With a grand event like the Winter X Games, it only makes sense to have a very action-packed production, which we sure experienced. The stakes are higher than ever and these guys were trying day after day to not let the pressure get to them. Once I laid eyes on the enormous pile of snow used for big air, I think our entire crew really understood the massive scope of this event. When the jump was actually completed, it looked like it was designed for someone who had no fear of dying. Literally. This was the jump that rookie Landon was assigned and he had a lot to prove to Gunny this time. Our entire crew was pulling for him, but it seemed like a near impossible challenge. Landon’s nerves were very visible to everyone on set; he clearly did not want to screw this one up.

Pressed for time to pull off the biggest event of the year, a huge snowstorm rolls through just in the nick of time. This did not make for a very fun day of shooting for our crew. It was difficult for our camera crew to get set and our audio guy was slipping and sliding all over the place. Not to mention freezing temperatures. My fingers had lost all feeling. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be in a snow cat, and I was getting very concerned for these guys. Finally, Gunny made the call to stop production for the night. Our crew was jumping with joy, but SPT’s stress level just got kicked up yet another notch.

Nothing was as scary as when they were pulling the shipping container up the icy road. I couldn’t believe the nerve these guys have. We were on the side of a freaking mountain, inches away from the edge! I held my breath the entire time. Even though it was the only way up, it seemed like the worst idea ever.

I was most excited for the athlete arrival. Mark McMorris and Torstein Horgmo are two of the biggest players in the game right now, and I was very anxious to meet them and see what they thought. They were impressed at the sight of it, but things were different once they tested. When Mark McMorris landed on the knuckle I thought there was going to be a hospital call. I have never witnessed something like that in real life, and we were freaking out! I just remember thinking, “What if he gets injured and can’t perform at the actual event, that would be an absolute nightmare for SPT.” Thankfully, he was okay. He wasn’t so happy with Gunny but gave his feedback, and they were forced to make changes. It was pretty awesome to witness the relationship these guys have with SPT.

The shoot overall was hectic and freezing, but a success nonetheless. Once the course was complete, and we stood next to these features in real life… we totally forgot about the cold and the drama. These things were imaginary and it was a blast watching it take shape from start to finish.

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Tune in to Mountain Movers: The Big Time tonight at 8P when SPT kicks things into overdrive for their highly anticipated, stressful, and action-packed event of the year: the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. As one of the original course designers of the Winter X Games 17 years ago, Gunny still feels the pressure to build the biggest, most intense course the industry has ever seen. Gunny has passed on the torch to his young protégé Chris Castaneda to lead the crew from SPT, who will have to manage the diverse personalities of veterans Mike Binnell and Aaron Dettling, as well as rookie Landon Taylor. Extremely cold weather, malfunctioning equipment and tight deadlines quickly pile on to the intensity and difficulty of this world-wide televised live event. With the highest caliber athletes waiting and the whole planet watching, SPT will have their work cut out for them.

If you didn’t have the chance to snag tickets, which were open to the public this year, we’ve got you covered. Watch all the geo drama unfold tonight at 7P when the nation’s smartest geography brainiacs descend on Washington D.C. for the finals of the 2013 National Geographic Bee. Nat Geo will bring viewers every nail-biting moment of the final round as these students put it all on the line, competing for coveted prizes: third place receives $10,000 scholarship, 2nd place $15,000, and the winner receives a $25,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership to the National Geographic Society and a trip for two to the Galapagos Islands.

Do you think you have the smarts to compete with these talented children? Take our very own Geo Bee Quiz, based on actual Bee questions. Think you’re a wiz? Here was yesterday’s winning question… do you know the answer?

“Because Earth bulges at the equator, the point that is farthest from Earth’s center is the summit of a peak in Ecuador. Name this peak.”

Michael Cawley’s daughter, Fiona, is coming to the first crossroads in choosing the polygamous lifestyle: baptism. In Centennial Park, a child must be old enough to understand the tenets of their faith, which includes memorizing all 13 Articles of Mormon faith. Michael’s second wife, Connie, has been working with Fiona to prepare her for the baptism – a ritual that has never before been filmed. But, during a Cawley family outing to Colorado City – an extreme polygamous sect run by the controversial leader Warren Jeffs – SUV’s with tinted windows circle and harass the family, threatening to ruin their good time.

Then, Uncle Arthur, one of the community elders, has had several children choose to leave Centennial Park. His son Ezra may be the next to go. Ezra’s latest act of defiance, a truck bought against Arthur’s wishes, has broken down in Salt Lake City. Arthur and his youngest wife, Gloria, accompany Ezra on a tense road trip to recover the truck, and spend some quality time together.

Tune in to Polygamy USA: The Baptism tonight at 9P

But despite this, the key to species survival has always been the same for all primates: in order to continue as a species, we must reproduce and pass on our genes to the next generation. And the only way to do that, whether you’re a bonobo or a baboon, is to attract (and be attracted to!) the right mate. So despite centuries of trying to tame our most basic, animalistic urges, evidence of our primal origins are still strikingly apparent in modern human love lives. Not only are the things we look for and find attractive in a partner founded on the same evolutionary rules that dictate ape mate preferences, but the way we woo, seduce, and keep hold of our other halves are almost exactly the same:

First Impressions

First, we look at the significance of making the right first impression. Just like apes, both sexes are constantly scanning the horizons for a sexy pair of genes. For males of any primate species, the priority is simple – fertility. While for females, it’s resources and security that are a girl’s best friend. But these differing priorities shouldn’t come as a surprise considering that it’s the females of the ape family that sacrifice their bodies and invest months of calories when producing their offspring. While for a male ape, as long as there’s an egg ready and waiting he needn’t have a care in the world after copulation. So to help us find the right match, we apes have not only evolved traits which help us advertise ourselves, but also efficient ways of identifying suitable mates. Rather than waiting until the first date (or first mate, if you’re a chimp) to figure out whether your prospective partner is male or female, fertile or infertile, healthy or unhealthy, humans and apes use various visual cues to make snap judgments about whether to pursue a fellow species member.

Making a Move

The next step in the process of finding a mate, is making the first move. In the ape world, once the two sexes have set their sights on each other, courtship begins. Although the female may have exchanged glances, or even initiated eye contact with the male, it’s nearly always the male that makes the approach and does the mounting. It’s then up to the female to decide whether to let him or not. If she changes her mind, or the attention is unwanted, she’ll simply walk away and wait for someone more preferable to try his luck.

And it’s just the same in human societies, where it’s men who are traditionally expected to make the first move, while women can simply hang back and wait for Mr. Right to come their way. And the way a male approaches the female can influence her receptiveness to the advance. Be too intimidating, and she’ll run away, but be unconfident and she’ll lose interest. The most successful male apes use a winning combination of confidence and kindness. A dominant stride paired with some attentive grooming, and perhaps even an offering of food, are the surest way to an ape female’s heart. And charming a human female is no different.

Protecting the Bond

Even after all that, an ape’s work isn’t done. The next task on a male ape’s agenda is to guard his female from any opportunistic rivals who may want to try their luck. Alpha male apes are masters at this – after mating with an estrus female, any sneaky subordinates who are caught trying to get a piece of the action are immediately chased away, either by the alpha himself or by one of his specially employed bodyguards. This is because successfully defending his mates will give him the best chance of fathering lots of offspring. We humans also instinctively react when someone tries to steal our woman from us. After all that time and effort spent wooing and seducing your chosen female, the last thing you’d want is for her to be stolen by another guy. So not only will we show you how doing it the ape way can help you successfully attract, approach and secure your perfect mate, we’ll show you how to keep her once you do.

Tune in to Going Ape: Hooking Up tonight at 10P. In this episode of Going Ape, we will show you how you can put this primate knowledge into practice, and how the secrets to successful ape mating can be used for successful human dating. To demonstrate this, we carry out a series of unique and exciting experiments designed to bring out the inner ape in members of the public, and analyze their behavior with the help of experts in primatology and psychology.

From winter preparations through the thaw, Life Below Zero follows six people as they battle for the most basic necessities in the state with the lowest population density in the United States. Living at the ends of the world’s loneliest roads and subsisting off the rugged Alaskan bush, they battle whiteout snow storms, man-eating carnivores, questionable frozen terrain and limited resources through a long and bitter winter. Some of them are lone wolves; others have their families beside them. All must overcome despairing odds to brave the wild and survive through to the spring.

Each episode of Life Below Zero takes viewers deeper into the winter, following brave residents as they struggle in their different corners of this merciless territory to stay one step ahead of storms and predators. Money is practically worthless; food, fuel and fur are the real commodities. Experience has taught them to take a shotgun to the bathroom in case of a surprise bear attack; that the heart is the best bite of a cooked ptarmigan; and that caribou fur make the best “mukluk” boots. It’s a raw look at what life is like without paved roads, grocery stores, central heat or neighbors.

Don’t miss the series premiere of Life Below Zero, Sunday at 10P

Tune in to Locked Up Abroad: Mexican Prison Escape tonight at 10P.

Post your questions for Buzz and Conrad using hashtag #LetsExplore on Twitter, Google+ and YouTube… but you must act fact, submissions are due today, May 15th.

More details can be found on the Explorers Journal Blog and on the Google+ Event page.

See you soon!

Don’t miss an all-new episode of Ultimate Survival Alaska this Sunday at 9P and follow their journey each week with this interactive map.

Now, we’re looking to you to embrace your inner-photographer and share your own favorite nooks and crannies of the planet. Timed to coincide with the launch of our new brand campaign we’re organizing an Instagram contest that everyone can participate in. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced adventurer that just summited the peak of Mt. Whitney or a city-dweller that seeks refuge from the hustle and bustle in a tranquil corner of a public park – we want to see what captivates you!

The campaign’s tagline, “The places we take you aren’t just on the map” is symbolic of our DNA, and also the call to action for the Instagram contest. Upload pics of your “favorite places off the map” to Instagram with the hashtag #NGCTakesYou beginning May 13.  Everything is fair game; your child’s smile, a thunderstorm, a paintbrush – what takes you to places you never thought you’d go? We want to see it all!

Pictures can be posted throughout the summer until July 1 at which point we’ll announce a winner via Instagram.  The lucky winner will receive a state-of-the-art National Geographic camera package, including a Nikon – D3100 14.2-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera, a National Geographic canvas camera bag, and National Geographic Complete Photography, a comprehensive book that offers “how-to” advice and useful tips from some of National Geographic’s greatest photographers.

For more information, see complete rules here and follow @NatGeoChannels on Instagram.  The contest is only valid for U.S. residents.  Good luck – we can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Starting this Sunday at 10 p.m., go off the grid with Ultimate Survival Alaska, an epic new series that follows these survival experts on a 10-leg expedition in the brutal and dangerous Alaska terrain. The opponents’ only goal is to make it out alive using just the gear they can carry in their packs.

Dropped in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness by bush plane, they have 72 hours to make their way to the finish point for that leg of the expedition. Using raw, mountain-man ingenuity, they’ll navigate through treacherous glaciated river valleys, barren ridgelines and high mountain peaks, battling hunger, hostile predators and perilous weather conditions along the way.

Says Willi, one of the eight explorers, “I’ve done so many big peaks on basically all the world’s continents. I’ve done six Everest expeditions. All of us that do this sort of thing. At some fundamental level, we’re not normal, well-adjusted, modern civilized human beings. We’re all throwbacks. Because modern life is not enough of a test for us.”

Navigating risky routes that traverse some of the most hostile territory on the planet, they’ll rely on hard survival skills passed down through generations. Like the original National Geographic explorers, for those who succeed there is no grand prize, just the well-fought pride of having conquered the grueling challenges that a beastly Mother Nature can throw at them.

Now, meet Alaska’s most formidable challengers:

Dallas Seavey, 26 years old: The youngest person to ever to win the Iditarod, a grueling thousand-mile race across the state of Alaska through some of the world’s toughest conditions.

Tyrell Seavey, 28 years old: Like his brother Dallas, he hails from a legendary family, known by many as Alaskan royalty. He has run the Iditarod twice and won the Jr. Iditarod.

Marty Raney, 56 years old: A veteran mountain guide who has led more than 20 expeditions on and around Denali, the highest peak in North America.

Matt Raney, 30 years old: Marty’s son and an expert in survival. He helped build his family home with Marty with nothing but a chainsaw and the logs on their property.

 Tyler Johnson, 36 years old: From exploring Kathmandu to climbing 27,000 feet with no oxygen in Nepal, Tyler is fearless.

Austin Manelick, 24 years old: Since the age of 5, he has practiced subsistence hunting under the watchful eye of his Alaskan wilderness guide father.

Willi Prittie, 57 years old: A professional mountain guide for almost 38 years, Willi is considered to be one of the leading climbing and logistical experts in the region.

Brent Sass, 32 years old: He’s done six 1,000-mile dog sledding expeditions for the Yukon Quest, and has guided excursions through any and all of Alaska’s many landscapes.