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The Best Episodes of Man vs. Wild Season 1

Every episode of Man vs. Wild Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Man vs. Wild Season 1!

Binge this in 10h 48m•Peaking at 8.5/10

Bear strands himself in popular wilderness destinations where tourists often find themselves lost or in danger.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 9 - Deserted Island
    8.5/10(123 votes)

    S1:E9

    Grylls is kicked out by helicopter into the water near a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. He demonstrates long distance swimming, shelter building and coconut harvesting. Grylls builds a bamboo raft to look for ships, and is surrounded by tiger sharks. He fishes off his raft using a fish bone hook, and shows how to signal a ship using the reflection produced by his polished knife.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 7 - African Savanna – Kenya
    8.1/10(137 votes)

    S1:E7

    Grylls parachutes into the Sierra Nevadas, simulating the situation of the hundreds of hikers who become stranded there each year. Equipped with a knife and a canteen, Grylls travels through the alpine, woodland and chaparral areas of the mountains. He unsuccessfully tries to tame a wild horse, and eats a live snake. Using techniques gleaned from the Mono Indians, he brushes his teeth with a manzanita leaf. Most of the ground he covers is traversed by river, using a raft held together by grape vine.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 14 - Ecuador
    8.1/10(120 votes)

    S1:E14

    Grylls paraglides onto the edge of the Andes and follows rivers into the Ecuadorian jungle, is attacked by huge colonies of spear-nosed bats[disambiguation needed], and observes giant weevil grubs and piranhas. He builds a bamboo bridge and a bow and arrow to successfully catch fish, but it doesn't always go his way and he's forced to ride the rapids of the Amazon on a single tree trunk.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 15 - Scotland
    8.1/10(118 votes)

    S1:E15

    Grylls shows how to navigate the Cairngorms region in extreme weather using ice formations and moss growth, and how to test snow slopes for avalanche potential. He uses moss to purify water and skins a red deer for shelter. For food, he traps a rabbit and cooks it to demonstrate how to prepare it. Grylls also crosses deep marshes and uses fallen trees to cross ravines.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 1 - The Rockies
    7.9/10(181 votes)

    S1:E1

    Host Bear Grylls parachutes alone into a remote area of the Rocky Mountains equipped with only the clothes on his back.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 4 - Alaskan Mountain Range
    7.9/10(147 votes)

    S1:E4

    Grylls is dropped in the Chugach Mountains in Alaska, with skis and his usual gear. He demonstrates Glissading as he traverses snow and glaciers, and climbs down a 200ft (61m) waterfall. He catches a salmon, which he eats raw, and finds a skiff from an abandoned lodge. The skiff sinks, but he reaches the shore and is spotted by a ship.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 10 - Everglades
    7.9/10(134 votes)

    S1:E10

    Grylls drops into the swamps of Florida's Everglades, where at least 60 tourists need to be rescued each year. He trudges through the swamp and shows how to construct shelter, deal with razor-sharp sawgrass, get out of a muddy sinkhole and avoid alligators and rattlesnakes. He eats frogs and cooks a turtle Seminole-style.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 3 - Costa Rican Rain Forest
    7.8/10(132 votes)

    S1:E3

    Grylls parachutes into a Costa Rican rainforest in the Osa Peninsula, with only his knife and a canteen. He's careful about the water he drinks, but gets violently ill anyway. He climbs down a waterfall using a vine, and floats down a river to the ocean on a raft he crafts out of balsawood to demonstrate how someone lost in the jungle can make it to civilization. He encounters snakes, mosquitoes and dangerous river currents.ve swamps.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 11 - Iceland
    7.8/10(125 votes)

    S1:E11

    Grylls parachutes into the extreme landscape of Iceland, the site of vicious blizzard, 50 mph (80 km/h) winds, icy glacial waters, boiling hot mud and volcanic springs. He demonstrates how to make a snow cave, find water in volcanic underground tunnels and avoid frostbite. To find food in this subarctic environment, Grylls scavenges a sheep for its eyeballs and mutton fat, and catches a ptarmigan. He demonstrates with his shoelaces the boiling of the eyeballs and mutton in the geysers, to save digestion energy and disinfect the scavenged food.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 12 - Mexico
    7.8/10(118 votes)

    S1:E12

    In Mexico, Grylls must find his way out of Copper Canyon, and his only supplies are a water bottle, a flint and a knife. He demonstrates how to build a simple compass and climb sheer cliffs safely. For shelter, he uses ancient caves and makes fire with a traditional "fire saw." Grylls also demonstrates techniques for finding scorpions or grubs and fishing without a rod or line.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 13 - Kimberly, Australia
    7.8/10(121 votes)

    S1:E13

    In the Kimberley region of Australia, an area with a mixture of huge scrub deserts, dry riverbeds and red sandstone cliffs full of deep gorges, Grylls faces extreme heat, poisonous snakes and the ever present danger of dehydration. Survival tips include how to forage for food (bush tucker), build a shelter and how to prevent sunstroke. He explains why he believes drinking ones own urine can prevent death from dehydration. During his journey, Grylls observes saltwater crocodiles and endures a lightning storm.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 2 - Moab Desert
    7.7/10(144 votes)

    S1:E2

    Bear Grylls is dropped by a helicopter into the Moab Desert in Utah in almost 45 degree temperatures, with nothing but a knife, a canteen, and a flint. He battles dehydration by soaking his t-shirt in urine, and eats two raven eggs, one raw. Lastly, he demonstrates how to escape from quicksand before swimming across the Colorado River. He also explains how to use the flow of rivers as tools to find civilization.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 6 - Sierra Nevada
    7.7/10(139 votes)

    S1:E6

    Grylls parachutes into the Sierra Nevadas, simulating the situation of the hundreds of hikers who become stranded there each year. Equipped with a knife and a canteen, Grylls travels through the alpine, woodland and chaparral areas of the mountains. He unsuccessfully tries to tame a wild horse, and eats a live snake. Using techniques gleaned from the Mono Indians, he brushes his teeth with a manzanita leaf. Most of the ground he covers is traversed by river, using a raft held together by grape vine.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 8 - European Alps
    7.7/10(129 votes)

    S1:E8

    Grylls parachutes into the French Alps with a knife, a canteen, a cup and a flint, taking the parachute with him. He demonstrates how to survive falling into a frozen lake, how to build a snow shelter, and how to use a self arresting device to stop from plummeting into a crevasse. He also eats maggots and uses them to catch a trout. He performs a Tyrolean traverse and makes himself a pair of snow shoes out of young trees and parachute lines.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Man vs. Wild Season 1 Episode 5 - Hawaii – Mount Kilauea
    7.6/10(124 votes)

    S1:E5

    Grylls is dropped by helicopter at the top of Mount Kilauea. Made up of an expanse of solidified lava which stretches for 33,000 acres, this environment is one of the world's most inhospitable. He first traverses lava fields, which catch his boots on fire, then heads into the jungles of Hawaii. Grylls uses a kukui nut torch to explore a lava tube and finds water, then uses smoke to placate a bee hive to get honey. Ultimately, he finds the sea (and people) by following seabirds.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Deserted Island" is the best rated episode of "Man vs. Wild" season 1. It scored 8.5/10 based on 123 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 12/29/2006. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "African Savanna – Kenya".