Worst-Case Scenario is the name of a series of merchandise based on a 1999 book written by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht and published by Chronicle Books. The series first entry, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, sold over 10 million copies worldwide and prompted a series of related books, games, calendars, and two television series. Later works have been published via Quirk Books and have been credited with giving the company enough funding to expand.

Concept

A worst-case scenario is the most severe possible outcome that can be projected to occur in a given situation. Conceiving of worst-case scenarios is a common form of strategic planning to prepare for and minimize contingencies that could result in accidents, quality problems, or other issues. The books provide instructions for situations like landing a plane and surviving a shark attack.

Television series

There have been two television series that have been loosely based on the book series, a 2002 TBS reality show and a 2010 survival skills television series on the Discovery Channel. Both series ran for only one season.

TBS (2002)

The show Worst Case Scenarios ran on TBS from July 10, 2002, through November 13, 2002, and had a total of 13 episodes. It was narrated by Mike Rowe and featured demonstrations by stunt men and stunt women. Each episode was hosted by new experts on how to survive worst-case scenarios. It also aired clips of real life situations, tips, volunteer challenges, and gadgets shown by Gear Girl (Danielle Burgio).

Discovery Channel (2010)

Worst-Case Scenario ran on the Discovery Channel beginning on May 5, 2010, and had a total of 12 episodes. It was hosted by Bear Grylls, who was shown using skills he learned in the 21 SAS, which included self-defense, evasive driving, parkour, urban survival, and wilderness survival.

Books

Cards

Calendars

Other media

In popular culture