There are many survivals television programs around the world. But some of them become genuinely successful programs with their actual events, excitement, and immersion. Today we’re going to mention some of the top-rated survival shows in US.

Running Wild with Bear Grylls

The first one is Running Wild with Bear Grylls, starring Bear Grylls. Edward Michael Bear Grylls is a British adventurer, author, television presenter, and scout leader. He becomes famous for the TV series “Ultimate Survival“. Running Wild with Bear Grylls is a program that tells the stories of adventurer Bear Grylls, who brought his survival skills to television screens, and the survival stories of different famous people for 48 hours in nature, which was broadcast in the first season in 2014.

Zac Efron, Ben Stiller, Channing Tatum, Tom Arnold, Tamron Hall, and Deion Senders participated in the show in the first season. The show, whose first season consisted of 6 episodes, received a lot of attention, becoming the highest-rated new show of the summer for three weeks.

In the other seasons, there are famous faces. Some of them are Kate Winslet, Michel Rodriguez, Nick Jonas, Julia Roberts, Shaquille O’Neal, Sterling K. Brown, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Cheadle, Joel McHale, Cara Delevingne, Terry Crews, also former United States President Barack Obama, and so on. Bobby Bones joined the Show two times. The show currently has 6 seasons.

While the first 4 seasons of the series, are broadcast on NBC, the series continues with National Geographic, which has acquired the broadcasting rights for the previous two seasons. The program, which received 1.2 points in its 18-49 demographic with 4.05 million total viewers in its first season, received 1.13 points in its second season, while the third season of Running Wild with Bear Grylls received an average of 1.09 ratings in the 18-49 age group and a total of 3.859 million viewers.

The average overall viewership increased by more than 12%, while the demo decreased by about 4% compared to the second season. In the 4th season, the rating dropped to 0.61 in the 18-49 age demographic. You can watch the 5th and 6th seasons of the program on National Geography or Disney+. For the first 4 seasons, it is available on NBC. You can access it by renting or purchasing from Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, and iTunes.

Naked and Afraid XL

Another survival show is Naked and Afraid XL, produced in 2015. The show is about 12 people trying to stay on the line naked in the wild for 40 days without even getting food or water. The series is broadcast by Discovery Chanel. Participants find food by hunting and building shelters with materials available in nature.

Except for medical conditions, the producer team cannot intervene. Participants can withdraw from the program at any time. At the end of the time, the remaining survivor(s) must reach the designated spot and get into the vehicle waiting for them.

The show premiered in Australia on the Discovery Channel on September 10, 2015. The rating of the series is 7.4 out of 10. You can also access the program, which continues to be broadcast on Discovery Chanel, via Amazon Prime Video. 

There is also “Naked and Afraid Uncensored” series of the same program. This program is broadcast uncensored. You can also access the series on Discovery Channel.

Alone

Another show Alone is an American reality show that aired on History in 2015. It is about the daily life struggle of 10 people who are left isolated in nature with a limited amount of equipment. Each contestant chooses 10 pieces of survival equipment in a predetermined list of 40 different items. In addition, clothes and an emergency bag are provided.

Contestants are sent to areas far enough away to ensure that they will not come together to contact each other. Struggling to live in the wild for as long as they can, the contestants must find food, build shelters, endure physical exertion and stress. Competitors can drop out of the program at any time.

You can use a satellite phone provided and withdraw from the competition by sending a signal to a rescue team. The one who endures the longest hunger and life in nature becomes the winner of the grand prize of 500 thousand dollars.

The program, which started its first season in 2015, is receiving its second season approval with a good number of ratings in the same year. The program, which consists of 8 seasons and 85 episodes, has not always been in the same format.

For example, in Season 4, the participants comprise 7 groups of two-family participants. If one of the pairs is disqualified, the other is automatically disqualified. Likewise, the winning team wins $500,000.

Season 5 was chosen from the losing competitor from seasons 1 to 4.

In season 7, the grand prize increased, and the contestants tried to survive for 100 days to win the $1 million prize.

Season 8 was filmed in the fall of 2020, the border on Lake Chilko. The season returned to the original format. Winner competitors have taken 500.000$. You can currently access the show on Hulu Plus, The History Channel, and Discovery+. You can also get it by renting or purchasing from Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, and iTunes.

Dual Survival

The last show, Dual Survival, is a show that started airing on the Discovery Channel in 2010. The show talks about the adventure of the participants, consisting of pairs in predetermined survival scenarios in difficult places for life.

In the first two seasons, the show includes the survival skills of Cody Lundin, a naturalist and primitive skills expert, and Dave Canterbury, a military-trained survival instructor.

With the third season, Canterbury was replaced by Joseph “Joe” Teti.

4. During the season, Lundin was replaced by Matt Graham.

Teti and Graham continued the show together until Season 7. In season 7, Bill McConnell, Grady Powell, and Paul Cristie took their place and showed off their survival skills.

Season 8 continued with Grady Powell and Bo McGlone.

With the latest 9th season, Jeff Zausch and Ej Snyder are on the show. Currently, there are 84 episodes in 9 seasons.

The successful production is highly appreciated by the audience and, the ranks are high with its high ratings. You can access the program from FuboTV or Discovery+. You can also get Dual Survival by renting or purchasing from Vudu, Google Play, Amazon Instant Video, and iTunes.

There are many survivals shows in America. Some of them have a very high viewing rate. We told you about 5 hot favorite programs. Some of these programs are still being broadcast, while others are already over. But they are still watched fondly.