THE SEARCH IS ON FOR THE BEST HOOKER IN AMERICA: ANIMAL PLANET'S NEW COMPETITION REALITY SERIES "TOP HOOKER" PREMIERES JUNE 2

-- Animal Planet Re-enters the Competition Reality Show Arena with High-Energy Series Exploring the World's Oldest Profession... Fishing! --

(New York, New York, April 30, 2013) - Extreme angling isn't exactly new to Animal Planet. Jeremy Wade has hunted underwater legends in RIVER MONSTERS for five seasons; OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES explores outrageous angling escapades with Showtime Eric Young; and the men of HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN' have captured catfish and viewers' hearts far and wide. But TOP HOOKER brings an all-new dynamic to Animal Planet when 10 of the world's top anglers are pitted against one another for a series of wildly out-of-the-box fishing challenges that will put their brains, brawn and skills to the ultimate test. They're putting it all on the line for the chance to win $30,000, a new truck, and the honor of being crowned Animal Planet's first TOP HOOKER. See them work their reels when the eight-part series TOP HOOKER, hosted by Reno Collier, premieres on Sunday, June 2, at 10PM (ET/PT).

A diverse group of dynamic opponents will take to America's coastlines, lakes and waterways in an outrageous competition that will blow your everyday sport-fishing tournament out of the water! From a harpoon wielding Southern belle to a South African bodybuilder, these men and women are from incredibly different backgrounds but they're all diving in with hopes of out hooking the competition. Each week viewers will be wondering who will catch a spot in the next round - and who'll be thrown back home!

Meet the TOP HOOKER rivals:

· Attila - "Attila the Hun-garian" - Cranford, NJ

· Chris - "The Laidback Hawaiian" - Kaneohe, HI

· Danny - "The Bass Man" - Page, AZ

· Dzifa - "Fly Boy" - Highland Ranch, CO

· Greg - "Grampa Greg" - Stamford, CT

· Ian - "Beefcake South African" - Trabuco Canyon, CA

· Kevin - "Al-lure-ing Lawyer" - Little Compton, RI

· Larysa - "Bowfishing Babe" - Sarasota, FL

· Melanie - "Sexy Spearfisher" - Key Largo, FL

· Patrick - "Cocky Captain" - Charleston, SC

With grand prizes of $30,000 cash and a brand-new pickup truck, the expert anglers of TOP HOOKER are up for the fight of their lifetimes. While each of the 10 fearless competitors have distinct skills including deep-sea fishing, bowfishing, fly fishing and surfcasting, they'll need to widen their horizons to survive what TOP HOOKER throws their way. Challenges include anglers capturing fish using only their mouths, zipline fishing, catching fish nearly invisible to the naked eye, and literally walking on water while reeling in their catches. Sponsor Bass Pro Shops(R) provides gear for each of the daunting tasks.

TOP HOOKER is produced for Animal Planet by Pilgrim Studios. For Pilgrim, Craig Piligian is co-creator and executive producer and Ralph Wikke and Mitch Rosa are executive producers. For Animal Planet, executive producer is Keith Hoffman and Sarah Russell is production coordinator. TOP HOOKER was co-created and developed by Animal Planet's Charlie Foley.

Animal Planet Media (APM), 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. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.