NEW YORK – Bear Grylls and Bradley Cooper jumped onto a hovering helicopter, rappelled down a 400-foot cliff, and dragged himself over a 100-foot ravine in one of North America’s hardest climates for his next role.

He didn’t get an Oscar nomination or a big box office blockbuster as his reward. It was an embrace and words of encouragement from adventurer Bear Grylls.

“He smashed it,” says Grylls.

Cooper is one of the numerous celebs who will put their survival abilities to the test in a new season of Nat Geo’s “Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” which premieres Friday. Others include Benedict Cumberbatch, Cynthia Erivo, Russell Brand, Troy Kotsur, Rita Ora, Daveed Diggs, and Tatiana Maslany.

“This season has made me very proud.” Grylls told The Associated Press, “We’ve had incredible guests who pushed the boundaries in terms of terrain and challenge.” “When there’s really tough weather with really fun people, it’s often really compelling TV.”

Grylls is paired with a celebrity for 48 hours in a difficult setting. Grylls teaches crucial skills on the first day, including climbing tactics, water-finding strategies, and fire-starting, and then the guest must execute them alone on the second day.

Kotsur, who received an Oscar for his performance in ‘CODA’, was put to the test in the Scottish Highlands, where he descended 2,500 feet (760 meters) across eight miles (13 kilometers) of difficult terrain and icy rivers, including a 150-foot (45-meter) abseil down a waterfall. Because Kotsur is deaf, the two guys communicate using rope tugs. Kotsur’s reward: haggis, a Scottish dish in which organ meat is cooked inside a sheep’s stomach.

Bear Grylls and Bradley Cooper jumped onto a hovering helicopter, and rappelled down a 400-foot cliff.

Diggs, a city child, finds himself in Nevada’s hostile Great Basin Desert.

“I don’t know how this is going to turn out, and that’s why I’m doing it,” he says. Diggs discovers how to use anchor points, track a target, and shoot a signal. His meal is a tarantula.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s not what I was hoping for,” Diggs admits.

According to Grylls, the finest visitors are always those that arrive with a willingness to go with it rather than a need to appear good.

“The wild is so unpredictable, and things happen all the time.” “In the wild, you can’t always look cool,” he explained.

The show is about more than just survival. Grylls’ visitors typically open up and reveal a different side to him. Ora discusses her connections to Kosovo, Cooper appears unfazed when eating mule deer tongue, and Cumberbatch shares anecdotes about his grandfather. Grylls delves deeper than many TV interviewers over a campfire.

“It’s about the stars and their own personal journeys, struggles, and battles as much as it is about the adventure and the places,” he explains. “I think that combination works well because it doesn’t feel like a performance, like a chat show where you get dressed up and make up for three minutes.”

Cumberbatch is sent to Skye, where his grandfather trained as a submariner. He discovers how to utilize climbing talons and tie an Italian hitch knot.

“It’s not the same as performing a stunt in a Marvel movie.” “It’s a lot more real,” says Cumberbatch. His dinner consists of seaweed and limpets — ‘definitely al dente’, he jokes — and his bed consists of a wet meadow.

Ora arrives in Nevada’s Valley of Fire after a 15,000-foot (4,570-meter) skydive, learns a chimney climb, butchers a dead bird, donates her lip balm to start a fire, and soaks up water with a sock. She and Grylls even dance on a ledge, casting long shadows.

Bear Grylls and Bradley Cooper jumped onto a hovering helicopter and rappelled down a 400-foot cliff.

“Doesn’t the wild strip us all naked?” Grylls told the Associated Press. “When you squeeze us, you can see what we’re made of, just like a grape.” And that’s always been the most appealing aspect of ‘Running Wild’ – getting to know the actual folks.”

One thing that all of the visitors have in common is that the celebrity’s parents instilled in them a feeling of adventure and pushing themselves.

“It’s a reminder of just how important parenting is,” Grylls added. “while I ask stars, ‘Where does it come from?’ they almost always say, ‘Oh, my dad was fantastic while I was really suffering at school.’ Or, ‘My mother was such an inspiration while working three jobs.'”

“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” is only one of the series the adventurer is hosting. This year, TBS premiered “I Survived Bear Grylls,” a competition series that combines the survival and game show genres by having regular competitors duplicate some of Grylls’ antics, such as digging through poop or drinking pee. Younger fans can also enjoy “You vs. Wild,” an interactive Netflix show in which viewers determine how Grylls will survive the wilderness.

“I’m not going to be doing these shows forever, but hopefully having an adventurous spirit and knowing the value of great friends and the power of a never-give-up attitude in the world — those things will keep going,” the 49-year-old added.

He appears to have tapped into something deep in human DNA – a desire to be able to light a fire, utilize tools, and master the wilderness. But Grylls believes it is more.

“I truly believe it’s a mental state.” “We don’t have to live in the wilderness to have an adventurous life,” he explained. “It’s how we approach our work, relationships, dreams, aspirations, and interactions with others.” Are we leaning towards adventure? Are we always pushing the envelope and taking chances?”

SOURCE – (AP)