Last of the Giants (2022-…): Season 1, Episode 4 - King Sized - full transcript
Time is running out, and the team must return to the Fraser River to find and tag the 300-pound giant white sturgeon they are looking for. But first, they have to find their way out of the remote wilderness to deliver their salmon samples. Stranded by severe weather, they'll need to survive brutal rapids, rappel down terrifying cliffs, climb a massive glacier, and hike across rugged mountains if they want to succeed. And with a massive prehistoric fish finally on the line, the guys are in for a white-knuckled end to their northern mission.
(grunting)
CYRIL: Where's that line going?
He's under a branch here.
I don't want to swim down there.
It's a giant.
This is insane, man.
He's free. Pulling me all the way.
NARRATOR: Cyril Chauquet spends
his life traveling the world...
CYRIL: Easy, big guy.
NARRATOR: ...in search of massive fish.
CYRIL: Ah! Look at the size of that thing!
NARRATOR: No matter the danger...
Look at the amount of venom on that barb.
Careful!
NARRATOR: ...he'll do whatever it takes
to see these giants up close.
CYRIL: (over radio)
He could almost swallow me whole.
NARRATOR: But many of these
animals are also in danger...
They're facing a lot of challenges,
those fish.
NARRATOR: ...from habitat destruction,
pollution, and commercial overfishing.
Now, Cyril and his team
of adventure filmmakers
are on a grueling mission
across the globe...
CYRIL: Look out!
GEOFF: Unbelievable.
CYRIL: Oh, oh, yeah!
NARRATOR: ...to help scientists study
these fantastic creatures
and protect them.
We have the choice,
whether we preserve these fish
or we let them go extinct.
NARRATOR: Together, they'll fight
to save the Last of the Giants.
Previously...
CYRIL: Okay.
NARRATOR: The team is deep
in the Amazon jungle in Brazil
on a mission to collect DNA samples
from two freshwater giants
in South America:
the pirarucu and the piraiba.
You gotta be careful.
NARRATOR: They already
sampled a massive pirarucu...
CYRIL: This fish is over seven feet.
Did you see the size of this fish?
CHRIS: Man.
NARRATOR: But even with
the help of local fishermen
Eder and João,
sampling a giant piraiba...
He's pulling the boat.
NARRATOR: ...has been much more difficult.
GEOFF: Guys, the rapids
are like right here.
CYRIL: I got to let go of this fish.
-We had it, man.
-GEOFF: Yeah.
NARRATOR: After several close calls...
(thunder)
CYRIL: Almost flipped here.
Look out!
NARRATOR: The team finally caught
and sampled a mid-size piraiba.
CYRIL: It's a heavy fish,
it's got to be 100 pounds.
NARRATOR: But with
serious motor trouble...
CYRIL: Okay, we're going down, guys.
NARRATOR: The guys had
to search for a giant on foot...
CYRIL: I think it's a piranha.
NARRATOR: And found something dangerous.
CYRIL: Oh, it's an electric eel.
Electric eel.
Get out of the water, guys.
It's coming up, it's coming up.
Just about to see what this fish is.
Oh, here it is.
Oh, it's an electric eel, electric eel.
Get out of the water, guys.
GEOFF: Everybody out, everybody out.
CYRIL: Get out of the water.
(winces)
CHRIS: Cyril!
(Cyril groaning)
GEOFF: Are you okay?
CYRIL: Yeah, I got nailed.
Damn. Must... Must get this fish in.
I got it.
GEOFF: Dude, take a breather.
Are you, like...
CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: Are you serious,
you got shocked, right?
CYRIL: Yeah, I got shocked, yeah.
Thought it was a piranha at first.
But no, man, it's a huge...
It's a huge eel.
I can't step in the water because
I'm going to get nailed again.
Man, this is the biggest
electric eel I've ever seen.
NARRATOR: To avoid hurting the eel,
Cyril wants to release it without
bringing it onto the sand.
But if he falls in the water,
he risks another nasty shock.
GEOFF: Careful, Cyril.
CYRIL: Yeah, you want
to hold the rod, guys.
Be... Be careful. Hold it.
Hold... Hold the plastic part, okay?
GEOFF: I am, yeah.
CYRIL: If I grab the leader, I'm good.
It's... It's plastic.
Oh, my God, look at this.
Look at the size of this animal, guys.
Look at the size. Ah!
It got off. Got off on its own.
That's perfect.
Ah. Oh, man.
NARRATOR: Well, that solves that problem.
The electric eel is off the hook,
but Cyril needs to take a moment
to recover from its powerful shock.
GEOFF: Hey, man, are you all right?
Yeah, I'm fine, but, yeah, I got nailed.
GEOFF: Oh, man,
it knocked you on your ass.
-Like, you went down.
-CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: That's the first time
I've ever seen an electric eel,
and I didn't know
they were that big, man.
That was huge.
Yeah, and the bigger they are,
the bigger the shock.
NARRATOR: This isn't the first time...
CYRIL: There it is, there it is.
NARRATOR: ...a crew member
has been shocked by an electric eel.
(Chris screams)
Chris, the cameraman,
had a painful run-in with
an eel while filming with Cyril.
CYRIL: Chris, Chris.
Well, you guys are kind of like,
uh, eel brothers now.
CYRIL: Yeah. Eel brothers.
GEOFF: Eel brothers powers.
(Chris makes voltage sound)
(laughter)
The electric eel is one amazing animal,
I can tell you that.
Because they have the ability
to create their own electricity.
They use low intensity
discharges to navigate.
Poof, poof, poof.
It's kind of like a sonar.
And when they are hunting,
they use high intensity discharges, boom.
The prey gets stunned,
then it can come around and eat it.
And they use that when
they feel threatened.
And I think that's exactly
what happened to me here.
This fish didn't know what was going on.
It felt threatened, and boom,
sent a big shock through the water
and that's what put me on the ground.
-Ahh!
-CHRIS: Cyril!
CYRIL: All right. Let's go back.
NARRATOR: Back at the boats,
their guides Eder and João
still struggle to repair
the motor that was damaged in the rapids,
but the team's mission can't wait.
CYRIL: All right, let's go, guys.
GEOFF: Yeah, let's load up.
NARRATOR: So they take the second boat
with a working motor for a day trip
into the heart of the Amazon.
Cyril and his crew are far
upriver in the Amazon rainforest...
Following the migration
of the Goliath catfish
known here as the piraiba.
The piraiba has been around
for hundreds of millennia.
But their survival is now
facing many challenges
from humans, including poaching,
pollution, habitat destruction,
and manmade structures like dams.
To protect the piraiba
along their migration,
scientists need to discover how far
upriver these fish travel to spawn.
DNA samples collected here
could match with fish from other areas,
proving they all belong
to the same population.
They already caught a big piraiba.
The fish I have been looking for.
NARRATOR: But biologist
Lorenzo Barroco wants a sample
from the biggest possible
piraiba in this remote region.
(speaking foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English) Okay.
NARRATOR: That could mean
a fish close to 300 pounds
and its DNA would hold
the genetic code of a giant
that has flourished in this
hostile environment.
And one day, perhaps help
repopulate the species.
CYRIL: Looks good here, guys.
There's too many of us on the boat.
It's too unstable,
I need to fish from shore.
Yeah, let's fish it from
the rocks over there.
-Those rocks?
-CYRIL: Yeah.
We could put a boat right up against
the rocks and we'll cast
from there into this pool.
NARRATOR: The weight of all five guys,
plus their gear is making
the boat tough to control.
Stay, keep the boat balanced.
NARRATOR: Which is not
ideal for landing a giant fish.
So fishing from these
rocks should be safer.
♪ ♪
CYRIL: Oh.
Something's on it.
♪ ♪
Yup, here we go.
(grunting)
GEOFF: Come in the boat,
come in the boat.
CYRIL: Big fish just
pulled me into the water.
This guy is pulling me.
We have to chase it with the boat.
Hey Geoff, can you... Can you drive?
GEOFF: Yeah.
CYRIL: Jesse, the rope.
GEOFF: Hold on.
CYRIL: He's running.
JESSE: Go, go, go.
CYRIL: Okay, good job, guys.
JESSE: Watch out.
CYRIL: Watch the rocks, Geoff.
There's plenty of rocks around here.
(overlapping chatter)
JESSE: Okay.
Oh, my God. Go, go.
Geoff, go, go towards there.
I think we got our fish, guys.
It's here, it's under the boat.
Slow down. Slow down.
Guys, there's a chance
it might be a big piraiba.
See what it is?
It's either a piraiba, a big one,
or a big redtail
or even a...
(speaking in foreign language)
(in English) But for sure a big catfish.
You got the samples ready, Geoff?
Yeah, they're in the front.
Okay, we might be able
to land it from the rocks there.
Okay, I'll head there now.
CYRIL: Yeah, oh, man,
there are a lot of rocks here.
It could break me off.
NARRATOR: With a line in danger
of snapping on the submerged rocks,
Geoff has to get Cyril to shore to give
him a chance of landing this giant.
CYRIL: Keep going, man.
Keep going, you're doing good,
you're doing good, bud.
It's huge.
NARRATOR: It could be the fish
they need if they can land it.
-(thud)
-(grunting)
JESSE: Don't lose the fish!
CYRIL: I still got it.
Guys, look at the size of this fish.
It's not a piraiba, it's a huge redtail.
NARRATOR: The boat is chaos
and Cyril jumps
onto the rocky island to land the fish.
With caimans and piranhas around,
he needs to be fast.
Pulling me in. Big fish,
big fish, big fish, big fish.
Guys, look at that.
-Look at the size of this fish.
-GEOFF: Whoa.
A huge pirarara. Redtail catfish.
Oh, yeah, look at that.
A true giant of the Amazon.
Oh, I think I just pulled my shoulder.
This fish is well over 100 pounds.
I mean, look how wide it is.
It's a tank.
I mean, a third of the fish is head
and the head is pure skull, pure bone.
And here they have a separation,
a skin separation.
And you have this bony plate here,
flexible bony plate
and then very distinctive
of the pirarara is a beautiful,
bright red tail.
Hence the name
the local indigenous name
pirarara, parrot fish.
I don't know if you heard that,
but when I was just about
to land this fish,
I could hear the clicking
sounds that they make with
the pectoral fins here.
You see those pectoral
fins just like bones,
but when those fins go,
uh, in and out,
it makes a clicking sound.
(clicking)
And they use that for communication.
He might not be the fish
we're looking for, but man,
it's such an amazing animal.
Guys, that was a giant redtail.
-JESSE: Great job.
-That's a monster.
Seriously, I've never caught a fish
this big, a redtail this big.
In terms of the size? No.
GEOFF: Amazing.
CYRIL: Chris, man.
CHRIS: Yes.
GEOFF: Well, I think it's time we go.
We go back to camp because it's also
anaconda and jaguar territory, right?
Yep, big time.
NARRATOR: Back at their island camp,
despite their best efforts,
Eder and João have been
unable to repair the boat motor,
and have hit their
hammocks for the night.
The team's got a big day
tomorrow fishing for piraiba,
so they decide to do the same.
It's a new day once again.
And despite some
bumps and bruises...
GEOFF: Mmm, my ant bites
are looking a little better...
NARRATOR: The guys are ready
to get back to their mission.
CYRIL: You know that that
piraiba that we caught,
it's a giant fish, you know,
it's over 100 pounds,
but Lorenzo wants a real giant.
-Yeah.
-CYRIL: Close to 200 pounds.
That's what he wants because
he wants to be able to see
if those fish are still around because
they're highly migratory fish, you know?
So they spawn here,
the eggs hatch into small fry
and the small fry get washed downstream,
scientists say,
very close to the mouth of the Amazon.
And then they start migrating back here
to where we are now, and, uh,
they're facing a lot
of challenges, those fish.
But the fact that if we can
catch one that's big here shows
that they can still make it
and there's hope for the species.
GEOFF: Yeah, so let's do it.
CYRIL: Yeah, let's get going, guys.
NARRATOR: But the team's best
intentions and Eder and João's
hard work aren't enough to
fix the damaged boat motor.
(Cyril and Eder speaking foreign language)
NARRATOR: (in English)
But the filter isn't the real problem.
CYRIL: Well, we've got
a bit of a situation here.
NARRATOR: The propeller
shaft has been badly
damaged by the rocks.
Eder needs to tow the boat back
to civilization for repairs.
CYRIL: Well, looks like
we're losing our boats,
but at least we'll be
hiking with João now.
NARRATOR: But João has
some bad news of his own.
(speaking foreign language)
(in English)
But are you sure he's not exaggerating?
Or do you believe for sure
that there's a hostile tribe
that's going to shoot
us with bow and arrows?
(speaking foreign language)
(Cyril speaking foreign language)
NARRATOR: (in English) Eder and João
have taken the team this far,
but because of the risks,
they cannot continue further upriver.
(speaking foreign language)
NARRATOR: (in English) It's a real blow
to the mission since the guys
now have to travel on foot in the jungle.
CYRIL: All right, let's get everything out
of the boats and get ready to hike.
You got the samples, Geoff?
GEOFF: Yeah, I got them.
CYRIL: All right.
(both speaking foreign language)
(speaking foreign language)
GEOFF: (in English) These guys are in
for the longest tow in history, I think.
(Cyril speaking foreign language)
(Eder speaking foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English)
Well, there goes our ride.
GEOFF: Yeah.
NARRATOR: Now, their only
hope to escape the jungle
once their mission is
complete is their contact
in Brazil's military police,
who can hopefully send a plane.
Searching for fishable
pools upriver on foot
isn't easy in the jungle.
CYRIL: I hear the river, though.
You hear the rapids?
GEOFF: Yeah, we're close
to the water I guess.
JESSE: Yeah.
CYRIL: Yeah, it's straight
down this way, it looks like.
MANU: You see the river?
CYRIL: We got water, yeah.
GEOFF: Finally.
NARRATOR: After a grueling
couple of hours,
the team has reached
water and can finally
get back to fishing for giant piraiba.
CYRIL: Look at that tree,
man, look at that tree.
Looks like a huge storm
went through here.
What is this here?
GEOFF: This is somebody's camp,
it looks like.
CYRIL: Well, if it's a fishing
camp, might be a good sign.
Yeah, wait, wait, wait,
don't touch too much.
GEOFF: Hey, like,
be careful of this, man,
it's not the most safe way
to store your, uh, machete.
CYRIL: Yeah, it looks
like it's been here,
been there awhile, too.
GEOFF: Yeah, careful
when you go by there.
There's a... There's like
shotgun shells and bullets, yeah.
CYRIL: There's rounds, too.
JESSE: The smaller ones are what?
Those are nine millimeter rounds.
They're not made for rifles.
They were made for handguns.
GEOFF: So it's like some kind of hunting
camp or poacher's camp?
CYRIL: I don't even know.
Oh, man. Is that a jaguar?
JESSE: For sure, look at the teeth.
Yeah, this is like a...
A poacher's camp or something.
NARRATOR: Poaching
is a serious problem in the Amazon,
and it can be a violent enterprise.
CYRIL: See that top part here?
It's meant to kill, make it blow up.
GEOFF: Guys.
CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: Uh, I think
we should get out of here.
Like, uh, shotgun shells
are one thing, but like,
those are not for hunting,
those rounds, so yeah,
let's get out of here.
CYRIL: Yeah, exactly.
MANU: Yeah, let's just go.
GEOFF: Come on, guys.
NARRATOR: The guys
won't be sticking around
to fish for piraiba here.
The potential for
poachers makes it too risky.
CYRIL: Guys, don't touch anything here.
(gunshots)
Did you hear?
Get the... Out of here.
(overlapping shouts)
CYRIL: Chris, guys,
over here, over here.
CHRIS: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
CYRIL: Chris, are you all right, man?
CHRIS: Yeah.
NARRATOR: The crew finally
regroups deeper in the rainforest.
Buddy, you coming?
The gunshots were pretty close, but...
I think we're far enough now that...
(Cyril speaking)
GEOFF: Totally, yeah.
I think we're fine.
I think it was not meant for us.
They were just hunting or firing
some guns in the woods,
I don't know.
NARRATOR: The entire
team is a little shaken.
It may have been hunters or a warning.
GEOFF: Okay, let's keep moving.
MANU: Yeah, as far as
possible from here.
NARRATOR: Either way,
the guys aren't sticking around.
The team arrives
at an accessible section of river,
but before fishing for piraiba,
Cyril needs to catch some bait.
CYRIL: It looks like
there's a bend in the river
over there and I see some rocks.
NARRATOR: This time,
Cyril's looking for
a different kind of bait fish.
CYRIL: This fish, the traira,
they're not really
built to fight in the current,
to swim in the current all day long.
They usually sit in the rapids like this,
but not directly
in the middle of the river,
in the rapids.
They could be on the edge
right here between
the fast water and the slow water.
So when you see that floating
passing over top of the head,
boom, they come out,
come right up from
there behind a rock in there
and nail it.
And they have teeth.
So that's why I'm going
to use a metal leader here.
GEOFF: All right. Let's film this.
MANU: Yeah.
CYRIL: I see some slow water over there.
Looks good.
GEOFF: Be careful, man.
NARRATOR: The afternoon passes...
CYRIL: Man, I don't know
if there are any fish here.
NARRATOR: And once again,
the Amazon is making
the guys work for their mission.
CYRIL: Oh, oh.
It's a peacock bass. I saw it hit.
We got a big fish on the line.
It's brutal.
Ah, oh, oh!
The rocks.
It's going to break me off.
What a fighter this fish is.
Oh!
Oh, jaws, oh!
Come on, rain?
Yeah, it's gonna stop right away. Cool.
All right, guys,
we've got some lunch.
NARRATOR: Peacock bass
isn't the best bait for piraiba,
but it will make a good meal for the team.
It's getting late,
and they need to
find a place to camp
that is safe from jaguars,
anacondas and poachers.
An island across the river looks perfect.
But there's a problem.
CYRIL: These rapids look really intense.
I think we'll need a stick.
Oh. You see that?
MANU: No, what is it?
CYRIL: It's a stingray.
Really? A stingray right there?
CYRIL: It's crazy. Look.
I mean, this is the tail,
the barb is right there.
Completely, completely
buried in the sand.
MANU: It's so hard to see.
CYRIL: Yeah, but it's there.
You step on this fish
and you'll get nailed
by the barb right away.
JESSE: So basically,
for however long it takes us
to get to the other side,
we're going to have to
worry about getting stung by
one of these massive rays?
Yeah, every single pocket will
most likely have sand behind it,
and the sandy areas is
where those guys love to be.
Use your sticks to poke
around at all times.
CHRIS: Oh.
CYRIL: Oh, it's gone. That's great, guys.
You know what?
I just sent it upstream
where we're headed.
CHRIS: Oh, thanks.
It's gone upstream
exactly where we're going.
Sorry about that.
All right, let's go, be careful.
NARRATOR: And it looks like
the stingrays are everywhere.
JESSE: Oh, man, that's a big one.
CYRIL: Here are stingrays.
We're crossing over to
the other side because
we've spotted an island with the drone.
There's a tiny little island
that we can camp on
because it's much safer to
sleep on an island versus
sleep in the middle of the jungle.
Obviously, you have fewer predators.
Watch out, big stingray right here.
NARRATOR: The water quickly
gets deeper and faster.
One wrong step could spell disaster.
CYRIL: Chris?
NARRATOR: Cyril is next.
CHRIS: Cyril!
CYRIL: Thanks.
JESSE: You good?
(Chris speaking)
(painful groan)
(Chris speaking)
MANU: Yeah.
NARRATOR: The team finally
makes it to the island.
MANU: Whoo!
CYRIL: All right.
NARRATOR: But not everyone
made it unscathed.
At the very least,
they'll sleep safely tonight.
JESSE: How's it going, man?
GEOFF: It's going okay.
CYRIL: It's looking really good.
GEOFF: Yeah, better
than a slimy stingray.
CYRIL: Yeah, Manu?
MANU: Oh, thanks, man.
NARRATOR: They dig
into a tasty dinner.
CYRIL: That's looking pretty good.
NARRATOR: But without bait,
their quest to catch and sample
a giant piraiba will be
even more difficult tomorrow.
CYRIL: Guys, I'm tired.
I don't know about you,
but I'm going to bed.
GEOFF: Me too.
NARRATOR: With the unexpected
loss of their boats
and a frightening
encounter with poachers,
it's been a difficult day.
CYRIL: Oh, yeah, look at that.
Look at that, look.
There's a big tarantula right here,
right in that tree.
Whose face is he going to hit first?
GEOFF: Well, I'm on the other end,
so I think it's going to
be Manu 'cause he's right here.
MANU: Yeah, another
great night in the Amazon.
CYRIL: It's awesome.
(thunder and rain pattering)
It's miserable right now.
Even the tarantula is not
coming out of its hole.
Poor thing is totally
depressed right now.
I didn't expect this trip to be so hard.
It's a challenging mission, for sure.
It's really hard on the team.
Morale is...
And the gear, I mean,
the cameras, sound,
everything is taking a beating.
Water and electronics
and the humidity,
they don't really go well together.
And here it's 100% humidity all the time.
I mean, look at that.
NARRATOR: There's a lot
riding on this mission,
and the team will have to work
through adversity to succeed.
Somewhere out there
might be a giant piraiba
and they need to find it.
Amazon weather changes
quickly and soon Cyril is back
on the hunt to find
the massive fish they need.
But first, he needs bait.
So they're back
at the pools near the rapids
looking for traira.
CYRIL: Oh, here we go. Oh, my God.
It's a wolffish, it's a wolffish.
Oh, big wolffish, big wolffish.
(grunts)
Oh, yeah, oh, now it's going in the rocks.
Oh, yeah, okay, got it.
Yeah, look at the size of this wolffish.
Unreal.
I was looking for
its smaller cousin, the traira,
which is pretty much the same fish,
except they don't get as big as this.
I can't take this fish. It's way too big.
You know, I won't use this as bait.
No way.
It's very important for future generations
of the species in the river.
I mean, a fish this size
can have a lot of offspring.
This fish is barely two inches
underneath the surface, and it can...
Already I'm losing sight of it.
They're so well-camouflaged that
it makes them perfect ambush predators.
I mean, look at the eyes.
The eyes are set
slightly on top of the head,
that way they can look up so they could
be on the bottom of the river,
and be completely unnoticed and then
a little prey swims across the surface,
boom, gets nailed right away.
Look at the fangs. Look at the canines.
Here.
We gotta put it back in the water,
more, and send him back
to where it belongs.
I need a small fish,
smaller fish than this.
(exhales sharply)
NARRATOR: Cyril heads towards
the faster moving water
in the rapids in hopes of finding traira.
He has to be careful here.
One misstep and he could be dragged
downriver by the powerful current.
Sometimes just getting
the right bait can be
as difficult as catching the giant.
CYRIL: Here we go.
All right, let's land this fish,
I don't want to lose it.
We need it.
All right.
The little cousin of the wolffish,
the traira.
Here we go.
Looks exactly like the same animal.
Except those guys don't
get any bigger than this,
makes for great bait.
Now we just need to find
a good spot for piraiba.
NARRATOR: Piraiba migrate
through fast water,
but don't linger there.
So the team begins
the arduous hike upstream
to find a deep pool.
CYRIL: Ow.
Guys, hold up, hold up. You hear that?
Back up, back up.
GEOFF: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
CYRIL: Hey, hey, hey.
(Cyril speaking foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English) Yeah...
I see a bow, I see a bow.
And I think I see a spear, so.
(speaking foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English)
Wow, they're getting closer.
They're getting closer.
(speaking foreign language)
JESSE: (in English)
I don't think they speak Portuguese, man.
CYRIL: No, they don't
speak a word of Portuguese.
Get the... Out of here.
(men speaking in foreign language)
JESSE: (in English) We're leaving.
CYRIL: We're leaving.
JESSE: Is that Portuguese, Cyril?
Is that Portuguese?
CYRIL: No, it's not, no.
They're getting serious here.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
Okay, okay.
(speaking foreign language)
MANU: (in English) Run, run!
Move, move, move, move!
GEOFF: Go, go, Manu!
CYRIL: The course is there, Manu.
Come on, come on, guys.
NARRATOR: For the second
time in two days...
CYRIL: I don't care
about the shots, move.
NARRATOR: The team has come
across seemingly hostile locals.
MANU: I don't think they followed us.
CYRIL: Move.
GEOFF: Okay, what do we do now?
CYRIL: Everybody here?
GEOFF: We got to get out of here.
CYRIL: We should call a plane.
-What do you think?
-Well, they're hostile, 100%.
CYRIL: It's not good, yeah.
GEOFF: Yeah, you okay?
JESSE: Let's go.
NARRATOR: Back in Manaus,
Cyril's contact
in the Brazilian military police
has been monitoring their position
and is on standby
in case the team needs to be evacuated.
They can have a plane out
here in a couple of hours.
Hopefully, the hostile hunters don't
get to them before the plane does.
Should be able to see us.
He has our exact GPS coordinates.
NARRATOR: Even with
the team's coordinates,
it won't be easy
to spot them in the jungle.
CYRIL: Yeah, I see it there.
Let me fire a flare up so you can
actually spot us here on shore.
He got us, yup.
Oh, yeah, banking, yes.
He's coming around to land.
Looks like we're getting out of here.
(speaking in foreign language)
NARRATOR: (in English)
This is hostile territory,
and the pilots want
to get out of there fast.
CYRIL: Go, go, go!
(pilot speaking)
NARRATOR: But the pilots
have to get the plane airborne
with all the guys and their gear,
and the river doesn't have
a long enough straight section
to get going fast enough.
The pilot has one
last trick up his sleeve,
bouncing the plane into the air.
That's looking good. Looking good.
Yeah, we're off! We're out of the jungle!
(laughs)
CHRIS: Woo-hoo!
GEOFF: Survived?
MANU: Yes.
CHRIS: Yes, all right!
(overlapping chatter)
NARRATOR: The pilots have agreed
to take the team 100 miles upstream,
where they'll be safer
from hostile human beings.
But it remains unclear whether
the piraiba still swim that far upriver.
So far, the crew has caught
a 100-pound piraiba,
but these fish can
normally get much bigger.
Got it!
NARRATOR: Returning
to Lorenzo without finding
a true giant will leave too
many questions unanswered.
The team spots a promising
area for piraiba
and the plane sets down nearby.
(speaking in foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English) Yes, nice!
Thanks for the ride, guys.
NARRATOR: Without boats,
the guys will be forced
to fish in one area.
Hopefully, they'll find
the giant they're looking for here.
The piraiba face many obstacles
on their long journey to spawn.
If there are any this far upriver,
they'll be extremely
powerful and possibly massive.
CYRIL: Oh, yeah, this looks good here.
Let's see what's going
to take this piece of traira.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Oh, here we go, here we go.
Oh, my God.
Big fish, big fish.
(grunting)
I think it's a big piranha.
Oh, yeah,
look at the size of this piranha.
Scary. Come on.
Oh, my God.
There's piranhas all over the place.
I'm getting tired of them, really tired.
They keep taking the bait
and making it really hard
catching the fish that I need,
but I think I'm going to use
this piranha to my advantage.
I think you're going to make
a nice bait for piraiba, buddy.
You know, the fact there's
piranhas here is a good sign.
It means there's a lot of food,
there's gotta be other
fish and hopefully a piraiba.
Oh, oh, oh. Got a bite here.
Something here.
Yeah, yeah, here we go.
Oh yeah, oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Take it fish, take it.
Yup.
(grunting)
Come on.
Big fish, big fish, big fish.
Oh, oh.
Oh, the fish is going downstream.
I gotta follow it or it's going
to get snagged on a tree.
Here's my hat, guys.
Fish is pulling so hard,
he's dragging me downriver.
CHRIS: Guys, Cyril's in trouble.
JESSE: Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming!
CYRIL: Help!
CYRIL: Quick!
JESSE: I got you, I got you, buddy.
CYRIL: Okay.
JESSE: Hey, I need to see you first.
CYRIL: Over here!
You guys gotta pull me in, pull me in.
-(Jesse grunts)
-CYRIL: This place is full of piranhas.
Gotta keep pulling.
JESSE: Come on, come on, come on.
CYRIL: Keep pulling, there's a big hole.
Thanks, man.
JESSE: Oh, we got him.
CHRIS: Good job, guys.
Good job.
CYRIL: Oh, no, the line is snagged
on a branch on the bottom.
This fish is killing me.
NARRATOR: If Cyril doesn't get the fish
out of this tangle of submerged trees,
he'll lose it.
CYRIL: Chris.
I'm not losing this fish,
I'm not losing this fish.
Where's that line going?
The line is going,
he's under a branch here.
I don't want to swim down there,
but I think I have to, yeah.
Okay, it's free,
it's pulling me all the way.
Ah, it's free now.
NARRATOR: With the line free,
the fish is taking off.
(grunting) He's going the other way.
CHRIS: Grab me.
CYRIL: It's deep here.
This is insane, man.
Now let's get out of this
water and catch this fish.
CHRIS: Where is he?
CYRIL: The line. You all right, man?
CHRIS: Great.
CYRIL: Yeah, yeah, of course.
He's going the other way,
but I think we got him now.
Think we are about to see this fish
break the surface over there.
He's going into the branches, here.
Guys, back up, back up, back up.
Almost lost it.
Look at the size of this fin.
Look at the stripe!
It's a giant. Oh, my god. Ah!
-(Chris speaking)
-(Cyril speaking)
(grunting and laughing)
CYRIL: I can't believe
the size of this fish.
Talk about a giant.
We got one right here.
Look at that. Look at this fish.
This is unreal.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Oh, oh.
I was expecting to catch a big fish,
but I was not expecting
to catch this big of a fish.
Look at the size of this
mouth on this animal.
Any prey that this fish catches,
it's a one way ticket down
their throat into the stomach.
Lorenzo is going to be super
happy I caught this fish
because it's so huge
and it's... It's unreal.
I mean, the fact that I caught
a fish this big this far
up river is great news for the species.
These fish are highly migratory.
And with all the challenges
that they have to go through
to get here with all the rapids,
the huge rapids that they had to go up.
And even human pressures
like commercial overfishing,
pollution and even
construction projects on the rivers
that they have to migrate through.
But the fact that I caught
a fish this big here is proof
that it can make it through all
the obstacles that I just named.
So there's hope,
there's hope for the species.
And one of the ways that
we can help more is by collecting
samples for the biologists,
for the scientists,
so they can study those fish further
in order to protect them.
Because we're dealing with
truly one of the last giants.
Look at that.
Oh.
Yeah, buddy, you're going back now.
-Geoff, you ready?
-GEOFF: Yeah.
CYRIL: Got it?
GEOFF: Yes, Cyril, there.
All right, good job. Good job, perfect.
That's exactly the sample Lorenzo needs.
GEOFF: Yeah, he's going
to be pretty happy I think.
-CYRIL: Good job man.
-There it is.
CYRIL: Good job.
GEOFF: Yeah.
JESSE: That's done, let's measure.
GEOFF: 71 inches, 181 centimeters.
181 centimeters?
GEOFF: Yeah.
Man, that's a gigantic fish.
JESSE: Let's get the girth.
GEOFF: One meter, one meter on the nose.
Okay, one meter. 100 centimeters girth.
-Yeah.
-That's a monster.
Guys, good job, guys.
Good job, everybody. Man, that's...
-JESSE: That's awesome.
-That's the fish we wanted.
Let's get him loose.
Bye, buddy.
Yes, all right, yeah, yes!
CHRIS: Good job man, yeah!
CYRIL: Whoo!
JESSE: That was awesome.
GEOFF: Thank you, man.
-Congrats.
-JESSE: Wow, wow, wow.
CHRIS: Good job.
GEOFF: Where's my hug?
CHRIS: Hey, man.
GEOFF: All right, hey.
We made it, guys, and still alive.
GEOFF: Yeah.
JESSE: Yeah!
CYRIL: That was actually...
That was one of the craziest
trips I've done to the Amazon.
-Yeah.
-And you guys survived it.
JESSE: That was a good hunt.
But we still gotta get outta here.
CYRIL: Where's that line going?
He's under a branch here.
I don't want to swim down there.
It's a giant.
This is insane, man.
He's free. Pulling me all the way.
NARRATOR: Cyril Chauquet spends
his life traveling the world...
CYRIL: Easy, big guy.
NARRATOR: ...in search of massive fish.
CYRIL: Ah! Look at the size of that thing!
NARRATOR: No matter the danger...
Look at the amount of venom on that barb.
Careful!
NARRATOR: ...he'll do whatever it takes
to see these giants up close.
CYRIL: (over radio)
He could almost swallow me whole.
NARRATOR: But many of these
animals are also in danger...
They're facing a lot of challenges,
those fish.
NARRATOR: ...from habitat destruction,
pollution, and commercial overfishing.
Now, Cyril and his team
of adventure filmmakers
are on a grueling mission
across the globe...
CYRIL: Look out!
GEOFF: Unbelievable.
CYRIL: Oh, oh, yeah!
NARRATOR: ...to help scientists study
these fantastic creatures
and protect them.
We have the choice,
whether we preserve these fish
or we let them go extinct.
NARRATOR: Together, they'll fight
to save the Last of the Giants.
Previously...
CYRIL: Okay.
NARRATOR: The team is deep
in the Amazon jungle in Brazil
on a mission to collect DNA samples
from two freshwater giants
in South America:
the pirarucu and the piraiba.
You gotta be careful.
NARRATOR: They already
sampled a massive pirarucu...
CYRIL: This fish is over seven feet.
Did you see the size of this fish?
CHRIS: Man.
NARRATOR: But even with
the help of local fishermen
Eder and João,
sampling a giant piraiba...
He's pulling the boat.
NARRATOR: ...has been much more difficult.
GEOFF: Guys, the rapids
are like right here.
CYRIL: I got to let go of this fish.
-We had it, man.
-GEOFF: Yeah.
NARRATOR: After several close calls...
(thunder)
CYRIL: Almost flipped here.
Look out!
NARRATOR: The team finally caught
and sampled a mid-size piraiba.
CYRIL: It's a heavy fish,
it's got to be 100 pounds.
NARRATOR: But with
serious motor trouble...
CYRIL: Okay, we're going down, guys.
NARRATOR: The guys had
to search for a giant on foot...
CYRIL: I think it's a piranha.
NARRATOR: And found something dangerous.
CYRIL: Oh, it's an electric eel.
Electric eel.
Get out of the water, guys.
It's coming up, it's coming up.
Just about to see what this fish is.
Oh, here it is.
Oh, it's an electric eel, electric eel.
Get out of the water, guys.
GEOFF: Everybody out, everybody out.
CYRIL: Get out of the water.
(winces)
CHRIS: Cyril!
(Cyril groaning)
GEOFF: Are you okay?
CYRIL: Yeah, I got nailed.
Damn. Must... Must get this fish in.
I got it.
GEOFF: Dude, take a breather.
Are you, like...
CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: Are you serious,
you got shocked, right?
CYRIL: Yeah, I got shocked, yeah.
Thought it was a piranha at first.
But no, man, it's a huge...
It's a huge eel.
I can't step in the water because
I'm going to get nailed again.
Man, this is the biggest
electric eel I've ever seen.
NARRATOR: To avoid hurting the eel,
Cyril wants to release it without
bringing it onto the sand.
But if he falls in the water,
he risks another nasty shock.
GEOFF: Careful, Cyril.
CYRIL: Yeah, you want
to hold the rod, guys.
Be... Be careful. Hold it.
Hold... Hold the plastic part, okay?
GEOFF: I am, yeah.
CYRIL: If I grab the leader, I'm good.
It's... It's plastic.
Oh, my God, look at this.
Look at the size of this animal, guys.
Look at the size. Ah!
It got off. Got off on its own.
That's perfect.
Ah. Oh, man.
NARRATOR: Well, that solves that problem.
The electric eel is off the hook,
but Cyril needs to take a moment
to recover from its powerful shock.
GEOFF: Hey, man, are you all right?
Yeah, I'm fine, but, yeah, I got nailed.
GEOFF: Oh, man,
it knocked you on your ass.
-Like, you went down.
-CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: That's the first time
I've ever seen an electric eel,
and I didn't know
they were that big, man.
That was huge.
Yeah, and the bigger they are,
the bigger the shock.
NARRATOR: This isn't the first time...
CYRIL: There it is, there it is.
NARRATOR: ...a crew member
has been shocked by an electric eel.
(Chris screams)
Chris, the cameraman,
had a painful run-in with
an eel while filming with Cyril.
CYRIL: Chris, Chris.
Well, you guys are kind of like,
uh, eel brothers now.
CYRIL: Yeah. Eel brothers.
GEOFF: Eel brothers powers.
(Chris makes voltage sound)
(laughter)
The electric eel is one amazing animal,
I can tell you that.
Because they have the ability
to create their own electricity.
They use low intensity
discharges to navigate.
Poof, poof, poof.
It's kind of like a sonar.
And when they are hunting,
they use high intensity discharges, boom.
The prey gets stunned,
then it can come around and eat it.
And they use that when
they feel threatened.
And I think that's exactly
what happened to me here.
This fish didn't know what was going on.
It felt threatened, and boom,
sent a big shock through the water
and that's what put me on the ground.
-Ahh!
-CHRIS: Cyril!
CYRIL: All right. Let's go back.
NARRATOR: Back at the boats,
their guides Eder and João
still struggle to repair
the motor that was damaged in the rapids,
but the team's mission can't wait.
CYRIL: All right, let's go, guys.
GEOFF: Yeah, let's load up.
NARRATOR: So they take the second boat
with a working motor for a day trip
into the heart of the Amazon.
Cyril and his crew are far
upriver in the Amazon rainforest...
Following the migration
of the Goliath catfish
known here as the piraiba.
The piraiba has been around
for hundreds of millennia.
But their survival is now
facing many challenges
from humans, including poaching,
pollution, habitat destruction,
and manmade structures like dams.
To protect the piraiba
along their migration,
scientists need to discover how far
upriver these fish travel to spawn.
DNA samples collected here
could match with fish from other areas,
proving they all belong
to the same population.
They already caught a big piraiba.
The fish I have been looking for.
NARRATOR: But biologist
Lorenzo Barroco wants a sample
from the biggest possible
piraiba in this remote region.
(speaking foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English) Okay.
NARRATOR: That could mean
a fish close to 300 pounds
and its DNA would hold
the genetic code of a giant
that has flourished in this
hostile environment.
And one day, perhaps help
repopulate the species.
CYRIL: Looks good here, guys.
There's too many of us on the boat.
It's too unstable,
I need to fish from shore.
Yeah, let's fish it from
the rocks over there.
-Those rocks?
-CYRIL: Yeah.
We could put a boat right up against
the rocks and we'll cast
from there into this pool.
NARRATOR: The weight of all five guys,
plus their gear is making
the boat tough to control.
Stay, keep the boat balanced.
NARRATOR: Which is not
ideal for landing a giant fish.
So fishing from these
rocks should be safer.
♪ ♪
CYRIL: Oh.
Something's on it.
♪ ♪
Yup, here we go.
(grunting)
GEOFF: Come in the boat,
come in the boat.
CYRIL: Big fish just
pulled me into the water.
This guy is pulling me.
We have to chase it with the boat.
Hey Geoff, can you... Can you drive?
GEOFF: Yeah.
CYRIL: Jesse, the rope.
GEOFF: Hold on.
CYRIL: He's running.
JESSE: Go, go, go.
CYRIL: Okay, good job, guys.
JESSE: Watch out.
CYRIL: Watch the rocks, Geoff.
There's plenty of rocks around here.
(overlapping chatter)
JESSE: Okay.
Oh, my God. Go, go.
Geoff, go, go towards there.
I think we got our fish, guys.
It's here, it's under the boat.
Slow down. Slow down.
Guys, there's a chance
it might be a big piraiba.
See what it is?
It's either a piraiba, a big one,
or a big redtail
or even a...
(speaking in foreign language)
(in English) But for sure a big catfish.
You got the samples ready, Geoff?
Yeah, they're in the front.
Okay, we might be able
to land it from the rocks there.
Okay, I'll head there now.
CYRIL: Yeah, oh, man,
there are a lot of rocks here.
It could break me off.
NARRATOR: With a line in danger
of snapping on the submerged rocks,
Geoff has to get Cyril to shore to give
him a chance of landing this giant.
CYRIL: Keep going, man.
Keep going, you're doing good,
you're doing good, bud.
It's huge.
NARRATOR: It could be the fish
they need if they can land it.
-(thud)
-(grunting)
JESSE: Don't lose the fish!
CYRIL: I still got it.
Guys, look at the size of this fish.
It's not a piraiba, it's a huge redtail.
NARRATOR: The boat is chaos
and Cyril jumps
onto the rocky island to land the fish.
With caimans and piranhas around,
he needs to be fast.
Pulling me in. Big fish,
big fish, big fish, big fish.
Guys, look at that.
-Look at the size of this fish.
-GEOFF: Whoa.
A huge pirarara. Redtail catfish.
Oh, yeah, look at that.
A true giant of the Amazon.
Oh, I think I just pulled my shoulder.
This fish is well over 100 pounds.
I mean, look how wide it is.
It's a tank.
I mean, a third of the fish is head
and the head is pure skull, pure bone.
And here they have a separation,
a skin separation.
And you have this bony plate here,
flexible bony plate
and then very distinctive
of the pirarara is a beautiful,
bright red tail.
Hence the name
the local indigenous name
pirarara, parrot fish.
I don't know if you heard that,
but when I was just about
to land this fish,
I could hear the clicking
sounds that they make with
the pectoral fins here.
You see those pectoral
fins just like bones,
but when those fins go,
uh, in and out,
it makes a clicking sound.
(clicking)
And they use that for communication.
He might not be the fish
we're looking for, but man,
it's such an amazing animal.
Guys, that was a giant redtail.
-JESSE: Great job.
-That's a monster.
Seriously, I've never caught a fish
this big, a redtail this big.
In terms of the size? No.
GEOFF: Amazing.
CYRIL: Chris, man.
CHRIS: Yes.
GEOFF: Well, I think it's time we go.
We go back to camp because it's also
anaconda and jaguar territory, right?
Yep, big time.
NARRATOR: Back at their island camp,
despite their best efforts,
Eder and João have been
unable to repair the boat motor,
and have hit their
hammocks for the night.
The team's got a big day
tomorrow fishing for piraiba,
so they decide to do the same.
It's a new day once again.
And despite some
bumps and bruises...
GEOFF: Mmm, my ant bites
are looking a little better...
NARRATOR: The guys are ready
to get back to their mission.
CYRIL: You know that that
piraiba that we caught,
it's a giant fish, you know,
it's over 100 pounds,
but Lorenzo wants a real giant.
-Yeah.
-CYRIL: Close to 200 pounds.
That's what he wants because
he wants to be able to see
if those fish are still around because
they're highly migratory fish, you know?
So they spawn here,
the eggs hatch into small fry
and the small fry get washed downstream,
scientists say,
very close to the mouth of the Amazon.
And then they start migrating back here
to where we are now, and, uh,
they're facing a lot
of challenges, those fish.
But the fact that if we can
catch one that's big here shows
that they can still make it
and there's hope for the species.
GEOFF: Yeah, so let's do it.
CYRIL: Yeah, let's get going, guys.
NARRATOR: But the team's best
intentions and Eder and João's
hard work aren't enough to
fix the damaged boat motor.
(Cyril and Eder speaking foreign language)
NARRATOR: (in English)
But the filter isn't the real problem.
CYRIL: Well, we've got
a bit of a situation here.
NARRATOR: The propeller
shaft has been badly
damaged by the rocks.
Eder needs to tow the boat back
to civilization for repairs.
CYRIL: Well, looks like
we're losing our boats,
but at least we'll be
hiking with João now.
NARRATOR: But João has
some bad news of his own.
(speaking foreign language)
(in English)
But are you sure he's not exaggerating?
Or do you believe for sure
that there's a hostile tribe
that's going to shoot
us with bow and arrows?
(speaking foreign language)
(Cyril speaking foreign language)
NARRATOR: (in English) Eder and João
have taken the team this far,
but because of the risks,
they cannot continue further upriver.
(speaking foreign language)
NARRATOR: (in English) It's a real blow
to the mission since the guys
now have to travel on foot in the jungle.
CYRIL: All right, let's get everything out
of the boats and get ready to hike.
You got the samples, Geoff?
GEOFF: Yeah, I got them.
CYRIL: All right.
(both speaking foreign language)
(speaking foreign language)
GEOFF: (in English) These guys are in
for the longest tow in history, I think.
(Cyril speaking foreign language)
(Eder speaking foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English)
Well, there goes our ride.
GEOFF: Yeah.
NARRATOR: Now, their only
hope to escape the jungle
once their mission is
complete is their contact
in Brazil's military police,
who can hopefully send a plane.
Searching for fishable
pools upriver on foot
isn't easy in the jungle.
CYRIL: I hear the river, though.
You hear the rapids?
GEOFF: Yeah, we're close
to the water I guess.
JESSE: Yeah.
CYRIL: Yeah, it's straight
down this way, it looks like.
MANU: You see the river?
CYRIL: We got water, yeah.
GEOFF: Finally.
NARRATOR: After a grueling
couple of hours,
the team has reached
water and can finally
get back to fishing for giant piraiba.
CYRIL: Look at that tree,
man, look at that tree.
Looks like a huge storm
went through here.
What is this here?
GEOFF: This is somebody's camp,
it looks like.
CYRIL: Well, if it's a fishing
camp, might be a good sign.
Yeah, wait, wait, wait,
don't touch too much.
GEOFF: Hey, like,
be careful of this, man,
it's not the most safe way
to store your, uh, machete.
CYRIL: Yeah, it looks
like it's been here,
been there awhile, too.
GEOFF: Yeah, careful
when you go by there.
There's a... There's like
shotgun shells and bullets, yeah.
CYRIL: There's rounds, too.
JESSE: The smaller ones are what?
Those are nine millimeter rounds.
They're not made for rifles.
They were made for handguns.
GEOFF: So it's like some kind of hunting
camp or poacher's camp?
CYRIL: I don't even know.
Oh, man. Is that a jaguar?
JESSE: For sure, look at the teeth.
Yeah, this is like a...
A poacher's camp or something.
NARRATOR: Poaching
is a serious problem in the Amazon,
and it can be a violent enterprise.
CYRIL: See that top part here?
It's meant to kill, make it blow up.
GEOFF: Guys.
CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: Uh, I think
we should get out of here.
Like, uh, shotgun shells
are one thing, but like,
those are not for hunting,
those rounds, so yeah,
let's get out of here.
CYRIL: Yeah, exactly.
MANU: Yeah, let's just go.
GEOFF: Come on, guys.
NARRATOR: The guys
won't be sticking around
to fish for piraiba here.
The potential for
poachers makes it too risky.
CYRIL: Guys, don't touch anything here.
(gunshots)
Did you hear?
Get the... Out of here.
(overlapping shouts)
CYRIL: Chris, guys,
over here, over here.
CHRIS: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
CYRIL: Chris, are you all right, man?
CHRIS: Yeah.
NARRATOR: The crew finally
regroups deeper in the rainforest.
Buddy, you coming?
The gunshots were pretty close, but...
I think we're far enough now that...
(Cyril speaking)
GEOFF: Totally, yeah.
I think we're fine.
I think it was not meant for us.
They were just hunting or firing
some guns in the woods,
I don't know.
NARRATOR: The entire
team is a little shaken.
It may have been hunters or a warning.
GEOFF: Okay, let's keep moving.
MANU: Yeah, as far as
possible from here.
NARRATOR: Either way,
the guys aren't sticking around.
The team arrives
at an accessible section of river,
but before fishing for piraiba,
Cyril needs to catch some bait.
CYRIL: It looks like
there's a bend in the river
over there and I see some rocks.
NARRATOR: This time,
Cyril's looking for
a different kind of bait fish.
CYRIL: This fish, the traira,
they're not really
built to fight in the current,
to swim in the current all day long.
They usually sit in the rapids like this,
but not directly
in the middle of the river,
in the rapids.
They could be on the edge
right here between
the fast water and the slow water.
So when you see that floating
passing over top of the head,
boom, they come out,
come right up from
there behind a rock in there
and nail it.
And they have teeth.
So that's why I'm going
to use a metal leader here.
GEOFF: All right. Let's film this.
MANU: Yeah.
CYRIL: I see some slow water over there.
Looks good.
GEOFF: Be careful, man.
NARRATOR: The afternoon passes...
CYRIL: Man, I don't know
if there are any fish here.
NARRATOR: And once again,
the Amazon is making
the guys work for their mission.
CYRIL: Oh, oh.
It's a peacock bass. I saw it hit.
We got a big fish on the line.
It's brutal.
Ah, oh, oh!
The rocks.
It's going to break me off.
What a fighter this fish is.
Oh!
Oh, jaws, oh!
Come on, rain?
Yeah, it's gonna stop right away. Cool.
All right, guys,
we've got some lunch.
NARRATOR: Peacock bass
isn't the best bait for piraiba,
but it will make a good meal for the team.
It's getting late,
and they need to
find a place to camp
that is safe from jaguars,
anacondas and poachers.
An island across the river looks perfect.
But there's a problem.
CYRIL: These rapids look really intense.
I think we'll need a stick.
Oh. You see that?
MANU: No, what is it?
CYRIL: It's a stingray.
Really? A stingray right there?
CYRIL: It's crazy. Look.
I mean, this is the tail,
the barb is right there.
Completely, completely
buried in the sand.
MANU: It's so hard to see.
CYRIL: Yeah, but it's there.
You step on this fish
and you'll get nailed
by the barb right away.
JESSE: So basically,
for however long it takes us
to get to the other side,
we're going to have to
worry about getting stung by
one of these massive rays?
Yeah, every single pocket will
most likely have sand behind it,
and the sandy areas is
where those guys love to be.
Use your sticks to poke
around at all times.
CHRIS: Oh.
CYRIL: Oh, it's gone. That's great, guys.
You know what?
I just sent it upstream
where we're headed.
CHRIS: Oh, thanks.
It's gone upstream
exactly where we're going.
Sorry about that.
All right, let's go, be careful.
NARRATOR: And it looks like
the stingrays are everywhere.
JESSE: Oh, man, that's a big one.
CYRIL: Here are stingrays.
We're crossing over to
the other side because
we've spotted an island with the drone.
There's a tiny little island
that we can camp on
because it's much safer to
sleep on an island versus
sleep in the middle of the jungle.
Obviously, you have fewer predators.
Watch out, big stingray right here.
NARRATOR: The water quickly
gets deeper and faster.
One wrong step could spell disaster.
CYRIL: Chris?
NARRATOR: Cyril is next.
CHRIS: Cyril!
CYRIL: Thanks.
JESSE: You good?
(Chris speaking)
(painful groan)
(Chris speaking)
MANU: Yeah.
NARRATOR: The team finally
makes it to the island.
MANU: Whoo!
CYRIL: All right.
NARRATOR: But not everyone
made it unscathed.
At the very least,
they'll sleep safely tonight.
JESSE: How's it going, man?
GEOFF: It's going okay.
CYRIL: It's looking really good.
GEOFF: Yeah, better
than a slimy stingray.
CYRIL: Yeah, Manu?
MANU: Oh, thanks, man.
NARRATOR: They dig
into a tasty dinner.
CYRIL: That's looking pretty good.
NARRATOR: But without bait,
their quest to catch and sample
a giant piraiba will be
even more difficult tomorrow.
CYRIL: Guys, I'm tired.
I don't know about you,
but I'm going to bed.
GEOFF: Me too.
NARRATOR: With the unexpected
loss of their boats
and a frightening
encounter with poachers,
it's been a difficult day.
CYRIL: Oh, yeah, look at that.
Look at that, look.
There's a big tarantula right here,
right in that tree.
Whose face is he going to hit first?
GEOFF: Well, I'm on the other end,
so I think it's going to
be Manu 'cause he's right here.
MANU: Yeah, another
great night in the Amazon.
CYRIL: It's awesome.
(thunder and rain pattering)
It's miserable right now.
Even the tarantula is not
coming out of its hole.
Poor thing is totally
depressed right now.
I didn't expect this trip to be so hard.
It's a challenging mission, for sure.
It's really hard on the team.
Morale is...
And the gear, I mean,
the cameras, sound,
everything is taking a beating.
Water and electronics
and the humidity,
they don't really go well together.
And here it's 100% humidity all the time.
I mean, look at that.
NARRATOR: There's a lot
riding on this mission,
and the team will have to work
through adversity to succeed.
Somewhere out there
might be a giant piraiba
and they need to find it.
Amazon weather changes
quickly and soon Cyril is back
on the hunt to find
the massive fish they need.
But first, he needs bait.
So they're back
at the pools near the rapids
looking for traira.
CYRIL: Oh, here we go. Oh, my God.
It's a wolffish, it's a wolffish.
Oh, big wolffish, big wolffish.
(grunts)
Oh, yeah, oh, now it's going in the rocks.
Oh, yeah, okay, got it.
Yeah, look at the size of this wolffish.
Unreal.
I was looking for
its smaller cousin, the traira,
which is pretty much the same fish,
except they don't get as big as this.
I can't take this fish. It's way too big.
You know, I won't use this as bait.
No way.
It's very important for future generations
of the species in the river.
I mean, a fish this size
can have a lot of offspring.
This fish is barely two inches
underneath the surface, and it can...
Already I'm losing sight of it.
They're so well-camouflaged that
it makes them perfect ambush predators.
I mean, look at the eyes.
The eyes are set
slightly on top of the head,
that way they can look up so they could
be on the bottom of the river,
and be completely unnoticed and then
a little prey swims across the surface,
boom, gets nailed right away.
Look at the fangs. Look at the canines.
Here.
We gotta put it back in the water,
more, and send him back
to where it belongs.
I need a small fish,
smaller fish than this.
(exhales sharply)
NARRATOR: Cyril heads towards
the faster moving water
in the rapids in hopes of finding traira.
He has to be careful here.
One misstep and he could be dragged
downriver by the powerful current.
Sometimes just getting
the right bait can be
as difficult as catching the giant.
CYRIL: Here we go.
All right, let's land this fish,
I don't want to lose it.
We need it.
All right.
The little cousin of the wolffish,
the traira.
Here we go.
Looks exactly like the same animal.
Except those guys don't
get any bigger than this,
makes for great bait.
Now we just need to find
a good spot for piraiba.
NARRATOR: Piraiba migrate
through fast water,
but don't linger there.
So the team begins
the arduous hike upstream
to find a deep pool.
CYRIL: Ow.
Guys, hold up, hold up. You hear that?
Back up, back up.
GEOFF: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
CYRIL: Hey, hey, hey.
(Cyril speaking foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English) Yeah...
I see a bow, I see a bow.
And I think I see a spear, so.
(speaking foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English)
Wow, they're getting closer.
They're getting closer.
(speaking foreign language)
JESSE: (in English)
I don't think they speak Portuguese, man.
CYRIL: No, they don't
speak a word of Portuguese.
Get the... Out of here.
(men speaking in foreign language)
JESSE: (in English) We're leaving.
CYRIL: We're leaving.
JESSE: Is that Portuguese, Cyril?
Is that Portuguese?
CYRIL: No, it's not, no.
They're getting serious here.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
Okay, okay.
(speaking foreign language)
MANU: (in English) Run, run!
Move, move, move, move!
GEOFF: Go, go, Manu!
CYRIL: The course is there, Manu.
Come on, come on, guys.
NARRATOR: For the second
time in two days...
CYRIL: I don't care
about the shots, move.
NARRATOR: The team has come
across seemingly hostile locals.
MANU: I don't think they followed us.
CYRIL: Move.
GEOFF: Okay, what do we do now?
CYRIL: Everybody here?
GEOFF: We got to get out of here.
CYRIL: We should call a plane.
-What do you think?
-Well, they're hostile, 100%.
CYRIL: It's not good, yeah.
GEOFF: Yeah, you okay?
JESSE: Let's go.
NARRATOR: Back in Manaus,
Cyril's contact
in the Brazilian military police
has been monitoring their position
and is on standby
in case the team needs to be evacuated.
They can have a plane out
here in a couple of hours.
Hopefully, the hostile hunters don't
get to them before the plane does.
Should be able to see us.
He has our exact GPS coordinates.
NARRATOR: Even with
the team's coordinates,
it won't be easy
to spot them in the jungle.
CYRIL: Yeah, I see it there.
Let me fire a flare up so you can
actually spot us here on shore.
He got us, yup.
Oh, yeah, banking, yes.
He's coming around to land.
Looks like we're getting out of here.
(speaking in foreign language)
NARRATOR: (in English)
This is hostile territory,
and the pilots want
to get out of there fast.
CYRIL: Go, go, go!
(pilot speaking)
NARRATOR: But the pilots
have to get the plane airborne
with all the guys and their gear,
and the river doesn't have
a long enough straight section
to get going fast enough.
The pilot has one
last trick up his sleeve,
bouncing the plane into the air.
That's looking good. Looking good.
Yeah, we're off! We're out of the jungle!
(laughs)
CHRIS: Woo-hoo!
GEOFF: Survived?
MANU: Yes.
CHRIS: Yes, all right!
(overlapping chatter)
NARRATOR: The pilots have agreed
to take the team 100 miles upstream,
where they'll be safer
from hostile human beings.
But it remains unclear whether
the piraiba still swim that far upriver.
So far, the crew has caught
a 100-pound piraiba,
but these fish can
normally get much bigger.
Got it!
NARRATOR: Returning
to Lorenzo without finding
a true giant will leave too
many questions unanswered.
The team spots a promising
area for piraiba
and the plane sets down nearby.
(speaking in foreign language)
CYRIL: (in English) Yes, nice!
Thanks for the ride, guys.
NARRATOR: Without boats,
the guys will be forced
to fish in one area.
Hopefully, they'll find
the giant they're looking for here.
The piraiba face many obstacles
on their long journey to spawn.
If there are any this far upriver,
they'll be extremely
powerful and possibly massive.
CYRIL: Oh, yeah, this looks good here.
Let's see what's going
to take this piece of traira.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Oh, here we go, here we go.
Oh, my God.
Big fish, big fish.
(grunting)
I think it's a big piranha.
Oh, yeah,
look at the size of this piranha.
Scary. Come on.
Oh, my God.
There's piranhas all over the place.
I'm getting tired of them, really tired.
They keep taking the bait
and making it really hard
catching the fish that I need,
but I think I'm going to use
this piranha to my advantage.
I think you're going to make
a nice bait for piraiba, buddy.
You know, the fact there's
piranhas here is a good sign.
It means there's a lot of food,
there's gotta be other
fish and hopefully a piraiba.
Oh, oh, oh. Got a bite here.
Something here.
Yeah, yeah, here we go.
Oh yeah, oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Take it fish, take it.
Yup.
(grunting)
Come on.
Big fish, big fish, big fish.
Oh, oh.
Oh, the fish is going downstream.
I gotta follow it or it's going
to get snagged on a tree.
Here's my hat, guys.
Fish is pulling so hard,
he's dragging me downriver.
CHRIS: Guys, Cyril's in trouble.
JESSE: Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming!
CYRIL: Help!
CYRIL: Quick!
JESSE: I got you, I got you, buddy.
CYRIL: Okay.
JESSE: Hey, I need to see you first.
CYRIL: Over here!
You guys gotta pull me in, pull me in.
-(Jesse grunts)
-CYRIL: This place is full of piranhas.
Gotta keep pulling.
JESSE: Come on, come on, come on.
CYRIL: Keep pulling, there's a big hole.
Thanks, man.
JESSE: Oh, we got him.
CHRIS: Good job, guys.
Good job.
CYRIL: Oh, no, the line is snagged
on a branch on the bottom.
This fish is killing me.
NARRATOR: If Cyril doesn't get the fish
out of this tangle of submerged trees,
he'll lose it.
CYRIL: Chris.
I'm not losing this fish,
I'm not losing this fish.
Where's that line going?
The line is going,
he's under a branch here.
I don't want to swim down there,
but I think I have to, yeah.
Okay, it's free,
it's pulling me all the way.
Ah, it's free now.
NARRATOR: With the line free,
the fish is taking off.
(grunting) He's going the other way.
CHRIS: Grab me.
CYRIL: It's deep here.
This is insane, man.
Now let's get out of this
water and catch this fish.
CHRIS: Where is he?
CYRIL: The line. You all right, man?
CHRIS: Great.
CYRIL: Yeah, yeah, of course.
He's going the other way,
but I think we got him now.
Think we are about to see this fish
break the surface over there.
He's going into the branches, here.
Guys, back up, back up, back up.
Almost lost it.
Look at the size of this fin.
Look at the stripe!
It's a giant. Oh, my god. Ah!
-(Chris speaking)
-(Cyril speaking)
(grunting and laughing)
CYRIL: I can't believe
the size of this fish.
Talk about a giant.
We got one right here.
Look at that. Look at this fish.
This is unreal.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Oh, oh.
I was expecting to catch a big fish,
but I was not expecting
to catch this big of a fish.
Look at the size of this
mouth on this animal.
Any prey that this fish catches,
it's a one way ticket down
their throat into the stomach.
Lorenzo is going to be super
happy I caught this fish
because it's so huge
and it's... It's unreal.
I mean, the fact that I caught
a fish this big this far
up river is great news for the species.
These fish are highly migratory.
And with all the challenges
that they have to go through
to get here with all the rapids,
the huge rapids that they had to go up.
And even human pressures
like commercial overfishing,
pollution and even
construction projects on the rivers
that they have to migrate through.
But the fact that I caught
a fish this big here is proof
that it can make it through all
the obstacles that I just named.
So there's hope,
there's hope for the species.
And one of the ways that
we can help more is by collecting
samples for the biologists,
for the scientists,
so they can study those fish further
in order to protect them.
Because we're dealing with
truly one of the last giants.
Look at that.
Oh.
Yeah, buddy, you're going back now.
-Geoff, you ready?
-GEOFF: Yeah.
CYRIL: Got it?
GEOFF: Yes, Cyril, there.
All right, good job. Good job, perfect.
That's exactly the sample Lorenzo needs.
GEOFF: Yeah, he's going
to be pretty happy I think.
-CYRIL: Good job man.
-There it is.
CYRIL: Good job.
GEOFF: Yeah.
JESSE: That's done, let's measure.
GEOFF: 71 inches, 181 centimeters.
181 centimeters?
GEOFF: Yeah.
Man, that's a gigantic fish.
JESSE: Let's get the girth.
GEOFF: One meter, one meter on the nose.
Okay, one meter. 100 centimeters girth.
-Yeah.
-That's a monster.
Guys, good job, guys.
Good job, everybody. Man, that's...
-JESSE: That's awesome.
-That's the fish we wanted.
Let's get him loose.
Bye, buddy.
Yes, all right, yeah, yes!
CHRIS: Good job man, yeah!
CYRIL: Whoo!
JESSE: That was awesome.
GEOFF: Thank you, man.
-Congrats.
-JESSE: Wow, wow, wow.
CHRIS: Good job.
GEOFF: Where's my hug?
CHRIS: Hey, man.
GEOFF: All right, hey.
We made it, guys, and still alive.
GEOFF: Yeah.
JESSE: Yeah!
CYRIL: That was actually...
That was one of the craziest
trips I've done to the Amazon.
-Yeah.
-And you guys survived it.
JESSE: That was a good hunt.
But we still gotta get outta here.