This week’s Swamp People was one big black cloud of electrical energy and boat-flooding rain. The episode, Hell Rains Down, is aptly titled and was no joke. We opened with dark clouds in the early morning and it went from bad to worse.
In the episode, the Edgar clan, Troy and Holden Landry and the Molineres all have big fat downed lines because the windy and stormy weather is driving in dead fish for the gators to feast upon.
But these men are flirting with electrocution due to their aluminum boats, or drowning in the whitecaps and rogue swells all around them. With Troy’s lack of a belt or a lucky donut breakfast, it looks grim.
Here are the biggest moments from Swamp People Season 9 Episode 5.
Troy and Holey nearly capsize
Troy summed it up there in that caption! He and Holey Boley were crapping themselves until they cleared the lake and got into the canal. But we jump ahead of ourselves.
In Pierre Part, the sudden tropical storm greets the King of the Swamp on the eighth day of gator season. Holden is scared and is man enough to say so, while Troy admits he also doesn’t like the look of the weather. But the show must go on and the lines are already baited, so off these two go.
Troy and Holey are fighting the chop on the lake, getting wind-whipped and soaking wet. But they land a nice 8-footer as the severe weather bears down even harder. Troy explains during their segment that the storm surge brings food to the gators and they will likely catch more but at a greater risk to their lives.
“I’m scared to death of lightning, it’s really really dangerous,” says Troy…standing on aluminum. Holden is unusually quiet as all this is going on.
There’s a short break between storm bands and the wind kicks up. They nab a 7-footer then all hell breaks loose.
Making matters worse, the bilge pump is suddenly failing on Troy’s boat as they hug the coastline avoiding the treacherous open water of the lake. The boat quickly fills up with water. Holey has manual pump duty while Nunkie navigates them to a calmer nearby canal and they head to the docks. Crisis averted…just.
Beautiful alligators and live wires for the Molineres
The papa-son duo RJ Molinere and Jay Paul Molinere are about 55 miles southwest in Houma. The weather is turning on them too, as they weigh the pros and cons of reeling in so many big gators, or face being electrocuted in their boat.
Like Troy and Daniel Edgar, the Molineres also try to outrun the storm.
But every time they look they have a huge live wire hanging from a baited line. They are racing to beat the storm but they are struggling with the bounty of good-sized gators to pull in.
Then, they have what RJ describes as a “beautiful alligator” on the line. But the rain really sets in. The two are racing to catch as much as they can before the rain gets worse. RJ is experienced in the ways of Louisiana severe weather events and calls it a day even with 25 lines hanging still.
As the storm clouds clear later, we see a rare glimpse and sweet side of Jay Paul that shows how RJ’s values have been filtered and passed down.
Jay Paul hangs with his adorable son and daughter who wants daddy to bring her a “baby alligator”. These two have a lot to live for and made the right decision to cut bait and come home, as they say.
Big T is da killing machine as Daniel ventures to the Gulf of Mexico
Well. You knew Big T had the stuff. This time no Tupperware of pork chops, but T’s sniper eye and nerves of steel coupled with his good cheer make him the breakout star of the season.
He and Mr. Daniel are heading out to the Gulf of Mexico while Joey and Dwaine hunker down at St. Mary’s Seafood.
The incoming storm is making waves and the tidal surge has their business at risk. The storm has the docks completely covered with water, and Dwaine says two more feet and their office will have water inside it!
The Edgar brothers listen in on the radio. Joey and Dwaine know from experience that they need to stay inside. But poppa D is way, way out 182 miles away with Big T. They’re taking a huge risk and you can tell Joey knows it.
For the first time, Daniel is hunting in the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. Practically in the open ocean, he and Big T are in danger as the storm worsens. They bag another 9-footer, but now they have to hide. It’s too late to get back home.
Big T is worried as they spot the storm advancing, yet they still stop to haul in one more. Big T and Daniel are also afraid of the lightning, so Big T makes jokes and rolls with it to ease Daniel’s anxieties. Just when they think they can get away, they get stuck on a sandbar.
Always ready to help, Big T aids Daniel in getting off the sand. The two hightail it back to the Venice Marina dock, losses be damned.
At Venice Marina, sunny skies finally pop out and greet Big T and Daniel, whose paltry numbers bums them out considering how big their gators were.
Next week, Harlan “Bigfoot” Hatcher is back! The storm that shellacked Houston and Southeast Texas inspire Troy Landry and RJ Molinere to jump into action and help their Swamp People friend in Fannett, Texas, which lays between Beaumont and Houston.
Hurricane Harvey hit the entire area with gobsmacking record-breaking rainfall, decimating Houston and the surrounding towns. The hurricane parked over the city and dumped an unheard of 60-plus inches of rain in a few short days.
Bigfoot is shocked that the two patriarchs are working together to help him, but they manage to get some good Texas-style gator hunting in while there.
See y’all next week!
Swamp People airs Thursdays at 9/8c on History.