Discovery Channel and Topics I Normally Wouldn’t Tune in for

I don’t normally watch shows about fishing. I am not an avid outdoorsman and I don’t have any desires to head to Alaska. With that in mind, I spent hours sitting watching an Alaskan Fishing marathon called “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel last weekend. I don’t normally watch more than two hours a day watching television, but there I was transfixed for hours upon hours.

The premise of the show is a reality TV look at fishing boats off the coast of Alaska. Seeing the dangers that the fisherman face on a regular basis and the adrenalin rush it gives them is amazing. There are waves that are larger than the boats, and each and every step the men take is a daunting one. Putting in extended days of twelve to eighteen hours is the norm. They are in search of allusive crabs whether they are snow crabs or king crabs based on the season. The show follows no less than five of the ships that are out in the Bering Sea. Watch just once, and you will be baited and hooked, just like their latest catch.

Discovery Channel has a way of documenting shows that would seem boring in of themselves, and turning them into nail biting or engrossing television. How else can you explain the huge success of one of their shows called “American Chopper”. You literally watch the Tuttle family as they fight and build motorcycles styled in unique ways. It became a huge hit for the channel and the shop of Orange County Choppers. They sell so much merchandise you can now see it on small children at the malls!

This has brought versions of this similar show for cars and trucks as well. Jesse James can be found on Monster Garage. One of his latest escapades has him building a truck for a 1,000 mile trek through harsh desert and mountain conditions. Their vehicle number fifty-four was unable to complete the race, but as they couldn’t go any further, they were able to help another vehicle continue on from their ending point by fixing a loose part for the other team. “Pay it forward”, Jesse claimed.

“Mythbusters” has become another huge hit for the Discovery Channel as they take on certain myths such as will aluminum foil explode in the microwave. They do extensive tests and studies and determine if these myths are confirmed or busted. They’ve blown up cars, shot pumpkins out of cannons, tested filtration systems with vodka quality, attempted to paint walls with firecrackers to explode the paint around, and even shot dummies made from ballistics gel. There seems to be no limit as to what can or will be tested.

If you haven’t checked out Discovery Channel lately give it another look.