[06/07/23 - 10:00 AM] Adventurer Bear Grylls Embarks on a New Heart-Racing Season of National Geographic's "Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge" Russell Brand, Bradley Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daveed Diggs, Cynthia Erivo, Troy Kotsur, Tatiana Maslany and Rita Ora join the newest season to prove they have what it takes to survive in the wild.
[via press release from National Geographic Content]
**DATE CORRECTION**
ADVENTURER BEAR GRYLLS EMBARKS ON A NEW HEART-RACING SEASON OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S "RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE"
RUSSELL BRAND, BRADLEY COOPER, BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, DAVEED DIGGS, CYNTHIA ERIVO, TROY KOTSUR,
TATIANA MASLANY AND RITA ORA JOIN THE NEWEST SEASON TO PROVE THEY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE IN THE WILD
RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE Kicks Off With
Academy Award(R)-Nominated Actor, Filmmaker and Writer
Bradley Cooper on July 9 at 9/8c on National Geographic
(WASHINGTON, D.C. - JUNE 7, 2023) World-renowned survivalist Bear Grylls is gearing up for a new season of thrill-seeking, bug-eating adventures in National Geographic's RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE. Continuing to push superstars' comfort levels, Bear and his guests will venture from the highest peaks of Scotland to unforgiving terrain in Wyoming for more ultimate, life-changing challenges and adventures. RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE premieres July 9 at 9/8c on National Geographic.
Guests this season include comedian and actor Russell Brand ("Get Him to the Greek"); Academy Award-nominee and BAFTA Award-winner Bradley Cooper ("Guardians of the Galaxy," "A Star Is Born"); Academy Award-nominee, BAFTA Award-winner and Emmy(R) Award-winner Benedict Cumberbatch ("Doctor Strange," "The Power of the Dog"); Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning actor, rapper, writer and producer Daveed Diggs ("The Little Mermaid," "Blindspotting," "Hamilton"); GRAMMY(R), Emmy and Tony Award(R)-winning actress, singer, author and producer Cynthia Erivo ("Harriet," "Genius: Aretha"); Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kostur ("CODA," "The Mandalorian"); Emmy Award-winner Tatiana Maslany ("She-Hulk: Attorney At Law," "Orphan Black"); and international critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Rita Ora.
This season, guests will continue to be tested both physically and mentally beyond their limits - like Bradley Cooper spending a night hanging off the side of a cliff, Cynthia Erivo traversing a freezing waterfall, and Troy Kotsur battling raging rivers as Bear's first deaf guest. Bear teaches each celebrity a key set of survival skills they will then have to master on their own under a high-intensity moment to earn their extraction from the wilderness. Fears will be conquered, and limits will be tested.
This season's celebrity guest lineup and challenges include the following:
· BRADLEY COOPER IN THE WYOMING BASIN
Premieres July 9 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bradley Cooper joins Bear on an adventure through the rugged canyons of the Wyoming Basin. Bear teaches Bradley how to use a grappling hook gun, as well as key mountaineering rope skills, to traverse a series of towering ravines. The two spend the night hanging on the side of a cliff, and on day two, Bradley is faced with daunting challenges during a harsh winter snowstorm.
· BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ON THE ISLE OF SKYE
Premieres July 16 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes prolific Marvel superstar and venerated actor Benedict Cumberbatch on an adventure across the Isle of Skye in Scotland. They descend massive sea cliffs and brave freezing waterfalls. Bear teaches Benedict unique survival skills and surprises Benedict by connecting him to a part of his past with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
· CYNTHIA ERIVO IN THE BRECON BEACONS MOUNTAINS
Premieres July 23 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes singer-actress Cynthia Erivo to the highest mountains in Wales, where Bear trained in the British Special Forces. Bear teaches Cynthia how to rappel into and navigate a labyrinth of caves before they traverse a frigid and thunderous waterfall. On day two, Cynthia uses the skills she learned on day one to embark on her own, find Bear, and make it to their extraction.
· TROY KOTSUR IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS
Premieres July 30 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear takes his first deaf guest, Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur, on an adventure in the Scottish Highlands. Bear and Troy must find a new way to communicate as they push themselves to the limits, traversing perilously steep mountains and raging rivers, but it's the silence that builds their strongest bond.
· RUSSELL BRAND IN THE HEBRIDES ISLANDS
Premieres August 6 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes actor, activist and author Russell Brand on an adventure down the jagged coast of a secluded Scottish isle in search of 16th-century castle ruins to shelter in. Along the way, Bear teaches the brash and bombastic Brand survival skills that dredge up a long-forgotten but highly charged fear he must overcome to reach his extraction.
· RITA ORA IN THE VALLEY OF FIRE
Premieres August 13 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes singer-songwriter, actor and designer Rita Ora on an adventure in the Valley of Fire. The journey launches into high-octane action with the pair skydiving from 10,000 feet, plunging them into the desolate terrain. Bear teaches Rita how to navigate, find water, and rock climb, as he prepares her to earn her extraction on day two.
· DAVEED DIGGS IN THE GREAT BASIN DESERT
Premieres August 20 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes actor, musician and "Hamilton" star Daveed Diggs on an adventure in the Great Basin Desert to teach him to track, climb and eat whatever the desert provides. On day two, Daveed must fly solo and put his skills to the test by using what he's learned to find Bear and earn his extraction.
· TATIANA MASLANY IN THE LARAMIE MOUNTAINS
Premieres August 27 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls invites "She-Hulk" and "Orphan Black" star Tatiana Maslany on a journey across Wyoming's Laramie Mountains. Tatiana admits that she's fearless on the screen, but she can't tap into that same bravery in the real world. So, Bear challenges Tatiana to conquer massive cliff rappels, menacingly icy cliffs, and a zero-degree cold shock to the body to help her overcome her fears.
Previous seasons of RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS are currently streaming on Disney+ with guests that include Natalie Portman, Simu Liu, Ashton Kutcher, Florence Pugh, Rob Riggle, Anthony Anderson, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Anthony Mackie, Dave Bautista, Cara Delevingne, Bobby Bones, Terry Crews, Rainn Wilson, Keegan-Michael Key and more.
RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE was developed by Bear Grylls and Delbert Shoopman. The series is produced by Electus, a Propagate Company, and The Natural Studios. For Electus and The Natural Studios, Bear Grylls serves as executive producer along with Chris Grant, Drew Buckley, Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Liz Schulze, Rob Buchta and Delbert Shoopman. For National Geographic, Bengt Anderson, Josh Cole and Sean David Johnson are executive producers.
Award-winning and critically acclaimed National Geographic Content, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, creates and delivers riveting stories and experiences in natural history, science, adventure and exploration. Inspiring a deeper connection to the world, the content studio reaches 300 million people worldwide in 180 countries and 33 languages across the global National Geographic channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO), National Geographic Documentary Films, and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. Its diverse content includes Emmy(R) Award-winning franchise Genius, series Life Below Zero and Secrets of the Whales, and Oscar(R)- and BAFTA award-winning film Free Solo. In 2022, National Geographic Content was awarded eight News and Documentary Emmys, in addition to Life Below Zero's Emmy win for Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program, it's sixth Emmy overall. For more information, visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or follow Nat Geo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
About Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls has become known worldwide as one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure. His journey to this acclaim started on a small island off the U.K. coast where his late father taught him to climb and sail. Trained from a young age in martial arts, Grylls spent three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces as part of 21st SAS Regiment. It was here that he perfected many of the survival skills that his fans all over the world enjoy as he pitted himself against the worst of Mother Nature. Despite a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa, where he broke his back in three places and endured many months in military rehabilitation, Grylls went on to become one of the youngest climbers ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
He then went on to star in seven seasons of the Discovery Channel's Emmy award-nominated "Man vs. Wild" TV series, which became one of the most watched shows on the planet, reaching an estimated 1.2 billion viewers. Since then, he has hosted more extreme adventure TV shows across more global networks than anyone else in the world including the Emmy-winning Netflix series "You Vs Wild", "Man vs. Wild" for Discovery Channel, "Running Wild" for Nat Geo and "Into the Wild" for the Asian TV market. He is a No. 1 best-selling author, an honorary colonel to the Royal Marine Commandos and the youngest ever chief scout and inspiration to 55 million scouts worldwide.
About Propagate
Founded in 2015 by Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens, who pioneered the global format business in the late 1990s, Propagate has offices in Los Angeles, New York and Paris. Propagate's documentary credits include the Emmy-nominated Hillary for Hulu; LFGfor HBO Max in partnership with CNN Films; the Untold franchise, November 13: Attack on Paris, Haunted, and the recently announced Anna Nicole Smith documentary for Netflix; Burning and Lore for Amazon Prime Video; recurring true crime series City Confidential for A&E Network; and Notre Dame: Our Lady of Paris for ABC. Unscripted series include American Song Contest for NBC, an adaptation of the iconic Eurovision Song Contest; Go-Big Show for TBS; In Search Of and Kings of Pain for History Channel; Million Dollar Wheels for Discovery+; Baking Impossible, Prank Encounters, and the upcoming Latin music competition series La Firma for Netflix. Scripted credits include Rebelde Way for Netflix; Charmed for The CW, Blood and Treasure and Broke for CBS; along with Let's Be Real and Our Kind of People for FOX, starring Yaya DaCosta and Morris Chestnut. Propagate also created and produced the original podcasts "An Oral History of The Office" with Spotify; and "The Office Deep Dive with Brian Baumgartner" and "XOXO with Jessica Szohr" with iHeartMedia. Propagate's expanding portfolio of companies includes Electus (You vs. Wild, Running Wild With Bear Grylls, Jane the Virgin, Fashion Star), Big Breakfast (Adam Ruins Everything, Hot Date), Notional (Chopped franchise), and talent management firms Artists First, Authentic Talent & Literary Management and Select Management.
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