Bear Grylls, 'Man vs. Wild' Star, Fired
Claimed Christian Faith is 'Backbone' of His Support
Bear Grylls, the "Man vs. Wild" star, was fired by the Discovery Channel over a contractual dispute; the network conflicted with him in two unannounced projects.
Bear Grylls, the renowned survival expert, braved various inhospitable environments for his "Man vs. Wild" show, conquering scorching deserts, high mountains, and frozen tundra for 1.2 billion viewers worldwide. His conquering ended, however, at a paper contract.
"Due to a continuing contractual dispute with Bear Grylls, Discovery has terminated all current productions with him," a Discovery representative told The Hollywood Reporter.
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Bear Grylls' spokeswoman, Heather Krugs, confirmed that the survivalist would no longer be working with the Discovery Channel.
"Bear's goal has always been to make life-empowering shows for his many fans around the globe, and he has taken great risks to bring Discovery such award-winning programming over seven seasons," Krug stated to The Hollywood Reporter.
Krug also mentioned that the initial disagreement between the host and the network had to do with potential new programming.
"Unfortunately, Bear and Discovery have not been able to come to mutual agreement on new programming, and he disagrees with Discovery's decision to terminate current productions," explained Krug. "Bear has loved to 'Man vs. Wild' journey and looks forward to producing further cutting-edge content again soon for his loyal audience."
Bear Grylls' accomplishments extend to far beyond his wildly successful television show. He has circumnavigated the U.K., crossed the icy North Atlantic Ocean in a small boat, bested the Northwest Passage, and climbed Mount Everest. The Irish-born explorer also has a second-degree black belt in Shotokan karate, speaks three languages, and was appointed the youngest ever Chief Scout at 35.
Despite all his efforts, Grylls claims that his faith is the one thing that truly sustains him.
"I've learned over the years that my Christian faith has been such a backbone through so many difficult times," Grylls said in a 2009 interview at Holy Trinity Brompton.
For all Grylls expeditions, his greatest victory came in accepting his faith, and becoming bold in sharing it.
"My faith is quite simple in the sense that for me Christianity is about being held … it's about being strengthened. I'm no longer afraid to say that in the way I was, maybe, however many years ago," said the survivalist.
Without Discovery Channel airing his show, Grylls still has a number of enterprises and projects. He is a motivational speaker, author, owner of a Juice Plus franchise, and has his own brand of survival gear.
Click below to see Bear Grylls do whatever it takes to survive, including drinking his own urine. (WARNING: Graphic content below.)
