Before I start today I’d like you to check out a new advertiser on who just came on board today. It’s called the Bar-ricade and it’s a pretty neat little piece of equipment – simple, but effective. The best kind of gear in my opinion.
On to the post…
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Silent movies... ahh, sometimes I wish we could return to them.
Over the years several people have told me, “You should be on Survivor!” because I’m comfortable in the outdoors and know a couple of things about survival. Honestly, I’d never seen an episode, so I recently turned to Youtube and checked out a few short episodes to get an idea of what it’s about.
My initial reaction? Typical Hollywood silliness. Eating stuff that most people consider disgusting, standing on pylons in the middle of a lagoon, voting people out of the “tribe” or off the show, different types of mock combat, or whatever. I didn’t actually see much of anything that looked like it might have anything to do with real survival.
I’m sure if you’re looking to be entertained and you like this kind of thing then this show would be awesome.
One of the challenges I watched had to do with eating raw seafood that had been put through a blender. First of all, I’ve eaten snails, raw scallops and clams, and other stuff that would probably gross a lot of folks out, but I sure didn’t do it to help my tribe win immunity. Second of all, where do you get a blender out in the wild?
Anyway, I saw what the program was about and even why it might be as popular as it was, but I have zero desire to have anything to do with it. (Not that there have been agents knocking on my door begging me to come on the show.)
Real survival usually involves hunger, thirst, exhaustion, exposure and a fair amount of fear. The real kind, not that stuff dreamed up by Hollywood producers to gain ratings.
Reality TV
The Real World was the reason I quit watching TV back in 1992. I looked it up on Wikipedia to research it for this post and it’s actually still on the air after 28 years!!! Yet another testament to why mainstream media and the vast majority of the American public are out of touch with reality. Reality TV is anything but real, but you can’t convince most people of that!
My buddy Joe over at Prepping to Survive just wrote a post dealing with the government deficit. He starts with an excerpt of a story from USA Today and then says:
What you didn’t see this article? Perhaps that’s because it wasn’t the lead story. No, the winner of American Idol headlined today’s edition of the newspaper. Whether the paper reflects the interest of most Americans, I don’t know.
Dead on! People don’t want to hear bad news and they’ll ignore it to see what Kim Kardashian is wearing to the film festival. (What exactly did she ever do that was noteworthy by the way? Is she an actress or something?)
I’ll stop beating this horse now, but I still refuse to watch reality TV and there’s no way I’d appear on Survivor. Now if Cody Lundin and Dave Canterbury wanted me to come along on a survival trip that would be a different story!
Do you watch reality TV?
-Jarhead Survivor
BTW: What’s your guess on when Greece will exit the Eurozone? Come on, you know it’s gonna happen!
21 comments
I watched the very first survivor…it was more like a true survival situation than the rest of the shows…very limited food, no shelter, etc. You could actually see how the “participants” were losing weight on the restricted diet of only rice and the fish they could catch. Interestingly enough, the first person to get voted off was the one lady that showed her tribe how to build a shelter/find food etc….Because the rest of the folks knew that she *could* actually survive compared to them. After the first season, they started the silly games, etc.. Never watched it after that.
If you dont watch t.v. how do you know of Cody and Dave?
Youtube, Dude!
I watched the first couple of seasons of Survivor for the entertainment value. There certainly wasn’t any other value to the show. Reality TV has gotten much worse IMO. Shows like Real Housewives of (pick your city) and Bridezillas just make me… well, let’s just say most of the participants are dumb as a bag of hammers! The man said you can’t fix stupid! And he’s right.
BTW, I agree with you about The Real World. What a waste of perfectly good oxygen! Ditto for the two I named above.
As for Greece’s exit, I think June maybe July. Just my guess.
Have a good holiday weekend everyone!
I LMAO at survivor. ITs really an experiment in cut throat group dynamics not survival. They have some interesting tidbits from time to time but the truth is that its really a big game and has little or nothing to do with survival. The first year I watched ten people hudled around a fire pit rubbing sticks together withNO HOPES of getting a fire started with the friction method and one of them had a flind arrow head on a leather throng around neck. HOw stupid can you get the woman was wearing a pc of flint for gods sake and couldnt start a fire. IT is truly what it is which is entertainment. No real survival skills in this show what so ever.
…yeh but, having the prize money would be sweet.
Ha! I would actually turn on the television and watch Survivor if you were on it, Jarhead. I imagine the show would be a lot different if they invited real preppers/survivalists to be on it. Of course, there would probably be a lot less drama and “alliances” so the ratings would drop.
As for Greece: When the EU first formed years ago, I thought that it couldn’t last. A bunch of countries, each with their own economy, yet with one united currency. At some point, the economies would differ so drastically that a different monetary policy would be needed. It looks like we may have reached that point now. And there will be some fallout.
Of course, I also thought that Starbucks wouldn’t make it either. In good economic times, no one minds paying $3.50 for a coffee. But in a downturn, people will get cheap – so I thought. I was wrong.
Thanks for the mention, Jarhead!
Joe
Survivor is just for entertainment and not meaningful in the discussion of actual post SHTF survival… except for one area and that is human interaction. You can learn a lot about people and how the act under prolonged stress and deprivation.
“No, the winner of American Idol headlined today’s edition of the newspaper. Whether the paper reflects the interest of most Americans, I don’t know.”
Your friend Joe simply has it backwards.
The interest of most Americans reflects the paper; not the other way around. The paper and their LOCAL newscasts from ABC, CBS, NBC.
I’d love to quit watching the “reality” survival shows, but I keep getting questions generated by the shows from folks who honestly are interested in survival skills. Subsequently, I record some of the shows, and fast forward.
The reason there are “reality” shows is that they’re cheap to produce. There are no script writers, and a minimal camera crew is needed. The subjects generally aren’t paid, and there is no fee for studio time. A little film editing is about the extent of the technical follow through.
I watch Survivor (well, I’ve watched about 8 or 9 seasons of it) because I’m very much NOT a people person, and on top of that, working graveyard shift doesn’t lend to meeting new people or having a social life outside of a couple close friends. So I use the show as a way to try to figure people out — who the weasels are vs who the good guys are, who will backstab & lie & cheat, which alliances will last & which will be discarded when no longer convenient, etc. I figure a game show (and that’s ALL that it is) where the motto is “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast” can help teach me what to look for in total strangers to get a few helpful glimpses into their motivations, choices, and future actions.
In the last several seasons they haven’t done the “eat disgusting things” challenges, thank heavens, but more endurance and puzzle-solving type contests, which can be very thought-provoking in suggesting how well I might face & overcome a similar challenge. Also the show has been a way to lure my 19-year-old into being interested in prepping, at least so far as considering “survival” outside of her suburban comfort zone and looking at different ways of solving problems & handling people. (And hey, I love the tropical scenery, and I think the host Jeff Probst is a total hottie.)
But I don’t watch any other reality TV shows — I don’t watch hardly any TV except documentary/non-fiction shows, other than a few “crime procedural dramas” like NCIS & Criminal Minds. I’d rather spend my free time hanging out with loved ones and/or reading a good book.
I love Jersey Shore, it’s such a train wreck. I wonder how they make it through life because some of them are so stupid. Also I do like So You Think You Can Dance. Which is not a reality show as much as a contest. Some of the dancing is so beautiful it in
brings tears to eyes. Fine arts is something I am afraid we will lose after (insert what you think will happen)SHTF.
As for Greece, before summer is over. Spain is also having trouble. This is causing problems for stock markets all over the world. I really hope things do not get as bad I think they will. But we shall see.
Hope everyone has a happy and safe weekend! It is going to be really hot here in middle Tennessee.
Your too good for that , the type of people that are in that have no ethics whatsoever .
“First of all, I’ve eaten snails, raw scallops and clams, and other stuff that would probably gross a lot of folks out”
When the tide’s out, the table is set. When I was a kid we’d go shrimping and everyone would fight over who got the tempura’d females that still had their egg sacks attached. Sea Cucumber’s pretty good. Limpet’s are a lot of work, but they’re pretty yummy. Sea Urchin eggs are rather disgusting, but if I was hungry, they’d just look like a good source of protein and down the gullet they’d go.
I haven’t had a TV in years.
JH,
I think you’d be great for that show – you could show those weenies a thing or two, especially if you could carry a sidearm :-)
However, it would sure mess up your OPSEC … but then again with the grand prize money, you could buy it back!
I’ve gotta admit that Survivor is a guilty pleasure. I feel that the title is appropriate from the perspective of most of the contestants on the show. This season for example one woman showed up on the beach wearing 5″ heels!! Based on her reality it truly was a survival situation. For me it really is a study in group dynamics and my thoughts are similar to those posted by JeanneS above. (Not including the host’s Hottie factor). The woman who won this season was, for me, a perfect example for showing what social skills will be necessary for insuring your own survival in a post SHTF situation. She was smart, independent, strong and had an uncanny ability to lie in the most believable way to her fellow contestants. She was not hung up on morality and what she “should” do. Rather she pursued the goal of putting herself on top at the end and doing it in the “nicest” way possible.
To extrapolate – It does you absolutely no good to piss off the Zombie hordes that want to kill you and take your stuff. If you can find a way to pull a Jedi mind trick and, like Obi Wan, convince the zombie horde that, “these aren’t the Droids you’re looking for”, your security and survival chances are increased. There is simply no other way to do that other than playing the “Social Game”.
I’ve never watched the show except for very small bits here & there. You made an excellent observation regarding playing the “social game” and think you are quite right & definitely found the deeper, more cagy & cunning side of survival as it relates to a social structure in a true SHTF scenario – very impressive!
There is an excellent book about survivalism called “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Dr. Viktor Frankl where he, as a psychiatrist & inmate, chronicled his & other’s experiences of survival in Auschwitz. Although it is a million miles below what people on the TV show go through, his base discoveries are much the same.
A favorite quote of mine comes from Col. Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds (movie) & encapsulates the base of survival – “… I’m aware what tremendous feats human beings are capable of once they abandon dignity. ” This is where the rubber meets the road in my opinion when the SH’sTF & your back is against the wall.
Again, great observation!
Thats a game show , in a real life SHTF senario , those that cant be trusted ………die violently . Honest group cooperation in a real situation would be sort of like the old Mafia in the fact that your word had better be good , because if it isnt ……..bad things happen .
About 8 years ago my friend Eldon got addicted to Survivor and invited the gang over every week to watch the show. To sweeten the pot he agreed to provide some of his most excellent homemade beer for free. Sign me up! I lasted all of two episodes. I have been in my share of scrapes in my time on the planet and even a few near life ending adventures. What is needed in a crisis is cooperation. The contestants on survivor are the most mean spirited backstabbing examples of the me first generation… not to mention egotistical and clueless.
Jarhead….you would make a great contestant….under two conditions …I get to write the script….and I get a cameo role. People would pay to watch this episode.
SURVIVOR: A MELODRAMA IN FOUR ACTS
Background:
This week’s episode takes place in the jungles of Borneo. Of the 16 contesants two appear to be quite comfortable….one of the two looks like he could bench press a Mercedes. The remaning 14 look like they were teleported from a Starbucks in Manhattan….they are nervous, fidgety and definitely ill at ease. The first meeting takes place in a clearing in the jungle. The area is dimly lit by 32 Walmart tiki torches. At the center of the clearing is a massive Haida Indian totem pole from British Columbia…the Survivors are seated on 2 toppled over stone statues from Easter Island. In the distance can be heard the faint hum of the generators at a luxury resort 300 yards away. The crew consists of the host, a manicurist, a hairdresser, a masseuse, the sound men, two camera men and oddly, an Anglican bishop all staying staying at the resort. The only other sound to intrude on this pristine wilderness is the occasional helicopter flying in filet mignons and Dom Perignon.
ACT ONE
The host enters the scene and the camera slowly pans in to focus on his steely blue eyes and perfect dental work. From the way he is dressed, there can be no doubt that he is a hardbitten jungle guide….the best of the best. Gucci loafers ( no sox ), creased Ralph Lauren trousers, pseudo Hawaiian / Borneo jungle shirt…top 3 buttons undone, Rolex watch and lastly…a 300 dollar haircut.
Host: “Tomorrrow you will face some of the toughest and most dangerous challenges of your life. Chose your tribe names tonight and rest well, for tomorrow will be gruelling. May the best tribe win.
Starbusks barista: ” you wanna eat with us tonight? Jarhead trapped a monkey, we are having roast monkey, odd smelling snails, and a salad which may or may not be poison ivy”.
Host: ” maybe tomorrow night, I have yoga at six, then a massage followed by a manicure. It will be well after 9 before I get to eat”.
ACT TWO
Host: ” for todays challenge you will have your hands tied behind your back with jungle vines by a member of the opposing tribe. You are required to swim out to the raft using using only leg power. Once at the raft one of your teammates will remove the vines using only their teeth. You will then put on a giant porpoise suit and slither across a rope suspension bridge to the tower. Once at the tower you will gnaw through one of your flippers and free one and only one arm. In front of you will be a rack with six javelins. Your job is to hurl the spears thru the mouth of the giant plywood clown and attempt to hit the assorted fruits and vegetables located beyond. Pumpkins are six points, watermellons count for 7, kumquats are 12 points , and the grapes are 20 points. May the best tribe win.”
Me: “Whoa…this reality show is so…real. This is deja vu….this is exactly what happened to Arthur and I when we crashed the Piper cub 20 miles north of Moosehead lake in 1972.”
ACT THREE
Art history professor: ” Is it just coincidence…every time Jarhead tries to form an alliance weird things happen. Tara cut herself on that clamshell knife he made and almost bled to death before being evacuated. then Nigel Smythe-Davies slid down the cliff face and broke his arm. And now Jarhead and Timmy have snuck off to talk over a potential alliance.”
Starbucks barista: ” Dude you are way too suspicious.”
Psychiatrist: “Perhaps I should work with him on regression theapy to see if he has any long sublimated childhood issues.”
Timmy: “ARGLX…BOOFA”
The group rushes off in the direction of the voice. Timmy is found collapsed in a heap in obvious pain.
Colonic irrigation instructor: “Can you normally touch your right toes to your right kneecap ?”
Democratic candidate for office: “Holy crap….he must have bit off his tongue when he fell…there it is on the ground. Don’t tongues have like protein in them…can we cook it up and eat it ?”
Timmy: “GRABU!!…PLAFJN!!!!! )
Lawyer: “We need to help…should we do a tourniquet or something ?”
Jarhead: ” Yes …tourniquets…definitely tourniquets .”
ACT FOUR
As twilight falls , Jarhead is up a palm tree with a clear view of all that goes on in the encampment. Suddenly he realizes there is another person not four feet away on a lower branch.
Jarhead: ” Whoa…you scared the shi … ”
Me: ” Shh….hand me your spare javelin. ”
THE END
Haha!
Lumberjok – man, you should have your own blog. “Lumberjok’s Random Survival Posts And Fiction,” or something. I’d read and even write a guest post or two for you.
Best script yet out of that show!