Discovery announces new competition series ‘Man vs. Bear’ from Kinetic Content
November 1, 2019
Kinetic Content, a Red Arrow Studios company, has been commissioned by Discovery to produce major new unscripted series Man vs. Bear.
For thousands of years, Grizzly Bears have stood at the top of the evolutionary food chain with unchallenged dominance. Now for the first time ever, humans will be entering the bears’ territory and take them on in a competition like never attempted. Man vs. Bear, an all-new competition series pitting humans against powerful Grizzlies, premieres December 4th on Discovery.
Each week, three Grizzlies – Bart, Honey Bump and Tank – will take on three new human competitors at their Utah sanctuary to test the limits of strength, speed and stamina. All challenges will be based on the bears’ natural instincts as well as predatory skills and actions – whether it’s engaging in a monumental game of “tug of war” or using brute force to roll giant logs.
Bart is the largest, most powerful grizzly on the mountain with no other bears matching his strength and versatility. Topping the pack as the fastest is Honey Bump, who is the only female on Bear Mountain. She brings a level of ferocity and predatory instinct that her male counterparts cannot beat. Bart and Honey Bump were orphaned as cubs and discovered by an Alaska State Trooper. After a nationwide search for a loving home for the rescued cubs, they were adopted by caretakers Doug and Lynne Seus. Along with Tank – known for his voracious appetite – the Seus’ have raised and cared for all three bears for two decades on a sprawling section of protected land.
Each episode will include five distinct challenges inspired by what bears do naturally in the wild, pushing these brave men and women to their absolute limits. In the final round, the top two competitors will come face-to-face with Bart, who stands 8 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 1,400 pounds. The human competitor who earns the most points of the day will be named champion.
But the competition isn’t over yet. At the end of the season, the top three competitors with the most points will return one more time for the super-human showdown against the bears.
“Competing against bears is both scary and exciting,” said Ira, an MMA fighter and competitor from Dallas, Texas. “It’s competing against the unknown. This is a completely new challenge for me.”
The series will also include blow-by-blow commentary from on-the-ground experts Brandon Tierney and Casey Anderson.
Brandon is an Emmy Award-winning sports commentator and host of CBS Sports Radio’s nationally syndicated show Tiki and Tierney. He’s no stranger to live sporting events – hosting game coverage for the New York Knicks and serving as a commentator for college basketball for the last 20 years.
Casey is a wildlife expert with 25 years of experience and has lived with bears nearly his entire life. After graduating college, he became a wildlife filmmaker and expert on animal biology and behavior. He’s also the founder of the Montana Grizzly Encounter and has rescued seven bears from inhumane captivity situations.
Grizzlies are extremely clever and lightning fast animals. Do these humans stand a chance? And will the humans be able to prove that they’re the ultimate predators… or simply prey?
In addition to watching the series on Discovery, viewers can stream new episodes each week on the Discovery GO app. Viewers can also get to know the bears and discover more about their lives on Bear Mountain. And while learning more about these fiercely talented grizzlies, viewers are encouraged to find out which bear matches their own personality with an interactive quiz. Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #ManVsBear and follow Discovery on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest updates.
Man vs. Bear is produced for Discovery Channel by Kinetic Content, a Red Arrow Studios company, with Chris Coelen, Eric Detwiler, Vincent Cariati, Steve Kaufman, Paul Lima and Karrie Wolfe as executive producers. For Discovery Channel, Joseph Boyle and Bill Howard are executive producers and Jessica Mollo is associate producer.