You could say that a person needs a healthy sense of humor to take on the survival challenges dished out by professional onscreen thrill seeker Bear Grylls during Fox’s Bear Grylls Is Running Wild. Thankfully, that’s something New Zealand actor Rhys Darby has in spades. Known for his comedy series such as 2007–09 musical sitcom Flight of the Conchords and HBO Max’s pirate romp Our Flag Means Death, Darby is the latest celeb to sign on for Grylls’ Fox revival.
“I know Bear, having worked with him on few occasions some years back in New Zealand and I’ve always been a fan of his shows,” Darby tells us. (He hosted A Wild Night with Bear Grylls, Live on Stage in New Zealand in 2012.) “Quite simply, I love adventure and getting out into nature, so it was an easy yes after being asked to join. I was definitely hoping to reconnect with my outdoors self, and I wanted to test my nerve.”
And his nerve is definitely tested. On the Tuesday, June 2, episode, the two trek into the maze-like desert in the Canyonlands of Utah where they’ll rappel, climb out of canyons, and even do a Tyrolean traverse (the chasm-crossing rope technique that mimics a sloth on a branch). The 52-year-old comic, who also served in the New Zealand army, notes, “My brain tapped into memories of me as a young 20-year-old. I used to do this stuff. I remembered the technique: Lean back and trust your ropes. I was never one to be scared of heights. The whole experience made me feel like that young soldier again.”
Still, not much can prepare you for the epic adventures cooked up by Grylls. Was Darby scared? “I try not to think about fear,” he says. “Bear has the safest safety team. Of course, there’s certainly apprehension and a bit of unease when you’re told to go over the edge of a giant rock face, but I just concentrated on my technique and definitely didn’t look down.”
The most difficult part of the adventure, says Darby, was the end, when they traversed the final canyon. “I just hadn’t done anything like that before,” he admits. “It was difficult to drop off the cliff and just hang there suspended upside down. I think I was tired, too, as this was the final challenge. Once I reached the other side, I struggled to get up off the rope and climb up. I was so emotional when Bear spoke to me immediately after. [But] completing that final traverse, finally pulling myself up back onto the cliff top, and then being airlifted while suspended on the end of a rope dangling from a helicopter…as we flew [back] I could see all the mighty terrain that I had conquered. What a legendary feeling!”
For more, check out an exclusive clip from Darby’s episode of Running Wild above.
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