The survival format 7 vs. Wild has become a phenomenon on YouTube, Twitch, and Amazon Freevee. Hundreds of thousands of people are following the survival struggle of the participants in the current 4th season. Now a discussion is emerging about how far one can go for entertainment.
Attention: If you are not up to date with 7 vs. Wild, the article may contain spoilers for you.
What are the allegations? In the 6th episode of the 4th season of 7 vs. Wild, the participant Joe Vogel is seen setting up snares to catch deer and provide food for the group. The animals either strangle themselves in these traps or are killed by the hunter.
Such snares are prohibited in Germany – at least in the form shown – according to the Federal Hunting Act. In New Zealand, where the season is being filmed, they are allowed.
Vogel is a trained biologist and survival expert. He had a lot to say about the 3rd season of 7 vs. Wild – now he himself is under criticism.
The Twitch streamer LetsHugo is one of the participants of season 4.
7 vs. Wild is not a real emergency situation
Where does the criticism come from? On October 23, 2024, a comment by editor and hunter Helena von Hardenberg appeared in the hunting magazine Pirsch. The comment sharply criticizes the shown snare hunting. The hunting method is described as “animal cruelty in [its] purest form”.
The author asks: “Have we sunk so low?”
It is also questioned whether a simulated emergency situation like in 7 vs. Wild justifies such methods. If Vogel actually had to fight for survival in foreign wilderness, one could understand.
However, 7 vs. Wild is an “entertainment format […], in which anyone can drop out at any time and be flown by helicopter to the next fast-food restaurant.”
Other participants are accused of not questioning the actions of their unofficial leader. From the production’s side, at least a hint should have been given that the shown action does not comply with German law, in the author’s view.
Update, 30.10.2024: In response to our inquiry, an Amazon spokesperson stated:
7 vs. Wild is a non-fictional survival format that is not subject to influences from external teams, apart from the extensive safety mechanisms for the participants, and in which no camera or production teams are on-site and thus involved in the direct events. The participants are informed about various risks and their personal responsibility during the shooting period prior to agreeing to the format.
Amazon spokesperson
The situation is simulated, but the hunger is real
What does Vogel say about it? The survival expert released a statement video on the same day, addressing the criticism. There, Joe Vogel explained the necessity from his perspective to catch animals on-site at 7 vs. Wild, as nutrient supply cannot be ensured solely through plants.
The catching method was discussed in advance with both the organization and the landowner.
Am I advocating the technique? On the contrary, I have thought intensely about it, and I find this discussion, this debate extremely important and also difficult. The nutrition on-site is problematic and the people on-site are starving. Even if they are – attention
Quote – “mostly helpless YouTubers.” And they are starving for real. I know the flora very well, including the local flora, and I assess it as not providing sufficient food for the group in the long run.
Vogel also clarifies the legal situation and his own philosophy and questions methods that the author of the article condones and practices herself.
You can watch the entire video here:
In parallel to the statement, we also requested a written statement from Joe Vogel from MeinMMO.
In his response, the experienced hunter explained how he makes catching acceptable for him – even if it means that he might catch nothing: “[That means] in this case for me that the snares – despite reduced catch probability – will be set up in an area that can be checked daily.”
Through daily checks, it is prevented that an animal remains caught in a trap unnoticed for a long time. Furthermore, the trap is set up in such a way that the animal can pull it down if it is not properly caught.
Moreover, Vogel raises the question of whether this way of obtaining and consuming meat is less justifiable than others: “Is the attempt to obtain meat justified? There are 7 people (quote from the author ‘helpless YouTubers’) who are really starving for 14 days. And there is no supermarket with helicopter-drop gourmet goulash.”
“These are all ethical questions that can and should be discussed,” says the biologist. However, he considers the article in Pirsch to be “a populist opinion piece.”
In conclusion, he says: “You don’t like to do it, but then in a way that avoids unnecessary suffering as much as possible.”
Viewers wished for clarification from the production
How is this being discussed? Fans are also actively discussing the use of snares. For instance, a viewer in the Subreddit for 7 vs. Wild referred to it as a “catastrophe.” Others believe that one cannot impose German law and values on other countries.
Some even welcome the fact that the simulated emergency situation is taken so seriously (via Reddit).
Overall, there seems to be agreement that a clarification from the production or a comment from Fritz Meinecke would have been welcome to contextualize the trapping methods.
Why is this interesting? For many people, it seems to be a taboo that animals – or at least mammals – are harmed in the context of an entertainment product. It is no coincidence that many movies contain the disclaimer that no animals were harmed during the filming.
However, this was different when the candidates in season 3 tried to sustain themselves with fish and crustaceans. At that time, the discussion seemed to revolve more around the participants’ lack of technique than animal welfare (via Reddit).
It also becomes clear that some viewers primarily want to be entertained and see “survival action.” Watching a group of influencers sit around starving seems too boring.
Moreover, it is interesting that the discussion, at least so far, revolves solely around the attempt at snare trapping – as it is currently unclear whether the survival fighters have actually caught or killed anything.
The question of how far one can go for entertainment gains new relevance through content creators. The traditional rules of television only apply conditionally online – especially on platforms such as the Twitch competitor Kick: He was once the “aim god” in Fortnite on Twitch – Now he shocks with streams on Kick
