Still catching his breath after scaling a 100-foot granite cliff face, Jonathan Roumie paused beside survivalist Bear Grylls for a brief moment of reflection.
The ascent roughly marked the midway point in Roumie’s journey through the Adirondack Mountains with Grylls, who guided him for an episode in the upcoming spinoff series, “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls.”
As the pair stood at the cliff’s edge, Grylls pointed out that “The Chosen” actor — who portrays Jesus on the series — had already taken leaps of faith to reach the halfway point of their journey.
“Amen,” Roumie responded.
Roumie repeatedly drew on that faith through the journey, facing challenges that included eating the tongue from an animal carcass and rappelling down a 90-foot vertical cliff.
In the first season of “The Chosen in the Wild,” Grylls takes six talents from the “The Chosen” — including Dallas Jenkins, Paras Patel and Elizabeth Tabish — into the wilderness, where each one faces challenges that require them to draw on the courage found in their faith.
“Great survival requires faith,” Grylls told the Deseret News. “It might not articulate itself as faith in God. It might be faith in each other or faith in yourself, you know, but all the great survival stories, they require faith. It’s hope. It’s like never giving up. … And I think it’s a beautiful combination.”
Grylls has spent nearly three decades as a professional adventurer, gaining global recognition after summiting Mount Everest at age 23 and becoming one of the youngest Britons at the time to reach the peak. He later became known for hosting extreme adventure series that flex his survival skills such as “Man vs. Wild,” “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” and “The Island with Bear Grylls.”
Despite his many adventures, Grylls ranks “The Chosen in the Wild” among his favorites — especially because it combines his passion for the outdoors with his faith.
“I look at ‘The Chosen in the Wild’ as one of the series I’m most proud of making, really, because it’s got these three tenets of life, which is adventure, faith and the outdoors,” Grylls said.
“It’s such a beautiful combination and I love it,” he continued. “I’ve never done a spinoff like this before, but I kind of feel it’s hit a really unique spot, and I really hope fans around the world love it as much as I have.”
While sitting around a campfire and sipping on tea made from foraged hemlock, Roumie — typically soft-spoken and reserved — opened up to Grylls about his religious upbringing, his portrayal of Jesus’ humanity in a way he believes has never been done before and his personal efforts to stay grounded in his faith.
Jenkins, the creator of “The Chosen,” similarly opened up during his episode, sharing candid details about the years of struggle and faith required to create the hit biblical drama, while sitting beside Grylls after an especially challenging canyoneering traverse on the Au Sable River.
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The outdoors serves as an equalizer for Grylls’ guests. Across the season, each guest from “The Chosen” confronts physical challenges in the wilderness alongside Grylls — but the most revealing moments often come afterward, in quiet conversation while they catch their breath.
Grylls credits the outdoors with creating the conditions for these moments, gradually peeling back the barriers people carry with them.
“The outdoors is always the star of the show,” Grylls said. “It does my job for me. It opens people up and challenges us.
“Everyone always arrives smart and all very made up and together,” he continued. “And then at the end, they’re a little — everything’s ripped and covered in mud and everyone’s a little beaten up and a few scars. And it’s like, welcome to life.
“But at the same time, they have a light in their eye that’s great to see. It’s that sort of fire inside.”
Grylls added that he’s found the wild to be the ultimate place to find connection with people and open vulnerable conversations. “I always feel the wild never judges,” he said. “It’s a safe space to be yourself and to open up and share difficult things.”
These conversations, he said, have been the “magic” of many of his television series, especially “The Chosen in the Wild.”
More than 300 million people in over 175 countries have watched “The Chosen,” a global reach that Grylls sees as evidence of the series’ ability to leave a personal mark on its audience. But the impact of “The Chosen” extends beyond its viewers, and Grylls believes the stories and experiences of the cast members are equally worth sharing.
“The cast were there ready to share,” Grylls said. “And I almost wasn’t kind of ready for it, of how — of realizing how much this role in this TV show has changed and transformed their life.”
“The wild’s a perfect backdrop for that,” he added. “You don’t get it on a chat show. It all has to be funny and quick. But actually, you sit and look into a fire or look at a sunset (and) there’s time.”
When does ‘The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls’ come out?
All six episodes of “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls” premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Sunday, Aug. 9.