The Episode:

3.1 – "The Mutilator"
Wade travels to Papua, New Guinea, where he's in search of a local fish that is reputed to…well…to bite dudes' balls off.  Nicknamed by locals “the Ballcutter,” this fish is said to be powerful enough to come up on wading individuals and rip their manhood clean off, leaving them to bleed to death on at least two occasions.  The thing is though, this is a relatively recent occurrence, and the river has no history of this beyond a decade or so ago.  So if it's not a native fish, what could be doing these attacks?

Guy's Take:

This episode kicks off Season 3 of this show, which is enjoyable not for just spinning yarns about giant and killer fish using research, anecdotal evidence from locals and reenactments, but actually delivering the monsters by the end of the episode.  What sets River Monsters apart from many of these other so-called monster shows or shows that search out ghosts or other supernatural phenomena, is that it's not a circle jerk without the payoff.  There are no open-ended resolutions, unexplained occurrences nor hyped-up drama that ultimately lead to absolutely nothing.  Jeremy Wade goes all over the globe in search of these fish, and episode after episode, he delivers them.  I've seen him catch things with gills and teeth that look like they should be featured on a bad Syfy Original Movie.

"What sets River Monsters apart from many of these other so-called monster shows… is that it’s not a circle jerk without the payoff."

The episodes are always produced well, with nice cinematography in some pretty remote locales.  Wade is a natural host, with his soft but confident British accent narrating you through the set up of the fish he's seeking.  Wade isn't one of these excitable hosts who need to hype himself, his target or the situation in order to make for entertaining TV.  He presents the episode matter-of-factly, from a scientist's and angler's perspective, and a nice methodical exploration of all possibilities.  River Monsters makes good use of reenactments and interviews with locals to set up the legend of that week's particular fish.  It's also good in positing possible alternatives, such as alligators or crocodiles as being the culprit rather than some dangerous fish.  Wade gives the theory of the attacks being carried out by a 20-foot crocodile, and even goes in search of one.

Eventually, he does get on the track of the fish and interviews a couple of locals who claim they were attacked.  One of them is one of the men who had been reported to have bled to death after having their manhood used as bait by this fish.  The fish was said to be strong enough to (gulp) rip it off, and drag them under in the process.  One of the men even said that the teeth felt like human teeth, which is even more disturbing.  Wade starts off by working his way up to bigger fish by catching smaller fish.  The one he catches immediately piques his curiosity and formulates a theory.  It's an Amazonian cousin of the Piranha called the Pacu, which is definitely not indigenous to New Guinea.  The Pacu look like piranha, but their teeth are more for grinding nuts and seeds, which is their staple food in their natural environment.

But what Wade discovers from one of the locals is that the Pacu were introduced into the river by local fisheries approximately 15 years ago in an attempt to boost the food supply, which is critical to the river-based population.  And therein lies the answer.  Forced to adapt to new surroundings, the Pacu have changed food supplies, becoming carnivorous and apparently devastating the food chain of the river.  They're also growing much larger in size.  The one that Wade catches at the end of the show looks to be about 8 to 10 pounds.  When he shows it's teeth, damned if it doesn't look like it's sporting a set of dentures.  So like the infamously invasive snakehead here in the States, the Pacu are a rogue element that is having detrimental impact on the New Guinea ecosystem.

End Credit:
So as mentioned, no bullshit in this episode.  Wade goes looking for a fish, he delivers.  Although, it's a bit different than a typical installment.  Usually, Wade has a clear objective he's hunting, but in this instance, it's a mystery — one that Wade solves with us.  I like Wade, I like the show, and there hasn't been one yet where he hasn't succeeded in achieving his objective.  So if you like fishing shows, especially ones that make stars out of those noodling clowns, then you should be watching River Monsters.