Ridiculous. You of all people should understand the advantages of all the specs. Yes surv has the best dps when you mash at peoples faces from point blank.
BM offers so much more utility, with or without intimidate. Engaging enemies becomes a dance around 40 yards, you move in to dot, steady, mend pet, move back out of their range to kc kc. BM requires the hunter to control their pet with more precision, while allowing them to manage both kc / pet stun targets and arcane shot / scatter targets simultaneously. It requires more finesse, you can 100% people, you can los / range while still putting out dps.
Honestly, im a bit tired of this bis spec nonsense, I dont care what class it is. The OP uses "viable" not "max dps" so to rule out the other specs of one of the most powerful dps classes is "ridiculous."
IMO, I find marksman to be a bit clunky, but it too has advantages with its disadvantages.
Surv internal monologue v. good BM: "wait hes out of range, wait my pet doesn't do anything, wait his pet is eating my face, wait lil told me Id be real good."