Bear Grylls joins Bobby to talk about a life built around adventure, survival, and pushing himself into the unknown. He shares stories from taking celebrities like Uma Thurman and Machine Gun Kelly into the wild on Running Wild, what it’s like watching them face real fear, and the unexpected friendships that have come from those experiences. Bear also looks back on climbing Mt. Everest, the mindset it takes to survive extreme conditions, and why adventure continues to shape the way he lives his life.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
I don't always promise to return people with that, and
he scratches or scrapes or bruises, but we generally try
and keep people alive.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, okay, today we're going to talk with Bear Grills,
one of the most recognizable faces in adventure and survival.
A former twenty one Special Air Service soldier. He's climbed
Mount Everest. He was twenty three years old when he
did that. Military author man Versus Wild Running Wild with
(00:35):
Bear Grills, which I've done that show twice. I do
know Bear a little bit many many five six, seven
years ago. I got a call that says, do you
want to do Running Wild with Bear Grills? And I
thought that was crazy, and I thought, I wonder what
mountain nearby will go climb? So I said yes to it,
(00:56):
and they say, you're going to Norway. So I got
on a flight. I flew to Norway. We were so
delayed that as soon as I landed there was no meeting.
I took off right into the Norway wilderness. I believe
it was like the Fjords of Norway, and so there
was no introduction. I never even met Bear until I
(01:18):
started the first episode that I did with him and
while I was on my route. He joined. I came
into my helicopter as he often does, and we started
and what I remember about being in Norway is it
was really cold. We had to go through a lot
of water. We did find a rotted sheep. Because the
(01:41):
food you find out there is the food you eat,
and so there was a sheep in the water and
the top of it that was exposed to the air
was rotted, but the bottom of it, underneath the water
was preserved. So we drug it out of the water
and you can see all this in the episode. Rug
it out of the water, we cut all the rotted
(02:02):
meat off of it. Now, I think what surprise Bear
was when you look at me, you see I don't
know what you see, but kind of like Weezer buddy,
Holly nerdy guy. But I grew up in Arkansas in
a hunted a lot, so I know how to skin
an animal. And so he was okay this. I was like,
I got this, So I'm down chopping. That's what we
had for dinner. And in the episode we eat it
(02:25):
didn't taste very good. It wasn't bad, but you know,
we don't walk around with like salt and pepper in
our pockets, nor did we know we were going to
find this rotted sheep. And I had friends say, when
you saw the rotted sheep, did they tell you was
there or did you see it? I said, guys, nothing
was planned. I spotted the sheep and I can't see anything,
and so we got the sheep, went off some cliffs.
(02:48):
We actually stay out in the wilderness. We talk about
this coming up in a second. There was no hotel,
there's nothing except we stayed right in the woods where
we were. It was the first time I was ever
in a hell. At the very end of my episode,
whenever We're leaving spoiler alert, I lived when we're leaving,
We're getting on this helicopter and I think I'm getting
(03:10):
in and I'm not getting in. They clipped me to
the side of the helicopter where I'm just standing on
that kind of rail and the helicopter goes up in
whips around a mountain. Is crazy. So finish that show.
It is pretty nuts. Ended up getting a show on
that GEO because I was very fortunate at the ratings
of my episode were really good, so I thought, man,
(03:32):
that was fun. Bear was awesome. I don't think I'm
gonna do that again, and at the time, about a
year and a half or so later, I was engaged
and they called back and they said, hey, we want
you to come back on the show. Well, when I
was on the show the first time, I had pretty
much given on my life story, so I really didn't
have anything else to say, because that show is you
(03:52):
do some crazy stuff, but you also share your life,
and you know you have this moment, and I had
my moment. I shared my life. I almost died, like
all that stuff happened, and I said, I really don't
have anything that I feel like I feel comfortable doing
the second time, because I know so much is about
the personal journey. I think I shared it all. And
they said, would you bring your fiance. I was like,
(04:12):
there's no chance she the last thing she wants to
do is be on television. And what it happened was
I got very fortunate because I was a little a
little timid about even asking my now wife, my fiance
at the time, to do the show, because I knew
she had no interest in being on television anyway. I
was very fortunate that she was in therapy that day
(04:33):
with a therapist, and there are some negatives for her
being in a relationship with me in that she's not
a very public person, but sometimes she has to deal
with scrutiny anyway, Like she doesn't put herself out there
yet people still will say mean things. Here will go
through her. You know, we'll do. And so in her
(04:54):
therapist session, as I remember the story, her therapist was like, Hey,
you're dealing with a lot of the stuff that's not
good from this relationship, Like if something comes up that
would be fun or different, you should also benefit from
some of the good things in this relationship. This had
happened right before I asked her and I said, do
you want to go? And I was kind of like,
I know you're not going to want to do this,
but do you want to go do Running Wild with
(05:15):
Bear Grylls. They've ever at the time only had one
other person that had done two episodes, and it was
Channing Tatum. I said, theyve asked me to come back
for a second time, and so that's an honor for me,
but I don't have a story, but if we do
it together, it's kind of a different story. And she
was in a good place and she said, yeah, I'll
do it. I was like what, And so immediately I
(05:36):
called him said we're in. Because then once we agreed,
I know she couldn't back out. And so we go
up into these mountains in northern California and it was
the coldest I've ever been in my whole life, and
I've been in some really cool places. And we're going
off cliffs, and if you google it, you can find
these episodes we're going off the side of cliffs. But
it was a whole different thing because I kind of
knew what to expect, and the expectation is that you're
(05:59):
constantly going to be challenged and you're going to be
afraid the whole time. You just don't know what you're
about to run into. But because I knew that, it
did give me a half a leg up. So the
first time I scared to death in Norway, the second
time with her mostly I was just trying to help
her get through it because she was experiencing it how
I was experiencing it the first time, and so a
(06:21):
lot of growth in the first episode, but like that
second one with her and myself, like it was really
crazily amazing in a different way. I remember when we
were starting the second episode. We didn't see Bear, and
they start us off and they put us in this
little cart with a map on top of a mountain
and we have to follow this map to get down
(06:43):
to this X. We haven't seen Bear yet. And as
soon as we get down, there's this paraglider. You never
know how Bear is going to enter. A paraglider just
comes flying in and it's Bear on one of those contraptions.
He lands and he's like, oh right, there's a helicopter
over the top. And they dropped one of those ladders,
(07:03):
and so the helicopter right above with the ladder on,
and he's like, okay, well get down, and I'm thinking
we're going to climb the ladder to get in the helicopter. Again.
I guess I'm dumb, because all he did was clip
us to the bottom of the ladder and the helicopter
takes off. And that's what we did. We were flying
to the top of a mountain, hanging on the ladder
(07:23):
of the helicopter, all three of us. Like a really
cool picture that I have in our house is this
helicopter this massive mountain in California and the ladder down
and Bears clipped to one rung. Kaylen has clipped to
the rung underneath, and I'm clipped to the rung on
the very bottom, and it is a wild picture. But
we had no idea that was going to happen. And
(07:45):
one of the reasons they don't tell you what's going
to happen is you won't do it. They don't tell
you you're about to go off a cliff, but to
be in a helicopter holding on for your dear life,
they don't tell you. One of mine, I had to
go through this river with this you know, raging river
with a stick. They don't tell you this stuff because
you'll start to think about it and get freaked out.
But man, both experiences were amazing, and we talk about
(08:09):
this a little bit coming up. Both evenings just hanging
out with Bear were really special because you're five six
hours at night out in the wilderness. You're just at
a fire and you're just talking. And so anytime you
do that, obviously, if you like the person, you grow
a lot closer. So is really I was really fortunate
(08:30):
to have both of those experiences with somebody that I
really enjoyed and someone who my wife also loves as well,
and so that show has had all these iterations. It's
now back on Fox. He's taken some of the biggest
stars on the whole planet into the wild for forty
eight hours of real world challenge. And again the conversations
are really what it's all about, because man, once you
(08:51):
are scared, you're vulnerable. You get so vulnerable because you
depend on Bear for everything. And so it was a
really fun experience for me twice again though it was
the coldest that with my fiance at the time, my wife. Now,
it was the coldest and we were like in a
little cave type thing and they gave us two sleeping bags,
(09:14):
but one of the sleeping bags ripped and again there's
no store, and I remember it being negative four degrees
and that's what we were and so we were like
body heat over. It was the coldest I've ever been
in my whole life. It was not a fancy hotel. Man,
thinking back, my nibbles were freezing. So we're going to
(09:36):
talk to Bear. Now, there's a new season on Fox.
Bear Girls is running wild. He's currently on the Never
Give Up Live World tour.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Here.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
He is a guy that I have such an affinity for.
The great Bear Girls let us welcome. I would clap,
but I'm by myself. Bear girls is here. Bear, good
to see you, old friend.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
A nice to see. This doesn't feel like work, that's nice.
I've had a busy few days of presta. But speaking
to you old friends, good times.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I would say a bit of the same. This has
been a blender of a week as well. And I thought, man,
I have not talked to Bar in such a long time.
I'm actually looking forward to this one. So it's really
good to see your face.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Thank you, I appreciate it. Yeah, how much things? How
are you guys? So much has happened, baby, I know,
I know. Yeah, remind me of your little one's name.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Well, her name is Billy, and so you know, it's
pretty crazy. And Kaitlyn says hello. And for those who
don't know, Caitlin and I we did Bear show together
and and we love and she loved Bear so much.
We invited you to the wedding, but you obviously have
it all around the world schedule. But that's that's the
affinity we have for you. Bear.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
SOA's so kind and show and me was so touch
you asked us, and that was it was such a
special journey to get to do together, and I'm just
so happy you've gone for strength to strengthen not just
you know, work, but also in your wonderful family and
having billied us great that no nicer couple on the planet.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
You guys, you rock.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Yeah, we were just engaged at the time we were
with you. That's that's that feels like ten years ago,
but also yesterday at the same time. Yeah, yeah, we
I was talking to Rob Wriggle and Rob and I
are two of the few that have done the show
twice with you. We're in that very very small club
of the duos. I didn't realize Rob was such a
(11:32):
big dude.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Rob is a big deed. Robin is great, he's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
We did it, We did who else We've done twice
Channing Tatum, we've done two Running Wilds with. But yeah,
it's a small it's a small club. But Rob is
Rob's He's a light. I would describe him as he's
a light Colonel of the Marines as well, So we
had sort of good, good fun chatting about marine days.
And he's always up for an adventure. He has that
(11:58):
beautiful ability to laugh at himself always, and he takes it,
takes himself very unseiously, but he's he's great. You know,
he's a fighter and what a wonderful man.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
So you're back this time you're on Fox. So what's
the difference here? What do we do? We're still out
doing crazy stuff. I saw Matthew McConaughey was was the
first episode? Like, what what's the theme here?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah? Well season nine.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
I mean if somebody said we'd get to season nine,
we're just casting season ten at the moment. I mean,
it's been such a privilege, it really has, and it's
it's such a fun show. You know, for so many
years I did a Man versus wildwise always on my
own and you know, small, small crew, but in terms
of on camera on my own and running Wild really
rejuvenated so much in my life because it's is such
(12:46):
a privilege to introduce regular people to the outdoors and
people who've never done anything like that before. And I
love it and it goes to strength to strength. Fox
is a great home for it. And yeah, I mean
I look at it. I think we've got better, guess
you know, this year than ever. It's like it still
stays top tier in that sense, and I don't know.
(13:09):
A journalist said to me yesterday, said, how come you
always get such a good guess? And I really think
the answer to that is because the wild is a
real star.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
It's like that is the appeal people, you know, you
or Matthew McConaughey or whoever it is. You know, it's
not about the money or the fame. You know, people
want the experience that the outdoors can give. And as
you know, it lights people up and then it opens
people up and you get to see these stars that
often you know from movies or TV or whatever. It
(13:40):
is in a way that's you know, totally unusual. I mean,
yours was different because your your sort of brand is
so sort of based on just truly being yourself and
sharing your life, and you know.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
You do that so beautifully.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
But I think if you're just a Hollywood star, people
are quite guarded and they don't do a lot of
these sort of thing. But I think it's the experience
that people want and that's what draws people to running Wild.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
And I never take that for granted.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
It's a great privilege and very grateful.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Are there any times where you're with someone and you're
told they are really famous, but because you're gone so much,
you really don't know of their work. You just take
the person's word that they're really famous.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Has happens a lot, so I mean also for many years,
remember I did the show in China and in India,
so I would really be taking stars that I didn't know,
but they would be huge, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
We'd take like Chinese.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Movie stars with literally sort of the Chinese equivalent of Instagram.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
You know, they'd have a billion followers.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
You know, it's like unbelievable, and yet I wouldn't have
really had a clue who they were. And it was
actually for me, it was a real kind of insight
of of how we all treat people differently with our
filter once we know what they, you know, do as
a job.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
And you know, I'm the same.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
I can't help but being nervous when I on Running
Wild on our Fox Running Wild. When I meet you know,
big superstars, I'm always nervous, you know, it's just like
I'm human.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I get nervous.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
But when you're doing it with sort of Chinese ones
because I don't know them like that, I was maybe
less nervous. But it's so interesting seeing how they carry
themselves and help people react around them. And because I
haven't got the filter, I look at it and I
go old on, this is crazy, Like note to self,
never start acting in a way that says you're important,
(15:32):
or be alert to the yes men that surround surround
people when they're famous. And but you know, it's been
really fun and the Chinese ones are great, the Indian
ones are great. But yeah, like I said, I love it.
I never take it for granted. And a huge privilege.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
What if you do, like a president or a prime
minister or someone that has to have security. Have you
had many of those?
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Well, we did the President Obama and he was still
you know, sitting us. So and as you know, normally
we always say.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
To these stars, just trust us, trust me, come on
your own, leave the entourage behind. You're going to love it.
Trust the process. We'll keep you alive.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Obviously that wasn't going to kind of fly with with
with you know, a president who's still in office as such.
So and I remember our team saying when they were
scouting the route, they with the Secret Service a week before.
They said, but we've got like, you know, seventy eighty
Secret Service with us on the ground, just scouting it,
you know, And so it was an eye owner and
(16:34):
I think on the day we had that sort of
number as a close team around him. We had helicopters
every five minutes in the air, snipers in the mountains.
Every every mile, they even like dropped like porter like a.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Porterloo what do you call it?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Yeah, yeah, every you know, literally every like a couple
of miles along this glacier in Alaska. And I remember
him saying to he said, well, what what's that. I said, well,
that's in case so you need a pee. He goes,
what's wrong in the bushes And I said, exactly, That's
what I've been saying.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
We're using the busher.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
So apart from the President, and we did Prime Minister
Modia of India, so he had his whole secret service
as well, and we actually we did then Zelenski and
Ukraine for a different type of show.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
But obviously you know that there's a whole bunch of
security around that.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
But apart from that, and as you know, you come
on your own, leave the entourage, trust the process. I
don't always promise to return people without any scratches or
scrapes or bruises, but we generally try and keep people alive.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Yeah, have you had like real fulfillment when finishing with
someone because they did not believe in themselves even during
the episode. And it's weird to call an episode because
I've done it twice now and it's a whole two days,
but on television it's an hour. But during that two
days they feel like they can't do it, yet they
still are able to achieve it, and at the end
(17:57):
there's a real pride. Has that happened with many celebrities.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Yeah, I love it, Bobby, You asked such good question.
It's so true.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
It's the beating heart of what makes the show special,
beating hard.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Of why I've always loved the outdoors.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
You know, we see total transformation of people every time.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
You know, it doesn't matter who you are, so like,
the world is going to beat you down a.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Little bit, and you're gonna have to face some fears,
and you're gonna have to work hard and dig deep,
and you're gonna be cold and you're going to be
wet and hungry. But at the end, there's always that
light in their eye and like a super sense of
impairment that again, you can't cheat your way there.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
You can't buy yourself buy your way there.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
No drug or anything is going to give you us different.
This is like in here like quiet confidence and pride,
and to be honest, it's the main reason I do
my job now. I mean, I love the show and
I love our team, but really at the beating heart
of what I love is just seeing people come alive
when they.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
When they go through that. That's sort of experience and
it's sort of really is.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
You know, it's so great seeing these sort of superstars
that you only ever see on red carpets looking amazing
and actually always when we picked them up and they
started running, well they look like that super cool shades on,
looking slick, and then by the end, like like I say,
they covered in mad shivering.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Everything's ripped.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
But you know, the smile is like and that light
in the eye is just the magic and it's the
reason I do my job.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Can you give me an example of one person that
you were extremely proud of when it was over because
you felt real growth from within them as you were
doing it.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Yeah, I think on this season, like you know, even
Uma Thurman was so great. She was at the end
of it, she was literally hands Aloft going this has
been one of the best days of my life. We're
going to do this again. I want to bring Mile
Hawk my daughter. She'd love it. Like whither or without
the cameras. We've got to do more of this and
and I love that and even like even like one
(19:59):
machine Gun Kelly MGK, who's so so quiet.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
And and he was sort of.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Nervous beforehand and quite kind of in you know, and
and at the end he was just had tears in
his eyes, you know. He said, it's just I've got Norwegians,
so much Norwegian heritage going through my my blood and
my family, and I wanted to come back to this
area and connect with the land and that Viking spirits
(20:26):
inside and and it's so great that he can do
that and and and it's and it's sort of real
and it's deep, and it's I know, I love that
sort of connection. It's why I always feel the friendships
we make on Running Wild are wonderful and they're lasting,
and they're different to you know, if you do a
movie with someone or you're go on a chat show,
you know, it's like you and have seen each other
(20:47):
at some difficult moments where we were both pretty scared,
and yet you do it side by side together and
that's the power.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
What was crazy to me was the first time that
I did the show. I was by my and we
went to Norway. You mentioned Norway, and it was amazing.
And what was cool was that the adventure was really
great in eye opening for me in extremely difficult but
also the time that you and I got to spend together.
Because we stay out, people think that there's no hotel,
there's no there's no you hop in a car, you
(21:18):
stay out there. It's as real as could possibly be.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
People still don't realize, you know, I still get guests
coming on the show and they go shoot. It really
is like there is no craft. Yes, we really are
sleeping in this game.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
We stayed out, but I really found like the fellowship
of you know, we built a little fire, we sat around,
we cooked, we talked, you know, we got ready for
the next day. Like I felt like that to me
was as valuable as as like the physical things that
we were able to accomplish.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah, I think that's so true, and I hear that often.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
And you know, there's no shortcut there. You know, if
you just did that at the beginning you sat around.
You know, anyone can sit around the fire in the garden.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
It's going to be.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
And you've got to kind of go through a little
bit first. You've got to look each other in the
whites of the eyes and need each other and hold
on to each other as acrossing that river, and laugh
at each other and fail a lot and keep going.
And then you create bonds. I mean that says, you know,
the magic of the outdoors, It creates bonds like no others.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Why on the big expeditions.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Of mine over the years that those bonds become really deep.
You live in a tenth for three months with someone
on everest, you really know them heart and soul. But
I love the connection on running wild like that and
often you know the stars and people like you. They
say that at the at that campsite, even though the
cameras kind of have gone and the cameras team they
(22:40):
go back to base, they get flown out and it
just leaves you me and we have a little mini
camera we might use. But I think it's one of
the special parts because then you can sort of relax
and just you talk about so much and you know,
I mean, that'd be a whole another show talking about
some of the non PC conversations.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
But I like it because it's a real.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
You know, by those stage, you know each other and
the gloves are off and everyone's.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Going, oh my god, had a nightmare with this person.
But it's good fun.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
Let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor,
and we're back on the Bobby Cast.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
You talk about summoning Everest. I was reading a story
the other day. I was looking at pictures out when
you get to the top. I don't know if this
was the case with you. There's a line because there
are people trying to do it. When you got to
the top of Everest, was there a line?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Well?
Speaker 1 (23:39):
No, we were there in nineteen tinety eight, you know,
so it was like nobody. It's such tiny numbers were
climbing it then, and you know, we had no we
were the only two.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
We were the first two that reached the top that year.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
We had four climbers lose their lives on this first
attempt that went up, and then everyone else on the
mountain who's sort of just by and then ended up
coming off, and we everyone was dealing with these these
fatalities and the disasters and then we hung on and
they and the jet stream winds lifted and a few
of us just went on and got lucky. You know,
(24:14):
So in the year we were, those those years, it
was so different. But you know, I know, I know
those photos you're talking about, I've seen that in the
press lots of the last few years of you know,
it is a bottleneck, though I kind of think sometimes
it still gives a slightly kind of skewed view of
it because you might have you might have one hundred
and fifty.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Climbers or whatever on it, and they're there for however many.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Weeks, you know, six seven weeks, and at the end
they get they're all you know, there's only one one ridge.
That's not like there are a hundred ridges. You can
each have your own ridge, you know. That's that gets
that mountain. That's the nature of a mountain, and it
gets smaller, so you do something. I see those photos,
But I still think it's a big, old dangerous mountains
still kills.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
A lot of people.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I mean, you know, it was killing one and six
when I was there, and it's probably now maybe one
in fifteen or something now. But you know, you can't
take that amount of granted, forecasting gets better, you know,
gear gets better, but it's still a little while that's
unpredictable and people die still every year on that mountain.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Did you do an episode with Alex hanald Am I am, I.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Yeah, yeah, we did, yeah, a couple of seasons ago.
It was really fun. We did it in near where
we live in Switzerland, and he was great. You know,
it's the only guess I've ever had where like, you know,
when we reach a rock face, he was like, he's
here's the rope, you go, you lead it off.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Followed and be gentle.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
But what a great guy and such as wonderful heart
and a great story and uh and yeah, although he
was kind of very out of his comfort zone at
times as well, because I think you forget with sort
of experts like that even in the outdoors you become
a real expert in big wool climbing.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
But you know, like we skyd, I've in at the beginning.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
With him and he was like super nervous, ahasutly sort
of shaking in the back of the plane. And I
loved him all the more for that, because it's like
you're you're you're the bravest man I know, Alex, I'm
so I'm so happy to see that some things also
get you nervous, and it's a reminder of life that
whoever you are, even someone like him, like, we all
(26:22):
feel fear, you know, but the champions somehow find a
way to keep facing it, keep doing it, and find
a way through it.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
And I love that.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Was that a pre production meeting of going We really
got to elevate for this guy because it seems like
he has no fear.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
A little bit.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
But at the same time, you know, the wild kind
of does my job for me. You know, it's not
all you don't have to take everyone to the edge.
You know, it's like it's a journey. You're getting to
know someone's story. And but I always knew that I
definitely we'd find a really good rock face. I'd seen
from the from the air when we were scouting this route,
and I kind of thought that would be really great
to try and do. And it looks on the edge
(27:01):
of what I can do. And he'll scamper up this thing.
So I gave him the rope and I said, you lead,
but be gentle that you know, and he starts up
and the first bit was a little bit overhanging, so
like first ten feet and then it sort of, you know,
flattened out a little bit, so I couldn't actually see
him after the first ten feet, and the rope just
wasn't moving very far. After about five minutes, I kind
(27:23):
of shouted up. He must have been like thirty twenty
thirty feet up, and I said, are you all right?
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Are you getting it?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Is everything all right? And I just hear him shout down.
He goes, yeah, this bit is a little tricky. I'm
not gonna lie. This bit's tricky, but hold on, give
me a few minutes.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
And I'm thinking, oh my god, I'm dead, you know.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
But he got to the top, he set that anchor,
you know, and I started come up. But there were
definitely a few times I was going, Alex's gonna need
a tight line on this one, you know.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Can you great guy?
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Are you able to get life insurance?
Speaker 1 (27:56):
What's funny you asked that? I was Actually somebody somebody
came up the airport today. We're literally just flown into
the next place where we're filming, and somebody at the
airport said, I.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Deal with life insurance for a big company.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
It's my god, how are you with your life insurance
and Delvis with going To be honest, there's a nightmare
the most expensive things on our production. And the problem
is you become a victim of the show's you know, profile,
Any success like really counts against us because suddenly is
it like, hold on, I've seen that show. We're not
ensuring this, but we have got it. I think it's
(28:32):
I think it's okay. I mean, I try not to.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
I don't know. I try not to think about that stuff.
I've got a good team to worry about, the life insurance.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
I keep focused on the important stuff, which is people
like you.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Your team is great and they make at least me
and my wife feel extremely safe. But they move around
really well, and they move around and terrain really well.
Where I've worked on a bunch of television shows, most
camera guys aren't able to move like that. How how
do you find your crews?
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Well, first of all, they are the unsung hero in
this whole journey.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
They are. They're incredible.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
They've been with me from the beginning, which, actually, as
you know, in the world of TV.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Is pretty rare.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
You know, most of the time camera CRUs and TV
crews super transient.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
They change, but we've had the same.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Guys basically from day one, and it's one of the
things I'm most proud about those friendships. We've done life
together and it's it's, like I said, it's one of
the big motivations actually for me still still working. I
love those guys. They do everything we do for the
just sort of viewers aware. They do everything we do,
but backwards because they're filming it like moving backwards, powering
(29:38):
the heavy cameras, heavy backpacks, you know, one of things.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
The cameras have got lighter over the years.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
I've actually got heavier, which I still can't quite get
my head around. But now because the lenses are so good,
they're huge, they actually have to put weights on the
back to counteract the lenses. I mean, these guys are
incredible and as you say, they move beautifully, and I
think moving well in the mountain on a difficult terrain
and awkward rock and slippery rock, you know, is a
(30:04):
real art. And I really noticed it on Running Wild,
you know, first straight off the bat, when when the
guest starts moving, I can instantly tell, you know, I
can tell very quickly if they've done much of this
sort of thing, and it really reminds me of how
great and highly skilled and trained our crew are.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
And it's a great thing to see.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
What I remember a specially in the Norway episode, because
people have I think an unfair idea that again people
are throwing us clothes or food or a hotel. But
I remember landing in Norway and we start we're going
across this very slick like mountain to we're in fjords,
but my boots got wet and so we're going through
(30:46):
water and so my feet are wet in my socks
and I'm thinking, well, any moment now, someone's gonna come
in and toss me some new boots. Like we're gonna stop,
We're gonna go sit on a stump, and I'm.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Gonna any moment.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
I'm gonna have some new And we rolled in wet
boots and wet feet until the night and we literally
put them by the fire.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
People are asking, you know what, It's so great though,
It's so good because, like you know, when people get famous,
people stop treating them differently, and it's like, you know,
it's like it's not a healthy dynamic because as you know,
at home, nobody treaty like that. It's like and humans
tend to sort of push until somebody says stop. And
I see it often on this show, like you know,
(31:27):
I mean, you are so great, you're so grounded, and.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
Normally you just are laughed and off we go.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
But sometimes I kind of see them looking like when
their feet are instantly wet and something, I kind of.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
See them half kind.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Of looking around as if are we going to And
I love it every time.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
They never go you know, we need I need new blooes.
They always love it.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
They're always like great, but it's like there always always
that often that moment of like really we're in, like
we're really doing this, we're really crossing this river and
you're you're really tying the rope off this cliff to
this little spindly root. And it's like, yeah, but it's good,
it's strong. I've done this all my life, but we're good.
And I will often back it up with a second one,
(32:06):
but it never needs it. You know, I do it
because we're always safe. A lot I put a second
line on them, but it's like the roots always hold
all the you know. The little rock thread reviews on
a tiny little bit of whatever works and that's a
fun part of it. Again, it's like you kind of
wing it and and I think the guests again love
that dynamic at the end because it's.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
What makes them feel proud of themselves. So it is legit.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
You know, what about your kids, did they inherit the
I want to do, you know, adrenaline type things from you?
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Well, first of all, they're smarter, still have a better looking, stronger, fitter,
you know, in every way, and it's just true. They're
three boys are wonderful. Jesse a twenty two now he
works with us every day. He films all the behind
the scenes for the shows and for all the digital stuff.
So for me, that's been a just one of the
(33:00):
great gifts in my life that I now like he's
beside me all the time and gives me confidence and
strength and happiness in my heart.
Speaker 3 (33:10):
So that's magical.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Mum, Juke's a little bit younger, twenty and then hucklebre seventeen,
and you know, they all love.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Adventure in their own ways.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
But at the same time, they're not kind of caricatures
of my life.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
You know, they're really not that.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
They're you know that I have taken them all skydiving
and paragliding and the odd mountain and stuff. But it's
but not masses. They all like different things. Huckleberry loves
loves his tennis and rugby, that's what he's into. And Marmadu,
the middle of one is a total one off. He
loves he's a trained butcher and he's joining the police,
(33:45):
and you know, he's he.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Loves his traveling. And I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
I think as a parent you can only need just
encourage your kids to find what they love and to
be try and be humble and kind on the journey
and be a never give upper. And the rest is
I certainly wouldn't encourage him to be mini clones.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
Of my stuff.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Because I say that they're better, smarter, they're going to
fight there, They're already finding their own path and I'm
super proud of that.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Does Huckleberry think that like Roger Federer's cool? I watched
the episode you guys did together? Is that cool to him?
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yes? Super cool?
Speaker 1 (34:18):
And actually, you know, Huckles is really had really quite shy, uh,
just a sweet gentle heart, and so Roger is always
going to be his guy. You know, He's he's less
into the machismo and they out there. He just he
loves Yannick Sinner for example. You know, he's so I
don't know if you know him as the number one
at the moment's such a humble guy as well.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
And uh, but yeah, the Roger Federon was so fun
to do.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
He's to be honest, he was a real hero of
mine if I had to pick a running wild guest
who were real icons for me over the years, apart
from of course yourself, you know, and Julia Roberts growing
up with.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
So much of her sort of movies.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
But I would say in terms of here roads, so
that Roger was as a family with such tennis fans,
so that was like super cool to be able to
take him on one. Hunkers was quite young and he
was probably like ten, but it wasn't wasted on him.
He was still like, that's the coolest one you've done.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
If I remember correctly about that one. You guys were
going down to ice wall with the Federal one. Is
that right? Like we're climbing down like ice with sticks?
Like do you do that ahead at time? Without him first.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
To know maybe I went down first or that.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
I mean, all I remember is he is quite technical
using crampons and ice on steep ice waterfalls going up
or down.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Can't quite remember what were you doing.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
But like like it takes some practice. It takes some
you know, you put somebody on day.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
One on that.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
They're all over the place really because it's super awkward
and your default balance is all wrong. And I said
this to Roger, I said, just take your time, and
I just remember like watching him doing it beside me,
just thinking you were, Wow, this guy's got the balance
of a bird. You know, he's literally like on his
on his front points, super balanced. So it's pretty cool
(36:10):
to see. Yeah, we laughed a lot on that program.
I mean we had we laughed a lot.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
It was fun.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
You know, he's actually quit a scaredy cat. It's quite fun.
So he was going better. Honestly, I'm like, I'm so
bad with so much of this stuff. I'm bad with
heights and he couldn't like we're trying to gut a
fish and he couldn't get a hardly prod this thing.
And you know, and I think for me running wilds
where we can really laugh a lot, I mean we laugh,
especially with Caitlin on that one. We had such a
laugh altogether. And I love that dynamic because it makes
(36:39):
it more and more for feeling like just not work.
You know, sometimes there work sometimes if it's really cold
or hot, and and then the guests maybe of struggling,
you're going to have really got to help him over
some things. You went to work guide mode. But like
a few sometimes they're just really fun. I love that,
and I think Rogers and Yours was like that, and
(37:00):
any second time round Rob is definitely like that. I
would say Common Domingo actually on this season was just
a great light as well, good fun.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
So when they come they're great.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
One final celebrity question, who did you work with? You
knew of them, they're they're wildly famous, but then you
ended up really liking them as a person.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
I would say, you know, I'm always nervous saying I'm
great friends with someone because sometimes I feel maybe I
think I'm better friends with them that they might think
they are with me. So I'm not one of these
people that kind of says all these A lists stars
are great friends. But I would say they've been a
handful over the years. I would say Bradley Cooper's has
become a friend. He's come to stay with us a
(37:41):
bunch of times on our little island up in Wales
in the UK with Lear, his daughter, and we always
sort of tease him that his time he comes to
spend with us is his grounding.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
Time of the year.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
You know, we've got to do his own washing, and
there's no one there to look after him, and it's
a bit off grid, and our house is pretty small.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
But he's so funny.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
He's just the most normal, gentle, humble guy you'll meet.
And that's been great. And so I would say him,
but and then a few others, maybe some of the
less famous ones. I don't know, you know, you and
me have I like our connection, and no, I just
I don't have like loads and loads of friends in
my life. I'd say, out of running wild, I've got
(38:27):
sort of probably you know, five or six that I
keep in good touch with, and another five would always
have each other's back, which is kind of like us.
And and I really I love that you only need
a few in life, don't you.
Speaker 6 (38:41):
The Bobby Cast will be right back. This is the
Bobby Cast.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
Oh yeah, final question, give me some some some dad advice.
I'm brand new.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
Well, first of all, you're going to be amazing. The
fact that you're even asking a new.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Care so much. You're going to be You're going to
be great.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
And I really kind of I'm not one of these
people who kind of thinks, say, have it all right,
I've I've made many mistakes, I'm sure over the years,
but at the end of it, I think I have
really always known it's the only wealth we ever have
can be measured in the quality of our relationships with
our spouse and our kids and our close friends. You know,
the rest is detail. I've met so many people like
(39:29):
you over the years. You know, billionaires with broken relationships
and their kids hate them. And you know you're not
a rich guy. That does not make you a rich guy,
and therefore guarded early and the little things are the
big things, and put them first. You know, we all
have busy lives at work and many demands left right center,
but prioritize them, and you're just going to do a wonderful,
(39:51):
beautiful job.
Speaker 3 (39:52):
I'm excited to see Billy grow.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Up, and she's going into just the most wonderful home
with you too.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
I know.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
You know you've both got great hearts, and the world's
going to be better off and needs more parents like you,
so be encouraged and the best advice love their mother.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Love their mother, as kids.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
Will always says, they always go example, example, example, and
kids don't listen to what we say, they look at
what we do.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Bear amazing seeing you everybody Bear girls is running wild
on Fox. I could tell your first hand it's real.
I can also tell you Bear is even better in
person than he is, and you're quite lovely on television.
So you know, I feel like with you, I'm the
guy who thinks you're my better friend than you actually,
do you know how you were talking about you feel
that way. I'm like, Bear's my best friend, That's my
(40:39):
best friend.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
I listen, I'm there as well, and I love it
when we texted you on various things.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
Oh, by the way, I forgot to say, will you
do me a favor? Will you?
Speaker 1 (40:48):
I don't know if you've seen my book, Greatest story
ever told. Yes, you have a read of it. I
just think I actually was thinking of you two the
other like a couple of weeks ago with this. I
just know this book will touch you. And it's super quick,
easy read. But it's the best thing I've ever done.
I'd give up every emmy, all of that, every every
summit and everything to have done this. And I would
(41:11):
say my work life has been the most profound thing
I've ever done in the sense that it is changing
lives all day. I've never experienced anything like this before
my work life.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
So I'd love to hear.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
I love you guys who read it, and I'd love
to hear how you feel about it.
Speaker 2 (41:25):
Why is this different?
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Because it's all of our stories. It's all of our
stories helps people find home, you know. It's like anything
that helps bring people together and give light and strength
to their hearts, you know. And religion is such a
difficult word and thing for people. And my experience of
religion was always very kind of frosty and judgmental and
(41:48):
difficult and irrelevant and irre and not helpful for my life.
And it's been such a life journey to realize the
heart of Christ is totally the opposite. And there's a
moment freeing family centered like like strength for life, strength
for the battles, friendships, risk, sacrifice, courage, you know, all
(42:09):
the things that we love. But I never associated with
the story of Christ. And it's been a lifetime journey
to get to the heart of it. That's why I
wanted to write this book of basically saying of saying,
look at the real story, you know, because we all
know stories about Jesus of like you know, in the
Nativity or the Good Samaritan, and they never they never
connected with me.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
And then seeing this whole thing together and I just
told it like.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
It is without any of the religious stuff that for
two thousand years were put into it, to try to
get to the heart of why was everybody who encountered
this guy changed and made better?
Speaker 3 (42:45):
And why did the elite fear him so much?
Speaker 1 (42:47):
And it's just such an interesting time to be speaking
into this sort of thing at a time a division
when we need unity and peacemakers. So it's touching people
at every faith, every culture I get and Muslims and
Jewish people, all sorts, and they all write to me
every day, just going on no idea that this is.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
A real story.
Speaker 1 (43:07):
So, like I say, best thing I've ever done, one
of the hardest, but the best thing.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
Why would you do this book? Then it's a it's
again it's a bit different. What what inspired you to
start this? Because writing a book is not something you
can do in today.
Speaker 1 (43:18):
No, because it's like you, I've just learned in life,
I'm not scared any longer to follow my heart. And
it was just screaming in my heart. It was like
nobody's ever done this, nobody's ever written the story of Christ.
It's like a thriller, but theologically one hundred percent accurate.
I've done this partnership with the Chosen TV show where
we did it like a running Well Bespokes season. I
took a lot of their characters. Do you know the
(43:38):
Chosen You heard of that? So I took a lot
of I took like Jesus, Johnathan Ruby and all that
people on Mini Running Wild Journeys. And it gave me
great access to their theological teams and sot to work
with them, and just all these things came together at
the right time, and it was just like I couldn't sleep.
It was like, bere clear the decks write this, you
know you're going to do this, and and it was
(44:00):
so daunting, so daunting, but like now it's out there.
It went straight to number one. It's been in the
top ten for twenty weeks now. It's been, like I said,
the best thing I've ever done I had no idea
the effect we had had. And it's like if The
Running Wild and all the other TV shows have given
me a platform for anything, this is what I feel
it's for because it's a bad adventure at heart as well.
(44:21):
It's how we live our lives, you know, and it's
that adventure state of mind.
Speaker 3 (44:25):
So yeah, that's why.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Great to see you. Really seriously, I hope you stay
safe and I hope the show does exactly what you want.
And I'm super excited to hear the book is doing
precisely what you wanted so always, and I'll talk Caitlin.
She sends her best. I'll tell her you send it back.
Speaker 1 (44:42):
Oh please do Yeah, give her a big, big huggin
Little Billy so proud of you.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
You keep shining bright.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
Don't listen to the dream sealies, key going, brother, you
are the best.
Speaker 2 (44:51):
All right, bears, see you, buddy, Thank
Speaker 5 (44:53):
You, thanks for listening to a Bobby Cast production.
I don't always promise to return people with that, and
he scratches or scrapes or bruises, but we generally try
and keep people alive.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, okay, today we're going to talk with Bear Grills,
one of the most recognizable faces in adventure and survival.
A former twenty one Special Air Service soldier. He's climbed
Mount Everest. He was twenty three years old when he
did that. Military author man Versus Wild Running Wild with
(00:35):
Bear Grills, which I've done that show twice. I do
know Bear a little bit many many five six, seven
years ago. I got a call that says, do you
want to do Running Wild with Bear Grills? And I
thought that was crazy, and I thought, I wonder what
mountain nearby will go climb? So I said yes to it,
(00:56):
and they say, you're going to Norway. So I got
on a flight. I flew to Norway. We were so
delayed that as soon as I landed there was no meeting.
I took off right into the Norway wilderness. I believe
it was like the Fjords of Norway, and so there
was no introduction. I never even met Bear until I
(01:18):
started the first episode that I did with him and
while I was on my route. He joined. I came
into my helicopter as he often does, and we started
and what I remember about being in Norway is it
was really cold. We had to go through a lot
of water. We did find a rotted sheep. Because the
(01:41):
food you find out there is the food you eat,
and so there was a sheep in the water and
the top of it that was exposed to the air
was rotted, but the bottom of it, underneath the water
was preserved. So we drug it out of the water
and you can see all this in the episode. Rug
it out of the water, we cut all the rotted
(02:02):
meat off of it. Now, I think what surprise Bear
was when you look at me, you see I don't
know what you see, but kind of like Weezer buddy,
Holly nerdy guy. But I grew up in Arkansas in
a hunted a lot, so I know how to skin
an animal. And so he was okay this. I was like,
I got this, So I'm down chopping. That's what we
had for dinner. And in the episode we eat it
(02:25):
didn't taste very good. It wasn't bad, but you know,
we don't walk around with like salt and pepper in
our pockets, nor did we know we were going to
find this rotted sheep. And I had friends say, when
you saw the rotted sheep, did they tell you was
there or did you see it? I said, guys, nothing
was planned. I spotted the sheep and I can't see anything,
and so we got the sheep, went off some cliffs.
(02:48):
We actually stay out in the wilderness. We talk about
this coming up in a second. There was no hotel,
there's nothing except we stayed right in the woods where
we were. It was the first time I was ever
in a hell. At the very end of my episode,
whenever We're leaving spoiler alert, I lived when we're leaving,
We're getting on this helicopter and I think I'm getting
(03:10):
in and I'm not getting in. They clipped me to
the side of the helicopter where I'm just standing on
that kind of rail and the helicopter goes up in
whips around a mountain. Is crazy. So finish that show.
It is pretty nuts. Ended up getting a show on
that GEO because I was very fortunate at the ratings
of my episode were really good, so I thought, man,
(03:32):
that was fun. Bear was awesome. I don't think I'm
gonna do that again, and at the time, about a
year and a half or so later, I was engaged
and they called back and they said, hey, we want
you to come back on the show. Well, when I
was on the show the first time, I had pretty
much given on my life story, so I really didn't
have anything else to say, because that show is you
(03:52):
do some crazy stuff, but you also share your life,
and you know you have this moment, and I had
my moment. I shared my life. I almost died, like
all that stuff happened, and I said, I really don't
have anything that I feel like I feel comfortable doing
the second time, because I know so much is about
the personal journey. I think I shared it all. And
they said, would you bring your fiance. I was like,
(04:12):
there's no chance she the last thing she wants to
do is be on television. And what it happened was
I got very fortunate because I was a little a
little timid about even asking my now wife, my fiance
at the time, to do the show, because I knew
she had no interest in being on television anyway. I
was very fortunate that she was in therapy that day
(04:33):
with a therapist, and there are some negatives for her
being in a relationship with me in that she's not
a very public person, but sometimes she has to deal
with scrutiny anyway, Like she doesn't put herself out there
yet people still will say mean things. Here will go
through her. You know, we'll do. And so in her
(04:54):
therapist session, as I remember the story, her therapist was like, Hey,
you're dealing with a lot of the stuff that's not
good from this relationship, Like if something comes up that
would be fun or different, you should also benefit from
some of the good things in this relationship. This had
happened right before I asked her and I said, do
you want to go? And I was kind of like,
I know you're not going to want to do this,
but do you want to go do Running Wild with
(05:15):
Bear Grylls. They've ever at the time only had one
other person that had done two episodes, and it was
Channing Tatum. I said, theyve asked me to come back
for a second time, and so that's an honor for me,
but I don't have a story, but if we do
it together, it's kind of a different story. And she
was in a good place and she said, yeah, I'll
do it. I was like what, And so immediately I
(05:36):
called him said we're in. Because then once we agreed,
I know she couldn't back out. And so we go
up into these mountains in northern California and it was
the coldest I've ever been in my whole life, and
I've been in some really cool places. And we're going
off cliffs, and if you google it, you can find
these episodes we're going off the side of cliffs. But
it was a whole different thing because I kind of
knew what to expect, and the expectation is that you're
(05:59):
constantly going to be challenged and you're going to be
afraid the whole time. You just don't know what you're
about to run into. But because I knew that, it
did give me a half a leg up. So the
first time I scared to death in Norway, the second
time with her mostly I was just trying to help
her get through it because she was experiencing it how
I was experiencing it the first time, and so a
(06:21):
lot of growth in the first episode, but like that
second one with her and myself, like it was really
crazily amazing in a different way. I remember when we
were starting the second episode. We didn't see Bear, and
they start us off and they put us in this
little cart with a map on top of a mountain
and we have to follow this map to get down
(06:43):
to this X. We haven't seen Bear yet. And as
soon as we get down, there's this paraglider. You never
know how Bear is going to enter. A paraglider just
comes flying in and it's Bear on one of those contraptions.
He lands and he's like, oh right, there's a helicopter
over the top. And they dropped one of those ladders,
(07:03):
and so the helicopter right above with the ladder on,
and he's like, okay, well get down, and I'm thinking
we're going to climb the ladder to get in the helicopter. Again.
I guess I'm dumb, because all he did was clip
us to the bottom of the ladder and the helicopter
takes off. And that's what we did. We were flying
to the top of a mountain, hanging on the ladder
(07:23):
of the helicopter, all three of us. Like a really
cool picture that I have in our house is this
helicopter this massive mountain in California and the ladder down
and Bears clipped to one rung. Kaylen has clipped to
the rung underneath, and I'm clipped to the rung on
the very bottom, and it is a wild picture. But
we had no idea that was going to happen. And
(07:45):
one of the reasons they don't tell you what's going
to happen is you won't do it. They don't tell
you you're about to go off a cliff, but to
be in a helicopter holding on for your dear life,
they don't tell you. One of mine, I had to
go through this river with this you know, raging river
with a stick. They don't tell you this stuff because
you'll start to think about it and get freaked out.
But man, both experiences were amazing, and we talk about
(08:09):
this a little bit coming up. Both evenings just hanging
out with Bear were really special because you're five six
hours at night out in the wilderness. You're just at
a fire and you're just talking. And so anytime you
do that, obviously, if you like the person, you grow
a lot closer. So is really I was really fortunate
(08:30):
to have both of those experiences with somebody that I
really enjoyed and someone who my wife also loves as well,
and so that show has had all these iterations. It's
now back on Fox. He's taken some of the biggest
stars on the whole planet into the wild for forty
eight hours of real world challenge. And again the conversations
are really what it's all about, because man, once you
(08:51):
are scared, you're vulnerable. You get so vulnerable because you
depend on Bear for everything. And so it was a
really fun experience for me twice again though it was
the coldest that with my fiance at the time, my wife. Now,
it was the coldest and we were like in a
little cave type thing and they gave us two sleeping bags,
(09:14):
but one of the sleeping bags ripped and again there's
no store, and I remember it being negative four degrees
and that's what we were and so we were like
body heat over. It was the coldest I've ever been
in my whole life. It was not a fancy hotel. Man,
thinking back, my nibbles were freezing. So we're going to
(09:36):
talk to Bear. Now, there's a new season on Fox.
Bear Girls is running wild. He's currently on the Never
Give Up Live World tour.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Here.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
He is a guy that I have such an affinity for.
The great Bear Girls let us welcome. I would clap,
but I'm by myself. Bear girls is here. Bear, good
to see you, old friend.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
A nice to see. This doesn't feel like work, that's nice.
I've had a busy few days of presta. But speaking
to you old friends, good times.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I would say a bit of the same. This has
been a blender of a week as well. And I thought, man,
I have not talked to Bar in such a long time.
I'm actually looking forward to this one. So it's really
good to see your face.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Thank you, I appreciate it. Yeah, how much things? How
are you guys? So much has happened, baby, I know,
I know. Yeah, remind me of your little one's name.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Well, her name is Billy, and so you know, it's
pretty crazy. And Kaitlyn says hello. And for those who
don't know, Caitlin and I we did Bear show together
and and we love and she loved Bear so much.
We invited you to the wedding, but you obviously have
it all around the world schedule. But that's that's the
affinity we have for you. Bear.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
SOA's so kind and show and me was so touch
you asked us, and that was it was such a
special journey to get to do together, and I'm just
so happy you've gone for strength to strengthen not just
you know, work, but also in your wonderful family and
having billied us great that no nicer couple on the planet.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
You guys, you rock.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Yeah, we were just engaged at the time we were
with you. That's that's that feels like ten years ago,
but also yesterday at the same time. Yeah, yeah, we
I was talking to Rob Wriggle and Rob and I
are two of the few that have done the show
twice with you. We're in that very very small club
of the duos. I didn't realize Rob was such a
(11:32):
big dude.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Rob is a big deed. Robin is great, he's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
We did it, We did who else We've done twice
Channing Tatum, we've done two Running Wilds with. But yeah,
it's a small it's a small club. But Rob is
Rob's He's a light. I would describe him as he's
a light Colonel of the Marines as well, So we
had sort of good, good fun chatting about marine days.
And he's always up for an adventure. He has that
(11:58):
beautiful ability to laugh at himself always, and he takes it,
takes himself very unseiously, but he's he's great. You know,
he's a fighter and what a wonderful man.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
So you're back this time you're on Fox. So what's
the difference here? What do we do? We're still out
doing crazy stuff. I saw Matthew McConaughey was was the
first episode? Like, what what's the theme here?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah? Well season nine.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
I mean if somebody said we'd get to season nine,
we're just casting season ten at the moment. I mean,
it's been such a privilege, it really has, and it's
it's such a fun show. You know, for so many
years I did a Man versus wildwise always on my
own and you know, small, small crew, but in terms
of on camera on my own and running Wild really
rejuvenated so much in my life because it's is such
(12:46):
a privilege to introduce regular people to the outdoors and
people who've never done anything like that before. And I
love it and it goes to strength to strength. Fox
is a great home for it. And yeah, I mean
I look at it. I think we've got better, guess
you know, this year than ever. It's like it still
stays top tier in that sense, and I don't know.
(13:09):
A journalist said to me yesterday, said, how come you
always get such a good guess? And I really think
the answer to that is because the wild is a
real star.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
It's like that is the appeal people, you know, you
or Matthew McConaughey or whoever it is. You know, it's
not about the money or the fame. You know, people
want the experience that the outdoors can give. And as
you know, it lights people up and then it opens
people up and you get to see these stars that
often you know from movies or TV or whatever. It
(13:40):
is in a way that's you know, totally unusual. I mean,
yours was different because your your sort of brand is
so sort of based on just truly being yourself and
sharing your life, and you know.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
You do that so beautifully.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
But I think if you're just a Hollywood star, people
are quite guarded and they don't do a lot of
these sort of thing. But I think it's the experience
that people want and that's what draws people to running Wild.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
And I never take that for granted.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
It's a great privilege and very grateful.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Are there any times where you're with someone and you're
told they are really famous, but because you're gone so much,
you really don't know of their work. You just take
the person's word that they're really famous.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Has happens a lot, so I mean also for many years,
remember I did the show in China and in India,
so I would really be taking stars that I didn't know,
but they would be huge, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
We'd take like Chinese.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Movie stars with literally sort of the Chinese equivalent of Instagram.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
You know, they'd have a billion followers.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
You know, it's like unbelievable, and yet I wouldn't have
really had a clue who they were. And it was
actually for me, it was a real kind of insight
of of how we all treat people differently with our
filter once we know what they, you know, do as
a job.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
And you know, I'm the same.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
I can't help but being nervous when I on Running
Wild on our Fox Running Wild. When I meet you know,
big superstars, I'm always nervous, you know, it's just like
I'm human.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I get nervous.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
But when you're doing it with sort of Chinese ones
because I don't know them like that, I was maybe
less nervous. But it's so interesting seeing how they carry
themselves and help people react around them. And because I
haven't got the filter, I look at it and I
go old on, this is crazy, Like note to self,
never start acting in a way that says you're important,
(15:32):
or be alert to the yes men that surround surround
people when they're famous. And but you know, it's been
really fun and the Chinese ones are great, the Indian
ones are great. But yeah, like I said, I love it.
I never take it for granted. And a huge privilege.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
What if you do, like a president or a prime
minister or someone that has to have security. Have you
had many of those?
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Well, we did the President Obama and he was still
you know, sitting us. So and as you know, normally
we always say.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
To these stars, just trust us, trust me, come on
your own, leave the entourage behind. You're going to love it.
Trust the process. We'll keep you alive.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Obviously that wasn't going to kind of fly with with
with you know, a president who's still in office as such.
So and I remember our team saying when they were
scouting the route, they with the Secret Service a week before.
They said, but we've got like, you know, seventy eighty
Secret Service with us on the ground, just scouting it,
you know, And so it was an eye owner and
(16:34):
I think on the day we had that sort of
number as a close team around him. We had helicopters
every five minutes in the air, snipers in the mountains.
Every every mile, they even like dropped like porter like a.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Porterloo what do you call it?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Yeah, yeah, every you know, literally every like a couple
of miles along this glacier in Alaska. And I remember
him saying to he said, well, what what's that. I said, well,
that's in case so you need a pee. He goes,
what's wrong in the bushes And I said, exactly, That's
what I've been saying.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
We're using the busher.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
So apart from the President, and we did Prime Minister
Modia of India, so he had his whole secret service
as well, and we actually we did then Zelenski and
Ukraine for a different type of show.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
But obviously you know that there's a whole bunch of
security around that.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
But apart from that, and as you know, you come
on your own, leave the entourage, trust the process. I
don't always promise to return people without any scratches or
scrapes or bruises, but we generally try and keep people alive.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Yeah, have you had like real fulfillment when finishing with
someone because they did not believe in themselves even during
the episode. And it's weird to call an episode because
I've done it twice now and it's a whole two days,
but on television it's an hour. But during that two
days they feel like they can't do it, yet they
still are able to achieve it, and at the end
(17:57):
there's a real pride. Has that happened with many celebrities.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Yeah, I love it, Bobby, You asked such good question.
It's so true.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
It's the beating heart of what makes the show special,
beating hard.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Of why I've always loved the outdoors.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
You know, we see total transformation of people every time.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
You know, it doesn't matter who you are, so like,
the world is going to beat you down a.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Little bit, and you're gonna have to face some fears,
and you're gonna have to work hard and dig deep,
and you're gonna be cold and you're going to be
wet and hungry. But at the end, there's always that
light in their eye and like a super sense of
impairment that again, you can't cheat your way there.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
You can't buy yourself buy your way there.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
No drug or anything is going to give you us different.
This is like in here like quiet confidence and pride,
and to be honest, it's the main reason I do
my job now. I mean, I love the show and
I love our team, but really at the beating heart
of what I love is just seeing people come alive
when they.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
When they go through that. That's sort of experience and
it's sort of really is.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
You know, it's so great seeing these sort of superstars
that you only ever see on red carpets looking amazing
and actually always when we picked them up and they
started running, well they look like that super cool shades on,
looking slick, and then by the end, like like I say,
they covered in mad shivering.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Everything's ripped.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
But you know, the smile is like and that light
in the eye is just the magic and it's the
reason I do my job.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Can you give me an example of one person that
you were extremely proud of when it was over because
you felt real growth from within them as you were
doing it.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Yeah, I think on this season, like you know, even
Uma Thurman was so great. She was at the end
of it, she was literally hands Aloft going this has
been one of the best days of my life. We're
going to do this again. I want to bring Mile
Hawk my daughter. She'd love it. Like whither or without
the cameras. We've got to do more of this and
and I love that and even like even like one
(19:59):
machine Gun Kelly MGK, who's so so quiet.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
And and he was sort of.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Nervous beforehand and quite kind of in you know, and
and at the end he was just had tears in
his eyes, you know. He said, it's just I've got Norwegians,
so much Norwegian heritage going through my my blood and
my family, and I wanted to come back to this
area and connect with the land and that Viking spirits
(20:26):
inside and and it's so great that he can do
that and and and it's and it's sort of real
and it's deep, and it's I know, I love that
sort of connection. It's why I always feel the friendships
we make on Running Wild are wonderful and they're lasting,
and they're different to you know, if you do a
movie with someone or you're go on a chat show,
you know, it's like you and have seen each other
(20:47):
at some difficult moments where we were both pretty scared,
and yet you do it side by side together and
that's the power.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
What was crazy to me was the first time that
I did the show. I was by my and we
went to Norway. You mentioned Norway, and it was amazing.
And what was cool was that the adventure was really
great in eye opening for me in extremely difficult but
also the time that you and I got to spend together.
Because we stay out, people think that there's no hotel,
there's no there's no you hop in a car, you
(21:18):
stay out there. It's as real as could possibly be.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
People still don't realize, you know, I still get guests
coming on the show and they go shoot. It really
is like there is no craft. Yes, we really are
sleeping in this game.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
We stayed out, but I really found like the fellowship
of you know, we built a little fire, we sat around,
we cooked, we talked, you know, we got ready for
the next day. Like I felt like that to me
was as valuable as as like the physical things that
we were able to accomplish.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah, I think that's so true, and I hear that often.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
And you know, there's no shortcut there. You know, if
you just did that at the beginning you sat around.
You know, anyone can sit around the fire in the garden.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
It's going to be.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
And you've got to kind of go through a little
bit first. You've got to look each other in the
whites of the eyes and need each other and hold
on to each other as acrossing that river, and laugh
at each other and fail a lot and keep going.
And then you create bonds. I mean that says, you know,
the magic of the outdoors, It creates bonds like no others.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Why on the big expeditions.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Of mine over the years that those bonds become really deep.
You live in a tenth for three months with someone
on everest, you really know them heart and soul. But
I love the connection on running wild like that and
often you know the stars and people like you. They
say that at the at that campsite, even though the
cameras kind of have gone and the cameras team they
(22:40):
go back to base, they get flown out and it
just leaves you me and we have a little mini
camera we might use. But I think it's one of
the special parts because then you can sort of relax
and just you talk about so much and you know,
I mean, that'd be a whole another show talking about
some of the non PC conversations.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
But I like it because it's a real.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
You know, by those stage, you know each other and
the gloves are off and everyone's.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Going, oh my god, had a nightmare with this person.
But it's good fun.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
Let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor,
and we're back on the Bobby Cast.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
You talk about summoning Everest. I was reading a story
the other day. I was looking at pictures out when
you get to the top. I don't know if this
was the case with you. There's a line because there
are people trying to do it. When you got to
the top of Everest, was there a line?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Well?
Speaker 1 (23:39):
No, we were there in nineteen tinety eight, you know,
so it was like nobody. It's such tiny numbers were
climbing it then, and you know, we had no we
were the only two.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
We were the first two that reached the top that year.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
We had four climbers lose their lives on this first
attempt that went up, and then everyone else on the
mountain who's sort of just by and then ended up
coming off, and we everyone was dealing with these these
fatalities and the disasters and then we hung on and
they and the jet stream winds lifted and a few
of us just went on and got lucky. You know,
(24:14):
So in the year we were, those those years, it
was so different. But you know, I know, I know
those photos you're talking about, I've seen that in the
press lots of the last few years of you know,
it is a bottleneck, though I kind of think sometimes
it still gives a slightly kind of skewed view of
it because you might have you might have one hundred
and fifty.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Climbers or whatever on it, and they're there for however many.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Weeks, you know, six seven weeks, and at the end
they get they're all you know, there's only one one ridge.
That's not like there are a hundred ridges. You can
each have your own ridge, you know. That's that gets
that mountain. That's the nature of a mountain, and it
gets smaller, so you do something. I see those photos,
But I still think it's a big, old dangerous mountains
still kills.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
A lot of people.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I mean, you know, it was killing one and six
when I was there, and it's probably now maybe one
in fifteen or something now. But you know, you can't
take that amount of granted, forecasting gets better, you know,
gear gets better, but it's still a little while that's
unpredictable and people die still every year on that mountain.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Did you do an episode with Alex hanald Am I am, I.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Yeah, yeah, we did, yeah, a couple of seasons ago.
It was really fun. We did it in near where
we live in Switzerland, and he was great. You know,
it's the only guess I've ever had where like, you know,
when we reach a rock face, he was like, he's
here's the rope, you go, you lead it off.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Followed and be gentle.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
But what a great guy and such as wonderful heart
and a great story and uh and yeah, although he
was kind of very out of his comfort zone at
times as well, because I think you forget with sort
of experts like that even in the outdoors you become
a real expert in big wool climbing.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
But you know, like we skyd, I've in at the beginning.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
With him and he was like super nervous, ahasutly sort
of shaking in the back of the plane. And I
loved him all the more for that, because it's like
you're you're you're the bravest man I know, Alex, I'm
so I'm so happy to see that some things also
get you nervous, and it's a reminder of life that
whoever you are, even someone like him, like, we all
(26:22):
feel fear, you know, but the champions somehow find a
way to keep facing it, keep doing it, and find
a way through it.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
And I love that.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Was that a pre production meeting of going We really
got to elevate for this guy because it seems like
he has no fear.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
A little bit.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
But at the same time, you know, the wild kind
of does my job for me. You know, it's not
all you don't have to take everyone to the edge.
You know, it's like it's a journey. You're getting to
know someone's story. And but I always knew that I
definitely we'd find a really good rock face. I'd seen
from the from the air when we were scouting this route,
and I kind of thought that would be really great
to try and do. And it looks on the edge
(27:01):
of what I can do. And he'll scamper up this thing.
So I gave him the rope and I said, you lead,
but be gentle that you know, and he starts up
and the first bit was a little bit overhanging, so
like first ten feet and then it sort of, you know,
flattened out a little bit, so I couldn't actually see
him after the first ten feet, and the rope just
wasn't moving very far. After about five minutes, I kind
(27:23):
of shouted up. He must have been like thirty twenty
thirty feet up, and I said, are you all right?
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Are you getting it?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Is everything all right? And I just hear him shout down.
He goes, yeah, this bit is a little tricky. I'm
not gonna lie. This bit's tricky, but hold on, give
me a few minutes.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
And I'm thinking, oh my god, I'm dead, you know.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
But he got to the top, he set that anchor,
you know, and I started come up. But there were
definitely a few times I was going, Alex's gonna need
a tight line on this one, you know.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Can you great guy?
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Are you able to get life insurance?
Speaker 1 (27:56):
What's funny you asked that? I was Actually somebody somebody
came up the airport today. We're literally just flown into
the next place where we're filming, and somebody at the
airport said, I.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Deal with life insurance for a big company.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
It's my god, how are you with your life insurance
and Delvis with going To be honest, there's a nightmare
the most expensive things on our production. And the problem
is you become a victim of the show's you know, profile,
Any success like really counts against us because suddenly is
it like, hold on, I've seen that show. We're not
ensuring this, but we have got it. I think it's
(28:32):
I think it's okay. I mean, I try not to.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
I don't know. I try not to think about that stuff.
I've got a good team to worry about, the life insurance.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
I keep focused on the important stuff, which is people
like you.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Your team is great and they make at least me
and my wife feel extremely safe. But they move around
really well, and they move around and terrain really well.
Where I've worked on a bunch of television shows, most
camera guys aren't able to move like that. How how
do you find your crews?
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Well, first of all, they are the unsung hero in
this whole journey.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
They are. They're incredible.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
They've been with me from the beginning, which, actually, as
you know, in the world of TV.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Is pretty rare.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
You know, most of the time camera CRUs and TV
crews super transient.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
They change, but we've had the same.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Guys basically from day one, and it's one of the
things I'm most proud about those friendships. We've done life
together and it's it's, like I said, it's one of
the big motivations actually for me still still working. I
love those guys. They do everything we do for the
just sort of viewers aware. They do everything we do,
but backwards because they're filming it like moving backwards, powering
(29:38):
the heavy cameras, heavy backpacks, you know, one of things.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
The cameras have got lighter over the years.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
I've actually got heavier, which I still can't quite get
my head around. But now because the lenses are so good,
they're huge, they actually have to put weights on the
back to counteract the lenses. I mean, these guys are
incredible and as you say, they move beautifully, and I
think moving well in the mountain on a difficult terrain
and awkward rock and slippery rock, you know, is a
(30:04):
real art. And I really noticed it on Running Wild,
you know, first straight off the bat, when when the
guest starts moving, I can instantly tell, you know, I
can tell very quickly if they've done much of this
sort of thing, and it really reminds me of how
great and highly skilled and trained our crew are.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
And it's a great thing to see.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
What I remember a specially in the Norway episode, because
people have I think an unfair idea that again people
are throwing us clothes or food or a hotel. But
I remember landing in Norway and we start we're going
across this very slick like mountain to we're in fjords,
but my boots got wet and so we're going through
(30:46):
water and so my feet are wet in my socks
and I'm thinking, well, any moment now, someone's gonna come
in and toss me some new boots. Like we're gonna stop,
We're gonna go sit on a stump, and I'm.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Gonna any moment.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
I'm gonna have some new And we rolled in wet
boots and wet feet until the night and we literally
put them by the fire.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
People are asking, you know what, It's so great though,
It's so good because, like you know, when people get famous,
people stop treating them differently, and it's like, you know,
it's like it's not a healthy dynamic because as you know,
at home, nobody treaty like that. It's like and humans
tend to sort of push until somebody says stop. And
I see it often on this show, like you know,
(31:27):
I mean, you are so great, you're so grounded, and.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
Normally you just are laughed and off we go.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
But sometimes I kind of see them looking like when
their feet are instantly wet and something, I kind of.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
See them half kind.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Of looking around as if are we going to And
I love it every time.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
They never go you know, we need I need new blooes.
They always love it.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
They're always like great, but it's like there always always
that often that moment of like really we're in, like
we're really doing this, we're really crossing this river and
you're you're really tying the rope off this cliff to
this little spindly root. And it's like, yeah, but it's good,
it's strong. I've done this all my life, but we're good.
And I will often back it up with a second one,
(32:06):
but it never needs it. You know, I do it
because we're always safe. A lot I put a second
line on them, but it's like the roots always hold
all the you know. The little rock thread reviews on
a tiny little bit of whatever works and that's a
fun part of it. Again, it's like you kind of
wing it and and I think the guests again love
that dynamic at the end because it's.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
What makes them feel proud of themselves. So it is legit.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
You know, what about your kids, did they inherit the
I want to do, you know, adrenaline type things from you?
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Well, first of all, they're smarter, still have a better looking, stronger, fitter,
you know, in every way, and it's just true. They're
three boys are wonderful. Jesse a twenty two now he
works with us every day. He films all the behind
the scenes for the shows and for all the digital stuff.
So for me, that's been a just one of the
(33:00):
great gifts in my life that I now like he's
beside me all the time and gives me confidence and
strength and happiness in my heart.
Speaker 3 (33:10):
So that's magical.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Mum, Juke's a little bit younger, twenty and then hucklebre seventeen,
and you know, they all love.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Adventure in their own ways.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
But at the same time, they're not kind of caricatures
of my life.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
You know, they're really not that.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
They're you know that I have taken them all skydiving
and paragliding and the odd mountain and stuff. But it's
but not masses. They all like different things. Huckleberry loves
loves his tennis and rugby, that's what he's into. And Marmadu,
the middle of one is a total one off. He
loves he's a trained butcher and he's joining the police,
(33:45):
and you know, he's he.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Loves his traveling. And I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
I think as a parent you can only need just
encourage your kids to find what they love and to
be try and be humble and kind on the journey
and be a never give upper. And the rest is
I certainly wouldn't encourage him to be mini clones.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
Of my stuff.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Because I say that they're better, smarter, they're going to
fight there, They're already finding their own path and I'm
super proud of that.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Does Huckleberry think that like Roger Federer's cool? I watched
the episode you guys did together? Is that cool to him?
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yes? Super cool?
Speaker 1 (34:18):
And actually, you know, Huckles is really had really quite shy, uh,
just a sweet gentle heart, and so Roger is always
going to be his guy. You know, He's he's less
into the machismo and they out there. He just he
loves Yannick Sinner for example. You know, he's so I
don't know if you know him as the number one
at the moment's such a humble guy as well.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
And uh, but yeah, the Roger Federon was so fun
to do.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
He's to be honest, he was a real hero of
mine if I had to pick a running wild guest
who were real icons for me over the years, apart
from of course yourself, you know, and Julia Roberts growing
up with.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
So much of her sort of movies.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
But I would say in terms of here roads, so
that Roger was as a family with such tennis fans,
so that was like super cool to be able to
take him on one. Hunkers was quite young and he
was probably like ten, but it wasn't wasted on him.
He was still like, that's the coolest one you've done.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
If I remember correctly about that one. You guys were
going down to ice wall with the Federal one. Is
that right? Like we're climbing down like ice with sticks?
Like do you do that ahead at time? Without him first.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
To know maybe I went down first or that.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
I mean, all I remember is he is quite technical
using crampons and ice on steep ice waterfalls going up
or down.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Can't quite remember what were you doing.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
But like like it takes some practice. It takes some
you know, you put somebody on day.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
One on that.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
They're all over the place really because it's super awkward
and your default balance is all wrong. And I said
this to Roger, I said, just take your time, and
I just remember like watching him doing it beside me,
just thinking you were, Wow, this guy's got the balance
of a bird. You know, he's literally like on his
on his front points, super balanced. So it's pretty cool
(36:10):
to see. Yeah, we laughed a lot on that program.
I mean we had we laughed a lot.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
It was fun.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
You know, he's actually quit a scaredy cat. It's quite fun.
So he was going better. Honestly, I'm like, I'm so
bad with so much of this stuff. I'm bad with
heights and he couldn't like we're trying to gut a
fish and he couldn't get a hardly prod this thing.
And you know, and I think for me running wilds
where we can really laugh a lot, I mean we laugh,
especially with Caitlin on that one. We had such a
laugh altogether. And I love that dynamic because it makes
(36:39):
it more and more for feeling like just not work.
You know, sometimes there work sometimes if it's really cold
or hot, and and then the guests maybe of struggling,
you're going to have really got to help him over
some things. You went to work guide mode. But like
a few sometimes they're just really fun. I love that,
and I think Rogers and Yours was like that, and
(37:00):
any second time round Rob is definitely like that. I
would say Common Domingo actually on this season was just
a great light as well, good fun.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
So when they come they're great.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
One final celebrity question, who did you work with? You
knew of them, they're they're wildly famous, but then you
ended up really liking them as a person.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
I would say, you know, I'm always nervous saying I'm
great friends with someone because sometimes I feel maybe I
think I'm better friends with them that they might think
they are with me. So I'm not one of these
people that kind of says all these A lists stars
are great friends. But I would say they've been a
handful over the years. I would say Bradley Cooper's has
become a friend. He's come to stay with us a
(37:41):
bunch of times on our little island up in Wales
in the UK with Lear, his daughter, and we always
sort of tease him that his time he comes to
spend with us is his grounding.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
Time of the year.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
You know, we've got to do his own washing, and
there's no one there to look after him, and it's
a bit off grid, and our house is pretty small.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
But he's so funny.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
He's just the most normal, gentle, humble guy you'll meet.
And that's been great. And so I would say him,
but and then a few others, maybe some of the
less famous ones. I don't know, you know, you and
me have I like our connection, and no, I just
I don't have like loads and loads of friends in
my life. I'd say, out of running wild, I've got
(38:27):
sort of probably you know, five or six that I
keep in good touch with, and another five would always
have each other's back, which is kind of like us.
And and I really I love that you only need
a few in life, don't you.
Speaker 6 (38:41):
The Bobby Cast will be right back. This is the
Bobby Cast.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
Oh yeah, final question, give me some some some dad advice.
I'm brand new.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
Well, first of all, you're going to be amazing. The
fact that you're even asking a new.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Care so much. You're going to be You're going to
be great.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
And I really kind of I'm not one of these
people who kind of thinks, say, have it all right,
I've I've made many mistakes, I'm sure over the years,
but at the end of it, I think I have
really always known it's the only wealth we ever have
can be measured in the quality of our relationships with
our spouse and our kids and our close friends. You know,
the rest is detail. I've met so many people like
(39:29):
you over the years. You know, billionaires with broken relationships
and their kids hate them. And you know you're not
a rich guy. That does not make you a rich guy,
and therefore guarded early and the little things are the
big things, and put them first. You know, we all
have busy lives at work and many demands left right center,
but prioritize them, and you're just going to do a wonderful,
(39:51):
beautiful job.
Speaker 3 (39:52):
I'm excited to see Billy grow.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Up, and she's going into just the most wonderful home
with you too.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
I know.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
You know you've both got great hearts, and the world's
going to be better off and needs more parents like you,
so be encouraged and the best advice love their mother.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Love their mother, as kids.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
Will always says, they always go example, example, example, and
kids don't listen to what we say, they look at
what we do.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Bear amazing seeing you everybody Bear girls is running wild
on Fox. I could tell your first hand it's real.
I can also tell you Bear is even better in
person than he is, and you're quite lovely on television.
So you know, I feel like with you, I'm the
guy who thinks you're my better friend than you actually,
do you know how you were talking about you feel
that way. I'm like, Bear's my best friend, That's my
(40:39):
best friend.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
I listen, I'm there as well, and I love it
when we texted you on various things.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
Oh, by the way, I forgot to say, will you
do me a favor? Will you?
Speaker 1 (40:48):
I don't know if you've seen my book, Greatest story
ever told. Yes, you have a read of it. I
just think I actually was thinking of you two the
other like a couple of weeks ago with this. I
just know this book will touch you. And it's super quick,
easy read. But it's the best thing I've ever done.
I'd give up every emmy, all of that, every every
summit and everything to have done this. And I would
(41:11):
say my work life has been the most profound thing
I've ever done in the sense that it is changing
lives all day. I've never experienced anything like this before
my work life.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
So I'd love to hear.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
I love you guys who read it, and I'd love
to hear how you feel about it.
Speaker 2 (41:25):
Why is this different?
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Because it's all of our stories. It's all of our
stories helps people find home, you know. It's like anything
that helps bring people together and give light and strength
to their hearts, you know. And religion is such a
difficult word and thing for people. And my experience of
religion was always very kind of frosty and judgmental and
(41:48):
difficult and irrelevant and irre and not helpful for my life.
And it's been such a life journey to realize the
heart of Christ is totally the opposite. And there's a
moment freeing family centered like like strength for life, strength
for the battles, friendships, risk, sacrifice, courage, you know, all
(42:09):
the things that we love. But I never associated with
the story of Christ. And it's been a lifetime journey
to get to the heart of it. That's why I
wanted to write this book of basically saying of saying,
look at the real story, you know, because we all
know stories about Jesus of like you know, in the
Nativity or the Good Samaritan, and they never they never
connected with me.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
And then seeing this whole thing together and I just
told it like.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
It is without any of the religious stuff that for
two thousand years were put into it, to try to
get to the heart of why was everybody who encountered
this guy changed and made better?
Speaker 3 (42:45):
And why did the elite fear him so much?
Speaker 1 (42:47):
And it's just such an interesting time to be speaking
into this sort of thing at a time a division
when we need unity and peacemakers. So it's touching people
at every faith, every culture I get and Muslims and
Jewish people, all sorts, and they all write to me
every day, just going on no idea that this is.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
A real story.
Speaker 1 (43:07):
So, like I say, best thing I've ever done, one
of the hardest, but the best thing.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
Why would you do this book? Then it's a it's
again it's a bit different. What what inspired you to
start this? Because writing a book is not something you
can do in today.
Speaker 1 (43:18):
No, because it's like you, I've just learned in life,
I'm not scared any longer to follow my heart. And
it was just screaming in my heart. It was like
nobody's ever done this, nobody's ever written the story of Christ.
It's like a thriller, but theologically one hundred percent accurate.
I've done this partnership with the Chosen TV show where
we did it like a running Well Bespokes season. I
took a lot of their characters. Do you know the
(43:38):
Chosen You heard of that? So I took a lot
of I took like Jesus, Johnathan Ruby and all that
people on Mini Running Wild Journeys. And it gave me
great access to their theological teams and sot to work
with them, and just all these things came together at
the right time, and it was just like I couldn't sleep.
It was like, bere clear the decks write this, you
know you're going to do this, and and it was
(44:00):
so daunting, so daunting, but like now it's out there.
It went straight to number one. It's been in the
top ten for twenty weeks now. It's been, like I said,
the best thing I've ever done I had no idea
the effect we had had. And it's like if The
Running Wild and all the other TV shows have given
me a platform for anything, this is what I feel
it's for because it's a bad adventure at heart as well.
(44:21):
It's how we live our lives, you know, and it's
that adventure state of mind.
Speaker 3 (44:25):
So yeah, that's why.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Great to see you. Really seriously, I hope you stay
safe and I hope the show does exactly what you want.
And I'm super excited to hear the book is doing
precisely what you wanted so always, and I'll talk Caitlin.
She sends her best. I'll tell her you send it back.
Speaker 1 (44:42):
Oh please do Yeah, give her a big, big huggin
Little Billy so proud of you.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
You keep shining bright.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
Don't listen to the dream sealies, key going, brother, you
are the best.
Speaker 2 (44:51):
All right, bears, see you, buddy, Thank
Speaker 5 (44:53):
You, thanks for listening to a Bobby Cast production.
Host
Bobby Bones
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