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Kings of Pain

Kings of Pain
StarringAdam Thorn
Rob Alleva
Narrated byJim Pratt
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes19
Production
Executive producersDavid Carr
Ben Silverman
Howard Owens
Laurie Girion
Brett-Patrick Jenkins
J.D. Roth
Adam Greener
ProducersIsabel San Vargas
Lucy Savage
Production locationWorldwide
Production companyPropagate
Original release
NetworkHistory Channel
ReleaseNovember 12, 2019 (2019-11-12) –
September 17, 2022 (2022-09-17)

Kings of Pain is an American television series that aired on the History Channel.[1] The show features Adam Thorn, a wildlife biologist, and Rob "Caveman" Alleva, an animal handler. In the show, they attempt to get stung and bitten by animals from different parts of the world, in order to measure the amount of pain they each receive from each bite or sting.[2]

Amid speculation, the show was renewed and returned subsequently for season 2 on May 26, 2022.[3]

Concept

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Inspired by the Schmidt Pain Index, biologist Adam Thorn and handler Rob "Caveman" Alleva test the bites and stings of animals with a new 30 point scale within 3 categories: intensity of initial physical pain, the duration of the pain, and the after effects or "damage". The scores from the three are rated from 1-10 (10 being worst) and then added together and averaged out.[4]

The animal is then ranked among the scale using the honeybee sting as the baseline. Along with creatures from the Schmidt Pain Index, animals from other categories such as reptiles and marine animals are also tested. In addition to testing the bites and stings of animals, Thorn and Alleva have started another pain index which they call the "nature hurts" pain index, which is intended to measure the pain from hot peppers.

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
19November 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)January 14, 2020 (2020-01-14)
210May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)September 17, 2022 (2022-09-17)

Season 1 (2019–20)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleSpeciesLocationOriginal air date
11"Nightmare in a Box"Executioner Wasp, Warrior Wasp, and Goliath Bird-Eating TarantulaBoliviaNovember 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)[5]
22"Stinging Punishment"South African Bark Scorpion, Lesser-Thicktail Scorpion and Lion FishSouth AfricaNovember 19, 2019 (2019-11-19)[5]
33"Fairy of Death"Mexican Harvester Ant, Tarantula Hawk and Crown-of-Thorns StarfishMexicoNovember 26, 2019 (2019-11-26)[5]
44"World of Hurt"Nile Monitor Lizard and South African Velvet AntAfricaDecember 3, 2019 (2019-12-03)[5]
55"Point of the Dead"Toe biter and ScorpionfishBajaDecember 10, 2019 (2019-12-10)[5]
66"Fire Down Below"Fire Urchin and Rove beetleBaliDecember 17, 2019 (2019-12-17)[5]
77"Big Box of Pain"Bullet Ant and PiranhaAmazonJanuary 7, 2020 (2020-01-07)[5]
88"Execution Day"Giant Asian Centipede and Reticulated PythonIndonesiaJanuary 14, 2020 (2020-01-14)[5]
99"Behind the Bites"Tokay Gecko, Slow Loris, Bolivian Tarantula Hawk and Hot Pepper ChallengeN/AJanuary 14, 2020 (2020-01-14)[5]

Season 2 (2022)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleSpeciesLocationOriginal air date [6]
101"The Scorpion King"Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion and Arizona Bark ScorpionArizona, United StatesMay 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)[7]
112"Arachnophobia"Brazilian Black and White Tarantula and Orange Baboon TarantulaCalifornia, United StatesJune 2, 2022 (2022-06-02)[7]
123"Big Biting Lizards"Black-throated Monitor Lizard and Mexican Beaded LizardCalifornia, United StatesJune 9, 2022 (2022-06-09)[7]
134"Schmidt Happens"Red Imported Fire Ants, Sacken's Velvet Ant and California Harvester AntCalifornia, United StatesJune 16, 2022 (2022-06-16)[7]
145"Hundred Tiny Screams"Common Desert Centipede and Giant Desert CentipedeArizona, United StatesJune 23, 2022 (2022-06-23)[7]
156"Backyard Beasts"Horrid King Assassin Bug, Jerusalem Cricket and Brown WidowArizona, United StatesJune 30, 2022 (2022-06-30)[7]
167"Aquarium Nightmares"Blue Tang, Peacock Mantis Shrimp and Double Bar RabbitfishCalifornia, United StatesJuly 7, 2022 (2022-07-07)[7]
178"Electrocution"Yellowhead Moray Eel and Electric EelCalifornia, United StatesJuly 14, 2022 (2022-07-14)[7]
189"Stinging Sharks"Port Jackson Shark and California Horn SharkCalifornia, United StatesJuly 21, 2022 (2022-07-21)[7]
1910"Cocktail of Venom"Bristle Worms and Striped Eel CatfishCalifornia, United StatesJuly 21, 2022 (2022-07-21)[7]

References

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  1. ^ Kameishi, Sachi (November 10, 2019). "Kings of Pain premieres on History". Standard-Speaker. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Kings of Pain – About". History.
  3. ^ "Breaking News - The History Channel's Hit Survival Series "Alone" Returns for Season Nine on Thursday, May 26 at 9PM ET/PT | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  4. ^ "Is Kings of Pain science or stupidity? An interview with a History Channel executive". 17 November 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Kings of Pain". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Shows A-Z – Kings of Pain on History". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Kings of Pain". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2022.