Plot Synopsis

Two taxidermists -- one of the show's four highly-regarded Immortalizers and one challenger -- compete against each other to create one-a-kind pieces, as a panel of three judges determine a winner based on three criteria: originality, workmanship and interpretation of the designated theme. Whether they're creating a work of art that portrays a leaping cat harvesting a quail in mid-flight or a piece that includes a wolf, a fox, and a raccoon all running for their lives, these taxidermists showcase their creative interpretation, as they attempt to impress the judges. Each 30-minute episode features one of these Immortalizers: Beth Beverly, Philadelphia's premier rogue taxidermist, who believes that taxidermy can be fashion and whose regal taxidermy dog won Best in Show at the 2011 Carnivorous Night in Minnesota; Dave Houser, a Pennsylvania native, who specializes in waterfowl and game birds at Truetolife Taxidermy, his shop that he opened in 1996; Page Nethercutt, a second-generation taxidermist from Pamlico County in North Carolina, where he has a full-time studio, Moore's Swamp Taxidermy; and Takeshi Yamada, part of a family with a proud samurai lineage in Osaka, Japan, who operates the Freak Baby Museum and the Museum of World Wonders. The judges are Catherine Coan, an artist, taxidermist, and professor of creative writing and art history; Brian Posehn, a comedian, actor and writer of acclaimed feature films and sitcoms; and Paul Rhymer, who spent 25 years at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History.