A female perspective, by Michelle Neal
Out on game drive one evening, to the glorious surprise of us all, our guides took an unexpected turn toward a flickering campfire glowing in an open area among the South African bush. Around it stood perhaps the most breathtaking sight of our entire trip. The crew of Wild Earth, a live action production of African wildlife sponsored by National Geographic, mingled in their natural habitat. They’re extremely social creatures, laughing loudly and sharing stories of their epic adventures. We joined the group of young men, and us ladies did our best to stop the drooling. Gabby and Sadie are the only two who have ever actually watched the show among us students. They excitedly greeted their favorite celebrities, Scott Dyson and Brent Leo-Smith (the most beautiful species in all of Africa). The crewmembers inquired about our trip with great interest and enthusiasm, and we gladly answered their questions. Brent and Scott didn’t expect the flash flood of ogling females. They laughed with a hint of discomfort as we took turns taking pictures at their sides. The boys in our group rolled their eyes and whispered jokes about the ladies’ bizarre behavior, but they wouldn’t be complaining if they had a crowd of girls eagerly waiting to say hello! Leaving was like tearing off a band-aid – Lee had to do it quickly and unexpectedly. Us girls complained and stalled to the best of our ability, but the battle was lost. We returned to camp star struck and lovesick. There will be many more Wild Earth sightings in the near future for us to look forward to!
A male perspective, by Zach Drotos
For better or for worse we decided to join the Wild Earth film crew by their fire in the middle of Quarrantine Plains last night. I quickly came to the realization that it was, in fact, the latter: for worse. Some of the girls in our group did not need any encouragement to attach themselves like leeches to the “attractive” men of the crew (specifically Scott and Brent). A plague of giggles and smiles swept over them as they took selfies with these so called celebrities. Their love-struck disorder was a constant annoyance to those who were unaffected by the crew’s “hot-ness”. Only one thing was for certain for me; sleep could not come soon enough. I longed to be back in my room, in solitude, to disassociate myself from this hormonal chaos. Minutes felt like days as I waited for this living nightmare to come to an end. After about an hour, everyone dispersed and we went back to camp. I closed my door and closed my eyes; my wish became reaity, and I fell into a deep slumber.
Edited by Kersey Lawrence
