EVERYTHING'S BIGGER IN TEXAS...INCLUDING THE CATFISH!

ANIMAL PLANET'S "HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN' WORLD SERIES" PITS CHAMPION NOODLERS AGAINST EACH OTHER TO CATCH THE FEISTIEST CATFISH

-- This October, Eight of the Best Handfishing Teams From Across the Country Head to Texas to Noodle for Monster Catfish and Handfishin' Fame --

(Beverly Hills, Calif.) -- Animal Planet, the first network to introduce viewers to the world of HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN', announces a three-part miniseries that's also first of its kind. Premiering this October, HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN' WORLD SERIES features Texas noodler and jack-of-all-trades Brady Knowlton, 31, as master of ceremonies who leads Animal Planet's inaugural, cross-state handfishing tournament.

With noodling duos and trios representing Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, this competition isn't just about winning the prestigious Catfish Cup Grand Prize...more importantly, it's about regional pride for these catfish cowboys. Filmed in the murky waters of the great state of Texas, each one-hour episode features teams competing in bracket-structured rounds complete with eliminations and increasingly difficult noodling challenges for a chance to bring home gold for the winner's state and, of course, receive bragging rights.

HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN' WORLD SERIES is produced by Half Yard Productions for Animal Planet. Sean Gallagher and Abby Greensfelder are executive producers for Half Yard Productions. Keith Hoffman is executive producer for Animal Planet. Kurt Tondorf is vice president of development for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.