Travel Channel Asia this February unveils two new shows that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Lost Survivors finds Mykel Hawke, a former US Army captain, on an extreme adventure with his wife. Mykel Hawke and his wife Ruth are put to the test as they are dropped deep into the wilderness where they are told to rely on their instinct and expertise for survival. Gem Hunt on the other hand, sees gem hunter Ron LeBlanc explore the world’s busiest and riskiest gem trading regions. LeBlanc, along with jewelry expert Diane Robinson maneuver mines and experience tense negotiations in search of the world’s biggest, brightest and most profitable jewels.
LOST SURVIVORS
Premieres on Thursday, 13 February 2014 at 2100 (HK)
When Mykel Hawke, a former captain in the US Army who served on active duty in the Special Forces for 12 years, suggested taking on a new adventure to wife Ruth England-Hawke, you can bet it wasn’t a trip to the local theme park. Mykel and Ruth Hawke, experienced in extreme survival techniques, are facing their biggest challenge yet. The added problem is, they have no way of preparing. In Lost Survivors, the Hawke’s have to put their skills to the ultimate test as they are blindfolded and dropped deep into the wilderness, with minimal supplies and precious few clues as to which country, let alone which location, they are actually in. They must rely on their instinct, expertise and each other’s inner strengths to find a path away from immediate danger and on towards safety. The journey will stretch the bonds of marriage and thirst for adventure as they climb, crawl and claw their way through forbidding landscapes to find their way back to civilization.
GEM HUNT
Premieres on Wednesday, 5 February 2014 at 2100 (HK)
Without risk, there’s often no reward and nowhere is this truer than in the gem business. This ‘buyers beware’ market is not for the fainthearted, where even years of knowledge and experience can fail during at a critical moment. Gem Hunt goes inside the high-stakes and little understood world of gems, traveling directly to world’s busiest and riskiest trading regions. From the ruby mines of Vietnam to the vibrant street markets of Madagascar, Gem Hunt takes viewers to exotic destinations and unfamiliar cultures to peel back the layers of the gem industry. Gem hunter Ron LeBlanc, jewelry expert Diane Robinson and geologist Bernie Gaboury maneuver through mines, markets and tense negotiations in search of the world’s biggest, brightest and most profitable jewels. With potentially enormous payoffs and the aspiration of finding the perfect stone as a guiding force, the eccentric LeBlanc and his partners set out to bring back gems for their own discerning clientele; from Emeralds in Colombia and Moonstone in Sri Lanka, to Pearls in Myanmar and Topaz in Brazil. But behind the glamour of these precious stones there’s always the risk of danger. The team must enlist the security and proper precautions to get in to each country, quickly size up the players in each locale, ensure the goods are authentic and seamlessly spot fakes, negotiate the best price and, most importantly of all, live to tell the tale.