President Barack Obama has done what no other president of the United States has done before: be a guest in a highly rated survival television show. In "Running Wild with Bear Grylls," Obama tests his limits in a trek across the Alaskan wild while checking out the effects of climate change, and we all get to see it tonight, Dec. 17, at 10:00 p.m. on NBC.
That's right, if you've been waiting for this moment ever since you saw the photos uploaded by the president and Bear Grylls themselves back in September, you should know that the day has come when we finally get to watch one of Obama's favorite moments of 2015.
We have all seen what Obama has done to combat the effects of climate change. His participation in "Running Wild" was organized as part of the White House's efforts to show the public what's really happening to the environment because of it.
For his part, Grylls was just being himself, except more nervous because of the president's tight security.
"The incredible Secret Service team, the snipers in the mountain, the helicopters in the air, and the things you don't even see ... It all made me meganervous," Grylls said, describing the moment before the president arrived on the scene.
Obama admitted the tight security can get stifling at times. "I'm in what's called the bubble, and Secret Service makes sure that I'm always out of danger, which I very much appreciate but can be a little confining," he said.
Of course, Grylls wouldn't be the adventurer that he is if he didn't try to push his limits - even if those limits were imposed by the White House. One of the rules is that the president cannot eat anything that hasn't been inspected. Still, despite the tight security, Grylls tried to give Obama a taste of authentic Bear Grylls cuisine, that is, a piece of salmon caught, chewed on and discarded by a bear. His risk was worth it, though, because it became one of the president's favorite experiences this year.
