Like Tiger King 2, Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story has failed to impress viewers, losing the charm and magic from the first series that made it a viral sensation. This series focuses on Bhagavan Antle, the big-cat trainer, operator and owner of Myrtle Beach Safari. As the third part of the Tiger King story, it is the most lacklustre offering yet.

Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story takes an in-depth look at the life of Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle, including his earlier years when he sought to gain ‘spirituality’ under the guidance of Indian spiritualist and Yogaville community founder Swami Satchidananda Saraswati. Swami Satchidananda Saraswati’s influence on Antle’s lifestyle is quite apparent. Antle admires Saraswati and tries to emulate him. Perhaps one of the better parts of this documentary focuses on the alleged sexual misconduct and paedophilia that both Saraswati and Doc Antle are supposedly involved in.

The documentary delves deep into the operational side of Doc Antle’s Myrtle Beach Safari, particularly the cultish culture within the safari. This is important as even Joe Exotic used a scaled-down, less refined version of Doc Antle’s model to start up The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, which was shut down by the end of Tiger King following Joe’s arrest. The most interesting part of the documentary is meant to focus on Doc Antle and how he managed to create a cult-like model of business. Also, how Exotic was able to copy it.

One of the major reasons for the lacklustre nature of Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story is the fact that most of the issues brought forth by this series have already been covered in Tiger King, and Tiger King 2. Despite taking a closer look at Antle’s lifestyle and operations, his existence continues to be dominated by Joe Exotic and Swami Satchidananda Saraswati’s sexual misconduct.

With testimonies from former T.I.G.E.R.S employee Barbra Fisher, and Antle’s ex-’wives’ Sumati Steinberg and Radha Hirsch, the documentary attempts to expose the paedophilic nature of Antle’s and Saraswati’s cult operations. This is rather interesting as Antle claimes to have been ‘single’ since his actual wife passed away in a car crash several years ago, barely acknowledging the women that he is accused of having wronged. However, despite the testimonies being an important and one of the less gaudy moments of the documentary, it regurgitates the information that is already available.

One of the major factors in the lacklustre nature of Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story is the fact that most of the issues brought forth in the series have already been covered in Tiger King and Tiger King 2. Despite taking a closer look at Antle’s lifestyle and operations, his role in the documentary is continually dominated by Joe Exotic and Swami Satchidananda Saraswati’s sexual misconduct. Also, the prior series have dulled the shock that comes from seeing the cult-like conditions at T.I.G.E.R.S.

Comprising three episodes,Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story is a let-down, especially in comparison with Tiger King and Tiger King 2. It is repetitive and most attempts at garnering interest tend to fall flat as the controversies and mysteries surrounding Antle have already been covered before. Considering it fails to create an impact like its predecessors, it would be safe to give this documentary a miss.

The author is a staff member.