So basically... a Darwin Award.*

[shipperx]

From TVGuide.com:

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Snake-Salvation-Jamie-Coots-Dies-1077843.aspx

Jamie Coots, a Kentucky pastor who starred on National Geographic Channel's Snake Salvation — a reality show about Pentecostal preachers who handle serpents as part of their services — died Saturday after being bitten by one of the snakes, Kentucky's WBIR reports.

Coots was found dead in his home around 10 p.m. Saturday, after being bitten in his church earlier in the day, police told the local TV station. He had left the church before emergency workers arrived and refused medical attention for the wound.

Nearly a year ago, Coots pled guilty to violating exotic animals laws and was ordered to give up his vipers.

National Geographic released a statement about Coots' death on Sunday. "National Geographic joins his family, friends and community in mourning the loss of Pastor Jamie Coots," the statement reads. "In following Pastor Coots for our series Snake Salvation, we were constantly struck by his devout religious convictions despite the health and legal peril he often faced. Those risks were always worth it to him and his congregants as a means to demonstrate their unwavering faith. We were honored to be allowed such unique access to Pastor Jamie and his congregation during the course of our show, and give context to his method of worship. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time."



*  There's a piquant flavor to a fundamentalist religious dumbass deserving a Darwin Award...

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Petzi Sis and I were just talking about this at lunch.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Speaking of context, I seem to recall National Geographic employing researchers who knew that venomous snakes are venomous. What happened?

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

God was supposed to care more about some dumbass redneck preacher than for a random person who dies of snakebite. Or something...

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Sure, but why not start out with something easer? First, master walking across the community pool, after that you can work yourself up to the Certain Death bits.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

You might be thinking of the magazine. The TV channel, like The History Channel and TLC, has devolved into reality shows about foolish people.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but there's foolish as in "Watch these idiots get drunk on camera" and foolish as in "Watch these idiots commit suicide on camera". Why not just start a Russian Roulette tournament while they're at it?

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Because greed trumps ethical abhorrence in TV programming.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

There is probably some kind of law otherwise there would be. Or perhaps it lacks a backwoods culture surrounding it like snake-handling or moonshining.

Thinking about that, I kinda wonder just what the demographics are for these shows.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Watching it? I don't know. I can't imagine doing so. The Snake Handler Religious Cult though predates the show or National Geographic. Those loons have been around for decades (with its fair share of Darwin Award winners).

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know. I just wonder who watches the shows, you know? Is it the snake-handling faithful? Hard to find details on smaller cable networks shows like that. What draws them. Unlike Deadliest Catch, there doesn't seem to be any real story or exotic quality to it.

Of course, I never understood the audience for Jackass, either.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

You say that like you don't think they'll actually capture Bigfoot next week!

[paratti.livejournal.com]

In a storage unit.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Bigfoot already joined the Darwin club two years ago.

[molliemole.livejournal.com]

This idiot should have done it like the snake-handling preacher on Justified, who milked his snakes of their venom before going "on stage" with them in his church service.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

But that would require his being an iota less dumbass...