June/July 2010

It has been a crazy few months! I have been hard at work on several projects!

My new series “Wild Nights With Mireya Mayor” took me to some pretty wild places and will premiere on Nat Geo Wild on Monday August 9! The hours were grueling but I worked with a terrific crew and the locals were great fun!

I’ve also been working on a memoir “Pink Boots and a Machete: My Journey From NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer” which will hit bookstores on March 15, 2011! I have been scouring my journals and reliving all of my most fun, dangerous and exciting moments in the field.

I also traveled to the Gulf to film a one hour documentary which will air on Nat Geo Wild in the Fall. It was heartbreaking to see the impact the oil spill has had on the wildlife and the people there.

I will be back on soon to post some more updates, but until then…keep it wild!

May 2009

This is an incredibly exciting time in my life. “Expedition Africa”, my new series airing on the History Channel premieres on May 31^st at 10pm, is a project that I most proud of. The series, produced by Mark Burnett, realized my dream to walk in the footsteps of Stanley and Livingstone, two of the most acclaimed and pioneering explorers of all time. It also gave me the opportunity to work with two elite and accomplished modern day explorers, an acclaimed war correspondent and an A list team of producers and crew.

We had no modern technology on this journey, carrying only maps and a compass to help get us across Tanzania. As if that weren’t challenging enough, we (the expedition team members) had never met until we were in Zanzibar and the expedition began. Turns out that we all have very different styles of leading, but one thing in common: Type A personalities. Needless to say that our strong opinions coupled with exhaustion, dehydration, hunger and Africa and its dangers as a backdrop led to many, if not constant, moments of tension and conflict. But in the end, it was a life changing experience and one that I would do again in a heartbeat.

Though the journey was long and hard, it was filled with amazing and life changing moments. As a modern day explorer I was tested physically and mentally every step of the nearly 1,000 miles we covered. And even though I have spent more than a decade exploring and studying the wildlife of the most remote corners of the world, nothing could have prepared for what I would experience on this expedition. The terrains we covered, each brought its own beauty and challenge to the forefront, and the wildlife we encountered was unbelievable. Images of giraffes and elephants passing us at sunset and pools of hippos basking in the sunlight jog my memory daily. I saw more deadly snakes than on any previous expedition and fondly recall sitting by the fire with the team listening to the lions growl at night. Spending time with and getting to know the indigenous culture of the Massai Warriors that trekked with us was among my favorite of experiences. The experience as a whole: simply amazing.

I have had a very busy month with media related events, doing lots of press interviews to promote the show. I was very excited to see the trailer at the movie theatre, and look forward to seeing the 30×50 foot 3D video walls in NY.

This series is epic, reminiscent of “Lawrence of Arabia”, filled with reality in the raw, rich history and adventure. Oh yes, and lots of drama. I hope you enjoy Expedition Africa and that you fall in love with the continent, it’s land and it’s people, as much as I do when I’m exploring it.