I couldn't help but feel appalled by watching you take a bow and arrow to a monkey on a tree and seeing it drop on the ground then have a dog attack it. Then see you eat it. Later, you saw a snake and took the moral high ground because you don't kill animals unless it is absolutely necessary. A Monkey is way more intelligent and genetically closer to us than a snake. Was it really necessary for you to kill that Monkey to "Eat", when we all know your camera crew is standing by with granola bars in their pockets? It was necessary for good tv? The whole thing made you come off as a fake poser.

The point of the program is to learn about the Machigenga way of life before it changes forever. They eat monkey. Mark and Olly are trying to learn their ways, so they eat monkey, too.

Of course, as for not killing the snake, that was not the way of the Machigenga, but Mark didn't know that at the time.

I doubt if he's going to go around killing every snake he sees, though, and I think that's actually commendable.

You're right about the crew standing there with granola bars - they are. They eat nothing but the food we bring with us in order not to be a burden on the local wildlife. Olly and I eat whatever our hosts eat and are therefore obliged to help them catch it. So, yes, our two extra mouths do constitute extra pressure on the environment and that, in my eyes, is the biggest negative impact we have when making these programs. For preceisely this reason both Olly and I keep our meat intake to a minimum so that hunters never feel the need to increase their efforts above the norm.
On your other point, I do not value the life of one animal over another just because it is genetically closer to myself. I have equal respect for all the creatures I come across, but if I have to balance one against another I am more inclined to use such criteria as scarcity rather than whether or not it's cuddly!

You say you all "eat nothing but the food we bring with us in order not to be a burden on the local wildlife", Yet killing the Monkeys doesn't burden the Monkeys? They are local wildlife! You say "I do not value the life of one animal over another just because it is genetically closer to myself. I have equal respect for all the creatures I come across, but if I have to balance one against another I am more inclined to use such criteria as scarcity rather than whether or not it's cuddly!". Yet we humans evolved from Monkeys so we too are of animals. And you do value one animal over another as I saw in another episode where you were about to step in because the tribe thought a girl was responsible for bringing bad luck to the camp and they were going to kill her. You would have intervened if they decided to kill the girl. Despite Fitting in!!! Which I respected. But then, in this show, for "good tv", you killed a Monkey all so you can "fit in"? When your crew has granola bars at hand? A Monkey is more than just cuddly. It's an intelligent animal from which we sprang. Would you kill a dolphin if that was the tribes way of life too? If you went to Japan and wanted to fit in with the fishermen would you kill whales? If you wanted to fit in with the bloods gang, would you kill a crip? Look, bottom line, to disrespect intelligent living souls for the sake of good TV is disgusting. Like a high school kid who wants to give into peer pressure to "fit in" you compromised what is right. All so you can be accepted by a group of people? So that you can be stars? Would you, in order to be accepted by the Talaban, kill Jews?

Come on! The whole point of this show is to learn about the Machigenga way of life. The only way Mark and Olly could do that is to be accepted. I too was appalled watching them kill the monkey. Its not like they can run across the street to the grocery store. If Mark did'nt help kill the monkey he would'nt look like a man to the tribe, and that is everything in their society. It was very apparent that Mark struggled with his dicisions. Your watching from the comforts of your living room. Really, what choice would you have made if you was in his shoes. Also, for you to compare the Machigenga to the Talaban is a very far reach. Japan kills whales for profit. Its good t.v. alright, and your watching it. I love Mark and Olly, and I thank them for giving us something raw, real,educational, and beautiful to see on t.v. rather than the horrors that go on in this world and is burned in our minds by the 5 o'clock news.

I gotta say. Well done. Another great season. This moral high ground argument about monkey and eating belongs on "Bizarre Food" threads, not here. Looking forward to the next season. Killing the monkey was hard to watch, but very necessary. Was there a communication gap between you guys and the hosts? What is it like working with Olly? He seems less comfortable with reality than you do. Good luck on the next journey. I would like to see some kalahari bushman life. I saw a guy on "Taxicab Confessions" talking about living there for a year. He totally had the 1000 yard stare.

Which one of the guys said the Machigenga don't have the luxury of being too particular about their food choices?

No, it's not being hypocritical when you acquiesce to the culture in which you're trying to immerse yourself. To defy the Machigenga ways would have completely eliminated the entire purpose of the show. It's about respect, learning, understanding, and walking a mile in someone else's shoes.

It was uncomfortable to see the monkeys get killed, but as the guys said...the Machigenga don't have the luxury we have of fine tuning our cuisine.

No, we are great apes. We diverged from chimpanzees about 6 million or so years ago. Apes and monkeys split and evolved from a common ancestor. Monkeys typically have tails where as apes only have a tail bone but no external tail.

Do not use evolution to argue your oh-so-mighty moral viewpoint without proper understanding of evolution and other cultures' viewpoints and morals.

I think we should also add that someone needs some education on the Talaban. lol

Well then, I'd like to make a suggestion for their next adventure. Maybe Mark and Olly can try to "fit in" with a tribe of cannibals on next years season. Then Mark can eat Olly. After all, we don't want the tribe to reject them. Peer pressure and all. The most important thing is that we make good T.V, right?

theegamedude.... i really hope you are a vegan... also maybe you shouldnt watch a tv show based on anthropological goals of understanding, communicating and documenting other ways of life. If their beliefs dont fit yours and you cant wrap your head around foreigners trying to adapt the best they can to a completely different culture then I think you should really just walk away from this forum... even though this is a tv show i think M&0 should be commended for bringing cultural anthropology into the mainstream media...

I would like very much to go on the next expedition. I am a army veteran with great hunting and fishing skills..I have a 143 IQ...I am capable and I would love the opportunity to live with a tribe that has remain unchanged for thousands of years. I have a great personality..People in general love me..I am a big guy..very intimidating but with an easy going and enticing personality. I am from south Georgia so I have a deep southern accent. I was raised in the south and worked on a farm for most of my high school years. I feel that I have alot to offer the show and would be an excellent addition. Is there someone I can call or somewhere I can go to be seen and heard??

Gamedude-- I would love to see mark eat olly!! I actually thought about it. Good TV is important. If you bore someone to death, your not going to teach them anything.

And I eat animals and respect them more than humans. Humans are like rats. But human doesn't taste as good as wholly monkey. It also causes genetic mutations. Grilled monkey with some Peter Luger sauce is really amazing! Food is food. If you had to choose between monkey and grub, what would you eat? Cyanide laced leafs?

I bet Mark would have a good laugh about eating Olly! I would tivo that show!

C'mon, people. Gamedude asked a legitimate question: Where do you draw the line between cultural sensitivity and morality. And none of you have the courage to answer it. Read what he wrote again, if you missed it. Are we so ignorant that we can't examine this question? Must everything be kept at sugar-coated, happy level, or can we have a legitimate discussion?

In a thread I started a few weeks ago, we've got a teacher from Kentucky who has taken politically correct cultural sensitivity to the point that he is teaching his students to embrace infanticide under certain circumstances. Is this what you want your kids to learn?

Will you answer Gamedude's question, or just go back to sleep?

it is a legitimate question, but did you forget that this is a tribe that knows nothing about if that monkey is extinct or not. They have their own beliefs like you do, Gamedude is making this sound like they live in Oklahoma or something and they should know that killing a monkey is inhumane. This is their way of life...nothing else...if you were to bring them to our world, then I know that they will want to learn ours too, if you grew up to be a Machigenga, then you will eat monkey and know snakes are evil. Keep an open mind, that's all, don't be calling people hypocrites because they don't share the same views as yours. Maybe that's the big problem why our economy is going down, different views, varying opinions, Machigenga may not be rich as described in modern world, they lasted this long by having beliefs, families and understanding and most of them have the same mind set, maybe if you think like them you wouldn't be such a hater...if you didn't like the show to begin with, why keep watching?? just a suggestion ...there are another 1000 channels to watch you know, sad that the Machigenga don't have that, think about that you spoiled brat!