POP THE MOONSHINE! DESTINATION AMERICA RENEWS "MOUNTAIN MONSTERS" FOR A THIRD SEASON

-- Season 2 Finale Moves to an Earlier Timeslot, Airing Saturday, July 25 at 9/8c, for a Monster-Sized Investigation Of the Team's Arch Nemesis: Ohio's Grassman --

(Silver Spring, Md.) - Another action-packed season in the Appalachian wilderness is coming to a close, but the boys of MOUNTAIN MONSTERS aren't hanging up their camouflage just yet. The series has been picked up for a third season slated to begin production on 16 new episodes later this year and premiere in spring 2015. Destination America's breakout hit show follows a team of expert hunters and trappers as they defend their mountain brethren from mysterious monsters that have spawned countless sightings in the Appalachian wilderness for generations. Legendary local beasts like the Hellhound, Yahoo, Fire Dragon, and Hogzilla aren't just old wives tales, and the Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings (AIMS) is in hot pursuit to prove it.

"In just two seasons, MOUNTAIN MONSTERS has become Destination America's biggest hit series and earned a faithful following of armchair monster hunters," said Marc Etkind, general manager of Destination America. "Investigating monsters could frighten years off an unseasoned tracker's life, but the AIMS team is strong and their skills unmatched. We have every confidence that the monsters will be shaking in their boots once they catch wind of season three."

The season finale of MOUNTAIN MONSTERS airs Friday, July 25 at 9/8c with a special two-hour investigation into AIMS' arch nemesis: the Grassman of Perry County, Ohio. As native sons of West Virginia, AIMS and their leader John "Trapper" Tice have spent their entire lives navigating the backcountry, surviving off the land, and practicing do-it-yourself resourcefulness in a region where time stands still. After narrowly missing the creature last season, AIMS is determined to settle unfinished business with the eight-foot-tall, 1,000-pound cousin of Sasquatch. Locals are reporting that this gargantuan beast has a habit of venturing dangerously close to human dwellings, and the AIMS crew has no time to waste in finding out why he is expanding his territory before someone is hurt. With a heavy dose of courage and the help of local moonshiners, these Appalachian trackers begin to unravel the mystery of what the Grassman is and why he is becoming more dangerous with each day that passes... but one team member won't make it to the final hunt.

The second season of MOUNTAIN MONSTERS debuted on Friday, April 4 with a premiere episode that garnered Destination America's best telecast ever among HH delivery (0.81/473k) and second-best among P2+ (672k) delivery. The series' performance helped propel Destination America to its best month ever in April and best quarter ever (2Q) in Prime and Total Day in all key demos.

MOUNTAIN MONSTERS is produced for Destination America by American Chainsaws with Colt Straub, Duke Straub, Royal Malloy, Russell Geyser and Jay Bluemke as executive producers. For Destination America, Caroline Perez is executive producer, Marc Etkind is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President of Investigation Discovery, Destination America, American Heroes Channel, and Discovery Fit & Health.

About Destination America

Destination America is the only network to celebrate the people, places, and stories of the United States. The inclusive network targeting Adults 25-54 is available in nearly 60 million homes, emblazoning television screens with the grit and tenacity, honesty and work ethic, humor and adventurousness that characterize our nation. Destination America features travel, food, adventure, home, and natural history, with original series like BBQ Pitmasters; A Haunting; Mountain Monsters; Buying Alaska; Buying the Bayou; and Railroad Alaska. For more information, please visit DestinationAmerica.com, facebook.com/DestinationAmerica, or twitter.com/DestAmerica. Destination America is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 2.7 billion cumulative subscribers in 220 countries and territories.