Serious

SERIOUS chronicles the journeys of British teens into endangered environments around the world, where they roll up their sleeves and delve into the inspirational -- but often dirty -- task of conservation. The teams of adventurers include girls and boys ages 13 to 15 who are interested in the outdoors and saving natural resources. Team leaders and outdoor adventurers Ben Major and Polly Murray select the teens based on their personalities, passion for conservation, and ability to withstand the challenges they'll encounter on site, including extreme weather, manual labor, and (depending on where they're headed) face-to-face encounters with creepy-crawly dwellers. During their three-week trek into the wild (locales have included the desert, the jungle, and the Arctic), team members focus on helping endangered species indigenous to the area that the team is visiting. The groups also spend time learning about the native people and cultures in the locales they visit.