President Barack Obama will be taping an episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls, a popular outdoor-adventure show, while visiting Alaska, NBCUniversal announced Monday.
As the NBC press release notes, Obama will be “the first U.S. president to receive a crash course in survival techniques from Bear Grylls” in the episode, which will air later this year.
“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,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest quipped to reporters aboard Air Force One Monday, USA Today reports.
The president’s trip to the Last Frontier isn’t all about the show, however. Obama’s primary purpose is to discuss the very serious impacts of climate change in the region.
“Alaskans are on the front lines of one of the greatest challenges we face this century,” Obama said in a White House video previewing his trip. “What’s happening in Alaska isn’t just a preview of what will happen to the rest of us if we don’t take action; it’s our wake-up call. The alarm bells are ringing, and as long as I’m president, America will lead the world to meet this threat before it’s too late.”
Read more at NBCUniversal and USA Today.