Right around the time that the feature film The Legend of Tarzan hits theaters, Discovery Channel will be debuting a new series of its own to determine who can actually survive in and master the wild like the famed King of the Jungle has — American Tarzan.
American Tarzan, premiering July 6 at 10pm ET/PT on Discovery, should appeal to fans of the network’s other survival series, such as Naked and Afraid. Seven (fully-clothed) challengers gather on the remote Caribbean island of Dominica to take on Mother Nature’s most brutal challenges.
It’s a journey across four distinct terrains: jungle, coast, mountains and canyons. Over these challenging landscapes, the men and women must live completely off the land, while tackling punishing obstacles and facing conditions that early inhabitants faced hundreds of years ago, relying on nothing more than basic tools, mental toughness and physical strength.
Even getting to the island to begin with sounds rough; the competitors must kayak through open water to reach it. Once there, the first challenge will be to navigate an impenetrable jungle. Over subsequent weeks, challengers will traverse the jungle, cross raging rivers, climb towering mountains, all while foraging for food.
The competitors battling it out on American Tarzan are:
Jeremy Guarino
HOMETOWN: Buffalo, N.Y.
JOB: Small business owner
SUPERPOWER: Super agility — parkour master
Maria Herrera
HOMETOWN: San Diego
JOB: Bartender
SUPERPOWER: Upper Body Strength — can climb a two-story rope in under 20 seconds. You can see Maria pictured left, swinging in a way that would make Tarzan proud.
Derek Knutson
HOMETOWN: Hayward, Wisc.
JOB: Professional timber sports athlete
SUPERPOWER: Speed climber — can climb a six-story tree in 14 seconds
Kim Liszka
HOMETOWN: Macungie, Pa.
JOB: Emergency room nurse
SUPERPOWER: Super Stamina — runs 26 miles uphill without stopping
Brandon Morrison
HOMETOWN: Seattle
JOB: Personal trainer
SUPERPOWER: Super Strength — can lift over 600 pounds
Tim Olson
HOMETOWN: Boulder, Colo.
JOB: Stay-at-home dad
SUPERPOWER: Super Endurance — can run 100+ miles without stopping
Tim Reames
HOMETOWN: Austin
JOB: Security contractor
SUPERPOWER: Feels No Pain — military training taught him to overcome through mental conditioning
American Tarzan airs Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel beginning July 6.