| Jimmy Riffle of The Gator Boys |
My Tie Between Alligator Wrestling and Swamplandia!
The entire story of Swamplandia! is based on the slow failure of this alligator theme park and the alligator wrestling shows that are held (or used to be held). Other than a short, barely-detailed recap of one of Ava's experiences wrestling a seth at the beginning of the novel, there are barely any stories of actual wrestling, most likely due to the fact that these shows ceased to exist after a while when Swamplandia! failed to attract tourists. But, I am actually fascinated by alligators, and these seths are the part of the story that captivated me most.
As I mentioned previously in class, I went to high school with Jimmy, co-star of Animal Planet's hit show, The Gator Boys. I have never actually seen his show in person, but I have been to Holiday Park where these shows take place and I watch The Gator Boys whenever it's on TV, regardless if its a rerun that I've already seen or not. I think alligators are magnificent animals, and I have a lot of respect for these volunteers that risk their lives on a daily basis.
| Jimmy is known as one of the best alligator wrestlers on the planet |
I admire Jimmy for what he does. It seems crazy to most people, but Jimmy loves alligators and caring for them is his passion. Helping alligators and entertaining tourists with wrestling shows is Jimmy's ideal job, as there is nothing in the world he would rather do. I couldn't help but think of The Gator Boys every time the alligator wrestling shows were mentioned in Swamplandia!
Here is the link to the website of The Gator Boys where you can look through pictures, watch clips, and watch full episodes via Animal Planet online:
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