Snake Man

Across America there are Pentecostal church communities who drive out Satan with poisonous snakes. And it's not just snakes; Signs followers speak in tongues, handle fire, and drink a poisonous mixture of strychnine and water during church services. When people are bitten during service, they don't believe in seeking medical attention, resulting in a series of deaths within the community.

In this episode, Steve starts his journey with Jason Stone, a member of Chris Wolford's congregation at a drugs shelter in North Carolina, where on average three people die a day from opioid overdoes. Jason performs the Church's music at the shelter in the hope that he can persuade them to join the church and manage their addiction.

Excited to finally see his brethren, Steve then travels to visit Chris Wolford's church in West Virginia, the only state where snake-handling during service is still legal. It is a dangerous time for snake preaching after it's been criminalised across the states, with two of the most prominent preachers dying from bites in church.

After the deaths of his brother and father whilst preaching, Chris has struggled with drugs and alcohol addiction like most of the congregation. Steve learns how preaching with snakes has helped to bond this community together, getting them through their addictions.

While the church may be helping the community, it has been criticised by animal rights activists due to the treatment of the snakes during service. Steve challenges Chris and Jason over their treatment of snakes and asks how long they think this movement can survive.

Every year, 16 all-American girls climb into a pit of poisonous snakes to decapitate, skin and eat them in a bid to become the Miss Snake Charmer at the world's largest "Rattlesnake Roundup". Steve Ludwin, who has been injecting himself with snake venom for over thirty years and considers himself one of the serpent family, joins fifty thousand people heading to Sweetwater, Texas to see the only beauty pageant that kills snakes. This West Texas tradition takes place within the world's largest "Rattlesnake Roundup" where hunters bring over 24 thousand pounds of rattlesnake to the small town of Sweetwater before putting them on display in killing pits as they prepare to be milked, skinned and eaten. Before the big day, Steve joins hunter Eddie Gomez as he leads a team into the desert to gas snake holes, revealing the rattlesnakes which will be brought back to the arena for their untimely death. With this complete, Steve attends the beauty pageant to bear witness to this bizarre contest. While Steve struggles to witness violence against his serpent brothers and sisters, the event's organisers claim that the roundup helps to cull the dangerous snake population, protecting children from bites and raising money to fund their community work throughout the year. Steve finds solace in talking to undercover animal rights activist Todd Autry. Todd explains how he has learnt the best methods to protest the event, and how those methods have changed since his fellow protestor Danny Mendez was arrested at the event. Having experienced this Southern festival of blood lust, Steve challenges the organisers of the event over the animal abuse and sees whether the death of this tradition is on the horizon.

Every year hundreds of thousands of people are dying from snakebites and there's a global shortage of the one thing that could save them - anti-venom. While a single snakebite can turn most people into a corpse in less than 30 minutes, Steve Ludwin can survive due to 30 years.