TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews
Survivorman Takes a Bite Out of Shark Week
'Survivorman' Host Gives Shark Advice and Weighs in on the Bear Controversy
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July 30 -- You've got to be a little bit nutty to dive into the ocean with a bunch of sharks for television, but that's just an average day at work for Les Stroud. The wilderness expert normally showcases his skills as the star of 'Survivorman,' where he's dropped off at some crazy destination, left to man his own cameras and live on minimal supplies.
Hosting shark week should have been a snap for this adrenaline junkie, but Stroud told AOL TV's Angel Cohn that he had a nasty run-in with a toothy predator filming 'Shark Feeding Frenzy.' He also gives his opinion of the recent controversy with fellow Discovery star Bear Grylls as well as some handy tips on shark encounters.
Is the myth about punching a shark in the nose to scare it off true?
Actually, I ended up having to do exactly that while I was shooting 'Shark Feeding Frenzy' and hand-feeding Caribbean reef sharks. I had a 9-foot reef shark bite my hand. I had a chain mail suit on, so I didn't lose my hand but I would have otherwise. I got away and then gave him a punch.
Why do you think people are so fascinated with sharks?
They are this big [ancient] mythical beast that on one hand is dangerous and deadly and scary and on the other hand beautiful and awe-inspiring and it lives in a place we aren't allowed to live.
Then there are all the shark attack movies too.
Yeah, 'Jaws' did it all for us, didn't it?
It doesn't seem like much would scare you after everything that you've done.
I'm really passionate about wild animals. So to get an opportunity to be diving with sharks, that's way up there with being in polar bear and grizzly territory during shooting 'Survivorman.'
Which other Shark Week special should we watch out for?
'Ocean of Fear' about the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the 900 men that went into the water and only 300 came out. That's a gripping tale of the most horrific shark attack in history.
What's worse, being stuck in the cold with grizzly bears or being trapped on a raft in the ocean?
Grizzly bears are OK, but if there is anything at all that makes me uneasy in the wild it is polar bears. For them we're just these big pink walking seals and they want to eat us. When I was floating in the life raft, I was out of my element there. It is not a pleasant experience to be floating on this little orange frying pan for four days. Give me that classic North American forest any day. I bounce between that and the jungles. You are going to see the Amazon jungle this year and I end up getting chased by a 250 pound jaguar.
Did you film it, or ditch the camera equipment and run?
I ditched most of it and just took enough to film what is happening. I'm pretty proud of that [episode]. It was a wild experience. I loved being down in the jungle.
What other wild situations are coming in the seven new episodes this season?
I went to Africa and I was in the plains. I did the Kalahari desert. It was the worst [time] of my life and I almost pulled the plug. It was 107 degrees in the shade and it was an intense experience.
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