• The Hollywood Reporter, Tuesday, July 24, 2007 10:30 AM

Discovery Channel's credibility could take a hit on news that the host of its most popular series, "Man vs. Wild," may have been staying in hotels when he was supposed to be out facing the elements. On Monday, the cable net responded to a probe by a British TV station which also carries the show under the title "Born Survivor: Bear Grylls." Channel 4 discovered that Grylls had been snoozing indoors at least two nights when he was shown as sleeping in the wild.

"Discovery Communications has learned that isolated elements of the "Man vs. Wild" show in some episodes were not natural to the environment, and that for health and safety concerns, the crew and host received some survival assistance while in the field," the network says.

In the series, Grylls is typically flown into wilderness areas with just a few tools for survival and the one-time special forces soldier is shown as subsisting without intervention. Among the other charges is that a raft he supposedly built was in fact put together by consultants. Discovery did not indicate it might dump the show but says it will make some changes. "Moving forward, the program will be 100% transparent and all elements of the filming will be explained upfront to our viewers," Discovery says. "In addition, shows that are to be repeated will be edited appropriately."

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