The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls

RATING: TV-PG

LENGTH: 6 episodes (approx. 45 minutes each)

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A

Featured Product About This Movie:

If you haven’t seen The Chosen yet, where have you been?

You can watch all seasons of The Chosen on Amazon Prime at https://amzn.to/45g58Hl 

IN A NUTSHELL:

What happens when you take the stars of the world’s biggest faith-based hit series and throw them into the rugged wilderness with ultimate outdoor survivalist Bear Grylls? Pure TV magic! In this fun six-episode adventure series on Prime Video, The Chosen creator Dallas Jenkins and core cast members, including Jonathan Roumie (Jesus), Paras Patel (Matthew), Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene), Noah James (Andrew), and Luke Dimyan (Judas), trade in their 1st-century tunics for hiking boots and harness rigs. As Bear leads them through skydiving, canyon ziplining, cliff scaling, and yes, even snacking on bugs, he opens up deeply authentic, touching conversations about faith, fame, vulnerability, and their personal spiritual journeys.

The series follows the cast of the groundbreaking historical drama The Chosen as they take on challenges across forests, deserts, and canyons. Cast members join series creator and executive producer Dallas Jenkins as Bear leads them through Utah’s treacherous Castle Valley, Canyonlands, the Ausable River, the Colorado River, the Great Basin Desert, and the Adirondack Forest.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Great for the whole family!Mild gross-out humor (eating wild insects/scorpions for survival.)

• It can provide wonderful conversations with your kids about overcoming fear, faith, mental health, and finding spiritual strength in tough times.

THEMES:

• Faith and vulnerability under pressure

• Trust, teamwork, and stepping out of your comfort zone

• Finding peace and connection in God’s creation

• Perseverance through physical and emotional trials

THINGS I LIKED:

• It is so refreshing to see these actors out of character as their real selves. Seeing Jonathan Roumie or Paras Patel laughing, screaming on a zipline, or being genuinely terrified makes them so relatable! It pushes participants out of their comfort zones with extreme physical challenges like skydiving, rappelling, and wild survival tactics.

• Bear Grylls is a master host. He has a unique gift for getting people to drop their guards and share deep, heartfelt testimonies right after jumping out of an airplane or scaling a cliff in Utah. He confesses that he is a Christian and that the show has meant a lot to him over the years. It’s so refreshing to hear Bear have faith-filled conversations with these actors, especially as they talk about what they have learned while playing their roles in the show. So touching.

• Stunning cinematography! From Utah’s Castle Valley and Canyonlands to the Adirondack forests, the landscapes are absolutely breathtaking.

• Seeing series creator Dallas Jenkins, who calls himself a “rugged indoorsman”, gets put through the ultimate survival wringer. It is hilarious and inspiring!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• If you aren’t already a fan of The Chosen, some of the insider references and cast banter might go over your head. It’s fun to see these actors with their real personalities, rather than as the characters we know on the show. If you don’t know the show, it’s not as impactful.

• A few of the wilderness obstacles feel slightly staged for TV drama, but Bear’s enthusiasm easily carries it through. The cast members clearly trust Bear, making me wonder how dangerous some of the things they did truly are. Well, they LOOK dangerous! No doubt Bear assured them all they would be perfectly safe.

FUNNY LINES:

• “I’m a rugged indoorsman… so I’m not exactly Bear Grylls material!” — Dallas Jenkins (show creator)

• “I play Jesus on TV, but right now I am praying like everyone else!” — Jonathan Roumie  (Plays Jesus)

• “Oh, what am I doing with my life?!” –   Luke Dimyan  (Plays Judas Iscariot)

INTERESTING LINES:

• “Faith has sustained me and helped me through so many battles and jungles and mountains over the years.” — Bear Grylls

• “When you’re hanging off a cliff, you learn very quickly what and who you’re actually holding onto.” — Bear Grylls

MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE:

• Running Wild with Bear Grylls

• The Chosen (TV Series)

• Unstoppable with Kirk Cameron

@MovieReviewMom @TrinaBoice

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Dr. Trina Boice is a university professor, author of 36 books, professional author coach, YouTuber, podcaster, film critic, and mom of 4 awesome sons.