"THE POOL MASTER," ANTHONY ARCHER-WILLS, RETURNS TO ANIMAL PLANET FOR AN ALL-NEW SEASON OF AQUATIC AMAZEMENT

-- Anthony Archer-Wills Vision Transforms Bland Spaces into Natural Wonderments In Six-episode Season Beginning Friday, April 3, at 10 PM ET/PT -

(Silver Spring, Md.) - Is it easy to tell the difference between what's natural and man-made? With Animal Planet's THE POOL MASTER, you hardly can. The pools may seem like they were placed on Earth by Mother Nature herself, but really, they were forged by a man with a smile on his face and a gin in his hand - pool master extraordinaire Anthony Archer-Wills, to be specific!

Beginning Friday, April 3, at 10 PM ET/PT, Anthony returns with a splash for a six-episode season of THE POOL MASTER. Alongside this charismatic British landscape visionary are his talented site manager Dave Duensing and master excavator Ed Kading. Watch this trio transform backyard dreams into natural masterpieces.

This season, Anthony and his team meet new clients with this concept in mind: to turn their run-of-the-mill backyards into jaw-dropping natural pool paradises, which exude utter tranquility, charm and artistry - that is if Anthony's ideas don't go over budget. Each episode depicts the constant battle between Anthony and his designs. Do his wild ideas trample the limits set by his clientele, or do the grand finales render them speechless?

No design is ever the same, and between bad weather, buried rock slabs or unmarked pipes, no build is ever easy either. In addition, Anthony always incorporates surrounding natural resources - he unearths local rocks, plants and shrubs and then reuses them in his final designs to create the illusion that these pools have always been there. Of course, Dave and Ed need to be careful as Anthony is easily distracted and can get lost to an offer of afternoon tea and scones or a boat ride. But they always find a way to finish the job, and with gin and tonic in hand, the team takes a step back and admire the fruits of labor - pools that co-exist harmoniously with nature and surpass the clients' wildest expectations.

Dreams become reality during this season of THE POOL MASTER with the following pools:

· Going, Going, Gong!: Anthony and his team rip out a boring backyard and replace it with a Japanese water garden paradise. Complete with a mountain hot tub, multiple waterfalls, a gong and rocks that blow fire, it's a dream come true for everyone!

· You can take the girl out of England: Anthony and his team create a British-inspired heavenly escape for a Texas family. The design includes a pool big enough for friends and family, a "teazebo" for afternoon tea and an elephant-sized surprise behind the family's once-fenced-in garden.

· This is not a fire drill: Out on the arid hills of Northern California, a fireman's family needs to be rescued, and Anthony comes calling! Anthony not only fixes the home owner's amateur attempt at building a pool himself, he also prepares the family for the worst by linking the new and improves pool to a hydrant system, providing an added level of fire safety.

Prior to the season premiere, fans can revisit the best pools from the first season of The POOL MASTER with a special recap episode airing at 9 PM (ET/PT) on Friday, April 3.

THE POOL MASTER is produced for Animal Planet by Original Media with Daniel Laikind and Rob Hill as executive producers. Executive producer for Animal Planet is Lisa Lucas, and Patrick Keegan is producer. Kurt Tondorf is vice president of development for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet, 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. Animal Planet consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access to the animal kingdom; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service, and merchandising extensions.