‘Man vs. Bear’: Humans pitted against bears in new reality TV show

Programme premiering in December on the Discovery Channel

A Grizzly bear is pictured at Yellowstone National Park on 8 October, 2012 (file image). (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/GettyImages)

A TV network is set to air a competition show pitting humans against bears.

Man vs Bear will premiere on the Discovery network in the US in December.

“For thousands of years, Grizzly Bears have stood at the top of the evolutionary food chain with unchallenged dominance,” reads a description on the network’s website.

“Now for the first time ever, humans will be entering the bears’ territory and take them on in a competition like never attempted.”

Specifically, three Grizzlies named Bart, Honey Bump and Tank will face off with three human “competitors” at their Utah sanctuary.

“All challenges will be based on the bears’ natural instincts as well as predatory skills and actions – whether it’s engaging in a monumental game of ‘tug of war’ or using brute force to roll giant logs,” the programme’s description continues.

There will be five challenges per episode, all inspired by “what bears do naturally in the wild”.

A final round will see the two remaining competitors “come face-to-face with Bart, who stands eight feet six inches tall and weighs 1,400 pounds”.

At the end of the show’s season, three participants will return for one final showdown.

“Competing against bears is both scary and exciting,” an MMA fighter and competitor named Ira from Dallas, Texas, told the Discovery Channel.

“It’s competing against the unknown. This is a completely new challenge for me.”

Man vs Bear premieres on 4 December on Discovery and Discovery GO.