Real Life Survival

Over the past few weeks I have read 4 different survival books, watched several videos, and read countless descriptions of how we are supposed to survive in the outdoors.  These "professional survivalists" throw around all these great ideas about how to survive, but my question is, do they really work?  Would the average person out lost in the outdoors really know how to use these techniques?  Under a stressful survival situation what techniques should the average person even attempt.  Over the next couple of months I am going to put all of these "techniques" into practice and see what really works.  Bear Grylls, making a wet suit out of a dead seal, come on!!!