Discovery

If you've ever wondered who hunts down poachers and pirates in international water, and brings them to justice ... you're looking at him, and he has a crazy story to tell.

Captain Peter Hammarstedt joined "TMZ Live" Friday to give us the inside scoop on his crew's chilling, high-stakes mission to track down an illegal fishing boat called Thunder. He says they spent more than 100 days in dangerous, iceberg-filled water, and their efforts are the subject of the new documentary, 'Chasing the Thunder.'

The Captain explained why his organization, the Sea Shepherd Society, was after "the most notorious poaching vessel in the world" and details the extreme conditions his ship, Bob Barker, battled to keep up and try to capture it.

The pursuit crossed 3 oceans and covered more than 10,000 nautical miles ... and you gotta see Captain Pete's reveal of how it ended. It's absolutely wild, and shows you the kind of people he was up against out there.

The pesky murder hornets that made it to North America last year are NOT all dead and gone -- in fact, a battle's being waged to contain the danger.

We spoke to renowned Washington state beekeeper Ted McFall Tuesday on "TMZ Live" about the new Discovery Channel documentary, "Attack of the Murder Hornets." He says enough have made it over here now to the point that different nests have developed.

Pros like Ted are addressing the crisis now ... however, he fears if they don't get it under control quickly, the U.S. honeybee population could be in serious jeopardy -- which eventually impacts our food supply too.

You might not realize it, but honeybees are a HUGE part of what keeps a lot of our crops growing at the rate they do. Murder hornets can easily wipe out colonies of bees, and that's why they're such a menace.

You'll recall, scientists in Washington state set out on a weeks-long mission late last year to snatch up as many murder hornets as they could find in one woodsy section of Washington, right on the Canadian border.

They thought they'd gotten them all in that one fell swoop, but had to go back later to retrieve a lot more of these hornets ... including hundreds of queens!

Turns out, those weren't the only ones out there -- and now, a black (and yellow) cloud hangs over the area.

Billy Brown -- the Brown family patriarch featured in 12 seasons of the hit series "Alaskan Bush People" -- has died.

Billy died Sunday following a seizure. His son, Bear, wrote on Instagram the family is "heartbroken to announce that our beloved patriarch Billy Brown passed away last night after suffering from a seizure."

Bear added, "He was our best friend - a wonderful and loving dad, granddad and husband and he will be dearly missed. He lived his life on his terms, off the grid and off the land and taught us to live like that as well."

A spokesperson for Discovery tells TMZ ... everyone at the network is devastated and said Billy's been "part of the Discovery family for years - a trailblazer, a lovely man and most definitely one of a kind. Our heart is with his family and those that knew him and loved him as they deal with this devastating loss."

Billy was an avid hunter and a pretty brilliant commercial fisherman in the North Pacific. He grew up in Texas and when he was 16 he suffered a tragedy -- his mother, father and sister died in a plane crash.

After meeting his wife, Ami, in Texas, they decided to move to Alaska where they raised their family of 5 sons and 2 daughters.

Billy was 68.

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is getting back to work just over a month after impaling his hand in a gnarly freak accident ... but he won't be getting his hands dirty.

So here's the deal, Buddy's very first event since the horrific bowling injury is scheduled to go down Friday with Goldbelly CEO Joe Ariel. They're teaming up for an event dubbed Halloween Goldbelly Live! ... where they'll teach, via Zoom, how to make "Frankencakes."

But, sources connected to the event tell TMZ ... the "Cake Boss" will ONLY be instructing and not actually doing any of the decorating or whatever else goes with making the Frankenstein cake kits. We're told someone from Buddy's team will be doing the actual decorating while Buddy mostly oversees the production.

BTW, Buddy's still got a long recovery process. Buddy's returning to the air on November 22 when the Food network airs "Buddy vs. Christmas." If you're wondering ... this special was filmed before his accident. And, speaking of the accident ... TLC will air a 2-hour special on December 23 about the accident with footage captured immediately after the accident.

Just days after the accident, Buddy gave his account of the freak bowling accident. He said his long road to recovery's largely because of severe tendon, nerve and muscle damage to his right hand, which just recently had its third surgery.

Carole Baskin wrote that she would have killed her first husband to get out of her marriage in an old letter to Don Lewis' first wife, but despite that seemingly shocking reveal ... Carole says it desperately needs context.

The ID channel is airing a special on Joe Exotic and all his related 'Tiger King' craziness this weekend, including ongoing speculation Baskin played a role in Don's 1997 disappearance.

We got a sneak peek of one piece of evidence the show's investigators claim lends credence to the speculation -- a long letter Carole sent to Don's wife, Gladys, in August 1990 ... while in the midst of having an affair with him.

The letter seems to detail her relationship with Don, but includes a disturbing line about her first husband, Michael Murdock. Carole wrote ... "I had to get out of my marriage and would have eventually killed my husband to do it."

Baskin confirms with TMZ that she wrote those words, but adds ... "I only meant it in the context of self-defense as Mike Murdock was physically abusive to me to the point of causing me to fear for my life."

Carole has previously claimed numerous times that Murdock -- who she wed in 1979 and is the father of her daughter, Jamie -- was extremely abusive.

Nevertheless, retired homicide investigator Jim Rathmann says he finds the letter very interesting ... and points out it was written just 7 years before Don went missing.

Carole and Don both divorced their first spouses and married in 1991. Baskin has recently insisted -- yet again -- she had nothing to do with his disappearance and claims she was the only person trying to get him mental health help before it happened.

Larissa Lima says she's out of the '90 Day Fiance' universe for good -- but it's not because she wanted to leave ... it sounds like she's accusing the network of giving her the boot.

The Brazilian reality star made the announcement Saturday, which seemed to tie up a rocky week-and-a-half-plus she and her current boyfriend, Eric, have gone through ... ever since she raised a boatload of cash with a camgirl sesh, with a Kylie-esque makeover to show off.

Of course, shortly after that good fortune ... Larissa and Eric tried getting outta Dodge for the Rocky Mountains -- they said they were leaving Las Vegas and moving to Colorado Springs, presumably to start fresh. Their plans for '90 Day' were a bit unclear at the time.

Now, they're crystal clear ... because Larissa says she's out, and supposedly -- it's because TLC, which airs the series as well as its spinoffs, released her from her contract.

Larissa writes, "Dear Friends and Followers, I want to make a statement for you, I am no longer a cast member of the show '90 Day Fiance.'" She goes on to say, "Because of my show with CamSoda, I was released from my contract with TLC by phone the day before ICE arrested me." Larissa says she'll continue producing her own content on her own platforms.

As we reported ... Larissa dropped a small fortune -- upwards of $72k -- for a handful of cosmetic surgeries, all with the goal of looking as close to Kylie Jenner as possible. It would appear the investment paid off -- because we've heard her cam show raked in more than $100k for the one hour it was on. Assuming Larissa received anywhere north of half of that in her agreement with the porn company, she likely made her money back, and maybe some.

That might all be for naught, however, because we also learned ICE might be gunning to deport her after her brief detainment a week ago.

Joe Exotic thinks the walls are closing around Carole Baskin ... and he's hoping her missing husband's family finally gets some answers and justice.

The 'Tiger King' rips his longtime nemesis in a phone interview from jail, and says Carole's about to pay for years of what he sees as bullying.

A source close to Joe tells us the interview was recorded long before Carole started "Dancing with the Stars" -- back when he was behind bars in Grady County Jail Oklahoma -- but it's clear he's all for Don Lewis' family putting renewed attention on his mysterious disappearance.

During the call, part of a new Discovery ID special, Joe says it's high time Don's fam finally finds out what really happened to him.

As you know ... Carole's always maintained her innocence in Don's case, but the Lewis family recently put out a $100,000 reward -- and during a commercial aired during 'DWTS' they asked, "Do you know if Carole Baskin was involved?"

As for his case ... Joe's still insisting he was set up, and also offers an explanation for why he put down 5 tigers at his infamous zoo.

Jim Belushi says cannabis is a better way for all people to manage and heal from our internal traumas ... but he really thinks legal weed will greatly impact our homeless folks, especially veterans.

The actor joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us all about his legal marijuana farm in Oregon, the subject of his new Discovery Channel show "Growing Belushi," and what he's doing to help people who are struggling on the streets.

Jim says he encounters lots of homeless vets with psychological problems on the streets of Portland, plus other desperate people dealing with all sorts of problems, and he's convinced cannabis is a better way for them to treat their issues -- certainly better than alcohol or prescription pills.

Just listen as he describes the epiphany he had while observing a homeless woman.

Jim's lucky ... he can skinny dip or use cannabis to take a load off, but he understands not everyone has access to CBD and its healing effects ... so he's planning to open a pop-up dispensary in Portland offering free cannabis to homeless and low-income people.

It's a pretty interesting conversation ... and Jim also tells us how an Iraq war veteran changed his whole perception on the benefits of cannabis.

Jesse Goins -- best known for appearing on the Discovery show "Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine" -- has died.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Jesse was on set in Colorado Tuesday night during filming. His job on the show is to work in the gold room, where he separates and cleans the gold. We're told someone from the crew found him unconscious just outside the gold room. A medic on-site administered CPR and EMTs then arrived and rushed Jesse to the hospital, but efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful.

We're told it appeared to those on the scene ... Jesse suffered a heart attack, although the exact cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

Jesse's brother, Larry, posted on Facebook saying, "Heaven will never be the same!! My brother Jesse went home to be with his Father, Lord and Savior. He will be missed dearly. Love you brother."

'Lost Mine' premiered in March 2019 and took place near Prescott Valley, Arizona. The second season kicked off earlier this year from February to April and largely centered in Marysville, Montana.

Jesse appeared in 15 episodes of the "Gold Rush" series spinoff. In 'Dave Turin's Lost Mine' ... Jesse worked alongside Turin as they visited abandoned gold mines around the western U.S. They then decided which mine they'd get up and start running again ... in the hopes of turning a profit.

Jesse, who was 60, leaves behind a wife.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's love of Shark Week could not be contained -- even as she was about to speak to the DNC -- and now she's got a new catchphrase with some bite ... with the Discovery Channel's stamp of approval!

The Guv was about to deliver her live speech Monday night in support of Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president when she decided to let her Shark Week flag fly, saying ... "It's not just Shark Week, it's Shark week *mouths expletive for 'mother f*****s'*"

Her joke drew big laughs from the room as she acknowledged she knew her mic was on. The way it seems to us ... she was warming up the crowd -- comprised mostly of auto workers -- and it worked.

The moment didn't air on live TV ... but thanks to the magic of live streaming, it's gone viral, already garnering merchandise production in her home state.

Not only has the Governor's remark resonated with Shark Week fans and her constituents, but our sources at Discovery tell us the channel is thrilled at Gretchen's hot mic moment.

Of course, Shark Week 2020 just ended ... but it's never too early to hype up 2021.

Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on one of the "Deadliest Catch" crab fishing boats, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Mahlon's wife tells us he died in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana after he suffered a heart attack last Saturday morning. Although he survived it, and was transported to a hospital ... he never regained consciousness.

His wife says the family decided Sunday to take Mahlon off life support. She says he was surrounded by loved ones.

We're told he had no existing health conditions his family knew of, so they're all completely shocked by the massive heart attack. His wife tells us Mahlon was cremated and his "Deadliest Catch" crew is going to spread some of his ashes in the Bering Sea.

We're told Mahlon was working his butt off to recover from a recently torn Achilles, suffered while crabbing on the boat, and was doing everything he could to get back to Alaska for another crab season.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office says his official cause of death has not been determined yet ... pending autopsy and toxicology results.

Mahlon, who worked on 2 "Deadliest Catch" boats ... the Seabrooke and Cape Caution. He's survived by his wife and 4 children.

Mahlon was only 38.

Sharon Osbourne says seeing is believing when it comes to paranormal activity and other-worldly beings ... she wants to believe we're not alone, but needs her own hard evidence.

Sharon joined us on "TMZ Live" and we wanted to know if she's a UFO believer like her son, Jack.

While Sharon says she's seen our footage of a possible UFO over the skies of Long Beach -- lots of folks reported seeing something flying over L.A. too -- she tells us why the video alone is not enough to convince her 100 percent.

Sharon's getting the hard sell on UFOs back at home ... the famous family has a new show on Travel Channel, "The Osbournes Want To Believe," where Jack tries to convince her and Ozzy about the existence of aliens, Bigfoot, poltergeists, haunted dolls and other strange beasts.

Grant Imahara is getting a TV memorial, of sorts, from the TV networks where he became a famous and beloved host.

Honchos at Discovery and Science Channel tell TMZ ... the networks are paying tribute to Grant this weekend with a marathon line-up of his favorite "MythBusters" moments and other engineering programs.

As you know ... Grant, a brilliant electrical engineer, became a TV star with Discovery as one of the hosts of "MythBusters."

Discovery says some of Grant's favorite "MythBusters" moments from his 10 years on the show include episodes where he and his team tested "armor" made of folded paper, and tried to see if a hotel room shower curtain could be transformed into a life-saving parachute.

Imahara was a BattleBots champion, and the networks are also airing Grant's appearance in "Killer Robots: Robo Games 2011," when he served as a tour guide for the international competition.

As we reported ... Grant died suddenly this week at just 49 years old from a brain aneurysm.

The tribute marathon airs from 8 AM to 1 PM Friday on Discovery, and picks up Saturday on Science Channel from 3 PM to 9 PM ... ending with one of Grant's other famous hosting gigs, "White Rabbit Project."

Grant Imahara complained of migraines in the days before doctors discovered his brain aneurysm, and emergency surgery, sadly, couldn't save him ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the "MythBusters" host's family tell us ... he'd been experiencing painful headaches for a few days before Saturday night, when he was having dinner with his girlfriend at a home in L.A.

We're told at some point during the meal, Grant's pain worsened and he felt dizzy, along with experiencing severe neck and back pain and numbness in his legs. After he showed signs of being unresponsive, his GF called 911 ... we're told this was around 9 PM.

Our sources say when paramedics arrived, Grant's vitals were normal but he was still in serious pain, so he was rushed to a hospital. We're told doctors soon realized he had a brain aneurysm, and he underwent emergency surgery.

Grant survived the surgery -- no small feat when dealing with an aneurysm -- but we're told he never fully recovered. He had another operation Sunday, but again came out unresponsive and in critical condition.

On Monday, we're told he had an MRI to prep for a third surgery ... but doctors discovered the extent of the damage was too severe. Grant was wholly unresponsive, and the decision was made to take him off life support.

As we reported ... the accomplished electrical engineer, roboticist and beloved Discovery host's sudden death, at just 49 years old, was a severe shock to his friends and longtime coworkers.

Former "MythBusters" host Adam Savage said, "Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend."

Now we know why Mike Tyson was throwing a steel cage on the beach in L.A. the other day ... SHARK WEEEEEEK!!!!

The 54-year-old boxing legend has teamed up with Discovery Channel for an August 9 special called, "Tyson Vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef."

So, what's the show? Seems Mike will "train" with a shark?!! Here's the show description from Discovery ...

"With famed ring announcer Michael Buffer calling the shots, these two heavyweights will square off underwater, where Mike Tyson will try to score a TKO over the massive shark ... all in the name of research."

He adds, "Someone's gonna get bit!"

Again, not really sure what that means -- BUT, WE'RE HERE FOR IT!

"I took on this challenger to overcome fears I still deal with in life," Tyson says in a statement.

"I equate this with overcoming my fear of getting back into the ring at 54 years old. I learned from this experience doing Shark Week that whatever intimidates me, I am still able to step up to the challenge of overcoming anything that would prevent me from accomplishing my life’s mission of reaching my highest potential in life and bringing me closer to God."

As we previously reported, Tyson hit the beach in L.A. a few weeks ago to shoot the spot -- and looked like a BEAST as he tossed around a steel cage, like it was a toy.

Here's a fun fact Mike Myers will love ... male sharks have 2 PENISES ... count 'em, TWO!!!

Yes, it's a true scientific fact male sharks are blessed with two members ... and the reasons behind the double dongs are gonna be explored by Discovery Channel when "Shark Week" returns next month.

To get us ready for "Shark Week" and the two-penis episode, Discovery's coming in hot with this hilarious ad ... and ya gotta check it out, because it's straight outta Mike's playbook.

If you've ever seen "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," the shark penis jokes should ring a bell ... and they're still funny, even 21 years later.

Quick science lesson ... male sharks have 2 penises, which are really just 2 grooved organs used to deposit sperm in the genital ducts of a sexually receptive female shark.

The organs are developed alongside the inner part of the shark's pelvic fin, and because there are 2 pelvic fins, there are 2 penises. Oh, and they only use one at a time.

Shark Week runs from Sunday, August 9-16 with more than 20 hours of shark programming through the week. The event will take viewers to oceans around the world to learn about the awesome creatures.

And, if the penis teaser is any hint, Discovery's right ... there's still A LOT you don't know.