Plot Synopsis

SWAMP PEOPLE follows Cajuns in the Atchafalaya Swamp during the 30-day alligator hunting season as these swampers fight to maintain an ancient way of life in a rapidly modernizing world, despite the many perils and trials that stand in their way. Deep in the heart of Louisiana lies America's largest swamp -- the Atchafalaya Swamp is a million miles of inhospitable bayous, marshes and wetlands where nature rules and humans struggle to tame it. Many of its inhabitants are the hardened descendants of French refugees who were forced out of Canada in the 18th century and settled in this harsh yet majestic environment. Today, these people are known as the Cajuns, a group renowned throughout the world for their flavorful cuisine, distinctive music and vibrant culture. Resilient, self-reliant and fiercely independent, the Cajuns of the still carry on many of their ancestors' trades and traditions.

SWAMP PEOPLE returned for its fourth season on Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 9pm, with the season opener featuring a hurricane that tore through the bayou on opening day of alligator season. On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 10pm ET/PT, History premiered a one-hour special, SWAMPSGIVING 2, family, friends and food take center stage. Swampers are going all out to make this year's family feast one to remember. Troy Landry, otherwise known as King of the Swamp, has invited two Texan swampers, T-Roy and Bigfoot, over to celebrate and have a little swamp-style fun. Fans will see Troy challenging the Texans to a "hog-off": whoever catches the biggest beast is the winner and the loser has to prepare both hogs for the family feast. Over in Houma, RJ and Jay Paul Molinere are embarking on a nighttime bow hunt looking to catch red fish for their famous Cubion. Meanwhile, Gator Queen Liz Cavalier is making her family's specialty: fried nutria rats. The Cavalier clan takes viewers on a ride as they hunt the furry critters from their airboat.

The fifth season of SWAMP PEOPLE premiered on Monday, February 3, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT on History. In addition to a returning cast featuring Troy Landry and sons, RJ and Jay Paul Molinere, Liz and Jessica, Junior and Willie, Bruce Mitchell, and more, this season boasts the long awaited return of one of the toughest men in the swamp, Terral Evans, and the debut of fierce Apache hunter Roger Rivers. In the Season 5 opener, the swampers are under attack on the first day of gator season from some of the biggest and meanest gators in years. When a seasoned hunter's deckhand is sidelined from being gator bit, he is left wondering who will be his replacement for the rest of the season. While another swamper must capture a live loggerhead turtle for a Native American ceremony to bless his upcoming gator season.

SWAMP PEOPLE returned for its sixth season on Monday, February 2, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT on History. This season, the Swampers are back with a big incentive to hunt down the biggest beasts: a local gator buyer is offering a $10,000 bounty to the team who brings in the longest gator. That means hunters will need to push themselves to the limit to reel in the big ones if they want to win the prize...and those ever-important bragging rights. The contest sparks some good-natured trash-talking around the swamp, bringing the hunters together in the spirit of competition. Troy Landry is hunting at a furious pace, hell-bent on remaining the reigning King of the Swamp, but he'll also reunite with his old hunting partner Liz Cavalier to hunt together. Junior and wife Teresa have adopted an orphaned otter named Oscar, whom they're raising at home until he's ready to release back into the swamp. Glenn Guist takes it upon himself to teach Liz's two sons some of his swamp secrets, like how to catch fish with homemade jug lines.

Season 7 of SWAMP PEOPLE premiered on Monday, February 8, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT on History, immediately following an all-day marathon (7am-9pm) of encore episodes from the show's sixth season. As the season opens, the King of the Swamp, Troy Landry, finds himself going head-to-head with Mother Nature. The water in the basin is higher than it's ever been, pushing the monsters into inaccessible back ponds and woods. On top of that, a cold front has moved into Louisiana making conditions even worse. As he and his family brace for what could be their worse season ever, the King discovers more bad news; R.J. and Jay Paul have invaded his area, using their airboat to get to the gators that are out of his reach. Over in Hammond, Bruce Mitchell prepares to start his second season without his beloved hunting dog Tyler. His partner, Ron Methvin thinks he has a great surprise for Bruce, but when they meet up, the plan blows up and puts their partnership to the test. And, at the end of the first day of gator hunting, Troy makes an announcement that rattles his family to the bone.

The eighth season of SWAMP PEOPLE premiered on Thursday, February 16, 2017 from 9-11pm ET/PT, immediately following a new one-hour special (8-9pm) and a 13-hour marathon (7am-8pm) of encore episodes. The special (8pm), "Ten Most Dangerous Moments," counts down the most treacherous gator battles, hair-raising close calls and near-death moments of the past seven seasons. In Season 8, the Swampers are back with a big incentive to hunt down the biggest beasts: a local gator buyer is offering a $10,000 bounty to the team who brings in the longest gator. That means hunters will need to push themselves to the limit to reel in the big ones if they want to win the prize... and those ever-important bragging rights. The contest sparks some good-natured trash-talking around the swamp, bringing the hunters together in the spirit of competition. Troy Landry is hunting at a furious pace, hell-bent on remaining the reigning King of the Swamp, but he'll also reunite with his old hunting partner Liz Cavalier to hunt together. Junior and wife Teresa have adopted an orphaned otter named Oscar, whom they're raising at home until he's ready to release back into the swamp. Glenn Guist takes it upon himself to teach Liz's two sons some of his swamp secrets, like how to catch fish with homemade jug lines. As always, the swampers are out to catch some of their nemesis gators with names like Pirate of the Bayou, Twister and Hercules. In the season opener (9pm), "The Hunt Begins," facing the prospect of buyer shutting down early this year, Troy promotes Chase to captain of his own boat. Daniel Edgar calls in his son to help fill tags. RJ and Jay Paul hunt on separate boats for the first time ever. Then, in the premiere night's second new episode (10pm), "Fresh Blood," Chase fails to show up for his second day as captain. Dwaine struggles to live up to his dad's expectations. Bayou floods open up new territory for Frenchie and Gee. Glenn Guist returns to his house for the first time after a flood devastated his property, and must deal with some unwelcome guests.

Season 9 of SWAMP PEOPLE premiered on Thursday, February 1, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT on History, immediately following a brand-new special. The night opened with a new one-hour special, "Ten Most Legendary Monsters," that counts down the 10 most legendary monsters of the swamp. In the new season, the Swampers are back with a big incentive to hunt down the biggest beasts: a local gator buyer is offering a $10,000 bounty to the team who brings in the longest gator. That means hunters will need to push themselves to the limit to reel in the big ones if they want to win the prize... and those ever-important bragging rights. The contest sparks some good-natured trash-talking around the swamp, bringing the hunters together in the spirit of competition. Troy Landry is hunting at a furious pace, hell-bent on remaining the reigning King of the Swamp, but he'll also reunite with his old hunting partner Liz Cavalier to hunt together . Junior and wife Teresa have adopted an orphaned otter named Oscar, whom they're raising at home until he's ready to release back into the swamp. Glenn Guist takes it upon himself to teach Liz's two sons some of his swamp secrets, like how to catch fish with homemade jug lines. As always, the Swampers are out to catch some of their nemesis gators with names like Pirate of the Bayou, Twister and Hercules. In the season opener, "Never Surrender," with his industry on the verge of collapse, Troy urges the Landry family to hunt quickly and save on expenses. Holden struggles to shed bad habits, and Chase returns to his careless ways. Meanwhile, Dorien Edgar makes a dramatic decision, and the Molineres switch roles.

The tenth season of SWAMP PEOPLE premiered on Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT on History Channel, immediately following a nine-hour marathon (Noon-9pm) of encore episodes. As a new alligator-hunting season begins, these individuals once again set out to make a living and preserve their way of life. In the season opener, "Clear and Present Danger," the swampers are faced with a gator invasion that's threatening their community like never before. Determined to protect their neighbors, Troy teams up with swamp legend Terrel Evans, Jacob enlists python expert Dusty Crum to join the hunt, and veteran swamper Ronnie Adams puts his new partner, Ashley "Dead-Eye" Jones to the test as they venture into a wild swamp known as "the cemetery."

SWAMP PEOPLE returned for its eleventh season on Thursday, January 23, 2020 at 9pm ET/PT on History Channel. In the season opener, "Raging Bulls," the swampers are desperate to cull the exploding gator population, so they employ new, risky tactics to target giant breeding bulls. Joey and Zak create a feeding frenzy using wild hogs as chum. A gator takes a bit out of Ashley and Ronnie. Willie Edwards teams up with his rookie son, Little Willie. And Troy and Terral embark on their most dangerous mission yet.

Season 12 of SWAMP PEOPLE premiered with back-to-back new episodes on Thursday, February 4, 2021 from 9-11pm ET/PT on History Channel, immediately following an all-day marathon (7am-9pm) of encore episodes. In the season opener, "Gator Attack," a new hunting season begins, and with overpopulation supercharging gator aggression, the threat of attack is higher than ever. Diving into the fray, Troy puts his new deckhand, Pickle, to the test. Daniel welcomes his grandson Dorien back and hopes to convince him to stay. Junior returns to the swamp to help his family get the upper hand in an overrun bayou. Ronnie and Ashley come under attack from a relentless marsh monster.

On Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 9-10:30pm ET/PT, History Channel premiered the thirteenth season of SWAMP PEOPLE, immediately following an all-day marathon (9am-9pm) of encore episodes. In the season opener, "Gators on the Storm," hunters scramble to fill as many tags as possible before Hurricane Ida, an unprecedented category 4 storm, shuts down their season.

Season 14 of SWAMP PEOPLE premiered on Thursday, January 5, 2023 from 8-9:30pm ET/PT on History Channel. As nature exerts its power across all of America and the globe, the swampers of Louisiana face a brand-new challenge. Some five hundred prime gator tags are at stake for next season -- but to get them, gator hunters must compete now! It's renewal time for tags in Louisiana, which are usually granted in five or ten-year deals. This year, the large landowners who hold the tags have made it clear that they're only willing to work with hunters who land the biggest beasts. Future tags will go to the swampers with the biggest average catch. It's all on the line for our swampers, who will go all-in to secure their future and safeguard their families. And there's a bigger potential prize: whoever lands these prime tags could even dethrone the king of the swamp. Who will win? Who will lose? And who will get pushed out? In the season opener, "Gator War," it is an all-out Gator War as hunters battle head-to-head in a competition to win 350 new alligator tags at the end of the season. Troy aims to get an early lead. While Ronnie sets his sights on dethroning the King of the Swamp. Willie and Little Willie chase nothing but monsters. Ashley steps up to captain her own boat. Leron and Porkchop go all out but struggle to put their treble hook to good use.

SWAMP PEOPLE returned for its 15th season on Thursday, January 4, 2024 from 8-9:30pm ET/PT on History Channel. In the season opener, "Cruel Summer," Mother Nature levels the playing field this alligator season, unleashing a host of challenges that push hunters to new limits. Water levels have plummeted to unprecedented lows, as temperatures soar to scorching new heights. In response, the hunters try new strategies. King of the Swamp Troy Landry launches a daring plan to bag a hundred gators on the first day. Ashley "Deadeye" Jones returns for her second season as Captain, armed with a hit-list and an unbeatable strategy. Ronnie and Timmy try to defy the odds, by returning to locations that delivered last season. And Leron and Porkchop try for a personal best, vying to break their record for most gators nabbed in one day.
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On Thursday, April 25, 2024 from 8-9:30pm ET/PT, History Channel premiered "Legacy on the Line," the Season 15 finale of SWAMP PEOPLE. On the final day of the season, the lingering cold front is giving gators "lock jaw" at the worst possible time. Needing to fill a record-setting 900 tags this season and having never failed to tag-out, the King of the Swamp gambles on a wild new bait to keep his perfect streak intact. Ronnie enlists Ashley's help to finish his season by making her equal partners in their business. Jacob and Don split up to run lines and snipe at the same time. Porkchop surprises Leron with a secret weapon he's been saving for the last day.