Swamp People
| Swamp People | |
|---|---|
 Series Title Card, Seasons 1 to 3. A slightly different version is still used as a commercial intro bumper. |
|
| Genre | Reality television |
| Developed by | Dolores Gavin |
| Starring | see Locals below |
| Narrated by | Pat Duke |
| Composer(s) | Don DiNicola Brian Deming Bruce Hanifan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 63 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana |
| Cinematography | Alex Rappoport |
| Camera setup | multiple |
| Production company(s) | Original Media |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | History |
| Original run | August 22, 2010 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Swamp People is an American reality series that was first broadcast on History on August 22, 2010. The show follows the day-to-day activities for several Cajuns living in the swamps of the Atchafalaya River Basin who hunt American alligators for a living.
The program's latest season, its fourth, debuted on February 14, 2013.[1]
Contents |
Format [edit]
Alligator season in Louisiana begins on the first Wednesday in September and lasts 30 days. In this time limit, many of the alligator hunters, following a tradition dating back 300 years, earn most of their yearly income in a high risk vocation dependent on experience and the whims of weather within strict regulation by wildlife laws. Hunters are each issued a certain number of tags that must be attached to their kills; once they "tag out" (run out of tags), their season is over, and they may no longer kill any more alligators for the rest of the season. During this 30 day window, some of these hunters earn most of their annual income culling alligators; therefore, the ultimate goal for the alligator hunters is to tag out before the season ends, with some tagging out in the final hours of the season, and some saving the last tag for their prize catch - the biggest and most-menacing alligator they can find. For seasoned hunters, alligator season is the most exciting—and dangerous—time of the year. Most of the hunters spend the rest of the year harvesting other species (fish, crawfish, shrimp, crabs, raccoons, turtles, etc.) to augment their yearly incomes and/or holding down full-time jobs in other industries.
Each season, the series focuses on five teams of alligator hunters, with each episode generally featuring three or four teams, as they hunt gator. Some episodes also feature other aspects of the social and sporting life of the swamp, including fishing and hunting for other animals, such as squirrel.
Beginning with the fourth season, the program expanded to venues outside the Atchafalaya River Basin, featuring gator hunting crews in Northern Louisiana and Texas.
Cast Members [edit]
Sources: [2]
Current
| Individual | Location | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Troy Landry | Pierre Part, Louisiana | 1-Present |
| Jacob Landry | Pierre Part, Louisiana | 1-Present |
| Chase Landry | Pierre Part, Louisiana | 3-Present |
| Brandon Hotard | Pierre Part, Louisiana | 4-Present |
| Marie Lacoste | Pierre Part, Louisiana | 4-Present |
| T-Roy Broussard | Pierre Part, Louisiana / Beaumont, Texas | 4-Present |
| Harlan "Bigfoot" Hatcher | Pierre Part, Louisiana / Beaumont, Texas (from Fannett, Texas) |
4-Present |
| Liz Cavalier | Pierre Part, Louisiana (Season 2) Pecan Island, Louisiana (Season 3-Present) |
2-Present |
| Kristi Broussard | Pecan Island, Louisiana | 3-Present |
| Jessica Cavalier | Pecan Island, Louisiana | 4-Present |
| Junior Edwards | Bayou Sorrel, Louisiana | 1-Present |
| William 'Willie' Edwards | Bayou Sorrel, Louisiana | 1-Present |
| Randy Edwards | Bayou Sorrel, Louisiana | 1, 3-Present |
| Theresa Edwards | Bayou Sorrel, Louisiana | 4-Present |
| Bruce Mitchell | Hammond, Louisiana | 1-Present |
| Ron Methvin | Hammond, Louisiana | 3-Present |
| R.J. Molinere, Jr. | Houma, Louisiana | 2-Present |
| Jay Paul Molinere | Houma, Louisiana | 2-Present |
| Glenn Guist | Gonzales, Louisiana | 2-Present |
| David LaDart | Marion, Louisiana | 4-Present |
| Jeromy Pruitt | Marion, Louisiana | 4-Present |
| Tom Candies | Thibodaux, Louisiana | 4-Present |
| ZZ Loupe | Thibodaux, Louisiana | 4-Present |
Previous
| Individual | Location | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Clint Landry | Pierre Part, Louisiana | Appeared: 1, 3 Mentioned: 2, 4 |
| Malcom McQuiston | Bayou Sorrel, Louisiana | 1-3 |
| Ricky Phillips (alligator buyer) | Bayou Pigeon, Louisiana | 1-2 |
| Albert Knight | Morgan City, Louisiana | 1 |
| Kenwood Knight | Morgan City, Louisiana | 1 |
| Anthony Knight | Morgan City, Louisiana | 1 |
| Mike Kliebert | Hammond, Louisiana | 1 |
| T-Mike Kliebert | Hammond, Louisiana | 1 |
| Nick Payne | Hammond, Louisiana | 2 |
| Joe LaFont | Port Sulphur, Louisiana | 1-3 |
| Tommy Chauvin | Port Sulphur, Louisiana | 1-3 |
| Terral Evans | Slidell, Louisiana | 2 |
| Mitchell Guist (deceased) | Gonzales, Louisiana | 2-3 |
| Austyn Yoches | Bayou Pigeon, Louisiana | 3 |
| Blake MacDonald | Bayou Pigeon, Louisiana | 3 |
Mitchell Guist's death [edit]
On May 14, 2012, Mitchell Guist suffered an accident on the Belle River near Pierre Part. According to authorities he slipped and fell while loading items onto his boat. It was initially reported that he suffered a seizure, but it is unclear whether the seizure was a result of the fall or if it was caused by a medical condition. It was later revealed that Guist suffered a heart attack.[3] Guist was pronounced dead at a Morgan City hospital,[4][5] and later determined by the Ascension Parish coroner his passing was of natural causes.[6] Guist was 47 years old at the time of his death.[3] The Voodoo Bayou episode, originally aired on May 17, 2012, was dedicated in Guist's memory.
Broadcast history [edit]
The series premiered on August 22, 2010, and set a ratings record for History.[7] The show was initially broadcast on Sunday nights at 10PM ET/PT.
Season Two saw the show move from Sunday to Thursday, again at 10PM ET/PT. The season was met with great success and record breaking viewers for the History channel.[8]
For Season Three, Swamp People moved one hour earlier to 9PM ET/PT on Thursday nights. The show returned to that night and time for its fourth season, on February 14, 2013,[1] though it is scheduled to move an hour later to 10PM ET/PT on May 30, 2013[9] when Pawn Stars moves to Thursdays at 9PM ET.[10]
Episodes [edit]
Reception [edit]
The series opener of Swamp People premiered on August 22, 2010. The series premiere garnered 3.1 million total viewers, 2.5 million adults 25–54 and 2.3 million adults 18–49 – driving The History Channel to #1 in cable within the 10-11pm time period in total viewers and Adults 25–54.[11]
Episode 1 of season 2 premiered on March 31, 2011. The second season premiere drew 3.9 million total viewers, and increased 26% versus the season 1 average (3.1 million). It was the series' most-watched episode ever. Swamp People captured 2.0 million adults age 18–49 and age 25–50 impressions up +25% and +18% from the season 1 average respectively (1.6 million A18-49 and 1.7 million A25-54).[12]
The final episode of season 2 was met with record breaking viewers and ratings. The final episode drew 5.5 million viewers. It drew 2.8 million adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 – scoring the #1 show on cable for the night and the #2 spot in all of television. The season overall averaged 4.1 million viewers for the season, which was up 32% versus season 1.[8]
Spinoff [edit]
On October 21, 2012, a spinoff of Swamp People, Outback Hunters, debuted on the History channel. Following the same format as Swamp People, the series focuses on crocodile hunters in the Top End of Australia's Northern Territory. Its first season, consisting of 11 episodes, ended on December 30, 2012.
Mobile App Games [edit]
Two mobile app games were produced as a tie-in to the show:
- Choot'Em Angry Swamp (also known merely as Angry Swamp), is an arcade-style game featuring Troy Landry, and is available for Apple,[13] Android Google Play[14] and Kindle Amazon.[15]
- The self-titled Swamp People (also known as The Swamp People Game), is a hunting simulation game, and is available for Apple[16] and Android-supported devices.[17]
International broadcasts [edit]
- Australia -- 7mate[18]
- Canada -- History Canada
- United Kingdom -- History UK
- South Africa—History
- Spain—Xplora
- France -- W9 (as Swamp People: Chasseurs de croco)
- India -- History TV18
Home releases [edit]
| Swamp People Season 1 | ||||
| Set details[19] | DVD Layout | |||
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| DVD release dates | ||||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| May 31, 2011 | September 19, 2011 | N/A | ||
References [edit]
- ^ a b Per Swamp People's official Facebook page
- ^ Swamp People Bios, History Channel
- ^ a b "Texas Hold 'Em". Swamp People. February 21, 2013. History.
- ^ Stegall, Amber (14 May 2012). "Swamp People cast member dies". WLBT-TV via website. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ Mitchell Guist, "Swamp People" star, dies at 48
- ^ Associated Press, via nola.com: "'Swamp People' star Mitchell Guist died of natural causes, coroner says", May 17, 2012.
- ^ 'Swamp People' Sets Ratings Record for History: Premiere of Louisiana Bayou series gives net best original debut in key demos, Marisa Guthrie, Broadcasting & Cable, 24 August 2010 (retrieved 28 August 2010)
- ^ a b History's 'Swamp People' Finishes Second Season with Record Breaking Ratings
- ^ Per Swamp People's official Facebook page
- ^ Entertainment Weekly: "'Pawn Stars' gets new theme song from Lynyrd Skynyrd -- EXCLUSIVE", April 22, 2013.
- ^ Swamp People season one premiere by the numbers
- ^ Swamp People season two premiere by the numbers
- ^ iTunes: "Choot'Em Angry Swamp"
- ^ Google Play: "Choot'Em Angry Swamp"
- ^ Amazon: "Choot'Em Angry Swamp"
- ^ iTunes: "Swamp People"
- ^ Google Play: "Swamp People"
- ^ accessed 19 January 2012
- ^ By Trapper Joe. "Swamp People: Season 1 DVD SET | Shows Swamp People | History". Shop.history.com. Retrieved 2012-03-17.
External links [edit]
- Official website
- Swamp People at TV.com
- Swamp People at the Internet Movie Database
- Angry Swamp app game
