Travel Channel's Mountain Monsters Hosting Tribute to Late Star "Trapper" Tice

Travel Channel's Mountain Monsters isn't only known for chronicling mythical beasts, but it also features a host of colorful characters, with fans devastated to learn that John "Trapper" Tice passed away last December. Despite his passing, its clear that the figure's legacy will live on for quite some time, with an upcoming special set to pay respects to Trapper's contributions to the field, featuring the Appalachian Investigations of Mysterious Sightings team sharing their favorite memories and investigations with Trapper. Audiences can tune in to Mountain Monsters: A Tribute to Trapper, premiering on Sunday, January 3rd at 10 p.m. ET on the Travel Channel.

Per press release, "The surviving members meet up for the first time after Trapper's passing to discuss the team's future and embark on adventures during seven one-hour episodes and a two-hour season finale of Season Five of Mountain Monsters, premiering on Sunday, January 10th at 10 p.m. ET. The AIMS team reads a personal letter from Trapper and heads out on a brand new adventure that he set up for them before he passed. Equipped with his personal journal filled with everything he ever learned about the woods, the team travels to the mountains of the Tygart Valley on a mission to prove that there are still wolves in West Virginia. A bounty put on them, and the last wolf was said to have been killed in 1900. The team encounters local farmers who tell of a dangerous predator that has been killing their livestock. The team soon believes that not only are there wolves in the Tygart Valley, but there is something much more mysterious and deadly.

"After the tragic loss of Trapper, we recognized the importance of finding a way to celebrate his life with our AIMS-obsessed fans and then continue his mission," Matthew Butler, general manager, Travel Channel, shared in a statement. "What makes the new season so special is that the squad was eager to carry on Trapper's legacy and head back to the forest, set on following his life's work including intense hunts, thrilling twists, and hillbilly hilarity."

Throughout the season, the team learns from locals of massive K9 cryptids with glowing red eyes that inhabit the land and are known by locals as Smoke Wolves. As they dig deeper, they realize that Trapper in fact knew about these creatures back in the 1970s. The team spends time trying to figure out if this is what Trapper meant about the wolves of West Virginia. Then, to add to the monster fun, the team realizes there is a Bigfoot lurking, terrorizing the area as well.

By the end of the season, the team understands why Trapper sent them to the Tygart Valley. They come full circle as Trapper's daughter is filled in on their incredible findings. And Huckleberry has a Bigfoot surprise for the ages in a twist ending no one sees coming.

Tune in to Mountain Monsters: A Tribute to Trapper, premiering on Sunday, January 3rd at 10 p.m. ET on the Travel Channel.

Will you be checking out the special tribute? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!