Great moments in television: man films himself being eaten alive by an anaconda

Remember when a producer’s idea of “Reality TV” was a tour of the White House with Jackie Kennedy or a symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein? Remember when the holiday season brought us Rudolph and Jimmy Stewart and “A Christmas Story”?

Well, here’s a new treat for the holidays: 

This year, Discovery will air a special that consists of a man being eaten alive by an anaconda and making it back out again, all without killing the snake or himself.

And it’s not even during fall sweeps. Discovery is airing the special, “Eaten Alive,” on Dec. 7.

Paul Rosolie, the guy getting eaten, is a naturalist and wildlife filmmaker who runs a company called Tamandua Expeditions that funds rainforest conservation through tourism. The stunt has already been filmed and edited. Spoiler alert: Rosolie lived to tell the tale. In fact, he’s tweeting about it. Rosolie accomplished the feat wearing a “custom-built snake-proof suit,” as Discovery put it, covering himself in pig’s blood to make himself appetizing.

If this smells like a cheap, ratings-driven stunt, your olfactory system’s probably in good working order. Discovery, the network of “Naked and Afraid” and the shouty pseudo-science of “Shark Week,” would certainly welcome a rebound from disappointing ratings for Nik Wallenda’s recent skyscraper walks in Chicago. Last June, Wallenda took his wire-walking act to the Grand Canyon, drawing an average of 10.7 million viewers. But this year, a mere 5.8 million watched him parade atop the Windy City blindfolded.

Read more. 

And check out the promo below.