Survivorman

Survivorman is a Canadian-produced television program, broadcast in Canada on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), and internationally on Discovery Channel and Science Channel. The title refers to the host of the show, Canadian filmmaker and survival expert Les Stroud, who uses survival skills and knowledge to survive alone for up to ten days (seven days during the first three seasons and ten days during seasons four and five), in remote locales where he brings with him little or no food, water, or equipment. Each location was scouted and planned extensively by Stroud and his team who consulted with survival specialists and natives of each area. The fact that Stroud films the episodes himself and endures the challenges of the wilderness, while dealing with the concomitant mental, emotional and physical stresses, is a major focus of the show.

==Production== During the videotaping of each episode, Stroud is alone and operates all the cameras himself, while his support team monitors him from a distance. He is equipped with only his clothes, camera equipment, his harmonica, a multi-tool, and often "everyday items" relevant to the episode's particular survival situation or locale. For safety purposes, Stroud carries an emergency satellite phone and normally has daily radio contact with his support crew that is always within rescue range. However, Stroud has stated that while videotaping several episodes, there were times when his emergency phone did not work, leaving him totally alone and has mentioned his concern that his rescue crew may become stranded with him. On a few occasions, Stroud has also been provided with a rifle for safety reasons or as part of the survival situation; in the first-season episode "Canadian Arctic", the local experts he consulted insisted that because of polar bears they would not let him go without a rifle.