The Jeff Corwin Experience: Costa Rica: The Arribiatta & The Amazon: Goin' Bananas

Featuring wacky Canadian Jeff Corwin (one of People's “50 Most Beautiful People” for 2002) as host, "Costa Rica: The Arribiatta"--the first of two episodes from the hit series airing on the Animal Planet cable network--finds Corwin taking viewers on a mysterious Costa Rican journey full of exotic creatures such as a fer-de-lance viper, red-eye tree frog, xenarthran, and tropical spotted dolphins, before ending up on Manuel Antonio beach to be close to the “arribiatta” ritual in which thousands of sea turtles lay eggs. In the second episode, “The Amazon: Goin Bananas,” Corwin heads downriver on the Rio Negro and the Rio Amazonas while enjoying a steady diet of Brazilian bananas (gobbling 348 by last count). From a pirarucu (a giant aquatic fish that proves to be at least a six-man job to retrieve) to a red-faced uakari monkey, this episode also features electric night fish, giant cockroaches, and a…um…defecating sloth, not to mention a leaky canoe and a trip to the Brazilian Army's top secret jungle warfare center, where Corwin has a close encounter with a jaguar. At first, Corwin's corny jokes and accents seemed a bit strained, but the man (who holds bachelor's degrees in biology and anthropology) is very knowledgeable, very brave, and ultimately, very entertaining. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (J. Williams)