| 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 | 72 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | July 28, 2014 (2014-07-28) – July 15, 2018 (2018-07-15) |
| Network | Nat Geo |
| Release | November 5, 2019 (2019-11-05) – August 27, 2023 (2023-08-27) |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | April 21, 2026 (2026-04-21) – present |
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]
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
[edit]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
[edit]Series overview
[edit]| Season | Title | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | ||||
| 1 | N/a | 6 | July 28, 2014 (2014-07-28) | September 8, 2014 (2014-09-08) | NBC | |
| 2 | 9 | July 13, 2015 (2015-07-13) | December 17, 2015 (2015-12-17) | |||
| 3 | 10 | August 1, 2016 (2016-08-01) | September 16, 2017 (2017-09-16) | |||
| 4 | 8 | May 7, 2018 (2018-05-07) | July 15, 2018 (2018-07-15) | |||
| 5 | 10 | November 5, 2019 (2019-11-05) | January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21) | Nat Geo | ||
| 6 | 8 | March 29, 2021 (2021-03-29) | May 17, 2021 (2021-05-17) | |||
| 7 | The Challenge | 6 | July 25, 2022 (2022-07-25) | August 22, 2022 (2022-08-22) | ||
| 8 | 8 | July 9, 2023 (2023-07-09) | August 27, 2023 (2023-08-27) | |||
| 9 | Bear Grylls Is Running Wild | 8 | April 21, 2026 (2026-04-21) | June 9, 2026 (2026-06-09) | Fox | |
Season 1 (2014)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Zac Efron" | Catskill Mountains | July 28, 2014 (2014-07-28) | 4.43[16] | |
| 2 | 2 | "Ben Stiller" | Isle of Skye | August 4, 2014 (2014-08-04) | 3.97[18] | |
| 3 | 3 | "Channing Tatum" | Yosemite National Park | August 11, 2014 (2014-08-11) | 4.54[20] | |
| 4 | 4 | "Tom Arnold" | Oregon Coast Range | August 18, 2014 (2014-08-18) | 3.80[22] | |
| 5 | 5 | "Tamron Hall" | Pink Cliffs | September 1, 2014 (2014-09-01) | 3.84[24] | |
| 6 | 6 | "Deion Sanders" | Utah desert | September 8, 2014 (2014-09-08) | 3.71[26] | |
Season 2 (2015)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Kate Hudson" | Dolomites | July 13, 2015 (2015-07-13) | 3.74[28] | |
| 8 | 2 | "Jesse Tyler Ferguson" | Italian Alps | July 20, 2015 (2015-07-20) | 3.34[29] | |
| 9 | 3 | "Kate Winslet" | Snowdonia | July 27, 2015 (2015-07-27) | 3.63[30] | |
| 10 | 4 | "Ed Helms" | Colorado Mountains | August 3, 2015 (2015-08-03) | 3.78[31] | |
| 11 | 5 | "Michelle Rodriguez" | Nevada Desert | August 10, 2015 (2015-08-10) | 3.84[32] | |
| 12 | 6 | "James Marsden" | Utah Canyon | August 24, 2015 (2015-08-24) | 2.91[33] | |
| 13 | 7 | "Michael B. Jordan" | Welsh Highlands | August 31, 2015 (2015-08-31) | 3.35[34] | |
| 14 | 8 | "Drew Brees" | Panama Jungle | September 7, 2015 (2015-09-07) | 2.83[35] | |
| 15 | Special–Episode | "President Barack Obama" | Exit Glacier | December 17, 2015 (2015-12-17) | 3.55[36] | |
Season 3 (2016–2017)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [37] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1 | "Nick Jonas" | Sierra Nevada mountains | August 1, 2016 (2016-08-01) | 3.17[38] |
| 17 | 2 | "Julianne Hough" | South African Savanna | August 2, 2016 (2016-08-02) | 5.15[39] |
| 18 | 3 | "Courteney Cox" | Irish Highlands | August 22, 2016 (2016-08-22) | 4.07[40] |
| 19 | 4 | "Shaquille O'Neal" | Adirondack Mountains | August 29, 2016 (2016-08-29) | 4.29[41] |
| 20 | 5 | "Lindsey Vonn" | Corsica | September 5, 2016 (2016-09-05) | 3.25[42] |
| 21 | 6 | "Mel B" | Wales | September 7, 2016 (2016-09-07) | 5.22[43] |
| 22 | 7 | "Marshawn Lynch" | Corsican Mountains | September 12, 2016 (2016-09-12) | 3.64[44] |
| 23 | 8 | "Sterling K. Brown" | Colorado Mountains | May 22, 2017 (2017-05-22) | 3.63[45] |
| 24 | 9 | "Julia Roberts" | Kenya | May 25, 2017 (2017-05-25) | 4.06[46] |
| 25 | 10 | "Vanessa Hudgens" | Sierra Nevada desert | September 16, 2017 (2017-09-16) | 2.11[47] |
Season 4 (2018)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [48] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "Joseph Gordon-Levitt" | Kenya | May 7, 2018 (2018-05-07) | 3.53[49] |
| 27 | 2 | "Keri Russell" | Canary Islands | May 14, 2018 (2018-05-14) | 3.01[50] |
| 28 | 3 | "Lena Headey" | Iberian Peninsula | May 21, 2018 (2018-05-21) | 2.92[51] |
| 29 | 4 | "Don Cheadle" | White Mountains | June 18, 2018 (2018-06-18) | 3.15[52] |
| 30 | 5 | "Derek Hough" | Rila | June 25, 2018 (2018-06-25) | 3.16[53] |
| 31 | 6 | "Scott Eastwood" | Balkan Peninsula | July 2, 2018 (2018-07-02) | 3.13[54] |
| 32 | 7 | "Roger Federer" | Swiss Alps | July 8, 2018 (2018-07-08) | 1.88[55] |
| 33 | 8 | "Uzo Aduba" | Pyrenees | July 15, 2018 (2018-07-15) | 2.01[56] |
Season 5 (2019)
[edit]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.[57]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [58] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 1 | "Brie Larson" | Pearl Islands | November 5, 2019 (2019-11-05) | 0.399[59] |
| 35 | 2 | "Joel McHale" | Arizona Slot Canyons | November 12, 2019 (2019-11-12) | 0.360[60] |
| 36 | 3 | "Cara Delevingne" | Sardinia | November 19, 2019 (2019-11-19) | 0.351[61] |
| 37 | 4 | "Rob Riggle" | Iceland | November 26, 2019 (2019-11-26) | 0.517[62] |
| 38 | 5 | "Armie Hammer" | Sardinia | December 3, 2019 (2019-12-03) | 0.384[63] |
| 39 | 6 | "Dave Bautista" | Glen Canyon | December 10, 2019 (2019-12-10) | 0.493[64] |
| 40 | 7 | "Channing Tatum" | Norway | December 15, 2019 (2019-12-15) (AUS) December 17, 2019 (2019-12-17) (US) | 0.546[65] |
| 41 | 8 | "Alex Honnold" | Swiss Alps | January 7, 2020 (2020-01-07) | 0.314[66] |
| 42 | 9 | "Bobby Bones" | Norway | January 14, 2020 (2020-01-14) | 0.501[67] |
| 43 | 10 | "Zachary Quinto" | Panama | January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21) | 0.378[68] |
Season 6 (2021)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [58] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 1 | "Anthony Mackie" | Dolomites | March 29, 2021 (2021-03-29) | 0.437[69] | |
| 45 | 2 | "Terry Crews" | Iceland | April 5, 2021 (2021-04-05) | 0.400[70] | |
| 46 | 3 | "Danica Patrick" | Moab, Utah | April 12, 2021 (2021-04-12) | 0.459[71] | |
| 47 | 4 | "Rainn Wilson" | La Sal Mountains | April 19, 2021 (2021-04-19) | 0.560[72] | |
| 48 | 5 | "Keegan-Michael Key" | Iceland | April 26, 2021 (2021-04-26) | 0.391[73] | |
| 49 | 6 | "Danny Trejo" | Arches National Park | May 3, 2021 (2021-05-03) | 0.487[74] | |
| 50 | 7 | "Gina Carano" | Dolomites | May 10, 2021 (2021-05-10) | 0.535[75] | |
| 51 | 8 | "Bobby Bones & fiancée Caitlin Parker" | Sierra Nevada | May 17, 2021 (2021-05-17) | 0.470[76] | |
Season 7: The Challenge (2022)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [58] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 1 | "Natalie Portman" | Escalante Desert | July 25, 2022 (2022-07-25) | 0.266[77] | |
| 53 | 2 | "Simu Liu" | Canadian Rockies | August 1, 2022 (2022-08-01) | 0.274[78] | |
| 54 | 3 | "Ashton Kutcher" | Costa Rica | August 8, 2022 (2022-08-08) | 0.310[79] | |
| 55 | 4 | "Florence Pugh" | Costa Rica | August 15, 2022 (2022-08-15) | 0.333[80] | |
| 56 | 5 | "Anthony Anderson" | Sierra Nevada | August 22, 2022 (2022-08-22) | 0.381[81] | |
| 57 | 6 | "Rob Riggle" | Great Basin Desert | August 22, 2022 (2022-08-22) | 0.301[81] | |
Season 8: The Challenge (2023)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [58] | Location | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | 1 | "Bradley Cooper" | Wyoming Basin | July 9, 2023 (2023-07-09) | N/A |
| 59 | 2 | "Benedict Cumberbatch" | Isle of Skye | July 16, 2023 (2023-07-16) | N/A |
| 60 | 3 | "Cynthia Erivo" | Brecon Beacons | July 23, 2023 (2023-07-23) | N/A |
| 61 | 4 | "Troy Kotsur" | Scottish Highlands | July 30, 2023 (2023-07-30) | N/A |
| 61 | 5 | "Russell Brand" | Hebrides | August 6, 2023 (2023-08-06) | N/A |
| 62 | 6 | "Rita Ora" | Valley of Fire | August 13, 2023 (2023-08-13) | N/A |
| 63 | 7 | "Daveed Diggs" | Great Basin Desert | August 20, 2023 (2023-08-20) | N/A |
| 64 | 8 | "Tatiana Maslany" | Laramie Mountains | August 27, 2023 (2023-08-27) | N/A |
Season 9: Bear Grylls Is Running Wild
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [82][83] | Location [82] | Original release date [82][83] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 1 | "Bear with Matthew McConaughey" | Norway | April 21, 2026 (2026-04-21) | N/A |
| 66 | 2 | "Bear with Tiffany Haddish" | Colorado River | April 28, 2026 (2026-04-28) | N/A |
| 67 | 3 | "Bear with MGK" | Norwegian Arctic Rainforest | May 5, 2026 (2026-05-05) | N/A |
| 68 | 4 | "Bear with Uma Thurman" | Eryri Mountains | May 12, 2026 (2026-05-12) | N/A |
| 69 | 5 | "Bear with Michelle Monaghan" | Great Basin Desert | May 19, 2026 (2026-05-19) | N/A |
| 70 | 6 | "Bear with Elizabeth Banks" | Folgefonna | May 26, 2026 (2026-05-26) | N/A |
| 71 | 7 | "Bear with Rhys Darby" | Canyonlands National Park | June 2, 2026 (2026-06-02) | N/A |
| 72 | 8 | "Bear with Colman Domingo" | Irish Sea | June 9, 2026 (2026-06-09) | N/A |
French version
[edit]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
[edit]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.
External links
[edit]- English-language American television shows
- NBC reality television shows
- National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming
- 2010s American reality television series
- 2020s American reality television series
- 2014 American television series debuts
- American television series revived after cancellation
- Fox Broadcasting Company reality television shows
- Survival reality television series
- American celebrity reality television series