Locked Up Abroad

I love the TV show Locked Up Abroad, which re-enacts real life experiences as told by the real life person. So you can imagine my excitement when the season premiere was approaching a month ago. The premise of the show, which airs on National Geographic Wednesdays at 10pm PST, is simple:

#1) You have been locked up

#2) You have to have been abroad during said "lock up"
#3) Every time an important fact is said, the camera freezes dramatically

Not required, but recurring themes on Locked Up Abroad are:

#1) A trusting Brit who is swayed to travel around the world by an stranger

#2) A slimy stranger that the Brits family doesn't trust and warn Brit against

#3) Drugs strapped to some part of Brits body as Brit boards plane

#4) Native thugs who meet Brit at airport

#5) Corrupt police department

#6) Prison sentences ranging from 7 years-45 years 

So imagine my surprise when I watched the first 3 episodes.

Episode #1

This was the retelling of a story of a former mafia snitch and the real life goodfella living in witness relocation. Although after being dropped from the relocation program due to a drug arrests, he was locked up (check).  However,  he was not abroad unless Washington State is no longer part of the United States. Now I missed the first 10 minutes of the show, so there is a possibility that at some point he was abroad, but that is beside the point.  But I continued to watch.....

Real life Goodfella

Episode #2
A Brit (check) falls in love with a recently separated Filipino woman via the Internet, travels to meet her, gets her pregnant and they are chased by her ex-husband, arrested for adultery and spend 2 nights in jail (OK, technically "locked up", but not by Locked Up Abroad standards). Growing concerned, I continued to watch......




Safely back in England...that's where he is.


Episode #3
A California near do well, falls into counterfeit money-ing and travels to Mexico (this is only an hour from where I live so it really doesn't count as "abroad")  to purchase steroids to resell in the US. Once caught trying to pass his phony money, he is arrested and spends 2.5 years in jail (check).
I vow I will give the show one more chance and tune in for.......

What could go wrong here?

Episode #4
A trusting Brit (check) agrees to a free trip from a stranger (check) she meets at a bar despite her sister advising her against the trip (check). Once she arrives in Mauritius (check) with a wedge sandal full of heroin (check) she is met by authorities who will let her off the 45 year prison sentence (check) if she can lead them to the local drug contact (check). When the police fail to catch the local thug, she spends 7 years in prison.

Seems pretty normal

Locke Up Abroad....you nailed it!