COVID-TV "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness"
Well, we finally gave in and started watching Episode 1 (of 7) of the craziest show on television right now (besides the real-life news of course…) Premiering March 20th on Netflix is my COVID-TV pick right now, the documentary: Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.
Care of Netflix
Many people who start this series either binge all 7 episodes, or see just a bit, and cannot watch any further. Right away, I want to mention that this series is rated TV-MA due to Smoking, Language and Animal Harm. If that’s enough for you to say, “no way this is not the show for me”, then that’s okay. But for those of us who know it’s going to be a “Florida Man” meets “Jerry Springer” train-wreck and just can’t look away from the chaos, then this one might be right up your alley!
Get your mullets ready and prepare yourself with guns and ammo for this wildly entertaining and disturbing show.
Episode 1: “Not Your Average Joe”
Joe Exotic
This is where we meet Joe Schreibvogel, more popularly known as “Joe Exotic” owner and founder of the G.W. Zoo in Wynnewood Oklahoma which is home to over 227 big cats including tigers, lions, and even bears (oh my). This self-proclaimed redneck and his band of toothless (and often shirtless) misfits have been running this exotic animal park since 1999 and the population seems to be growing each day with all the new tiger cubs, available for guest selfies. He happily shows us his Gift Shop where he sells his own country-western albums (yes, he sings) and wildly popular animal-print speedos (ya, yikes). This man would do anything to protect his cats, and I mean anything…
Carole Baskin
Next, we meet Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue in Florida who wears nothing but animal print clothing. She is against the breeding and selling of exotic cats in captivity and provides a sanctuary space for unwanted pets who got too big for their owners to handle. She has thousands of volunteers who make it their mission to stop profiteers like Joe Exotic from exploiting these animals. It’s obvious that over the years, they have become true enemies, exemplified by Joe threatening her online, then actually sending her a mailbox full of venomous snakes.
Doc Antle
We also meet Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, owner of Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, another exotic animal park boasting famous animals like elephants, monkeys, and leopards seen in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Dr. Doolittle, and Pirates of the Caribbean. At first, I thought, wow what a well-maintained facility where admission prices of $350-650 are the norm and their tigers get fed beautiful cuts of steak, but the more you watch the interviews, and watch his eyes the more you realize that ALL of these people are bat-shit crazy!
I actually enjoyed seeing the interaction between these gorgeous tigers and people. Essentially they do behave much like cats, where they want to be pet, loved, played with and fed, but one wrong move and they can’t wait to bite or swipe your face clean off! The difference is, that these big cats have 6” incisors and razor-sharp claws that can take down buffalos and elephants in the wild. I’ve also noticed lots of people are missing limbs in their interviews, but so far in Episode 1, they have yet to explain why… hmm. We shall see.
I can tell there is so much more “mayhem” and “madness” to come, and this first episode just lays out the evil groundwork for chaos to certainly ensue. All three characters have expressed their need for protection with firearms, dynamite, and security from “haters” but I would be far more worried about the dangerous animals they are all surrounding themselves with. Again, I know it’s going to be a shit-show, but somehow I just can’t look away.
Feel free to check out the trailer here:
On to Episode 2 next… wish me luck everyone and tune in on Netflix and watch along with us as we review our top COVID-TV picks!
Thanks for reading and stay safe from your couch,
-Crystal Olguin
March 28, 2020
