National Geographic is literally RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS. The network announced today that it has acquired the exclusive U.S. cable Syndication rights of NBC's popular hit series featuring Bear Grylls, famed adventurer and survivalist who takes celebrities into the most remote and wild locations in the U.S. and around the world for a 48-hour extreme survival journey of a lifetime. National Geographic will air the first three seasons of RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS starting Oct. 26. The network also has the first option to air additional seasons of the series produced by Bear Grylls Ventures and Electus, should they be greenlit by NBC.
"Running Wild With Bear Grylls is incredibly complementary to our pursuit of programming and talent that support the very best of what audiences expect from National Geographic," said Christian Drobnyk, executive vice president, programming strategy and acquisitions for National Geographic Channels. "No one makes adventure and survival more surprising, entertaining and informative than Bear Grylls, so it's the perfect marriage of expert talent with one of the world's most trusted brands."
"National Geographic is a perfect fit for Running Wild With Bear Grylls, and we are happy to expand the show's audience to include Nat Geo fans," stated Bruce Casino, executive vice president, NBCUniversal Television and New Media Distribution.
With Grylls as their survival guide, the celebrities endure the harsh wilderness in high-octane, action-based and empowering journeys spread over six remote locations, pushing both their minds and bodies to the limits to successfully complete their journeys.
Season One (Begins airing weekly Oct. 26 - episodes will air out of order)
The celebrities who will be partnered one-on-one with Grylls in their own stand-alone episodes include actor Zac Efron, actor-director Ben Stiller, actor Channing Tatum, NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, actor Tom Arnold and broadcast journalist Tamron Hall.
Season highlights range from skydiving into the Catskill Mountains to repelling down the cliffs of Utah and battling the notorious torrential winds and rain of Scotland.
Season Two
Joining the renowned survivalist for season two are Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet, Oscar nominee Kate Hudson, Super Bowl-winning QB Drew Brees, Emmy nominee and "Modern Family" star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, actor Ed Helms, actress Michelle Rodriguez and award-winning film and television actors James Marsden and Michael B. Jordan.
This season the series will take viewers from the jungles of Panama and the far reaches of the Italian Alps and to Colorado's Rocky Mountains and Utah's Red Rocks. The intrepid cast members will face their deepest fears and tackle everything from skydiving to rappelling as they journey through some of the world's most unforgiving wildernesses.
Season Three
Joining the renowned survivalist for season three is Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actress Courteney Cox; actress, dancer and Emmy award-winning choreographer Julianne Hough; stage and screen actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens; triple-platinum recording artist and actor Nick Jonas; NFL
SUPER BOWL champion Marshawn Lynch; alpine skier and Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn; Shaquille O'Neal; and more.
Grylls will take viewers from the remote African savannah and mountain passes of the Sierra Nevada to the wilds of Ireland and rocky shores of Corsica.
Running Wild With Bear Grylls is produced by Bear Grylls Ventures and Electus. NBCUniversal Television and New Media Distribution is the distributor and managed the rights agreement.
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 UK coast, where his late father taught him to climb and sail. Trained from a young age in martial arts, Grylls went on to spend 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 pits 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 gone on to host more extreme adventure TV shows across more global networks than anyone else in the world, including the BAFTA award-winning The Island with Bear Grylls, Bear Grylls' Survival School, Man vs. Wild, Running Wild for
NBC and Absolute Wild for Chinese TV. He is a number 1 bestselling Author, an Honorary Colonel to the Royal Marine Commandos and the youngest-ever Chief Scout, and inspiration to forty million Scouts worldwide.
Image courtesy of NBC
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