National Geographic Celebrates April Fools' Day with A TOTAL RIFF OFF

By: Mar. 24, 2014
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Don't be alarmed when you Turn on National Geographic Channel (NGC) on April Fools' Day and see a mantis shrimp talking about its dinner or bloodthirsty monsters being compared to celebrities. We've just decided to have a little fun this year.

For the first time, National Geographic Channel has teamed up with RiffTrax, the movie and television commentary group created by the guys responsible for "Mystery Science Theater 3000." So what does this mean? Your favorite Nat Geo programming with some unconventional commentary worked in around the narration and dialogue - three hours of it. Total Riff Off premieres Tuesday, April 1, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET/PT only on NGC. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com/totalriffoff and follow us on Twitter at @NGC_PR.

After "Mystery Science Theater 3000" went off the air, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett continued to receive requests from fans to revive the show in some form. And so grew RiffTrax, a website where fans can stream and download movies with hilarious commentaries. And National Geographic Channel has booked them for one night only.

In Total Riff Off, it's all about the animals, but not as you're used to seeing them on Nat Geo. RiffTrax takes on the honey badger, mantis shrimp and geographer's cone snail of Bad@$$ Animals. These seriously unsuspecting creatures are funnier than you might think.

The guys then work their commentary magic on some unlikely relationships between man and his animals - in one instance a goose and in the other, a seal - in segments from Unlikely Animal Friends. And they get their hands on a segment from My Dog Ate What? to riff about a pup with an affinity for thongs.

Finally, riffers Nelson, Murphy and Corbett add their hilarious commentary to an episode of Man v. Monster. Imagine the jokes when they sink their teeth into host Richard Terry's suspenseful hunt for an elusive flesh-eating bat.

At the end of the three hours of Total Riff Off, you may be a little wiser and you may have even learned a thing or two. You will definitely have had a fun ride listening to RiffTrax have a little April Fools' Day fun with some of NGC's already entertaining programming.



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