Man vs. Beast
Encyclopedia
Man vs. Beast is a series of sensationalistic television specials aired in the United States
by the Fox
television network
. The shows were produced by Brian Richardson and directed by Bob Levy
. They involve a variety of challenges in which people and animals compete against each other. Although the initial special, Man vs. Beast, was heavily panned by critics and animal rights
groups, Fox commissioned a sequel, Man vs. Beast 2, which aired on February 20, 2004.
The competitions included the following matchups:
In 2003, ITV
commissioned Granada Productions
to re-create the American special for British
audiences. A six-part series was filmed, hosted by John Fashanu
. However, due to heavy lobbying by animal rights groups, transmission of the series was postponed indefinitely.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
. The shows were produced by Brian Richardson and directed by Bob Levy
Bob Levy
Bob Levy may refer to:*Bob Levy , former mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey*Bob Levy , stand-up comedian and radio personality...
. They involve a variety of challenges in which people and animals compete against each other. Although the initial special, Man vs. Beast, was heavily panned by critics and animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
groups, Fox commissioned a sequel, Man vs. Beast 2, which aired on February 20, 2004.
The competitions included the following matchups:
- Professional eater Takeru KobayashiTakeru Kobayashiis a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta....
lost a hot dog eating contest against a Kodiak bearKodiak BearThe Kodiak bear , also known as the Kodiak brown bear or the Alaskan grizzly bear or American brown bear, occupies the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago in South-Western Alaska. Its name in the Alutiiq language is Taquka-aq. It is the largest subspecies of brown bear.- Taxonomy :Taxonomist C.H...
. - Scott HelvenstonScott HelvenstonStephen "Scott" Helvenston was a former United States Navy SEAL, and worked as a security contractor for Blackwater Security when he was killed in the 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush within days of arriving in Iraq....
, a US Navy SEAL, won a race against a chimpanzeeChimpanzeeChimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
through an obstacle course. - A group of 44 dwarvesDwarfismDwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
lost a race against an Asian elephantAsian ElephantThe Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
to see which could pull a commercial jet a certain distance first. - Shawn CrawfordShawn CrawfordShawn Crawford is an American sprint athlete. He competes in the 100 meters and 200 meters events. He won gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 200 meters....
, a world-class sprinter, won a 100 meters against a giraffeGiraffeThe giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
but lost against a zebraZebraZebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
. - A SumoSumois a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler lost a tug-of-war against a large, female orangutanOrangutanOrangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
.
In 2003, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
commissioned Granada Productions
Granada Productions
Granada Productions was a British commercial television production and distribution company. The company took its name from the successful ITV franchise, Granada Television....
to re-create the American special for British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
audiences. A six-part series was filmed, hosted by John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
. However, due to heavy lobbying by animal rights groups, transmission of the series was postponed indefinitely.
See also
- List of television series cancelled before airing an episode
- Man vs. Beast is the name of the rivalry between the Colorado State RamsColorado State RamsColorado State University competes in 16 sponsored intercollegiate sports, including 10 for women and six for men...
and the University of IdahoUniversity of IdahoThe University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
Vandals. Following the showdown of 1992, Mountain West president Matthew Medlock verbally assaulted the University of Idaho, calling the educational establishment a "cesspool of low-life scum". In response, Idaho president J. Maxwell Faller referred to the Rams as "mongrels".
External links
- Man vs. Beast, synopsis and scheduled listings at FoxReality.com