Barack Obama To Appear On ‘Running Wild With Bear Grylls’

President Barack Obama will appear on a special edition of Running Wild with Bear Grylls later this year.

Obama On ‘Riding Wild With Bear Grylls’

Obama headed to Alaska and the Arctic Circle this week to rename Mount McKinley to Denali and discuss climate change – and to head out into the Alaskan wilderness with British adventurer Bear Grylls.

“President Obama will meet with Grylls while visiting Alaska to observe the effects of climate change on the area. The two will then come together in the Alaskan wilderness,” NBC said in a statement. “President Obama will become the first US president to receive a crash course in survival techniques from Bear Grylls. The visit will be taped and aired on NBC later this year.”

White House press secretary Josh Earnest has also confirmed the president’s participation on the show, calling it an “admittedly unorthodox” effort on the president’s part to spread the message about climate change

“Discussions about climate change will not be the only thing that they do,” Earnest told reporters aboard Air Force One Monday. “I think it’s just sort of an admittedly unorthodox but legitimately interesting way for the president to reach an audience that obviously cares about this conversation.”

“The President has seen the show before,” Earnest added. “I will not deny your suspicion that there may have been some suggestions put forward by the Bear Grylls team that were not approved by the Secret Service.”

Grylls has previously had a number of celebrities on his show, including Kate Hudson, Zac Efron, Kate Winslet and Michelle Rodriguez.