The human imagination can come up with some pretty strange concepts. For proof, look no further than Man Vs. Bear, which is exactly what it sounds like. The result is more than a bit juvenile, but it is absolutely hilarious because of that stupidity. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Man vs. Bear:
1. Each Episode Follows the Same Formula
Each episode of Man Vs. Bear features three human competitors taking on three bears in the state of Utah. Their competition consists of various challenges based on the bears’ natural instincts as well as the bears’ predatory skills, presumably because that makes it much easier to convince the bears to cooperate.
2. The Bears Are Bart, Honey Bump, and Tank
For those who are curious, the three bears are named Bart, Honey Bump, and Tank. Bart is a male bear who happens to be the biggest in size. Meanwhile, Honey Bump is a female bear with plenty of ferocity packed into her. As for Tank, his most prominent trait is supposedly his voracious appetite.
3. The Bears Are Grizzly Bears
It is important to note that the three bears are grizzly bears. In short, grizzly bears are apex predators, meaning that they occupy the very top position of the food chain of their local ecosystem. Something that is wholly unsurprising when one considers their size, their speed, and their strength. For those who are curious, female grzzly bears tend to weigh between 290 and 400 lbs, while male grizzly bears tend to weigh between 400 and 790 lbs. However, there are known examples of grizzly bears that have managed to reach more than 1,000 lbs.
4. Grizzly Bears Can Be Dangerous to Humans
Generally speaking, grizzly bears aren’t a serious threat to humans. Yes, they eat meat. However, grizzly bears eat both meat and plant matter, with the bulk of the meat coming from either the calves or the injured individuals of their prey species. Fortunately for humans, we are not on the standard grizzly bear’s menu. Unfortunately for humans, our encroaching presence means that more and more grizzly bears that becoming adapted to human presence, thus increasing the chances of interaction and thus the chances of conflict. When that happens, grizzly bears are more than capable of killing animals thanks to their size, their speed, and their strength.
5. Grizzly Bears Tend to Attack When Caught By Surprise
In most cases, grizzly bears attack humans when they have been caught by surprise. This is important because grizzly bears respond to perceived danger by standing their ground against the aggressor, particularly when they are seeking to protect either their cubs or their food. With that said, there are exceptions to this rule, which is one more reason why people should be very cautious of grizzly bears.
6. The Bears Are Not Domesticated Animals
Some people might be curious about whether the bears featured on the show are domesticated animals or not. If so, the answer is an unequivocal “No” because there has never been a domesticated bear species. Never mind grizzly bears. Essentially, a species cannot be considered domesticated unless there has been a multi-generational process in which humans have assumed control over their care as well as their reproduction for the purpose of securing some kind of resource from them in a more predictable manner than otherwise possible. Grizzly bears have a lot of strikes against them when it comes to the question of whether they can be domesticated or not, with examples ranging from them being ridiculously dangerous to them lacking social mechanics that can be exploited for ease of domestication.
7. The Bears Are Not Quite Tamed Animals
Having said that, the bears featured on the show aren’t quite 100 percent what a lot of people would consider to be wild animals. This is because they have had a fair amount of interaction with humans, though it would be exaggerating to say that they are tame animals. In fact, it is questionable whether grizzly bears can even be tamed because they are very much wild animals that live by their own understanding of how the world works rather than by human expectations.
8. The Bears Win Everything
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the bears win every single one of the challenges featured on Man Vs. Bear. Moreover, while there are still episodes waiting to be aired, chances are good that the bears will continue to win every single one of the challenges against every single one of their opponents. After all, grizzly bears are much more physically capable animals than humans, which is why the winner of the show is determined more by who has lost by the slimmest margin than anything else.
9. The Challenges Are Based on Bear Things
This is particularly unsurprising because the challenges are based on bear activities. For example, one challenge involves seeing whether the bear or the human competitor can eat more bear food within a designated period of time. Likewise, another challenge involves seeing whether the bear or the human competitor can push a blog better. With that said, there is one challenge that sees the human competitor climbing up a tree, which is actually something that grizzly bears are disadvantaged in. Grizzly bears are capable of making their way up a tree should they desire to, but they aren’t quite as fast as black bears when it comes to this particular kind of bear activity.
10. The Bears Are the Stars of the Show
One of the competitors on Man Vs. Bear has outright stated that the bears are the real stars of the show. This makes sense because it is much more fun to watch the bears rather than the human competitors in action. Moreover, it should be mentioned that while the human relationship with bears is shaky at best, bears have somehow managed to muster up enough charisma to claim a place in our hearts. Otherwise, one would be very hard-pressed to explain the continuing popularity of teddy bears as well as the various other ways that bears show up in human media.
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