Top 20 Craziest Bear Grylls Celebrity Challenges
#20: Ed Helms
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“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) We’ve seen Bear lift and drop countless celebs by helicopter, some who were looking forward to it, and others whose knees were knocking with anxiety. Ed Helms was one of the latter, but that didn’t stop Bear from giving him the VIP treatment. Instead of the usual up and down, Ed Helms – who admitted he wasn’t great with heights – was swung from the underneath of a helicopter, over mountain ranges, to their destination. We expected Ed to totally lose it, but, as it turns out, all he needed was a little push, with the actor and comedian stating “this is easy”.
#19: Uzo Aduba
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“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Even if you're terrified beyond belief tackling a zipline, at least the whole ordeal is over fast. You zip from point A to point B, adrenaline kicks in and it’s over before you know it. That is, unless, you stop halfway. And that’s exactly what happened to Crazy Eyes herself, Uzo Aduba. Due to a little technical hitch, as Bear put it, Uzo ended up halfway down the rope, high above ground and bobbing up and down. Thankfully, the hitch was resolved and she got down safely – but what a way to test your nerves!
#18: Thom Evans
“Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls” (2016-) While our next entry isn’t focused on a standalone challenge, when Thom Evans quit the first series of “Celebrity Island” in 2016 it highlighted how unforgiving a Bear Grylls show can be. A former international rugby player and an ex-”Strictly Come Dancing” contestant, Evans might’ve seemed an ideal fit for the extreme endurance programme. But he dropped out midway through, after losing almost two stone in a week. In fact, he was so exhausted, he could barely clamber onto the boat to take him home.
#17: Miranda Hart
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“Bear Grylls' Wild Adventure” (2011) This next challenge may not seem all that scary to a lot of people, but given that Miranda Hart was sapped of all energy and motivation – and had just refused to climb a simple rope over a mere stream – you’ve gotta hand it to her. Tasked with taking on her first ever abseil, she almost didn’t go ahead with it, but Bear managed to egg her on. And then he took things a little bit further. Right after her first abseil, Bear had her scaling a cliff face around three times the size - of which included some icy footing halfway down. But Hart took it on like a champ.
#16: Mel B
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“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) To one of Bear’s most infamous clips, and probably one of the most bizarre situations ever shown on prime time TV. When Mel B and Grylls go hiking in Wales, they make the somewhat surprising discovery of a jellyfish caught between rocks. But while explaining the nutritional benefits of their find, things take a turn for the worse and Bear ends up with a sore hand. But all’s not lost, because Scary Spice hasn’t peed for a while, and she volunteers her urine as an antidote. You have to see this to believe it.
#15: Stephen Fry
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“Bear Grylls' Wild Adventure” (2011) While Bear pushes all of this list’s celebs out of their comfort zone, few are forced further than Stephen Fry was, when he teamed up with Grylls for a “Wild Weekend” in the Italian Dolomites. The well-spoken comic was quick to confess his inexperience with outdoor adventuring, but he still managed to helicopter in, abseil down a rock face and sleep in an abandoned war trench. But the highlight has to be Stephen scaling a 500ft waterfall. He goes through all manner of emotions during the three-hour climb, but he’s beaming when he reaches the bottom.
#14: Drew Brees
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“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Stick an NFL Quarterback in the Panama jungle, and you might expect the unexpected. But Drew Brees went to untold extremes to keep his protein levels up, when he and Bear came face to face with a crocodile. While Grylls distracts the croc by noosing its nose, it’s down to Drew to capture it – which he does with surprising composure. There follows some pretty grim footage of the pair ending the predator’s life, and a slightly stomach-churning assessment of the kill – but Bear isn’t fussy when it comes to food.
#13: Ben Stiller
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“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Remember the dreaded rope climb in gym class? Well, this is much, much harder. In this challenge, Bear pushed Ben Stiller to his absolute limits, giving him the nightmare task of climbing a 150ft mountain wall using nothing but his own body strength. Clambering up, one hand at a time, Stiller mentally and physically hit the wall about a quarter of the way up, claiming that he thought he was going to pass out. But he fought on, and ended up conquering it – earning the respect of Bear in the process.
#12: Michelle Collins, Jason Gardiner, Samantha Barks & Alex Scott
“Bear Grylls: Mission Survive” (2015-16) This entry involves not one but four famous people, all taking part in ITV’s “Mission Survive”. Michelle Collins, Jason Gardiner, Samantha Barks and Alex Scott all drop their trousers for this one, but not before Bear bares all to show them how it’s done. Grylls assures us that rectal rehydration saves lives, but there’s little to save red faces here. A clip you just can’t un-see, it’s a literal bum deal, and reality TV at its weirdest.
#11: Kate Winslet
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“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Out of all the celebs Bear has taken on adventures, Kate Winslet was probably one of the most fearless. As was Kate Hudson actually, maybe it’s something about the name Kate! Anyhoo, Winslet, battled everything Bear threw at her, head-on, but that didn’t make this forward-facing cliff face rappel any less terrifying. We saw Kate Hudson abseil down a wall – that’s one thing - but Kate Winslet rappelled down facing the ground, which is arguably much more terrifying. Thankfully, Winslet managed it with ease. And she even took some time out to showboat, recreating a classic scene from “Titanic” for our viewing pleasure. Movie stars, huh?
#10: Barack Obama
“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Yep, that Barack Obama. And he was still in office at the time. As that was the case, Bear didn’t have him doing anything ridiculously dangerous – but he did have Obama partaking in some horrific culinary challenges, the worst of which involved eating a half-eaten salmon left behind by a bear. According to Bear, the survivalist that is, not the hairy, clawed animal, bears tend to eat the fatty bits of fish, as well as the eggs and the brain, leaving leftovers to be found. And it was these leftovers that Bear and Barack cooked up and ate. Bear was worried that the President’s food advisor was going to step in at some point, but this did not happen, much to Grylls' joy.
#9: Shaquille O'Neal
“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Bear really put Shaq, and his stomach, through their paces during their time together. And although we could have easily chosen the time Bear and Shaq cut up and placenta for lunch – gross – we’re going with this near-death experience. Assured by Bear that the rope he was attached to could be trusted, there’s only so much any rope can handle, especially with a guy Shaq's size. Easing himself off a cliff face, O'Neal ended up falling a fair bit, but thankfully didn’t seriously hurt himself. All he hurt was his ass, apparently, and maybe his pride, just a smidge.
#8: Nick Jonas
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“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Many get off lightly on Bear’s wild adventures. Nick Jonas did not. Undertaking an icy river swim, something that Bear admits he doesn’t do lightly, the two of them had to strip down to their underwear in order to have something dry to wear on the other side. And Bear made it clear that they both had a three minute window to get across before their bodies went into panic mode. But they made it just in time, with Nick frantically screaming in order to motivate himself along the way. But the fun didn’t stop there. Due to Nick having diabetes – and as a result, bad circulation – Bear had to massage his feet afterwards in order to get the feeling back.
#7: Michael B. Jordan
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“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Jordan is a pretty fit guy, and Bear seriously put that fitness to the test in this episode. They just never stopped – walking, climbing, caving, you name it. And when it came to this climb up a moss-covered mountain face, you could tell that Jordan was absolutely exhausted. Similar to Ben Stiller’s wall climb, this was less about technique and more about sheer determination. Jordan struggled to get his footing most of the way, slipping down a few times and being held up by Bear at the top. But he persevered and conquered it like a boss.
#6: Courteney Cox
“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) While we know her best as the neat freak Monica from “Friends”, Courtney Cox proved she could rough it in the great outdoors when she teamed up with Bear in the Irish Highlands. This “Running Wild” episode doesn’t only see her abseil off the edge of a cliff, but it also sees Cox and Grylls fish a dead sheep from a nearby bog, before cutting off its testicles and boiling up the maggots inside. It has to be one of the least appetising meals we’ve ever seen, but Cox does muster a mouthful. It’s an acquired taste, we’re sure.
#5: Channing Tatum
“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) When this actor took a walk in the California woods with Bear, he threw himself into each and every task. But while we enjoyed Tatum’s daunting cliff climb, or the even hairier descent, his hunt for dinner is easily the most memorable part of this episode. First off, Bear and Chan find a potentially fatal scorpion: Bear beheads it, they both eat it. Then they come across an angry snake, and Tatum has machete in hand. The movie star makes light work of the kill, and guts it for good measure.
#4: Jake Gyllenhaal
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“Man vs. Wild” (2006-11) For one of Bear’s earliest celeb collaborations, he and Jake Gyllenhaal head out into the Icelandic wilderness – and the “Southpaw” actor proves a prize fighter on tough terrain. Jake and Bear trek treacherous plains and dine on some questionable delicacies, but Gyllenhaal’s greatest moment comes when crossing a ravine. Despite perilous weather and a long-held fear of heights, Jake edges along the rope with spectacular views all around, but certain death if he falls. What a hero.
#3: Will Ferrell
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“Man vs. Wild” (2006-11) You probably wouldn’t expect funny man Will Ferrell to be able to manage out in the wild. But to be fair to the guy, he handled himself pretty well. However, as Bear says, most accidents out in the sticks aren't due to gear failure, but rather human error. And that’s what happened here. After reaching the extraction point, they both climb a ladder hanging from a helicopter. But due to the wind, Ferrell slips and ends up hanging off the ladder by his leg. It’s truly terrifying to watch, but thankfully he managed to heave himself up. It’s a good job it didn’t happen at 600ft in the air!
#2: Michelle Rodriguez
“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) As we’ve seen, dinner with Bear is rarely a mouth-watering prospect. However, Michelle Rodriguez’s menu triggered new levels of nausea. The actress eats with Grylls on a rock in the Nevada desert, but all they’ve got to bite on is a dead mouse, and nothing to boil it in. So, ever the opportunist, Bear gets Michelle to do her business, and they stew the rodent in urine. Even Bear admits that he struggled to keep this one down, and can you really blame him? Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Joseph Gordon-Levitt “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Roger Federer “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Yao Ming “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Scott Eastwood “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-)
#1: Zac Efron
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“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (2014-) Here’s another actor who fully commits to everything Bear throws at him. Zac Efron proved his grit for the first ever episode of “Running Wild”. The “High School Musical” star saved his best for last though, when he and Grylls negotiated a nerve-shredding 150 ft drop into remote waters, just before reaching their extraction point. Bear and Zac bred quite the bromance on their expedition, and they finished by beating this final obstacle together. Shirts were clearly optional.
