''Doomsday Preppers'' was an American
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series that aired on the
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...
from 2011 to 2014. The program profiles various
survivalists, or "preppers", who are preparing to survive the various
circumstances that may cause the
end of civilization, including
economic collapse
Economic collapse, also called economic meltdown, is any of a broad range of bad economic conditions, ranging from a severe, prolonged depression with high bankruptcy rates and high unemployment (such as the Great Depression of the 1930s), to a ...
,
societal collapse, and
electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. Depending upon the source, the origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic fie ...
. The quality of their preparations is graded by the consulting company Practical Preppers, who provide analysis and recommendations for improvements.
Development
Casting for the first season began September 2011. Casting for a second season began April 2012. The series' third season premiered on October 29, 2013. The series concluded its fourth and final season in August 2014.
Dräger equipment, Wise Food Storage Company and the United States Gold Bureau are sponsors of the show.
Reception
''Doomsday Preppers'' has received varied reviews.
Neil Genzlinger in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' condemned it as an "absurd excess on display and at what an easy target the prepper worldview is for ridicule", noting, "how offensively anti-life these shows are, full of contempt for humankind." Nevertheless, "The program has been a ratings bonanza, with a 60-percent male audience, with an average age of 44." "Doomsday Preppers is the network's most-watched series". Brooklyn Bagwell, casting director for the second season, claimed it was the highest-rated show in the history of the National Geographic Channel.
In response to negative comments, Jay Desai, who was featured in the show's first season, responded: "We don’t make it an obsession like some folks but we do spend a fair amount of time and money on it. ... you can’t always rely on the government or society to help you. The more people that are prepping minded, the better off we’ll all do."
Episodes
Season 1 (2012)
Season 2 (2012–13)
Season 3 (2013)
Season 4 (2014)
References
External links
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Interview of Season 2 family and Analysis
{{National Geographic TV
2010s American reality television series
2012 American television series debuts
2014 American television series endings
National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming
Survivalism in the United States