MANILA, Philippines - Robbie and Stephen Keszey will tell one that running their family business really bites — the Keszeys risk their lives on a daily basis working with wild and dangerous animals deep in the swamps of Florida. Robbie is a veteran of the ’80s metal scene who is passionate about all things scaly, while Stephen is a former New York City bartender who is more comfortable hailing a cab than handling a snake. The pair returns to Animal Planet next month, getting down and dirty with the reptiles in brand-new episodes of Swamp Brothers. It will premiere on July 2 at 9 p.m. with encores Mondays at 3 p.m., Wednesday nights at 7 and Saturday nights at 10.
Robbie and Stephen run Glades Herp Farms, Florida’s largest reptile sanctuary and exotic reptile dealership. Their farm also houses Florida’s International Teaching Zoo, which is full of rare species from around the globe and brings in a constant stream of new and different animals each month. In each episode, the brothers put themselves on the line to protect the most unusual of creatures — from venomous snakes to aggressive crocodilians.
The swamp brothers didn’t set out to work with slithering, sharp-toothed animals. As a child, older brother Robbie loved two things: Music and wildlife. After high school, he moved to L.A. to play bass in a rock band, living a life of excess on the Sunset Strip. Eventually realizing his true passion was for wildlife and reptiles, Robbie moved to Florida and Glades Herp Farm, bringing with him his rock ’n roll attitude and a penchant for living on the edge. Today, Robbie is a skilled expert in all herpetofauna, especially crocodilians and venomous snakes, where he can continue to teach people to conserve and respect animals — and his goal is to one day take what he has learned on the farm and open his very own teaching zoo, where he can continue to teach people to conserve and respect animals.
Stephen, on the other hand, is a pure city boy at heart who headed straight to the Big Apple after graduating from university. During his 14 years in New York, Stephen held his dream job as a bartender, where drinking, telling jokes and flirting with girls were all in a day’s work. When Robbie asked Stephen to help him expand the business, Stephen initially was not thrilled to leave the big city life, especially to spend all his time around dangerous animals. Overly cautious by nature, Stephen concedes that where reptiles are concerned, he always bows to the expertise of his brother.