The WORST episodes of Explorer
Every episode of Explorer ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Explorer!
Now in its third decade, National Geographic Explorer travels around the world exploring topical news stories. Hosted by Lisa Ling, Explorer visits locations with unique events and fascinating stories.
#1 - Eyes Wide Open
Season 2016 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/14/2016
The human eye is an impressive organ, but animal eyes are far more powerful than ours and are crucial for survival in the wild.
#2 - James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge
Season 2014 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/26/2014
On March 26, 2012, James Cameron made a record-breaking solo dive to the Earth’s deepest point, successfully piloting a submarine nearly seven miles (11 kilometers) to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. This documentary chronicles the filmmaker and avid explorer’s groundbreaking diving expeditions in his custom “Deepsea Challenger” submarine.
#3 - Lost Subs: Disaster At Sea
Season 2002 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/28/2002
Explorer examines four submarine disasters: Russia's Kursk, the USS Squalus, Soviet K-19, and the USS Thresher.
#4 - Jewels of the Caribbean Sea
Season 1994 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/13/1994
#5 - Ocean Drifters
Season 1993 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/1/1993
This National Geographic documentary examines the numerous species of aquatic life that use the oceans' currents to travel the globe. Cameras follow several of these underwater highways, showing sea turtles, portuguese men-of-war, giant squid and the hundreds of other creatures as they chase and prey on each other.
#6 - The New Chimpanzees
Season 1995 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/6/1995
Chimpanzees, so like us.....
#7 - Arctic Kingdom - Life at the Edge
Season 1995 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/15/1995
Stalk the Arctic ice with the fiercest predator, the polar bear, as it prowls one of the most forbidding places on the planet: a hidden kingdom of magnificent creatures. Armed with a keen sense of smell and backed up by 1,700 pounds, fur and fangs, the polar bear stands alone at the top of the food chain. Yet many other hunters manage to survive in and around harsh Arctic waters from the savvy arctic fox to the massive, whiskered walrus. And when the spring comes to the Artic, there is an extraordinary explosion of life - rarely seen anywhere else on earth. Returning to the fridged waters come some of the world's most unusual beasts, the ghostly white Bulaga Whale, the endangered bowhead whale, the Narwal with its 23-foot tusk. And hidden beneath the violent, shifting ice lies a secret world of strange creatures that patrol dark sea floors on the carcasses of the dead... and each other. The Arctic ice is revealed as a place of danger and drama as animals are stranded on frozen waters, trapped between moving sheets of ice, and caught in the struggle to survive. Brave the worst that nature has to offer.
#8 - Whales In Crisis
Season 2005 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/31/2004
Of all the world creatures, nothing is larger....
#9 - Emperors Of The Ice
Season 2005 - Episode 16 - Aired 12/31/2004
#10 - Search for the Afghan Girl
Season 2002 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/15/2002
The fascinating journey to find the mysterious "Afghan Girl" whose haunting gaze captivated the world in a NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine cover.
#11 - Intrigue in Istanbul
Season 1997 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/25/1997
While London was a swamp, and Paris, a fishing village, Istanbul, then known as Constantinople, reigned for a thousand years as the world's richest city. At the crossroads of Europe and Asia, it amassed more gold than both continents combined, and safeguarded Christendom's most sacred relics, including the True Cross and heads of the Apostles. The largest walls ever created protected Istanbul's treasures from endless waves of invaders. Immerse yourself in the city that has endured more warfare than any other place on Earth: Istanbul. The world's oldest city, which spans the continents of Europe and Asia, holds many stories of intrigue. Spies, invaders and some of history's most diabolical minds plotted to seize Istanbul, and with it, rule the world.
#12 - Warlords of Ivory
Season 2015 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/30/2015
Investigative journalist Bryan Christy is setting out on a groundbreaking mission to expose how the ivory trade funds some of Africa’s most notorious militias and terrorist groups. Working with one of the world’s top taxidermists, he conceals a sophisticated GPS tracker inside an incredibly realistic faux ivory tusk and drops it in the heart of ivory poaching country and monitors its movements to track down the kingpins of the ivory trade.
#13 - Legend of the Monkey God
Season 2015 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/4/2015
Exploring Mosquita, the largest untouched rainforest in Central America where legends swirl of a white city buried inland.
#14 - Bill Nye's Global Meltdown
Season 2015 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/1/2015
Bill Nye experiences the five stages of climate change grief – from denial to acceptance – and along the way, he’ll explore what’s gone wrong with our planet and how we can start to turn things around.
#15 - The Cult of Mary
Season 2015 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/13/2015
From a small community in Alabama to thousands of people gathering in Mexico, Mary draws millions of people to shrines and sustains religious tourism. This is a journey into the heart of modern-day Mary devotion around the world.
#16 - Call of the Wild
Season 2016 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/10/2016
More than half the world lives in urban environments, but some people are reaching back to the land and carving out lives in the wilderness.
#17 - Anaconda, Queen of the Serpents
Season 2014 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/7/2014
Anaconda - the mere mention of its name brings images of an awesome and terrifying killer snake! For Dr. Jesus Rivas and his wife, Dr Sarah Corey, anacondas represent a challenge as they try to unravel the mysteries surrounding these massive reptiles. Like most snakes, anacondas have suffered greatly from exaggeration and scary folklore. Pound for pound, the South American anaconda is the world’s largest snake. But its reputation as a killer is wrapped in myth and legend.
#18 - Fighting ISIS
Season 2016 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/6/2016
Today, ISIS controls over a third of Iraq. The Kurds and their underdog army defend their home against the world’s most feared and ruthless threat.
#19 - Faces of Death
Season 2016 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/3/2016
From Indonesians who mummify their dead, to Tibetans who chop up corpses and feed them to vultures, explore the world's unusual death rituals.
#20 - Blood Antiquities
Season 2016 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/5/2016
Explorer investigates an illicit pipeline of ancient Syrian treasures that have been plundered by Islamic State militants and sold in private markets.
#21 - The Battle for Midway
Season 1999 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/14/1999
National Geographic follows underwater explorer Bob Ballard as he searches for the aircraft carrier sunk during the Battle of Midway.
#22 - The Man Who Swims with Crocodiles
Season 2013 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/14/2013
The Man Who Swims with Crocodiles Documentary following Chito, a Costa Rican fisherman who is one of the only men ever known to tame a crocodile with people travelling from all over the country to marvel at their bond. He nursed the animal back to health after discovering him blinded by the bullet of a hunter over 20 years ago. Feeling strongly compelled to investigate these legends first hand, Roger Horrocks visits a Costa Rican shaman, “Chito” that swims with a giant croc and even rides on the back of the ancient reptile. This and many other stories confirms Roger’s belief that these giant crocodiles have the ability of showing emotion and creating connections with human beings, an otherwise impossible notion in the crocodile’s long history.
#23 - Tiger's Eye
Season 1997 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/29/1997
Photographing wild tigers inside Bandhavgarh National Park in central India.
#24 - Renegade Lions
Season 2001 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/1/2001
A filmmaker spends two years filming lions in the wild at Etosha National Park in Namibia, Africa.
#25 - Point of No Return
Season 2016 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/1/2016
A team of elite climbers confront their grief, doubt and fear on a 150-mile journey from Myanmar to a remote peak at the edge of the world.