With the August 2010 premiere of Swamp People, the History Channel moved a little further away from its core programming and onto newer findings. Following the success of the channel's other original reality shows like Pawn Stars and American Pickers, Swamp People represents an even greater departure for the history-themed network.
The programming shift has been very successful. Pawn Stars has been wildly successful in the ratings, American Pickers has spawned a British copycat, and the series premier of Swamp People shot the History Channel to the number one spot in cable ratings for the time slot. This is mostly due because History Channel has decided to go out of the box and push the envelope in this series following hunters who kill, skin, and eat not only alligators, they also kill snakes and bull frogs to eat for dinner. Watching these cajuns is like stepping back in time. From watching them kill, skin, and eat their kill. Its a way of life for them and how they make their living while also keeping the overwhelming alligator population down.
The rich natural resources of the million-acre Atchafalaya River Basin allowed the new settlers to maintain an existence similar to their former lives in Acadia. The settlers eked out a living raising livestock, hunting and fishing. Many of the 180,000 Acadian descendants, now called Cajuns, still follow this traditional lifestyle.
Format of History Channel's Swamp People Reality Show
The show follows a handful of these Cajuns as they embark on their annual alligator hunt during the month-long hunting season. For most Americans, the swamp seems to be a harsh, uninhabitable environment. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called it “the forest primeval.” Bruce Mitchell, who runs the Kleibert Turtle and Alligator Farm, calls it “my piece of heaven down here.”
The show depicts the ingenuity and strength of the Cajun people. While the month-long alligator hunt can provide most of a family's annual income, swamp-dwellers must find multiple ways to make a living. None has done this more successfully than Albert "Butch" Knight, who, in addition to gator hunting, builds boats, welds, and owns his own trucking company. Others can been seen farming, fishing, shrimping, trying to attract tourists, or offering services to other hunters. For some, life is a constant scramble find steady sources of income.
The program shows the deep love the Cajuns have for their land and way of life. Patriarchs Troy Landry and Joe LaFont (Trapper Joe) have raised their children to follow in their footsteps. Joe’s stepson, Tommy Chauvin, has been his right-hand man in the swamp since Tommy was in the first grade. In some ways, Swamp People is about how traditions are maintained and passed on to the next generation.
Controversy Surrounding Swamp People ( This will apply to some of my readers as I have received numerous comments)
There is some controversy surrounding the show. Swamp People represents a programming change that could cost the History Channel its most loyal viewers. While it is clear that the Cajuns depicted have a rich cultural history and strong traditions, there’s little attempt to show the history of those connections. Primarily, the show depicts swamp-dwellers trying to kill or exploit alligators and other animals.
Viewers may also be concerned about the animal cruelty documented the show. While alligators are vicious hunters, and the population must be contained, the methods of hunting them are brutal. The alligators are often baited in unattended traps. When a gator snags the bait, it becomes hooked. The animal is then trapped, impaled live on a hook for hours, until the hunters come to shoot it. Often, it takes several shots to kill the animal.
Despite these issues, Swamp People is an intriguing show that should continue to do well on the History Channel. The program has a sense of integrity that is absent in other shows. Viewers get the sense that this reality show is real. It depicts a way of life that is uniquely American, but virtually unknown outside of the Louisiana swamps. Swamp People serves as a reminder of the great cultural diversity that defines America.
Swamp People viewers: comment on the show in the space at the end of this article.
History Channel fans may also want to read American Pickers and Chasing Mummies: The History Channel's
The programming shift has been very successful. Pawn Stars has been wildly successful in the ratings, American Pickers has spawned a British copycat, and the series premier of Swamp People shot the History Channel to the number one spot in cable ratings for the time slot. This is mostly due because History Channel has decided to go out of the box and push the envelope in this series following hunters who kill, skin, and eat not only alligators, they also kill snakes and bull frogs to eat for dinner. Watching these cajuns is like stepping back in time. From watching them kill, skin, and eat their kill. Its a way of life for them and how they make their living while also keeping the overwhelming alligator population down.
History of Louisiana’s Cajuns in Atchafalaya Swamp
Louisiana’s Cajun people originated from French settlers in Acadia, Canada. After the onset of the French Indian war in 1755, Great Britain drove French settlers from Acadia during what is now called Le Grand Derangement, or The Great Upheaval. About 3,000 Acadians fled to Louisiana, one of the last French settlements in America at the time.The rich natural resources of the million-acre Atchafalaya River Basin allowed the new settlers to maintain an existence similar to their former lives in Acadia. The settlers eked out a living raising livestock, hunting and fishing. Many of the 180,000 Acadian descendants, now called Cajuns, still follow this traditional lifestyle.
Format of History Channel's Swamp People Reality Show
The show follows a handful of these Cajuns as they embark on their annual alligator hunt during the month-long hunting season. For most Americans, the swamp seems to be a harsh, uninhabitable environment. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called it “the forest primeval.” Bruce Mitchell, who runs the Kleibert Turtle and Alligator Farm, calls it “my piece of heaven down here.”
The show depicts the ingenuity and strength of the Cajun people. While the month-long alligator hunt can provide most of a family's annual income, swamp-dwellers must find multiple ways to make a living. None has done this more successfully than Albert "Butch" Knight, who, in addition to gator hunting, builds boats, welds, and owns his own trucking company. Others can been seen farming, fishing, shrimping, trying to attract tourists, or offering services to other hunters. For some, life is a constant scramble find steady sources of income.
The program shows the deep love the Cajuns have for their land and way of life. Patriarchs Troy Landry and Joe LaFont (Trapper Joe) have raised their children to follow in their footsteps. Joe’s stepson, Tommy Chauvin, has been his right-hand man in the swamp since Tommy was in the first grade. In some ways, Swamp People is about how traditions are maintained and passed on to the next generation.
Controversy Surrounding Swamp People ( This will apply to some of my readers as I have received numerous comments)
There is some controversy surrounding the show. Swamp People represents a programming change that could cost the History Channel its most loyal viewers. While it is clear that the Cajuns depicted have a rich cultural history and strong traditions, there’s little attempt to show the history of those connections. Primarily, the show depicts swamp-dwellers trying to kill or exploit alligators and other animals.
Viewers may also be concerned about the animal cruelty documented the show. While alligators are vicious hunters, and the population must be contained, the methods of hunting them are brutal. The alligators are often baited in unattended traps. When a gator snags the bait, it becomes hooked. The animal is then trapped, impaled live on a hook for hours, until the hunters come to shoot it. Often, it takes several shots to kill the animal.
Despite these issues, Swamp People is an intriguing show that should continue to do well on the History Channel. The program has a sense of integrity that is absent in other shows. Viewers get the sense that this reality show is real. It depicts a way of life that is uniquely American, but virtually unknown outside of the Louisiana swamps. Swamp People serves as a reminder of the great cultural diversity that defines America.
Swamp People viewers: comment on the show in the space at the end of this article.
History Channel fans may also want to read American Pickers and Chasing Mummies: The History Channel's
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1.03.01
I LOVE to watch Swamp People! I wish it was on more!!!! I have been having trouble finding it on lately.
ReplyDeleteThey warn that it is graphic in nature so those who might be offended should just turn the channel. This is the reality of life in the swamp (I believe). If it weren't for the alligator hunters, they would be overrun with gators (just like with deer or any other animal). Keep the show coming because it is MY FAVORITE!!!! :)
I live here in Louisiana and I hate that show. Alligators deserve respect as part of nature. This guy is a joke and a terrible douchebag. All who live in the south are not this ignorant. Can't wait to watch an alligator eat that crew.
ReplyDeleteI agree . No one has the right to end a life of an defenseless animal and if this people don't stop doing it soon they will be no more gaters just like they did to wolfs in yellow stone. This people they think they are tough killing them with their guns?? Mother Fu....s
DeleteHey armadillo kayak, Who says the alligators are not respected as part of nature? I also live in Louisiana. I respect alligators. I think they're facinating animals and realize their importance in the ecosystem. However I also realize that it would be disastrous to let their numbers run out of control. We have nearly two million of them. Just recently an alligator was found in our city park, in a pond where children feed the ducks. Another one killed someone's dog in a wealthy gated subdivision. Both places are just walking distance from my home. And I live in a small city of about 35,000 people, MILES from any swamp. Maybe where you live alligators aren't an issue, but around here when they show up killing our pets and threatening our CHILDREN, it's a problem. Even aside from posing problems in human populated areas, overpopulation of alligators, just like any other predator, would upset the ecosystem in the wild. Whether you like it or not, alligators need to be hunted. It's strictly regulated by law. And I don't know which of these guys you think is so ignorant, but if it's Troy, you're wrong. He's a successful business owner. He has a seafood processing and wholesale business. He just built a new home. Mike, from season one has a metal fabrication shop, and is a custom boat builder. It seems you're looking down your condescending nose at these people, and you don't know what you're talking about. Sure, these guys probably never went to college, but that doesn't make them ignorant or stupid. You'd do well to research what your talking about, instead of posting ignorant, hateful comments.
ReplyDeleteEat or be eaten, silly people who can't understand the circle of life. Lol....when was the last time an alligator humanely ate their dinner? Gunshot or eaten alive, which do you think is the most humane? Were all animals dummies, too bad we don't still have to hunt and fend for ourselves anymore, all the silly liberals would starve and die. Ill bet that 75%the of the people crying and whining about the poor poor mean ass alligators are the same people living off of one form of government support or another. This type of mentality goes much deeper than killing alligators. Go ahead silly libs, your free to start whining again, you'll never understand and I don't expect you too.
ReplyDeleteEat or be eaten, silly people who can't understand the circle of life. Lol....when was the last time an alligator humanely ate their dinner? Gunshot or eaten alive, which do you think is the most humane? Were all animals dummies, too bad we don't still have to hunt and fend for ourselves anymore, all the silly liberals would starve and die. Ill bet that 75%the of the people crying and whining about the poor poor mean ass alligators are the same people living off of one form of government support or another. This type of mentality goes much deeper than killing alligators. Go ahead silly libs, your free to start whining again, you'll never understand and I don't expect you too.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Gina, I shouldn't have used you blog to air out my strong personal feelings like I did. Your story was very well written and I enjoyed your insight. You have an amazing gift with words.
ReplyDelete