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NEW YORK (AP) - Few sane people want to visit a storm-tossed Bering Sea, the sizzling Sahara Desert and Canada's Northwest Territories in January. Experiencing them from a comfortable chair in front of a flat-screen television, however, is all the rage.
Shows about adventure seekers in forbidding lands are among the hottest on cable television. "Deadliest Catch," about crab fishermen off the Alaska coast, is Discovery's most popular show, while "Ice Road Truckers" is setting ratings records for The History Channel. Unhinged survivalist Bear Grylls of Discovery's "Man vs. Wild" is a new pinup star.
They all have the romanticism of the wild frontier in common. Spectacular photography, at a time TV screens are becoming bigger and clearer, enhances the appeal.
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