Spike TV Announces the Pick-Up of Three New Non-Scripted Series, "Full Bounty," "Tattoo Nightmares" and "Rat Bastards"

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Spike TV has picked up three new original non-scripted series that furthers the network's mission to create broader-appealing shows with real stakes involved.  Spike has ordered 10 episodes of "Full Bounty," a reality competition series featuring 12 aspiring bounty hunters who risk life and limb to chase down actual fugitives; six episodes of "Tattoo Nightmares," a show chronicling people's often-hilarious horror stories behind their awful tattoos and their attempt to have them fixed; and six episodes of "Rat Bastards," a series following the adventures of a group of guys in Louisiana who hunt down a nasty invasive species of giant swamp rats that wreak havoc on the Mississippi wetlands.  

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110419/NY85419LOGO )

Spike TV has also ordered 13 new episodes of the popular series, "World's Wildest Police Videos," which formerly aired on FOX, and announced plans to air a two-part special, "Urban Jungle Man."         

Premiere dates and times for the new series will be announced shortly.

"These three new non-scripted shows share a theme of larger-than-life characters in extreme situations where the high stakes are real," said Sharon Levy, Executive Vice President, Original Series, Spike TV.  "They are perfect complements to our upcoming launches of "Big Easy Justice," "American Digger" and "Diamond Divers," which have similar distinctive characters."

"Full Bounty" – In this unique reality competition series, 12 aspiring bounty hunters attempt to hunt down real criminals who are running from the law in an effort to win the actual bounty.  Each competitor will be doing this for the first time in their lives with the aid of law enforcement supervisors.  The contestant that tracks down and apprehends the most fugitives will win and advance while others will be eliminated in each episode.  The overall winner of the show will win a position with a prominent bail bond and fugitive recovery agency.  The stakes couldn't be higher for each contestant as they risk their lives to rid the streets of potentially dangerous criminals, and live out the dream of becoming an actual bounty hunter.  The series is created by Barry Poznick and John Stevens of Zoo Productions, an All3 media company. 

"Tattoo Nightmares" - Real people with really bad tattoos seek the help of some of the best cover-up artists in the business to fix them.  The tattoos range from hilarious to downright disturbing, with reenactments that will show how these people wound up with their awful, ugly and embarrassing ink. The contestants will go under the needle of top tattoo artists to see if they can work a miracle and cover someone else's mistake. "Tattoo Nightmares" is created by Sally Ann Salsano ("Jersey Shore") and 495 Productions.

"Rat Bastards" – An invasive species of giant swamp rats are ravaging America's Southern wetlands and are especially dangerous to the tenuous ecological system of the Mississippi delta region.  This non-scripted series follows a pack of industrious guys dubbed the "Cajun Commandoes" in Louisiana who hunt these elusive 40-pound menaces both to sell and to eat.  These determined rat hunters compete over a limited four month window to earn big bucks by capturing these loathsome pests for a bounty.  The series is co-created by Eli Holzman and Stephen Lambert of Studio Lambert and Royal Malloy, Duke Straub and Colt Straub of American Chainsaw. They are also the production team behind the upcoming Spike series, "Diamond Divers."

Spike will also create new episodes of "World's Wildest Police Videos," which will give viewers access to shocking and outrageous police footage never-before-seen on television.  From high-speed car chases that turn deadly and bank robberies gone wrong to international hostage holdups, the wildest police videos from around the world are on display.  Retired Sheriff John Bunnell hosts the series that is produced by Pilgrim Studios and Pursuit Productions. Executive Producers are Pilgrim Studios' Craig Piligian and Scott Popjes, and Pursuit Productions' Paul Stojanovich, Jr., Robert Ballantyne and John Bunnell.  The original version was created by Paul Stojanovich Sr. and aired on FOX from 1998-2002.

Spike will air a two-part special, "Urban Jungle Man," which follows the country's preeminent extreme animal handler, John Brennan, who rescues, captures and relocates dangerous and exotic animals in New York City's urban jungle. This non-scripted series chronicles Brennan's daily adventures as he runs the Urban Animal Relocation team, a privately-owned exotic and dangerous animal relocation service whose perilous missions runs the gamut from removing an alligator from a bathtub to capturing an escaped deadly python.  Bitten or stung by nearly every animal in existence, Brennan is fearless when it comes to apprehending nature's deadliest creatures.  "Urban Jungle Man" is produced by Asylum Entertainment and will be shot throughout the country. 

Spike TV is available in 99.8 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks.  A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.  Follow us on Twitter@spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

SOURCE Spike TV