Discovery has found its next extreme stunt: A man will be eaten by a giant anaconda snake.
In Eaten Alive, naturalist and wildlife filmmaker Paul Rosolie aims to be devoured by an anaconda while in a custom-built snake-proof suit.
Discovery is playing it coy about how much Rosolie is actually consumed by the reptile. But the network has released these two promos teasing the endeavor, below. We’re told Rosolie covered himself in pig’s blood to try and make himself appetizing to the snake. Since the “snake-proof suit” has a cord on the top of it, Rosolie is presumably in no risk of being trapped inside the snake. We are also told the snake does not die.
In case you’re skeptical, a Discovery representative assures us that this announcement is not a hoax. Eaten Alive has been filmed and will air Sunday, Dec. 7. One of the major broadcast networks was quietly developing a very similar eaten-by-snake special last year titled Manaconda that never made it to air. Rosolie is the author of the book Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon.
The special comes on the heels of Discovery’s last death-defying stunt — Nik Wallenda drawing 5.8 million viewers Sunday night while taking a tightrope stroll between two Chicago skyscrapers — and comes at a time when cable networks are struggling to find new reality concepts to hook viewers. Here are the Eaten Alive teaser promos (cue Nicki Minaj):
UPDATE: PETA slams Discovery’s ‘Eaten Alive’ special
UPDATE II: Discovery’s anaconda bait explains why he wants to be ‘Eaten Alive’
