I dunno. While a lot of it is kind of crazy and inpractical, every episode I've happened to see the beginning of, they make a point of telling the viewer this stuff is sometimes set up just to present the situation and nobody should do what he's doing, especially without expert advice or supervision. I wouldn't say the show is trying to sell it as "genuine" at all.

If some "brilliant" person goes out and decides to do this stuff for the hell of it then it is nobody's fault but their own if they get hurt or worse. I don't mind watching because I know it isn't all that real and they tell me that at the beginning. Like any TV show, it is there for mainly entertainment purposes and gaining a profit. Even good ol' Les Stroud has to keep his show entertaining. It isn't as though Les goes out there without an idea of the area and what he should be aware of, camera crew or not.