air in primetime in Summer 2013.

Grylls famously gave himself a Guano enema on an episode of his series, Man vs. Wild, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Grylls demonstraed how to hydrate one's self should you ever find yourself stranded on a raft without drinking dangerous water.

“To meet Bear is to meet a force of nature,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment. “He is a magnetic and charismatic talent, whose infectious enthusiasm for adventure inspires people to push themselves beyond their limits. These contestants are in for the ride of their lives!”

“‘Get Out Alive’ will be raw, tough and unrelenting, but it will also inspire and teach the essentials that one day may just save your life," said Grylls. "The goal is to empower people with the ultimate in both survival and teamwork, and that brings incredible reward... but first there must be some pain.”

“Bear is the most exciting talent in the world of survival adventure today -- there is simply no one like him,” said Chris Grant, CEO of Electus. “To be able to partner with Bear and the rest of his team is a dream come true. I believe that the synergies between our two companies are limitless and we are very excited to make programming with Bear for NBC.”

Grylls’ passion for the outdoors was forged during his childhood in the U.K on the Isle of Wight where his late father taught him to climb and sail. Trained from a young age in martial arts, Grylls went on to spend three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces, serving with 21 SAS.

Despite a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa where he broke his back in three places, Grylls went on to become one of the youngest climbers ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Today, Grylls is perhaps best known for his international TV series “Man vs. Wild” (known as “Born Survivor” in the U.K.), which has achieved a global audience of over 1.2 billion followers and author of his #1 best-selling book “Mud, Sweat and Tears.”