Snake Charmer
Coupla years back, I remember watching this show with my girlfriend which had this guy going around chasing snakes and making a list of the top ten most deadly ones. We cringed every time he grabbed onto any insidious looking reptile before proclaiming how its poison could kill you in a matter of minutes and how they worked. He also took some rather dramatic photos of the snakes in question, some seemingly attacking the camera. In fact, he has had several occasions when he had the snakes spit venom at him and he was actually bitten whilst filming by a pretty venomous snake as well. He was rushed to hospital and barely made it and promtly went back to filming soon after recovering.
That man, pictured above, is Austin Stevens, born in South Africa and known as the snake man, he's got a tremendous amount of knowledge of wildlife and a hands on, get in there approach. The new show on Discovery I caught was Austin Stevens: Most Dangerous, in which he tracks down this huge lizard down under. This guy is amazing. He's an absolute showman, with a terrifically fresh accent and a bravado which holds no bounds. He just seems really earnest in how he enjoys doing the dangerous shit he's doing, almost like a kid with his favourite toy. The careless abandon that he displays only goes to further highlight the audacity of his photos. He goes all out to get crazy shots. I remember the snake series had this matrix-esque sequence, with the camera swirling round him, as the snake closed in on him. With zero ego outwardly displayed and 100% commitment, he's just one of those guys anyone can appreciate. Respect.
Check this interview.
