Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Swamp People At It's Core Guist Brothers Glenn and Mitchell





Glenn and Mitchell Guist have more fun than all of the Swamp People cast put together. While everyone else is pushing to fill their tags before the end of the one month September alligator season in Louisiana, the Guist Brothers are fishing for gar, hunting for rabbit, throwing back a cold one, and cracking jokes. Or is it giggling? Chortling? Whatever they are doing, it is pretty humorous and they sure make it a true joy to watch. Is it possible to have as much fun as they do and being siblings at that?
You might not guess it by looking at them, but the Guists have been in the swamp all their lives, never mind I'm sure by looking at them you could tell that already. They live in the house on Conway Bayou that used to be their grandparent’s place, right on the spot where their father taught them to live off the land, literally. All of the alligator hunters on Swamp People talk about living off the land, but Glenn and Mitchell take that to a whole new level.

While segments of Swamp People are devoted to other alligator hunters like Troy Landry, Junior, or RJ Molinere are often framed by sequences featuring normal looking homes or a local bar that they might stop by after a long day on the swamp, that is not at all how the Guist brothers are portrayed. Instead, we see them digging through an old freezer, finding that it is practically empty, and deciding to wander the woods all afternoon looking for a rabbit or whatever pops up, to shoot for their dinner.

In another episode, they go fishing for alligator gar when they get hungry, and then show us how to cook up gar patties for a perfect swamp people approved meal.
On the latest episode we see them catching 100 pounds of catfish (yeah you read that right) for a dinner they plan to cook up for family and friends. In the same episode we also see their engine on their boat die 4 miles from home so they are stuck rowing home with one paddle, but that never seemed to dampen their spirits, they just go about being themselves and giggle and go about getting home the old fashioned way, with hard labor and determination.

So, the Guist daily schedule looks a little something like this : lounge about, get hungry, go kill something, cook it, eat it, drink a beer, lounge some more. If we are to take the History Channels word for it, the other alligator hunters might make a living off the land, but the Guist brothers really LIVE off it in every way they possibly can.

In some of their photos, Glenn and Mitchell can be seen wearing “Alexander Concrete” work shirts, so we guess they must go into town for work every now and then, but we don’t mind the show focusing on their life in the woods. We like the Guists in their natural habitat. And we like to think about them rambling into the concrete company every now and then just because they’re in the mood.

After all, Guists just want to have fun! True brothers to the end and even truer Swamp People!

3 comments:

  1. As a great fan of swamp people, the show Swamp People, and the stars of the show, I enjoyed reading your summation of these swamp brothers. I think they are always chortling because they are akin to the swamp version of Cheech and Chong, if you get my drift! There's some wacky weed in that swamp somewhere! Good luck with this blog! Keep up the good work promoting all the swamp folks down here. Bayou Woman

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  2. I am saddened to hear of Mitchell Guists sudden death. My heart goes out to his family, especially his brother & best buddy, Glenn. He went doing the things he loved in life. Rest in peace Mitchell.

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  3. CHAR says-- I was shocked & very saddened to hear of Mitchells passing (back in May 2012.) I enjoyed watching him & his brother on Swamp People & used to say how much fun it would be meeting the brothers! Rest in peace Mitchell. I hope his brother Glenn is managing & always remembers the good times he was blessed to share with his brother.

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