Alaska News

Obama to film segment for wilderness survival show while in Alaska

President Barack Obama will film an episode of the survivalist show "Running Wild With Bear Grylls" while he's in Alaska, NBC announced Monday.

Obama will "receive a crash course in survival techniques from Bear Grylls," NBC said in a press release relayed to Alaska Dispatch News by the White House. The two will meet up during Obama's trip to the state this week and film in the "Alaskan Wilderness."

According to a White House pool report, Obama will tape the show on Tuesday during a hike to Exit Glacier near Seward.

"I don't want to give away a lot of details about what the president will be doing with Mr. Grylls, but he's certainly looking forward to it, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told the media aboard Air Force One during the flight to Anchorage. "And it does provide an appropriate platform for the president to talk about conservation."

Earnest said the Secret Service may have had some worries about plans for shooting the segment.

"I will not deny your suspicion that there may have been some suggestions put forward by the Bear Grylls team that were not approved by the Secret Service," he said. "We have been able to work with the Secret Service to find a couple of interesting things for the president to do with Bear Grylls. It should be fun."

Obama will travel to Seward on Tuesday and hike to Exit Glacier and view Kenai Fjords National Park aboard a Coast Guard cutter.

ADVERTISEMENT

On Wednesday, Obama will travel to Dillingham and Kotzebue and depart for Washington, D.C., late in the evening.

The special "Bear Grylls" episode will air later this year, NBC and production company Electus said. The show follows Grylls and A-list celebrities on adventures in the wild.

Erica Martinson

Erica Martinson is Alaska Dispatch News' Washington, DC reporter, and she covers the legislation, regulation and litigation that impact the Last Frontier.  Erica came to ADN after years as a reporter covering energy at POLITICO. Before that, she covered environmental policy at a DC trade publication and worked at several New York dailies.

ADVERTISEMENT