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ANIMAL PLANET PLUNGES INTO SECOND SEASON OF THE WET, WILD AND WACKY WORLD OF AQUARIUM BUILDING IN “TANKED”

This Season Features Quirkier Characters, Bigger Builds and Drama Galore

January 13, 2012

Contact - Melissa Berry
Manager, Publicity
240.662.2946
Contact - Brian Eley
347-967-9080

(January 13, 2012, Pasadena, Calif.) - Wayde King and Brett Raymer are back, and they are making outlandish dream tanks a reality for their fish-loving clients. This dynamic duo goes above and beyond to fulfill their clients' requests, often putting themselves into some amusing situations to get the job done. For one extraordinary aquarium, Wayde and Brett reluctantly attend a yoga class to get ideas on how to create a serene atmosphere to theme a headboard tank for a bed that will be a showroom centerpiece at the world's largest furniture store. After initially thinking yoga "isn't real exercise," they learn just how hard it is as they work up a sweat, struggle with poses and constantly fail in limbering their minds and bodies to spark their creativity.

Thanks to many of Brett's big ideas and his inability to resist blurting them out before consulting Wayde, the guys end up facing a number of unusual obstacles over the course of the 20-episode, brand-new season of TANKED, premiering on Animal Planet this April. The first set of 10 new episodes airs this spring and the remaining 10 are slated to air later in this summer.

This season, the guys must wade into the deep end to come up with creative solutions for some of the most outrageous and challenging builds they've ever tackled. Some of the incredible tank builds that put Wayde, Brett and their crew to the test include the following:

  • A jellyfish tank for a sub-freezing bar at Mandalay Bay
  • A working pinball machine tank
  • A 650 gallon headboard
  • A mobile school bus tank
  • A giant nail polish dryer fish tank for a manicure salon
  • A functional refrigerator tank
  • A tank in the shape of the KISS band logo
  • A shark tank for the home of actor and comedian Tracy Morgan along with builds for other celebrities and notable personalities

"We've had our share of crazy requests over the years, but some of the tanks we are building this season are really beyond anything we've done before, which is really exciting for us," says Wayde King, CEO, Acrylic Tank Manufacturing. "The sheer size and complexity of some of these tanks is mind-boggling and when we reveal them to the clients and to the audience, I think they will be astonished at what we've created."

Although consummate jokesters, for Wayde and Brett working in the raucous world of aquarium building isn't all fun and games. Between managing demanding clients, meeting tight deadlines and experiencing the intricacy of the builds and the drama that come with running a family business, Wayde and Brett have their work cut out for them. Plus for this twosome, being business partners, brothers-in-law, best friends and constant rivals add to the hilarity and hijinks that often ensues.  Truly a family affair, they are joined by Heather, Wayde's wife and Brett's sister; Brett and Heather's father, Irwin known as "The General"; along with Robbie "Redneck," Agnes and a crafty team of designers, engineers, installers, cleaners and builders - creating one big, bold and dysfunctional family.

As co-owners of Las Vegas-based Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM), one of the country's leading and most successful builders of aquariums and two of Sin City's most imaginative businessmen, Wayde and Brett are tasked with building some of the biggest and most awe-inspiring tanks and aquariums for top celebrities, luxury hotels, Fortune 500 businesses, private homes and millionaire homeowners. These enormous and ingeniously designed tanks are filled with amazing aquatic wildlife from around the world. Not only do Wayde and Brett build tanks in Las Vegas, the team's clients are all across the country.  Wayde and Brett create and install complex tanks at an array of locations including a nail salon, a miniature golf course, furniture and appliance stores, offices, hotels, casinos, colleges and universities, and bars and restaurants.  ATM takes on more than 200 projects every year with tanks ranging from 50 to 50,000 gallons in size. They build tanks for celebrities, businesses and average Joes, and their aquariums and their businesses are filled with the most exotic, unusual, colorful and dangerous fish in the world.

TANKED is produced for Animal Planet by Nancy Glass Productions.  Nancy Glass and Eric Neuhaus are the executive producers and Michele Loschiavo is co- executive producer for Nancy Glass Productions, and Melinda Toporoff is the executive producer for Animal Planet.  TANKED was developed by Animal Planet's Charlie Foley.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.