Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Animal encounter show is violent and exploitative.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
Based on 12 kid reviews
Kids say the show is highly controversial, with some praising its educational aspects and others condemning it for excessive violence and disturbing content. While it seems to attract older teens and adults, there are numerous concerns about its suitability for younger viewers, as many find the graphic imagery and themes potentially frightening or inappropriate.
- controversial content
- educational aspects
- suitable for teens
- excessive violence
- not for young children
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In UNTAMED AND UNCUT, viewers watch as seemingly peaceful contact between people and animals suddenly goes terribly wrong -- from a person being angrily stomped on by a zoo elephant to someone getting violently kicked by a carriage horse. Each real-life encounter is described in great detail via interviews with animal experts, survivors, and the people who unexpectedly found themselves filming these scary events. Computer-animated graphics help recreate the encounters and demonstrate how the victim somehow managed to survive. When possible, explanations are offered about the animals' reactions toward the people they attacked.
Is It Any Good?
Untamed and Uncut reminds viewers that no matter how tame or domesticated animals seem, they can still instinctively react negatively toward humans. Many of the encounters highlighted here aren't random at all, but are rather the result of people not recognizing or paying attention to the animals' signals. And, of course, there are moments when animals go completely berserk thanks to some really dumb human behavior -- like climbing walls and/or purposely disturbing animals in order to take a great picture.
While the show does offer a few interesting details about animal behavior, overall the series is more exploitative than informative. Scenes of the actual moments in which people are violently attacked are replayed several times and are even shown in slow motion to demonstrate how violent the attack really was. The sounds of screaming victims and frightened bystanders add to the drama. Some viewers may find these scenes exciting to watch, but it's just a little too sensational for younger or more sensitive audiences.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether it's OK for the media to use violent and/or scary events to entertain audiences. Is it appropriate to show people getting attacked or hurt by animals (or humans), even if the victims survived the encounter? What kind of messages about animals do shows like this one send? Families can also discuss animal behavior. Why is it important to understand animals' behavior? How do animals defend themselves and their territories? Why do domesticated animals like dogs and horses sometimes behave violently? Should people have wild animals as pets?
TV Details
- Premiere date : June 10, 2008
- Cast : Charlie Sammut , George Burgess , Scott Lope
- Network : Animal Planet
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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