Journalist Nick Watt Hosts New Travel Channel Series WATT'S WORLD, Debuting Tonight

Emmy award-winning journalist and producer Nick Watt can't stay in one place. In Travel Channel's new original series, "Watt's World," he's going rogue, going deep and asking questions he's always wanted to ask. He's doing what he's always wanted to do and going where he's always wanted to go. Full immersion. Through his own inquisitive lens, Watt is on a mission to uncover all that is strange, wild and wondrous across our remarkable planet. Watt's quick wit and humorous take on the fascinating places he visits gives viewers an all-access passport to the most surprising and unexpected truths about the world we thought we knew. "Watt's World" premieres tonight, June 30, with back-to-back episodes at 10:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. ET/PT and is comprised of 13 half-hour episodes.

Having lived in seven countries and traveled to nearly 90 more as an ABC News correspondent for "Good Morning America" and "Nightline," the show fulfills Watt's lifelong dream of asking the puzzling and entertaining questions that immerse us in understanding the true heart of a destination. Like, why do Albanians hang stuffed animals outside their homes? Is cuddling the newest profession in Portland? Is Denver as high as its "mile-high-city" slogan suggests? From the weird to the wonderful, Watt's questions uncover some of the most surprising truths about the fascinating people and places he visits.

"Who gets the chance to pick and choose where they want to go for work?" asks Watt. "I do. Dream job sounds like a cliché. But I said it anyway. I've come back with a few of my questions about the world answered. But the answers just bring more questions to mind and another list of questions I want answered. I'm cursed, or blessed, with itchy feet and gnawing curiosity."

"Nick Watt is a great addition to our team of informative storytellers that connect our viewers to the world around us. Travel Channel viewers will get to come along on Nick's always insightful, sometimes hilarious journeys and see the world in a whole new way through his eyes," adds Ross Babbit, senior vice president, programming and development, Travel Channel.

In the premiere episode, Watt asks, "Why is Albania so weird?" From hanging stuffed animals outside of their homes to their unexpected fascination with President George W. Bush, the residents of this Eastern European nation have no shortage of eccentricities. Follow Watt as he fulfills his childhood dream of visiting the tiny mushroom-shaped bunkers that stand as a monument to one dictator's acute paranoia, meets a woman who takes a vow to be socially recognized as a man as long as he stays a "sworn virgin," meets with the prime minister and appears on Albania's answer to "60 Minutes" - a late night variety show complete with independent investigative news and, of course, dancing girls.

In the second episode, Watt visits two very different places that make him question whether living lawless and rent-free in the California desert is more appealing than a nap-filled life in the bucolic Italian countryside? To his surprise, there are strict social rules if you want to fit in in Le Marche, Italy -- never drink cappuccino after 11:00 a.m., walk slowly, buy groceries before 2:00 p.m., take a "mandatory" naptime and eat an evening slice of pizza. While in Slab City - a patch of desert east of Palm Springs, Calif., where hundreds live rent-free and law enforcement tends to turn a blind eye - he's introduced to "Slabbers," including a group of retirees that find Slab City a cheap and very fun way to spend their twilight years.

Other locations that Watt digs deeper into this season include: Alaska; Colorado; Cuba; Dominica; France; Hawaii; Los Angeles; Mt. Shasta, Wash.; New York; Oklahoma; Portland, Ore.; Saba and Montserrat; and Venice, Italy.

"Watt's World" is produced by Lincoln Square Productions for Travel Channel. For Lincoln Square Productions, the executive producer is Danielle A. Rossen. For Travel Channel, the executive producer is Dale Roy Robinson.

"WATT'S WORLD" ON TRAVELCHANNEL.COM

See more of "Watt's World" on TravelChannel.com for special show extras including slide shows, travel guides, exclusive video and more. Plus, check out Travel Channel on Facebook and Twitter for more exclusive content @TravelChannel #WattsWorld

TRAVEL CHANNEL is a multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it's around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world's leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, Md., and New York, N.Y. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.

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