The History Channel and Discovery Channel are named to represent what these channels have to offer, which should be about history or discovery, right? That was definitely the purpose, but it seems that all that’s really being discovered on these channels are scandals about the cast and crew of some of the top reality shows. You’re likely going to be shocked at what is listed below. In addition to this, for those who are avid fans that are wondering why their favorite shows got canceled, these scandals could explain why. Keep on reading to find out more about what transpired on the most popular History and Discovery TV shows.
How could Bear Grylls get fired from a show that’s so perfect for him? Well, it’s wasn’t that he didn’t dedicate his time to the show. In fact, the reason for him being fired was because he didn’t want to participate in the network’s two upcoming projects.
The Discovery Channel was once a very dry but very earnest item in the basic cable lineup. Back in the '80s and '90s, it ran educational shows, medical shows, and science shows. But then, like so many of its non-broadcast competitors, the network embraced reality television. Since the early 2000s, the Discovery Channel has been the place to discover reality shows, narrative nonfiction, and salacious specials about survivalists, motorcycle builders, gun shop owners, bush people, lie debunkers, customizers of anything made out of metal, and any number of other interesting hobbyists and telegenic and charismatic representatives of subcultures most viewers didn't know existed.
Because the Discovery Channel seeks out colorful individuals for its slew of reality shows, it seeks out (or purports to seek out) the realest of the real. Also, real life is filled with pitfalls. Here are some times when the Discovery Channel found its network stars embroiled in controversy.
In 2014, Discovery Channel announced Eaten Alive, a two-hour special featuring Paul Rosolie, a conservation advocate and snake expert, in his quest to locate a 25-foot-long anaconda he'd seen years before in the Amazon rain forest. Then, while wearing a protective suit covered in pig's blood, he would allow the snake to consume and then regurgitate him. Why? To raise awareness of the need to save the rain forest, obviously. PETA condemned the televised stunt, arguing that it was cruel to provoke an animal, but the Discovery Channel argued that the snake would ultimately emerge unharmed. (And so would Rosolie — the network promised he would get out alive.)
Despite the concerns, Eaten Alive aired in December 2014 and it was ultimately much ado about nothing because Rosolie did not even get eaten alive. Worse, he didn't even find the right snake. After traipsing around the jungle, he had to settle for a 20-foot anaconda. With ten minutes left in the show, he approached it in the water and successfully provoked it. Its mouth closed around Rosolie's head and started to crush his arm ... which is when Rosolie freaked out and called for his crew to shut down the stunt and pull him out of snake's fatal clutches. In the end, those most angered by Eaten Alive were viewers who expressed their disappointment at not actually getting to see what was advertised in the show's title.