I know a lot of things about myself, though I often wonder how long I would actually survive out in the wild. I would love to believe that, faced with the elements, I could unlock some dormant, deeply buried survival instinct I never knew I possessed. But if I am being completely honest with myself, I doubt I would last a single full day in the wilderness while left entirely to my own devices. Put me next to someone like Bear Grylls, however, and my odds improve dramatically. I might make it through the day, and maybe even make it to the end of the entire trip intact.
In one of the most unexpected television crossovers in recent memory, select cast members from the hit biblical drama The Chosen are testing their mettle in The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls, an unscripted six-part reality and adventure series streaming on Prime Video. The show pairs Grylls with key cast members, taking them out of their comfort zones and dropping them into stunning, unpredictable natural landscapes across North America.
Ahead of the show’s premiere, we were lucky enough to sit down with Paras Patel, who plays Matthew the Apostle in The Chosen, to discuss his personal journey with Bear for the new series. As luck would have it, Grylls takes Paras on a gently paced, low-stress excursion through the gorgeous, sweeping stretches of Utah’s Castle Valley, rather than subjecting him to one of his more extreme, punishing survival gauntlets.
During their time together, Paras learns to rappel down a towering sandstone archway, properly prepare tea using naturally picked desert ingredients, and look deeper within himself as he confronts one physical and mental challenge after another. When you watch Paras’ episode, you can actively see how the experience transforms him on camera. From confronting a long-standing fear of tight spaces to eating live insects and discovering a fresh sense of inner strength, Paras proves that a single afternoon in the wilderness, armed with nothing more than a backpack filled with rope and good company, can reveal things about yourself you never knew were there.
During our discussion, Paras opened up about his afternoon with Bear, his ongoing journey portraying Matthew, and what it truly feels like to conquer your fears alongside one of the world’s most recognizable survival experts. Speaking with Paras was an absolute pleasure, and despite his trek leaning toward the tamer side of Grylls’ usual adventures, his enthusiasm for the series and the growth he experienced is completely contagious.
The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls is now streaming on Prime Video.
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