Parents' Guide to Gator 911

TV CMT Reality TV 2010
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Common Sense Media Review

By Will Wade , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 10+

Real-life alligator wrestlers save residents from danger.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 6+

Based on 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

On the Texas Gulf Coast, alligators are a fact of life. As the human population expands, people encounter gators in their yards, in drainage ditches, in nearby lakes and rivers. The dangerous wild reptiles seem to be all over the place. So what do you do? Dial GATOR 911, and get Gary Saurage to capture the beast and haul it off to his animal sanctuary. This informative reality show follows Saurage and his team as they track down gators and then wrestle them into submission.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 7 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

There are no tricks here, no special tools; the Gator 911 team members climb into the mud and subdue their quarry with nothing more than their bare hands and some rope or strong tape to close those powerful jaws. It's dangerous and exciting, and something that might be totally new for many viewers.

The show also provides an excellent introduction to the alligator, explaining basic facts about how and where they live, and why their environment is threatened. Despite his obvious respect for alligators, Saurage does not side with them. He operates a well-known alligator sanctuary, and his business depends on making sure that people see them as a nuisance, best seen from the other side of a fence. In this way, Gator 911 misses an opportunity to tell the entire story about these beasts, but it's still plenty of fun to watch.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about alligators. Did this show teach you anything new about alligators? What do you think about Saurage and his staff as they wrestle wild alligators into submission with nothing more than a rope?

  • Do you think capturing wild alligators is the only solution when they wander into populated areas? Isn't the larger problem that people are expanding into gator turf? Is there an easy fix for that?

TV Details

  • Premiere date : April 9, 2010
  • Cast : Gary Saurage
  • Network : CMT
  • Genre : Reality TV
  • TV rating : NR
  • Last updated : October 3, 2022

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