A flame-thrower that uses rabbit manure, a snipers nest and a home that can stay warm in -50F temperatures: The ever more elaborate survival plans of America's Doomsday preppers

  • ‘Preppers’ believe that the end of the world could be right around the corner
  • NatGeo's hit series Doomsday Preppers returns later this month with more stories about this ever-growing group of survivalists
  • As many as three million Americans are now believed to fall into the ever-growing group of 'preppers'

For the small but committed group of people know as ‘preppers’, the end of the world could be right around the corner at any moment.

Fortunately for the rest of us the National Geographic Channel's hit series Doomsday Preppers returns later this month with more stories about people who enjoy nothing more than planning how to protect their loved ones following some major catastrophic event that has us all doomed.

The series is NatGeo’s most popular show ever and the upcoming fourth season forgoes people with expensive and elaborate bunkers in favor of those who've developed such innovative and unusual lifesavers as a flame-thrower that uses manure and blankets made from dog’s hair.

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In Southern Arizona Nick Klein grimaces from the heat while firing his flamethrower which runs on rabbit manure

In Southern Arizona Nick Klein grimaces from the heat while firing his flamethrower which runs on rabbit manure

In the Appalachian Mountains Jane and Rick Austin begin removing their protective gear after completing their homemade pepper spray

In the Appalachian Mountains Jane and Rick Austin begin removing their protective gear after completing their homemade pepper spray

In Southern Missouri, Curtis embraces his granddaughter Kendall Clary on the archery range

In Southern Missouri, Curtis embraces his granddaughter Kendall Clary on the archery range

In Texas, Roger and Jenni Dougan work on their bunker

In Texas, Roger and Jenni Dougan work on their bunker

Amongst the people featured in forthcoming first episode is a retired soldier who has built a military-style command and control center in his home to protect himself from apocalyptic superstorms.

He believes communication is key and has a collection of 20-plus different radios.

Later in the series viewers will get to meet a man who is confident that an economic collapse is imminent and owns a warren of rabbits that he believes will give him all the food, fuel and fertilizer he needs to survive.

He's currently developing a system to grow vegetables from the waste of his rabbits and even built a rabbit-powered flame thrower to protect himself.

 
In Southern Arizona, Nick Klein and Don Kupper work on Nick's rabbit-poop fueled gasifier

In Southern Arizona, Nick Klein and Don Kupper work on Nick's rabbit-poop fueled gasifier

In Perris, California, the Jackling family eats MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) at the dinner table

In Perris, California, the Jackling family eats MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) at the dinner table

In Texas, food storage in Roger Dougan's bunker

In Texas, food storage in Roger Dougan's bunker

In Texas, Roger Dougan cuts a piece of metal while working on the hatch of his bunker

In Texas, Roger Dougan cuts a piece of metal while working on the hatch of his bunker

One woman featured in the show started preparing for a second Great Depression after she lost her job during the 2008 financial crisis. She has been stockpiling her dog's and goat's hair in order to make their own blankets and clothing.

In Montana a man has prepared for extreme climate change by building his home so that it can withstand temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another couple moved from Atlanta to rural Georgia to run a taxidermy business. But instead of stuffed animals, they have used their taxidermy skills to create camouflaged improvised explosive devices to protect their property.

The quality of their preparations is graded on the show by the consulting company Practical Preppers, who provide analysis and recommendations for improvements.

Doomsday Preppers has received varied reviews from the critics since launching in 2011.

In Southern Missouri, Matthew 'Badger' Wallis walks through the yard with his bow and arrow

In Southern Missouri, Matthew 'Badger' Wallis walks through the yard with his bow and arrow

Prepper gear sits in a backyard in Yukon, Missouri: As many as three million Americans are now believed to fall into the ever-growing group of survivalists

Prepper gear sits in a backyard in Yukon, Missouri: As many as three million Americans are now believed to fall into the ever-growing group of survivalists

In Butler, Georgia, Cindy Stewart shows off her arsenal of guns in her bedroom

In Butler, Georgia, Cindy Stewart shows off her arsenal of guns in her bedroom

In Grantsville, West Virginia, Rod Godfrey relaxes in his communications center which is strictly off-limits to unauthorized personnel

In Grantsville, West Virginia, Rod Godfrey relaxes in his communications center which is strictly off-limits to unauthorized personnel

In Perris, California, Josh and Rachel Jackling hose down their pigs

In Perris, California, Josh and Rachel Jackling hose down their pigs

The New York Times condemned it as an 'absurd excess on display and at what an easy target the prepper worldview is for ridicule,' noting, 'how offensively anti-life these shows are, full of contempt for humankind.'

But that didn't stop it from becoming the highest-rated show in the history of the National Geographic Channel, where it attracts a 60-percent male audience, with an average age of 44.

'You can’t always rely on the government or society to help you. The more people that are prepping minded, the better off we’ll all do,' said Jay Desai, who featured on one of the first shows.

As many as three million Americans are now believed to fall into the ever-growing group of survivalists.

  • Season four of Doomsday Preppers premieres Thursday, July 24, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on National Geographic Channel
In Frenchtown, Montana, Jimi Falcon exits one of the many hidden caves on his property

In Frenchtown, Montana, Jimi Falcon exits one of the many hidden caves on his property

In Grantsville, West Virginia, Rod Godfrey works on his natural gas well

In Grantsville, West Virginia, Rod Godfrey works on his natural gas well

In Perris, California, Josh Jackling harvests plants from his aquaponics gardening system

In Perris, California, Josh Jackling harvests plants from his aquaponics gardening system

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