Just did a search on Bear Grylls here as suggested.
I do agree with the majority that most of the stuff he does is plain stupid (putting himself in unnecessary danger) and "fear factor" related.
As with anything watched on TV (or most things in life even) you have to separate the good from the crap.
I enjoy seeing the locations he goes to, tricks of the trade he uses (trapping and local info fed to him by local experts brought in by the show) and learning from his mistakes. Seeing someone do something bat shit crazy/stupid can really get you thinking on the proper way to do it.
I get a good laugh at the obviously staged stuff (hey it's TV right)
A few of the tidbits I have picked up (filtering out the BS crap) would be telling how long before sunset with your fingers, North with a watch on 2 different hemispheres, North with the stick technique some interesting ways to fish, and if trying to tie something to cloth putting a rock in it and twisting can give the cordage something to hold onto.
Thanks for the reality check on Bear, now back to reading the rest of the posts in this section, some really great info here!
*Edited to add I just finished reading threw all the post's in this thread and there is some great information in here, thank you all for your insight!