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NARRATOR:
What you're about to see

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may be dangerous,
illegal, unethical,

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petty, misguided, immoral,
and most definitely stupid.

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But it's also all true.

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Hmm. Sort of.

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(BIRD CALL ECHOING)

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♪ (INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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TRAVIS: This was my first time
going to the Everglades.

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I'd heard tales
about this mystical creature

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that lives out there.

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I didn't really believe it,
but then...

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-(DISTANT KNOCKING)
-(CREATURE SNARLING)

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TRAVIS: ...I heard it.

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-♪ (INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
-(CREATURE SNARLING)

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TRAVIS: I tried running...

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-(CREATURE SNARLING)
-(HEAVY FOOTSTEPS)

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TRAVIS: ...but it found me.

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I'm right there face-to-face
with the creature.

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(SCREAMS)

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I realize I don't have any tools
to dispatch the beast

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but a little gas station knife.
(CHUCKLES)

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♪ (THEME MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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♪ (THEME MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

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-♪ (COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
-(FLIES BUZZING)

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TRAVIS: I'm Travis.
I live in Sarasota, Florida.

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Really just kind of
a blue-collar guy.

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I do what I can to get by.

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I'm originally
from Atlanta, Georgia.

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I moved down to Florida
in about 2017.

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I felt like I was drawn
to this place,

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like I'm Sicilian,

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I don't know if it's
like the color of the water,

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but I don't know,
I felt like I was always,

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like, genetically destined
to be here.

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♪ (MELLOW MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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TRAVIS: Florida can definitely
be hard to meet people.

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About 80 percent
of the population is 60-plus.

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It can be hard
meeting people your age.

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The only place
I was able really to meet people

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and socialize was at the bars.

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You drink to socialize,
and you socialize to drink.

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Hi! (HESITATES) Hi.

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Cheers!

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TRAVIS: You kind of find
yourself in a cycle,

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and there's so many people
you see

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that are kind of trapped.

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You don't want
to end up like them.

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(GROANS)

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-(SIGHS)
-(BODY THUDS)

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TRAVIS: Like I said, there's not
a lot to do here in Florida,

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really, if you're not drinking.

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So, I thought
I'd try this sober bar

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called Manna Tea.

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♪ (COUNTRY BLUES MUSIC
PLAYING) ♪

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TRAVIS:
'Cause it kind of offered

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like a dive bar atmosphere.

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You could still meet people

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and not have
to be getting drunk all day.

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And that's actually
how I found Roman.

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♪ (ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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TRAVIS: He's kind of like
a rockabilly kind of guy.

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He's quiet.
He's kind of a mystery.

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Hi, I'm Roman.

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I don't know if that's just
because he's an Aquarius...

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I'm an Aquarius.

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TRAVIS:
...or that's just who he is.

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Kombucha?

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TRAVIS: When I first met him,
I was like,

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"I think that we're definitely
gonna be friends."

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-(CHUCKLES) I think--
-That we are definitely
gonna be friends.

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You took the words right--

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Out of your mouth.

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-Yeah.
-I do that.

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And then kind of bonded.

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(BOTH LAUGHING)

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Favorite incense?

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-Nag champa.
-...champa.

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Favorite moon phase?

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-Waxing gibbous.
-Waxing gibbous.

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Holy shit.

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TRAVIS: From there,

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the conversation
just kept flowing.

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What's your go-to chakra?

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-Heart.
-Same!

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Do you think
that plants can talk?

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Bro, I don't think.

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(WHISPERING) I can hear them.

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Stop playing with me.

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I think we both bonded
over our love of plants...

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-What's your stance on ficus?
-Underrated.

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-...and herbs.
-Favorite tea?

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Reishi-chaga.

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Mixed with a little bit

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-of local honey!
-Local honey! Oh!

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-Mushrooms.
-Check this out.

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♪ (DOWNBEAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC
PLAYING) ♪

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Dude.

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Roman had set up these trips
a couple times a year

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to go down to Big Cypress
and look for the Skunk Ape.

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♪ (WHIMSICAL INTRIGUING MUSIC
PLAYING) ♪

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Skunk Ape?

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It's real.

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TRAVIS: Skunk Ape,
it's like a swamp gorilla,

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sort of like a Sasquatch
of the Everglades.

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It lives in the swamp
and smells like a skunk.

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TRAVIS: Like a stinky Bigfoot...

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(CHUCKLES) ...as the locals say.

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Well, it's supposed to be big,
and hairy, and scary.

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It's the Everglades' Skunk Ape.

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NEWS ANCHOR:
A search for the old legend

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of a South Florida swamp monster
is getting new life.

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So, is it real or is it a hoax?

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♪ (COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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CONNOR FLYNN: I really think
that the Skunk Ape is the bridge

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to the unknown, to God,

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to our true instincts,

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to our primitive purpose
on this planet.

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I'm Connor Flynn
and I'm a Bigfoot researcher.

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I came down to Florida

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to specifically hunt
the Skunk Ape.

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DAVE SHEALY:
If you're gonna be down here

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looking for Skunk Apes,

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this is what you wanna look for,
right here.

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-Wow.
-DAVE: It's the distinct
four toes.

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They're not as big
as the Bigfoot.

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Instead of 800 pounds,

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they're more
like three or 400 pounds.

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I'm Dave Shealy.
I'm the lead researcher here

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at Skunk Ape
Research Headquarters.

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My family moved
to the Everglades

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approximately 1890.

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When I was young, people talked
about the Skunk Ape.

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When I was ten years old,

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I was out hunting
with my brother Jack,

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and we saw one.

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About 100 yards away,

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it was walking
across an open field.

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It looked like a man,
covered with hair.

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And people ask me all the time,
"Well, why didn't you shoot it?"

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We had a gun,
we were hunting, we could have.

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But we were always taught,

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"If you're gonna
shoot something, ya eat it,"

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and we weren't gonna eat that.
(CHUCKLES)

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♪ (INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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-DAVE: It's crazy, isn't it?
-Yeah.

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Even today,
I've seen it so many times,

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and every time I watch it,
I'm like, "Oh, my God."

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It's amazing. Wow.

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I have a lot of disbelief
in a lot of things,

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but also, I believe in a lot
of the magic at the same time.

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You know, it's an old forest.

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Who knows
what's hiding out there?

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♪ ("BRAND NEW VOODOO DOLL"
BY TOM THUMB PLAYING) ♪

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TRAVIS: So when he first said,

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"Let's go find ourselves
a Skunk Ape,"

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I was all for it.

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♪ I got a brand new ♪

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♪ Got a brand new... ♪

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Hop in.

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TRAVIS:
I had never been to Big Cypress.

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I'd never really been
to the Everglades.

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I figured, "What's the worst
that could happen?"

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(TIRES SCREECH)

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There have been several people

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come up missing here
in the Everglades.

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(IN SLOW MOTION) Whoo!

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DAVE: People just disappear
around here.

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I was here to see
what Florida had to offer.

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You know, you don't know if
you're gonna get bit by a snake,

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or grabbed by an alligator,
or maybe a shark will get you,

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but honestly,
that's what I was in it for.

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Its beauty and its danger.

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I'm telling you right now,

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if you're gonna go
in the Everglades,

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you better be careful.

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♪ (QUIRKY MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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TRAVIS: Roman has
a lot of camping experience.

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I did kind of feel
out of my element.

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-You all right?
-(TENT RUSTLING)

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Yeah, just about got it.

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(PANTING)
The ground's not stable.

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I think he just keeps me
around for, like,

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comic relief.

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(GRUNTS)

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(GRUNTS, PANTS)

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♪ (COUNTRY RAP MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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TRAVIS: We're getting ready
to go look for the Skunk Ape.

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-Hey.
-TRAVIS: Roman turns to me

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-and says...
-Want some mushrooms?

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He knew I wanted some mushrooms.

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I definitely wanted
some mushrooms.

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Oh, I definitely
want some mushrooms.

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♪ (MELLOW MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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(MUNCHING)

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(SLOW MUNCHING)

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-♪ (MUSIC STOPS ABRUPTLY) ♪
-(CHOKES, COUGHS)

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TRAVIS: We headed out
right after the sunset.

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It's the best time.
It's like when all the reptiles

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and stuff are just waking up.

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-(INSECTS CHIRPING)
-(BIRDS CHIRPING, CAWING)

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TRAVIS: Roman goes into it
like an eager explorer.

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-I'm more nervous.
-♪ (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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TRAVIS: Roman explained all
the signs we were looking for.

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Rule number one,
follow the stink.

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(INHALES) Ugh, smells terrible.

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"The foul smell,
the tufts of hair,

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and that, like--
and the weird knocking noise."

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Rule number two...

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listen for strange
knocking noises.

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Knock, knock,
knock, knock, knock!

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That's a warning.

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Rule number three,
speak its language.

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CONNOR: The Skunk Ape uses
samurai chatter

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to confuse and disorient people
in the swamp.

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(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

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00:09:13,386 --> 00:09:18,182
(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

217
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TRAVIS: And Roman knew
some Skunk Ape call

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that was supposed
to lure 'em out.

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That's the kind of person he is.

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Surprises me all the time.

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You try it.

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♪ (MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

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(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

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(CONTINUES INCOHERENT CHANTING)

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(BOTH CHANTING, BABBLING)

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(CONTINUES INCOHERENT CHANTING)

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CONNOR: Some people say
it's like

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the voice of God hitting you.

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It's a deep, deep tone
that just takes you over.

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But it also might be a way
they communicate.

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I'm gonna do some hums and...

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see if we can lure something in.

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(HUMS, GRUNTS)

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-(BOTH HUM, GRUNT)
-♪ (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

235
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(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

236
00:10:08,441 --> 00:10:10,234
(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

237
00:10:10,318 --> 00:10:11,777
(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

238
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(YELLS INCOHERENTLY)

239
00:10:13,654 --> 00:10:15,114
(YELLS INCOHERENTLY)

240
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(INCOHERENT CHANTING ECHOES)

241
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TRAVIS: "The frequencies
are just pure chaos."

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The frequencies
are just pure chaos!

243
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(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

244
00:10:31,547 --> 00:10:34,717
(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

245
00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:38,220
(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

246
00:10:38,262 --> 00:10:41,641
-(CHANT ECHOES)
-♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪

247
00:10:41,724 --> 00:10:44,268
-♪ (DRAMATIC STING) ♪
-♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

248
00:10:44,352 --> 00:10:46,854
(SHOUTS INCOHERENTLY)

249
00:10:46,896 --> 00:10:47,938
(GRUNTS)

250
00:10:48,022 --> 00:10:50,483
If you piss off a Skunk Ape,
they will kill you.

251
00:10:50,566 --> 00:10:52,735
You will not get out
of the woods alive.

252
00:10:52,777 --> 00:10:55,279
-(PERSON SCREAMING)
-(GROWLING)

253
00:10:56,906 --> 00:10:58,366
TRAVIS: We walked for miles.

254
00:10:58,407 --> 00:11:00,910
We had traveled so far,
and we had found nothing.

255
00:11:00,993 --> 00:11:02,995
♪ (INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

256
00:11:03,079 --> 00:11:04,914
-ROMAN: Hey, you all right?
-(PANTS)

257
00:11:06,582 --> 00:11:10,252
If I die,
just drag me somewhere soft.

258
00:11:10,336 --> 00:11:12,797
But tell... tell everybody
that I fought really bravely.

259
00:11:16,967 --> 00:11:18,177
Tell them yourself.

260
00:11:21,847 --> 00:11:23,391
God, you're so awesome!

261
00:11:23,432 --> 00:11:24,517
So are you.

262
00:11:25,851 --> 00:11:28,104
You start, you know,
hearing things in the woods.

263
00:11:28,145 --> 00:11:29,772
(OWL HOOTING)

264
00:11:29,814 --> 00:11:31,774
TRAVIS: You don't ever feel
like you're alone out there too.

265
00:11:31,816 --> 00:11:33,818
You always feel
like you got eyes on you.

266
00:11:33,901 --> 00:11:37,363
-(LOW GROWLING)
-♪ (MUSIC TURNS TENSE) ♪

267
00:11:40,533 --> 00:11:42,410
-(LEAVES RUSTLING)
-(HEAVY FOOTSTEP)

268
00:11:43,452 --> 00:11:45,287
TRAVIS: So, you're seeing
a patch of hair

269
00:11:45,329 --> 00:11:46,455
and you start really believing

270
00:11:46,539 --> 00:11:50,418
that you're gonna run into,
like, a giant swamp gorilla.

271
00:11:53,921 --> 00:11:54,964
(GAGS, RETCHES)

272
00:11:55,005 --> 00:11:56,298
TRAVIS: It smelled terrible,

273
00:11:56,340 --> 00:11:58,134
like rotten eggs and garbage.

274
00:11:58,217 --> 00:12:02,304
(GROANS)

275
00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:05,766
Even... (BREATHES HEAVILY)

276
00:12:05,808 --> 00:12:08,102
...if we don't run into
this swamp gorilla,

277
00:12:09,228 --> 00:12:11,480
I'm just happy
we're here together.

278
00:12:11,564 --> 00:12:16,277
-(LOUD DISTANT KNOCKING)
-Ah! Shit!

279
00:12:16,318 --> 00:12:18,988
TRAVIS: We heard that weird
knocking sound, plain as day.

280
00:12:19,029 --> 00:12:20,448
-It's him.
-TRAVIS: I thought,

281
00:12:20,489 --> 00:12:22,742
"There's gotta be
a logical explanation for this."

282
00:12:22,825 --> 00:12:24,535
There's gotta be
a logical explanation for this.

283
00:12:24,618 --> 00:12:26,036
TRAVIS: Maybe that knock sound

284
00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,372
is an alligator snapping
its jaws closed.

285
00:12:28,456 --> 00:12:30,499
-(LOUD SNAP)
-TRAVIS:
Then I heard something else.

286
00:12:30,541 --> 00:12:34,295
(LOW HUM, GRUNT)

287
00:12:34,336 --> 00:12:35,379
(YELPS)

288
00:12:35,463 --> 00:12:37,548
Hearing that made
my blood go cold.

289
00:12:37,631 --> 00:12:39,341
-ROMAN: Hey, hey, hey.
-(GROANS)

290
00:12:39,425 --> 00:12:41,260
You okay, buddy?

291
00:12:41,343 --> 00:12:43,304
-(PANTS)
-TRAVIS: I had taken
those mushrooms earlier

292
00:12:43,345 --> 00:12:45,306
but I didn't really think
they were doing anything.

293
00:12:45,347 --> 00:12:47,308
But it hit me all at once.

294
00:12:47,349 --> 00:12:48,934
(SOUND DISTORTS)

295
00:12:49,018 --> 00:12:51,312
Hey. Buddy?

296
00:12:51,353 --> 00:12:53,105
TRAVIS: And everything
kind of zooms out

297
00:12:53,189 --> 00:12:56,942
and I realize, like,
"Oh, no. I really am tripping."

298
00:12:57,026 --> 00:12:59,403
(EERIE DISTORTED SOUNDS PLAY)

299
00:12:59,487 --> 00:13:02,031
Oh, no. I really am tripping.

300
00:13:02,072 --> 00:13:03,240
TRAVIS:
That's when Roman shoots me

301
00:13:03,324 --> 00:13:04,992
the biggest grin and says,

302
00:13:05,868 --> 00:13:06,869
"You know it's close."

303
00:13:06,911 --> 00:13:08,287
It's close.

304
00:13:08,370 --> 00:13:10,414
-♪ (HYPNOTIC MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
-TRAVIS:
Everything just like stretching

305
00:13:10,498 --> 00:13:12,208
and I'm getting tunnel vision.

306
00:13:12,291 --> 00:13:16,504
It just... (EXHALES)
...everything just zooms out.

307
00:13:16,545 --> 00:13:18,923
-(DISTORTED) It's close.
-♪ (FUNKY MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

308
00:13:20,341 --> 00:13:22,384
-(HORSE NEIGHING)
-(SNAKE HISSES)

309
00:13:22,468 --> 00:13:24,094
(INCOHERENT CHANTING)

310
00:13:24,178 --> 00:13:25,721
(LAUGHING MADLY)

311
00:13:25,763 --> 00:13:26,972
Ah-hoo!

312
00:13:27,056 --> 00:13:29,225
I was thinking to myself,
"What in the world?"

313
00:13:29,266 --> 00:13:32,269
-What in the world?
-♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

314
00:13:32,353 --> 00:13:33,562
CONNOR:
If you encounter the Skunk Ape,

315
00:13:33,646 --> 00:13:35,022
you have to remain calm.

316
00:13:35,064 --> 00:13:37,525
Just like other predators,
if you run,

317
00:13:37,566 --> 00:13:40,069
it's gonna chase after you
just based on instinct.

318
00:13:40,110 --> 00:13:43,405
♪ (INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

319
00:13:48,786 --> 00:13:51,163
TRAVIS: I didn't know where
Roman had gone at this point.

320
00:13:51,247 --> 00:13:52,790
I was tripping pretty hard.

321
00:13:53,665 --> 00:13:56,043
-Roman?
-(BRANCH SNAPS)

322
00:13:56,085 --> 00:13:57,378
TRAVIS: And that's when
I saw it.

323
00:13:57,419 --> 00:14:01,340
-(LOW GROWLING)
-(HEAVY FOOTSTEPS)

324
00:14:01,423 --> 00:14:02,591
TRAVIS: The Skunk Ape.

325
00:14:02,675 --> 00:14:06,428
(LOW SNARLING)

326
00:14:06,470 --> 00:14:07,596
Holy shit.

327
00:14:10,599 --> 00:14:12,434
TRAVIS: He was
about ten feet away from me.

328
00:14:13,644 --> 00:14:16,438
CONNOR: Sasquatch is known
to have some special abilities.

329
00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,441
Some are a little bit
more natural, like echolocation,

330
00:14:19,483 --> 00:14:23,696
but they also are said to have
telepathy and mind-speak.

331
00:14:23,779 --> 00:14:25,781
TRAVIS: Like you're standing
there, looking at it...

332
00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:30,619
and its lips don't move.

333
00:14:30,661 --> 00:14:33,873
But in your head, you hear,
"I am the keeper of the woods."

334
00:14:33,956 --> 00:14:36,709
SKUNK APE:
I am the keeper of the woods.

335
00:14:37,501 --> 00:14:38,586
Your lips didn't move.

336
00:14:38,627 --> 00:14:41,297
SKUNK APE:
Nope, that's mind-speak.

337
00:14:41,380 --> 00:14:43,048
CONNOR:
Some campers have experienced

338
00:14:43,132 --> 00:14:45,134
these creatures entering
their mind

339
00:14:45,175 --> 00:14:47,469
with special messages, warnings.

340
00:14:47,511 --> 00:14:49,680
SKUNK APE: You should really
open a savings account.

341
00:14:49,763 --> 00:14:50,973
You're losing so much money

342
00:14:51,015 --> 00:14:53,559
just using your checking
for everything.

343
00:14:53,642 --> 00:14:54,810
-What?
-SKUNK APE: You should also

344
00:14:54,894 --> 00:14:58,147
routinely check your moles
for discoloration.

345
00:14:58,188 --> 00:15:00,232
You got one on your shoulder
that seems iffy.

346
00:15:01,775 --> 00:15:02,818
CONNOR: During mind-speak,

347
00:15:02,860 --> 00:15:04,904
the Skunk Ape's gonna look
straight into your soul.

348
00:15:06,363 --> 00:15:08,574
(LAUGHING)

349
00:15:09,491 --> 00:15:10,659
SKUNK APE: Am I funny to you?

350
00:15:10,701 --> 00:15:13,329
Bro, that smell is crazy.

351
00:15:14,705 --> 00:15:15,789
SKUNK APE: Am I a clown?

352
00:15:15,831 --> 00:15:17,833
(LAUGHING)

353
00:15:17,875 --> 00:15:21,003
-(LOUD ROAR)
-(SCREAMS)

354
00:15:21,045 --> 00:15:22,379
CONNOR:
If a Skunk Ape charged me,

355
00:15:22,463 --> 00:15:23,547
I would hold my ground.

356
00:15:23,631 --> 00:15:26,342
You gotta handle it like a bear.
It can destroy you anyway.

357
00:15:26,425 --> 00:15:27,509
You're not gonna outrun it,

358
00:15:27,593 --> 00:15:29,345
so you might as well look it
right in its eyes.

359
00:15:29,386 --> 00:15:30,679
-(SCREAMS)
-(SKUNK APE GROWLS)

360
00:15:30,721 --> 00:15:32,806
-(GROANS, SCREAMS)
-(SKUNK APE GROWLING)

361
00:15:32,848 --> 00:15:35,184
Well, I'm sure my eyes
popped out of my head.

362
00:15:35,225 --> 00:15:39,021
And so I'm sitting there
realizing I'm face-to-face with,

363
00:15:39,063 --> 00:15:42,316
you know, what I thought
I wanted for so long...

364
00:15:42,358 --> 00:15:44,360
except now
it's trying to kill me.

365
00:15:44,401 --> 00:15:45,945
SKUNK APE: How dare you

366
00:15:46,028 --> 00:15:48,948
come up in my house
smelling all fresh and clean?

367
00:15:49,406 --> 00:15:50,699
(SNARLS)

368
00:15:50,783 --> 00:15:54,286
-(GROANS, SCREAMS)
-(URINE TRICKLING)

369
00:15:54,370 --> 00:15:55,829
TRAVIS: I didn't think
I was gonna have, like,

370
00:15:55,871 --> 00:15:58,499
a Dr. Jekyll,
Mr. Hyde moment. (CHUCKLES)

371
00:15:58,540 --> 00:16:01,377
But I kind of went,
"Not today." (CHUCKLES)

372
00:16:01,418 --> 00:16:02,836
Not today, bro!

373
00:16:02,878 --> 00:16:04,505
-(GRUNTS)
-(SKUNK APE GROANS)

374
00:16:04,546 --> 00:16:06,882
I realize I don't have any tools
to dispatch the beast

375
00:16:06,966 --> 00:16:09,134
but a little gas station knife.

376
00:16:09,218 --> 00:16:11,553
♪ (INTENSE ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

377
00:16:12,721 --> 00:16:14,390
-(SCREAMS)
-(SKUNK APE GROWLING)

378
00:16:14,431 --> 00:16:17,601
-(GRUNTS)
-(SKUNK APE GROANING)

379
00:16:17,685 --> 00:16:19,186
TRAVIS: Suddenly, Roman ran up.

380
00:16:20,312 --> 00:16:23,148
-Travis!
-(KNIFE STABBING)

381
00:16:23,232 --> 00:16:26,235
Roman! I got the Skunk Ape!

382
00:16:26,318 --> 00:16:27,444
That's when I realized...

383
00:16:27,528 --> 00:16:29,154
-("TRAVIS" LAUGHING)
-That is not a Skunk Ape.

384
00:16:30,239 --> 00:16:32,074
That is a Burmese python.

385
00:16:32,157 --> 00:16:34,660
♪ (UNSETTLING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

386
00:16:35,619 --> 00:16:36,578
TRAVIS: It wasn't a Skunk Ape.

387
00:16:36,662 --> 00:16:39,248
-It was a Burmese python.
-(SCREAMING)

388
00:16:39,289 --> 00:16:42,084
TRAVIS: And I'm thinking,
"Uh-oh, this is not good."

389
00:16:42,584 --> 00:16:44,128
This is not good!

390
00:16:44,211 --> 00:16:45,337
TRAVIS: And I was so high,

391
00:16:45,421 --> 00:16:47,089
I had been hallucinating
the whole thing.

392
00:16:47,131 --> 00:16:48,173
(SCREAMS)

393
00:16:48,257 --> 00:16:50,092
NEWS ANCHOR: The snakes
are an invasive species

394
00:16:50,175 --> 00:16:52,928
that have wreaked havoc
on the Everglades ecosystem.

395
00:16:52,970 --> 00:16:54,596
Members of the public
are encouraged

396
00:16:54,638 --> 00:16:56,015
to kill them on sight.

397
00:16:56,098 --> 00:16:57,891
PYTHON EXPERT: They have
bone-crushing strength.

398
00:16:57,933 --> 00:17:00,269
You get one of these big snakes
wrapped around your neck,

399
00:17:00,310 --> 00:17:01,937
it's not that
they're choking you,

400
00:17:01,979 --> 00:17:03,147
they're breaking your neck.

401
00:17:04,189 --> 00:17:06,150
Honestly, it felt unreal
at that moment

402
00:17:06,233 --> 00:17:08,819
because, like, the snake's,
like, rainbow-colored.

403
00:17:08,902 --> 00:17:11,320
And all of these things
are happening and I can't tell,

404
00:17:11,405 --> 00:17:13,449
is this the snake
or is this real life?

405
00:17:13,490 --> 00:17:14,950
(GRUNTING)

406
00:17:14,992 --> 00:17:17,744
TRAVIS: I was starting to feel
like I was in big trouble.

407
00:17:17,786 --> 00:17:19,788
The python tried to bite me
a couple times.

408
00:17:19,872 --> 00:17:21,123
They have some mean teeth
on them.

409
00:17:21,205 --> 00:17:23,125
-("TRAVIS" CHOKING)
-(PYTHON HISSING)

410
00:17:23,208 --> 00:17:24,126
TRAVIS: Roman's looking at it,

411
00:17:24,209 --> 00:17:25,294
and he's like trying
to figure out

412
00:17:25,335 --> 00:17:26,878
which end he wants
to grab it from.

413
00:17:26,962 --> 00:17:28,756
And he's like,
grabs it by the head.

414
00:17:28,797 --> 00:17:30,466
That's when I go
with the folding knife.

415
00:17:30,549 --> 00:17:33,635
-(GRUNTING)
-♪ (INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

416
00:17:33,677 --> 00:17:35,763
I go, like, full Rambo.

417
00:17:35,804 --> 00:17:39,475
-(GRUNTING)
-♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪

418
00:17:39,558 --> 00:17:42,186
Definitely turns out
a gas station knife

419
00:17:42,269 --> 00:17:43,812
is more dangerous than a python.

420
00:17:43,896 --> 00:17:46,648
-Yeah! (LAUGHS)
-TRAVIS: I was so excited.

421
00:17:46,732 --> 00:17:49,151
So I take the snake
and I hoist it over my head

422
00:17:49,234 --> 00:17:51,236
like a WWE championship belt.

423
00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:52,738
♪ (SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC
PLAYING) ♪

424
00:17:52,821 --> 00:17:54,656
(PYTHON THUDS)

425
00:17:54,740 --> 00:17:57,618
TRAVIS: I think that's when me
and Roman really bonded.

426
00:17:57,659 --> 00:17:59,536
I don't know, I think
that we both have something

427
00:17:59,620 --> 00:18:01,830
that we're looking for
inside of us.

428
00:18:01,872 --> 00:18:03,791
And I think
that we kind of find it

429
00:18:03,832 --> 00:18:05,125
in the deepest part
of the woods.

430
00:18:07,377 --> 00:18:09,046
TRAVIS: It wasn't
what we set out to find,

431
00:18:09,797 --> 00:18:11,256
but it was quite an adventure.

432
00:18:14,426 --> 00:18:15,969
It was the end of the journey.

433
00:18:18,138 --> 00:18:20,599
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪

434
00:18:20,682 --> 00:18:23,268
♪ (UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

435
00:18:23,352 --> 00:18:24,686
TRAVIS:
So we go into Everglades City

436
00:18:24,728 --> 00:18:27,815
and someone pointed me
down the road to Dusty Crumb.

437
00:18:29,066 --> 00:18:30,192
DUSTY CRUMB: I'm Dusty Crumb,

438
00:18:30,234 --> 00:18:33,195
and I'm the baddest-ass
python hunter in the world, son.

439
00:18:33,237 --> 00:18:37,116
We're at the world-famous
Wildman's Pizza, Pasta & Pythons

440
00:18:37,866 --> 00:18:39,451
in Everglades City.

441
00:18:40,953 --> 00:18:43,539
TRAVIS: The Everglades
is a crazy place, man.

442
00:18:43,580 --> 00:18:45,207
One of the things
they do there is

443
00:18:45,249 --> 00:18:48,377
they'll trade you a python
for a pizza.

444
00:18:48,418 --> 00:18:52,840
I'm the first place in the world
to accept python as currency.

445
00:18:52,881 --> 00:18:55,050
What we do
is skin all the snakes,

446
00:18:55,092 --> 00:18:56,385
turn them into leather,

447
00:18:56,426 --> 00:18:58,554
then we can make
any kind of products you want.

448
00:18:58,595 --> 00:19:01,890
Belts, boots, wallets, purses...

449
00:19:03,142 --> 00:19:04,852
python CD covers.

450
00:19:04,893 --> 00:19:06,895
We've made python pizza before,
it's pretty good.

451
00:19:06,937 --> 00:19:08,772
It looked just like gator meat.

452
00:19:08,856 --> 00:19:11,108
It tastes like alligator
without the fish taste.

453
00:19:11,191 --> 00:19:13,443
It's got a good flavor,
but it is chewy.

454
00:19:13,527 --> 00:19:15,070
TRAVIS: I didn't want a pizza,

455
00:19:15,154 --> 00:19:17,406
but I wanted to know
how to preserve my snake.

456
00:19:17,447 --> 00:19:18,907
I went to Dusty Crumb
and I'm like,

457
00:19:18,991 --> 00:19:21,618
"I did it.
I got myself a seven-footer."

458
00:19:21,702 --> 00:19:22,703
He was so nice,

459
00:19:22,744 --> 00:19:24,913
he walked me through everything
I needed to do,

460
00:19:24,955 --> 00:19:26,331
how to preserve python skin.

461
00:19:26,415 --> 00:19:28,584
You do gotta cut
around the cloaca here,

462
00:19:28,667 --> 00:19:29,751
or, you know, the butthole.

463
00:19:29,835 --> 00:19:31,295
Once you get the head started,

464
00:19:31,378 --> 00:19:33,255
you can just peel him off
like a pair of socks.

465
00:19:33,297 --> 00:19:35,299
-(CHURCH BELL RINGING)
-♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

466
00:19:35,382 --> 00:19:37,134
I didn't skin it right there
in the gift shop,

467
00:19:37,217 --> 00:19:38,177
but I took it home.

468
00:19:38,260 --> 00:19:40,304
♪ (SOFT COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

469
00:19:40,387 --> 00:19:42,264
TRAVIS: Honestly,
I never stopped believing

470
00:19:42,347 --> 00:19:45,434
that a swamp gorilla
was gonna be what we found

471
00:19:45,475 --> 00:19:48,896
behind that next tree
or under that next rock.

472
00:19:48,937 --> 00:19:50,439
Society would not be the same

473
00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:54,151
if they knew there was
another species of human beings.

474
00:19:54,234 --> 00:19:56,111
They're the true Earthlings.

475
00:19:56,153 --> 00:19:59,239
They are the closest to God
we ever get.

476
00:19:59,281 --> 00:20:01,617
People go to church
four times a week,

477
00:20:01,658 --> 00:20:05,162
and you can get closer possibly
to God out here in the swamp.

478
00:20:05,245 --> 00:20:08,832
-(INSECTS CHIRPING)
-(HUMS)

479
00:20:08,916 --> 00:20:11,501
TRAVIS: We went out looking
for this mystical creature.

480
00:20:11,585 --> 00:20:13,795
We found something real instead.

481
00:20:13,837 --> 00:20:16,465
I think, to me,
that's the magic.

482
00:20:16,548 --> 00:20:18,300
♪ (UPBEAT COUNTRY MUSIC
PLAYING) ♪

483
00:20:18,383 --> 00:20:19,843
TRAVIS: I was thinking about
how far

484
00:20:19,927 --> 00:20:21,470
we had gone to get there.

485
00:20:21,553 --> 00:20:24,640
It was really about realizing
the end of a journey.

486
00:20:24,723 --> 00:20:26,767
You know, standing on top
of the mountaintop,

487
00:20:26,808 --> 00:20:29,144
achieving your dreams
in a weird way,

488
00:20:29,186 --> 00:20:31,230
even if it's just holding
a big snake.

489
00:20:31,313 --> 00:20:35,192
♪ (UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

490
00:21:27,869 --> 00:21:29,454
♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪