Swamp People Season 17 adapts to volatile bayou conditions and cast loss

Collider reports that Season 17 of the History Channel series Swamp People is showing notable changes in the Louisiana bayou as hunters contend with volatile water levels and shifting challenges.

Flash-flooding hundreds of miles north has altered flow into the Atchafalaya Basin, the report says, leaving bait too high to attract prey and making gator-filled boats dangerously heavy. Executive producer Brian Catalina told TV Insider the basin's water "comes from the Mississippi straight up the country" and that recent "sudden and very intense rainstorms" made "the water... like a rollercoaster this year down here," calling the unpredictability a "super big deal." The piece also notes that other reality series such as Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers have had to adapt to changing natural conditions.

The season also grapples with personal loss: the first episode shows Little Willie Edwards responding to the death of Junior Edwards, and the show paid tribute on Instagram, saying, "Junior wasn’t just a fierce hunter and skilled gator man, he was a true legend of the bayou." Little Willie practices his pawpaw's techniques and uses grief to carry forward the family legacy. Swamp People airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. on The History Channel with new episodes available to stream the next day.

Key Topics

Culture, Swamp People, Little Willie Edwards, Junior Edwards, Brian Catalina, Atchafalaya Basin