Shark Week: The Great Bites Collection (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Every year the Discovery Channel does their "Shark Week" thing; a series of shark-themed shows. Now they've released a new collection of some of these shows that also acts as a great sampler for the network's programs (well, at least those that don't center around blue-collar jobs, like "World's Deadliest Catch").
You get episodes of "Survivorman", "Mythbusters" and "Dirty Jobs". So far I've only watched the "Mythbusters" and "Dirty Jobs" episodes.
The "Mythbusters" one is a 90 minute special and includes things like a mechanical shark and a robot dog with some interesting secretions...
For "Dirty Jobs" you get to watch Mike Rowe and friends as they head up north. Way up north. So far north that you can't go too much farther north without going south. They head out there in search of an elusive shark that may be eating seals.
You also get "How Not to Become Shark Bait" (lesson one, I'm guessing, don't work for the Discovery Channel), "Mysteries of the Shark Coast", and "Day of the Shark".
Bonus features include some "Dirty Jobs" stuff, as well as something called "Summer of the Shark".
Overall a good little package at quite a good price!

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Where in the world can you find the strangest and most deadly sharks? Why do sharks sometimes prey on humans? When are you most likely to be attacked? And what can you do to avoid becoming shark food? If you're hungry for answers, join the experts and some of Discovery Channel's bravest hosts as they go swimming with the ocean's most feared predator to answer all your biting questions. Bonus Features: Shark Attack Files, Jobs That Bite and Jobs That Bite HarderStills from Shark Week (Click for larger image)

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Dirty Jobs: Collection 2 (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Thank you, Mr. Rowe, for keeping us entertained. I got a copy of Collection 2 last week and have since savored every stomach-twisting episode. I don't know how the guy does it, the filth, claustrophobia, stench, physical harm, all for the sake of enlightening the audience. It is amazing what people will do for a pocketful of cash, and I would not have known about some of these jobs if not for Mr. Rowe's dedication!
Bravo, and keep 'em coming!

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Mike tackles some of his dirtiest and most dangerous jobs yet as he slogs through muck and mire in search of bloodworms, guts a mold-infested house damaged by Hurricane Katrina, packs explosives into the wall of a salt mine and much more. But these jobs require more than steel nerves and a strong stomach; sometimes they require sheer finesse - like working with a rare breed of goats that faint anytime they're startled, helping bugs breed in the perfect environment or sculpting gardening pots out of manure. Experience 28 of Rowe's most unusual and adventurous jobs in these 12 complete episodes. You won't believe what some people do to earn a living! Disc 1: Lobster Fisherman, Seaweed Harvester, Snake Researcher, Concrete Stamper, Penguin Keeper, Bloodworm Digger, Hurricane Barrier Cleaner, Bell Maker, Home Renovator, Rat Exterminator, Mosquito Control Officer, Stump Remover, Farmer of Fainting Goats, Bug Breeder, Salmon Carcass Counter, Poo Pot Maker Disc 2: Wine Barrel Maker, Mule Logger, Triple-A Baseball Groundskeeper, Boat Mooring Fixer, Well Digger, Wine Cave Digger, Airport Worker, Salt Miner, Wine Maker, Cattle Rancher, Hydro-Seed Operator, Steamship Cleaner

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Survivorman (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)***** This set does not contain "The Making of Survivorman". That extra footage came out after I purchased this DVD. Try Survivorman's website for the latest version. *****
The two colorful DVDs come in a classic plastic container. The picture quality and sound are perfect. Each episode is shown in its entirety and without commercials. It doesn't get any better than this.
Disc One
Desert - Les salvages his broken bicycle after it strands him in the desert. He later uses those parts to aid his situation.
Boreal Forest - Just what it implies. The forest. It's in one of these forest/jungle outings that Les almost amputates his finger when his knife slips.
Swamp - Bullfrogs and turtles are Les's main staple as he builds a raft out of the swamp.
Jungle - At night the jungle floor moves with activity.
Disc Two
Arctic - No food anywhere, except for his pack of seal blubber. Polar bears stalk his sleeping area.
Mountain - Shelter building and fire making at its best.

Winter Plane Crash - My favorite. Les fakes a broken arm to reflect a real plane crash situation. He builds a nice shelter from the busted up airplane, and traps rabbits with a snare.
Canyonlands - The loneliness of the canyons grates on Les's nerves as he smokes out a living quarters and catches small animals for food.
Lost at Sea - Les takes flight in a rubber raft and gets hit by a nasty unexpected storm.
I can't wait to see what Les has planned for Season Two. I'll be the first to buy his DVD.


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Imagine being stranded in the most extreme environments on earth for seven days - completely alone with virtually no supplies. How could you possibly survive? With no support crew and operating the camera himself, survival expert Les Stroud tackles that question as he tests himself in the toughest types of wilderness, ranging from the desert to the Arctic. Among his adventures, he battles life-or-death situations - the aftermath of a winter plane crash, abandoned in the mountains, lost at sea and much more. If you like living on the edge, you can't afford to miss a minute of these nine extended episodes!Disc 1: Arizona Desert Boreal Forest Georgian Swamp Costa Rican Ocean Disc 2: Arctic Mountains Pacific Coast Canyonlands Lost at Sea

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Survivorman: Season Three (2009) Review

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This is the final season of Survivorman. Although it was the weakest of the three, it was still satisfying. I hope Les Stroud continues in his public teaching. His personality is superlative and I hold him in high esteem.

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Would you know what to do if you were stranded and left to survive without food or shelter in some of the world's harshest environments? Les "Survivorman" Stroud is determined to find out as he embarks on the final season of this thrilling series. Armed with little more than a harmonica and a wry sense of humor, Les uses skills, bravery and ingenuity to tackle seemingly impossible situations.
Sierra Nevada: The rugged Sierra Nevada is a hiker's dream. The problem is that it's very easy to get lost and succumb to the perils of the environment. See what "Survivorman" Les Stroud does when he finds himself in this predicament.

Colorado Rockies: The Colorado Rockies is one of the most magnificent mountain ranges in America. And one of the most treacherous. With two horses and his usual 50 pounds of camera gear, Les must learn how to gather food and water while navigating the precarious precipice.

Arctic Tundra: Stranded on northern Baffin Island in a ruggedly beautiful yet unforgiving land where the summer sun doesn't set for days on end, Les learns some particularly harsh lessons in solo arctic survival.

Deep Woods: Millions of hunters embrace their primal nature every year as they trek into the woods in search of wild game. It can be an exhilarating experience, but it also can be very dangerous. Les discovers just how wrong a hunting trip can go.

Australian Outback: Les gets stranded in the remote Australian Outback when his ultralight airplane runs out of fuel. Alone on an endless expense of sun-burnt grasses, Les must get creative if he is going to survive.

Papua New Guinea: "Survivorman" is dropped off in the overgrown jungles of Papua New Guinea. Though food appears to be plentiful, surviving for a week is going to be an exhausting adventure for Les.Stills from Survivorman: Season Three (Click for larger image)

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Surviving Sharks featuring Les Stroud - Discovery Channel (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this DVD because I love documentaries about the oceans and especially apex predators. This, however, is not a scientific documentary, but an overly priced extremely short DVD (42 minutes) of Les Stroud trying to impress up with how scary sharks are because they bite and kill things and how awesome he is for documenting them. He does.. barely get across the point that sharks are opportunistic and cautious feeders and there is much we can do to prevent damaging incidents involving them. However, all the so called 'experiments' appear clearly staged to gain the most sensational reaction from the sharks. For instance the test dummies were 'scented' with fish chum so the sharks show interest. I don't normally take a bath in fish guts before jumping in the ocean because that would be stupid. Why? Because Sharks eat fish and are attracted to blood, they don't really care if its wrapped in a wet suit! That's a ridiculous experiment, of course the sharks are going to bite them. On an environmental note, I know Tiger sharks are considered the garbage disposals of the sea, but I really don't think we should be feeding them chum laden wet suits, just because it looks cool on camera.
The synopsis on the back is also very misleading. There are no experiments done with oceanic white tips, no simulated plane crash or ship wreck either. I thought the box was missing a disc or something, but its just a bunch of chummy dummies or a giant "chumsicle" in the water with different types of sharks. Finally, it seemed like Neptunic Shark Suits financed a lot of the project because the only "renowned' expert was the inventor of the chain mail(I forget his name). He makes cool suits, but he's a photographer not a Marine Biologist. By the way, he also fails to mention that, although his new shark suit may withstand punctures from the teeth of a Great White, the bones in you're body will probably resemble a sack of gravel after you get yourself bitten.
So overall, super disappointing, not really educational and definitely over dramatized. I will say, there are some nice shots of the sharks (though not all the species claimed on the back)though some of the footage obviously came from BBC's Planet Earth series. In conclusion: Stick to Shark Week for sensationalistic low education Shark videos, it at least runs an hour long.

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Join Survivorman star Les Stroud as he takes on some of the planet's deadliest sharks, from reef to tiger, oceanic white tip to great whites - and learn what pushes non-threatening shark species to aggressive behavior. Then, explore the possibility that unique situations are to blame, not always the sharks.
To test this theory, Les meets with shark species experts and constructs a series of fascinating high-tech experiments including a simulated plane crash, a ship wreck and an abandoned scuba diver scenario to bait the sharks. Discover surprising results about which conditions could potentially set off a shark attack, then learn what these predators really like to eat and how to stay off their dinner menu.

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Survivorman: Alone in the American Wilderness (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is nothing more then all the episodes of Survivorman which were shot in the United States compiled into one DVD for $30 new and $15 used. For this price I would highly suggest just purchasing the actual Season DVD's of the series Survivorman which contain ALL episodes in that season for cheaper than this compilation. I own everything Les has ever done from his first series called Stranded which he did for Discovery Canada, up to his most recent Season 3 of Survivorman. If you are an outdoors person or you are interested in this sort of thing (survival/camping) then Les Stroud is a most for you to watch.

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America the beautiful is also America the remote, wild, uninhibited and inhospitable. For SURVIVORMAN Les Stroud, thats an invitation too tempting to resist. Could you survive a harsh environment alone, without food, water or equipment of any kind? For seven long days and nights?Probably not.But then youre not Les Stroud. Episodes: CANYONLANDS: The red landscapes of Utahs canyonlands are as forbidding as they are spectacular. Once home to a sparse population of Anasazi and Paiute Native Americans, the harsh canyons will now host a new visitor -- Les Survivorman Stroud. GEORGIA SWAMP:Georgias Altamaha River Basin is all one would expect of a primordial bog: dark, foreboding, teeming with creepy-crawlies and infested with alligators. Ideal for Les Stroud to spend seven sweaty days and bone-chilling nights. SIERRA NEVADA: The Sierra Nevadas are a hikers dreamvast, untouched, wild and beautiful. But that also makes them the perfect place to get lost. And when Les Stroud cant find his way out, a search and rescue team is called in to track him down. COLORADO ROCKIES: The American cowboy is the iconic figure of the Wild West and the Colorado Rockies.But when Les Stroud takes two horses into this unyielding environment, he discovers the challenges of surviving for three.

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