GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY AND BETTY WHITE PROFILE THE "SMARTEST ANIMALS IN AMERICA"

Betty White's Special Limited Series Premieres On Her 93rd Birthday, Saturday, Jan. 17

NEW YORK [For Immediate Release] Great American treasure Betty White comes to Great American Country with her passion project - Betty White's Smartest Animals in America, premiering on the star's 93rd birthday - Saturday, Jan. 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

On her once-in-a-lifetime trip, Betty meets animals including elephants, boasting the biggest animal brains on land; the determined, destructive and fearless honey badger, capable of overcoming practically any obstacle; playful and social dolphins, regarded by scientists as the world's smartest animal, and more. Betty also meets the kea bird, indigenous to New Zealand and renowned for its curiosity, and pixie pigs that outrank dogs as the smartest domesticated animals.

"With all the smart animals we've met - the more we take time to learn about them, the more we realize how amazing they really are," said Betty. "Any excuse to be around animals, I'll take it!"

At the heart of Betty White's Smartest Animals in America is Betty's emotional reunion with her friend Koko the gorilla who, using sign language, became the first animal to ever speak with humans.

"By communicating in a human language to express her needs or be able to respond to a sad film just like we do, Koko forces us to realize that a gorilla is so much more than just an animal," said Betty. "To look into the eyes of a 300-pound gorilla and have her tell you what she's thinking is truly humbling."

Betty White's Smartest Animals in America joins a slate of original productions featuring all-American stars on Great American Country, including Off the Map With Shannen & Holly starring Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs and premiering Friday, Jan. 2, and A Very Barry Branson, profiling former The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams and set to premiere in early 2015.

About Great American Country

From Main Street USA to the biggest coastal cities and everywhere in between, Great American Country celebrates the best of American living with original lifestyle entertainment. Distributed in more than 62 million U.S. households, Great American Country honors America with series profiling families, exploring top U.S. destinations, and highlighting all-American stars and celebrities. Learn more at GreatAmericanCountry.com. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Great American Country is owned by Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. (NYSE:SNI).