Season two of National Geographic’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge features a batch of new celebrities – including Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper, Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs – putting their lives in jeopardy (sort of) to prove they can handle the wild. Season two, which premieres on July 9, 2023, also finds Emmy Award winner Cynthia Erivo, Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, Emmy winner Tatiana Maslay, and singer-songwriter Rita Ora attempting to show they’ve got the skills to make it without fancy hotels and restaurants.
Bear Grylls developed the series with Delbert Shoopman and serves as an executive producer along with Shoopman, Chris Grant, Drew Buckley, Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Liz Schulze, and Rob Buchta. Additional executive producers include Bengt Anderson, Josh Cole, and Sean David Johnson.
Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge Season 2 Episode Guide:
- BRADLEY COOPER IN THE WYOMING BASIN
Premieres July 9 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bradley Cooper joins Bear on an adventure through the rugged canyons of the Wyoming Basin. Bear teaches Bradley how to use a grappling hook gun, as well as key mountaineering rope skills, to traverse a series of towering ravines. The two spend the night hanging on the side of a cliff, and on day two, Bradley is faced with daunting challenges during a harsh winter snowstorm. - BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ON THE ISLE OF SKYE
Premieres July 16 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes prolific Marvel superstar and venerated actor Benedict Cumberbatch on an adventure across the Isle of Skye in Scotland. They descend massive sea cliffs and brave freezing waterfalls. Bear teaches Benedict unique survival skills and surprises Benedict by connecting him to a part of his past with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. - CYNTHIA ERIVO IN THE BRECON BEACONS MOUNTAINS
Premieres July 24 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes singer-actress Cynthia Erivo to the highest mountains in Wales, where Bear trained in the British Special Forces. Bear teaches Cynthia how to rappel into and navigate a labyrinth of caves before they traverse a frigid and thunderous waterfall. On day two, Cynthia uses the skills she learned on day one to embark on her own, find Bear, and make it to their extraction. - TROY KOTSUR IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS
Premieres July 30 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear takes his first deaf guest, Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur, on an adventure in the Scottish Highlands. Bear and Troy must find a new way to communicate as they push themselves to the limits, traversing perilously steep mountains and raging rivers, but it’s the silence that builds their strongest bond. - RUSSELL BRAND IN THE HEBRIDES ISLANDS
Premieres August 6 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes actor, activist and author Russell Brand on an adventure down the jagged coast of a secluded Scottish isle in search of 16th-century castle ruins to shelter in. Along the way, Bear teaches the brash and bombastic Brand survival skills that dredge up a long-forgotten but highly charged fear he must overcome to reach his extraction. - RITA ORA IN THE VALLEY OF FIRE
Premieres August 13 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes singer-songwriter, actor and designer Rita Ora on an adventure in the Valley of Fire. The journey launches into high-octane action with the pair skydiving from 10,000 feet, plunging them into the desolate terrain. Bear teaches Rita how to navigate, find water, and rock climb, as he prepares her to earn her extraction on day two. - DAVEED DIGGS IN THE GREAT BASIN DESERT
Premieres August 20 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls takes actor, musician and “Hamilton” star Daveed Diggs on an adventure in the Great Basin Desert to teach him to track, climb and eat whatever the desert provides. On day two, Daveed must fly solo and put his skills to the test by using what he’s learned to find Bear and earn his extraction. - TATIANA MASLANY IN THE LARAMIE MOUNTAINS
Premieres August 27 at 9/8c on National Geographic
Bear Grylls invites “She-Hulk” and “Orphan Black” star Tatiana Maslany on a journey across Wyoming’s Laramie Mountains. Tatiana admits that she’s fearless on the screen, but she can’t tap into that same bravery in the real world. So, Bear challenges Tatiana to conquer massive cliff rappels, menacingly icy cliffs, and a zero-degree cold shock to the body to help her overcome her fears.
