Ed Stafford: First Man Out (2019– ) User Reviews

Survival is only half the battle!

[markmurphy74 · 9/10 · 2 October 2019]

Stumbled across 'Ed Stafford: First Man Out' and have binge watched all of his shows since - that's how much this show entertained me.

Ed is a survival expert pitted against an opponent with their own set of survival skills, in a race that lasts days across various landscapes including; deserts, mangroves, jungles, mountains and more.

As these are survival races made for TV, expect some very close finishes for our entertainment.

Adding a race element to a survival documentary is an interesting spin on this genre.

It's well worth a watch, even if it's to take a break from Ed's more serious survival shows.

The low scores are unfair

[morrataxco · 7/10 · 10 February 2021]

The series is fun. Ed "battles" another survivor expert with a different set of skills and a different personality each time. One of the other reviewers has got it wrong by saying that Ed wins every time - he doesn't.

If you take it with a pinch of salt, have fun watching with someone else and betting who will win, you will enjoy it. If you are unrealistically expecting an unedited life or death survivor experience, of course you will be disappointed.

Having said that, it is always unclear exactly what is going on, how many days the two competitors took to get out, how far each competitor really is from each other and the speed with which they travel as they supposedly race "neck and neck" for the finish line. Some "wins" seem strange - especially episode two when the person way ahead somehow manages to lose. This isn't really explained and as we have no clue as to the real distances and times, we just think, "Huh!"

There are some daft things as others say: both seem to travel for almost two days across a desert without water; I'm not sure that I believed that certain animals were actually caught; someone was sunburnt on day two but not day three; I didn't believe all the supposed crocodiles lurking everywhere and they only seem to sleep two or three times in this "less than a week" they are expected to take to reach the finish.

I guess, if it suffers it is because there are not enough survivor skills/bushcraft shown to be interesting and not enough of real racing to be the focus either.

Not as bad as the reviews

[joanamarah · 10/10 · 14 April 2023]

The current season is by far the best but overall it isn't a bad watch. It isn't worth the 10 stars but it's way better than a 1 or 2 so I had to balance it out.

It's more dramatised than Ed Stafford's previous series but it isn't as soap opera as what the reviews are banging on about. When you watch Bear Grills, you know you're getting fakeness and scripted productions. But Ed Stafford always seems genuine.

. I don't really know what people expect from survival tv shows as if it is something or somewhere that is genuinely dangerous, then they aren't going to completely risk their lives for views.

Love Ed...but this is unwatchable

[yohannesbelachew · 1/10 · 25 March 2019]

Ed is an amazing host for these kind of survival shows..but this show is so staged that it literally take away any sense of urgency and believability. I've seen sitcom's that felt less scripted, and that's sad because the subject maker is really interesting..but without the "reality" aspect, they're just isn't any substance whatsoever!

Terrible. Simply terrible. Sorry.

[incognito-28531 · 2/10 · 22 May 2019]

Ed is great, the guest survivalists are great, but boy oh boy does this show push a new low in the survival genre thanks to an overdose artificial drama and unnecessary scripting.

Each episode sees Ed up against a different guest survival expert in a week-long race to a finish line set by a bloke named Woody. Sounds decent enough. Unfortunately what follows is an hour-long avalanche of contrived garbage. Bummer.

On the positive, some appropriate skills for the race at hand do sneak their way in from time to time. Thanks to what can only have been a oversight in editing we are treated to Matt Graham making a really practical improvised water container by splitting, carving, and then sealing some wood to help him across a desert. But as usual the rest of the editing is on point and we are shown no further useful skills. Ahh yes, there is Ed suckling from the teat of a dead marmot he's hollowed out and filled with water. Nice one Ed. I'll keep that one handy in case I ever want to spend a month on my toilet.

With that little ray of positivity aside this really is just an awkward, forced mix of bushcraft/survival and a very tedious race. It fails entirely at being a race because every bloody episode they try to convince us that the week-long ordeal came down to a sprint for the line, and it fails at showcasing survival skills because the skills are either practical and get skimmed over, or are overly elaborate, inappropriate, ill advised or useless.

By far the hardest part of First Man Out to watch is the decision-making from our trusty survivalists. The production folks are obviously in there meddling away to create drama, but it just falls flat and the result is pretty well a manual on what not to do. Terrible decisions of note:

• Running across the desert in the midday sun with no water.
• Getting completely soaked while fully clothed. Repeatedly.
• Descending into a dark, bat-filled cave to find a shortcut.
• Drinking unsterilized water. Also repeatedly.

Of course with each terrible decision we cut over to an equally terrible justification, either from Ed & Co or old mate Woody who definitely isn't getting paid enough for the thought gymnastics he's doing.

If you're into bushcraft give it a miss. If you're into action and adventure races give it a miss. Come to think of it I can't think of anyone who shouldn't give it a miss.

Ed Stafford but its not really Ed Stafford

[nickooo-50245 · 2/10 · 10 February 2020]

Just really really disappointed. Great idea for a show, just really poorly, fakely executed. So many ways this could have been done better.

Ed was always the guy which didn't fake it to me but it is embarrassing how staged this show is.

I am no survivalist expert but this looks like a guide on what not to do if you find yourself in one of these situations, even if you are racing.

Why Ed?

ED STAFFORD MAKES CORNISH PASTY IN GOBI DESERT series 2 episode 6

[jdmbricklayers · 1/10 · 3 November 2020]

I think the headline says enough, im suprised he didnt find a tub of bisto under the rocks.

Ed Stafford Sells Out

[peter-598-981830 · 2/10 · 27 April 2021]

In every episode of season 1&2 they both finish on the same day with a race to the finish line. They hunt food pointlessly every episode spending more calories than they gain. Everytime an attempt is made to kill an animal with a trap or weapon that has been made it is successful on the third attempt. This happens every episode. They don't even bother to hide how fake it is.

If we give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they were told to spend 4 days out doing entertainment, then race on the 5th day. I think that maybe generous.

I don't blame Ed for selling out, he has a family now. The realistic Ed wasn't very profitable.

Sorry Ed, your producers' intellect became asymptotic to ZERO

[valentinmh · 3/10 · 26 January 2021]

And you're to blame, too ! To lower as much those standards you used to hold dear. Killing a goat with a stone in China...at 20 m...LOL. Even the colour of flesh of that supposed fresh killed animal is hilarious and unbelievable stupid to be delivered to us as a real fact. You're shows are now like those sham Geronimo circus in 1890s.

Entertaining but bogus

[brettmathewson · 3/10 · 19 April 2021]

Show is entertaining but completely scripted and choreographed as other have stated. One thing I point to point out. Ed Stafford displays incredibly bad judgement on many of these excursions that nobody without a camera and safety crew nearby would ever undertake. Stafford is no survival expert he; is a risk taker and an actor.

Everything is geared towards Ed. So incredibly fake.

[bammbassets · 1/10 · 22 April 2024]

The only reason to watch the show is that the beautiful scenery and seeing All these different places. This show is as fake as can be and 100% geared towards Ed. Not only is it geared toward him but there's no way that some of these things are possible without other assistants out there. You can't live in a stick shelter in 8° temperatures, soaking wet overnight, with no fire. Not humanly possible. This would be 100% suicide by hypothermia. Somehow or another though, Ed built a stick shelter, he was soaking wet, they said it was 8° outside and he slept great overnight and was able to get up and go catch up with his opponent suddenly who was miles ahead of him. Dumbest thing ever, but the scenery is beautiful. Everything else about it is incredibly fake. Not worth watching for the scenery alone. And seriously! There's no effingway that he just gets so down lucky that he always finds the other competitor secretly somewhere in this massive jungle He just happens to come upon them, multiple episodes. What the hell? What a joke.

Entertaining but fake

[marelibrits · 3/10 · 7 January 2023]

Love Ed Stafford as a presenter. As much as I enjoyed the show(which was a lot), I was very annoyed by the blatant cheating by Ed and the producers. Especially in the Kazakhstan episode and with Kylie Furneaux. Seems he was embarrassed to lose against them so they moved him ahead. And the episode with Cat where she had a much more difficult route than he did. Rather lose honestly. I have lost so much respect for Ed seeing that. Guess that's why the opponents became more obscure as time went on: the top rated people doesn't want to compete against a cheater. But in general still quite entertaining.

Ed Stafford? More Ed Grylls

[terry-kelly72 · 1/10 · 23 January 2024]

Love Ed Stafford! Well did before this load of Besr Grylls type rubbish. Was excited to see this but after the first episode i was no longer a fan. A couple of episodes more to see if it was a one off, but alas no, Ed Stafford has now joined the masses. He is now feeling like Bear Grylls with all the ohh look a way out, maybe I can find something useful over there. And miraculously he always manages to find it. The programmes feel way to scripted to enjoy and you feel you know what's going to happen next. The first episode the guy is saying to use a bone for a break on these dangerous slippy incline. Then just runs down it pretending to use the brake. Bit bad for my liking! Ed you sold out in my opinion.

Shame but it is what it is - Entertainment

[terrypattenden-46503 · 2/10 · 20 February 2023]

I admit to watching but, shame on me, but to pick faults and look out for lack of continuity.

Example - no lashing to make a shelter - has to use his belt to tie poles Ten minutes on miles of it to make a raft.

Need some dry tinder to make a fire in a rainstorm? Ed will always have a pocket full.

Clothes that although soaking wet will be dry the next morning.

Fires that stay lit un tended all night and are even brighter the next morning.

Need a piece of litter to make a paddle? Yep here's two.

Love you Ed and will still watch your show, but lets face it, there is obviously a film crew following with a packed lunch and a portable bbq!

Why sell out?

[andycollier-03717 · 4/10 · 16 February 2023]

I've always been a huge Ed Stafford fan and always considered him the real deal, but why has he sold out to TV drama? The show is so staged it could rival EastEnders for the top drama award. Ed has so many amazing achievements to be proud of but this is one to forget as the plot for each episode is so easy to read. It's strange that every time something is needed it happens to appear right on the route they are taking. For a show that takes place over a few days, the time and effort spent on ridiculous survival methods are pointless.

Please Ed, go back to what you do best and show us the real Ed Stafford on real challenges.