‘Running Wild with Bear Grylls’ promo: Zac Efron, Ben Stiller, more in peril

There is probably something both entertaining and sadistic about the first promo for NBC’s upcoming “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” premiering on July 20. It shows celebrities completely out of their element having to learn to survive, and this is not an easy thing for them (or really anyone else, for that matter) to do.

Luckily, this is something that Grylls has experience with thanks to his former Discovery series “Man vs. Wild,” as he did occasionally take some stars like Jake Gyllenhaal along with him. This series features the likes of Zac Efron, Ben Stiller, Channing Tatum, and many others trying to survive the elements.

So how in the world did NBC and Grylls get celebrities of this caliber to sign up for the show? That’s a very good question, but we imagine that there is a certain appeal that probably comes here from the fact that this is a show that allows them the opportunity to really get out there and actually learn something about the world and themselves. An odd comparison we would make here would be the family-tree show “Who Do You Think You Are,” where stars get a chance to learn about their family history. These are not shows that are out to embarrass them; instead, thy are reality shows that give the viewers something interesting, but also give a priceless service to the stars taking part as well. (Also, the preview video below features Deion Sanders being terrified of a snake, which is always entertaining to us.)

What do you think about this promo, and are you actually excited to see this new series when it premieres later this month? Let us know some of your thoughts with a comment, and click here if you want some more sometimes-wild TV updates from us sent right to your email.

Photo: NBC