Ever wonder what Doc Antle from Tiger King‘s own Sister Wives show would look like? Well, you’re not the only one. Since the hit Netflix reality series began streaming in March, viewers of both have noticed strong parallels between polygamist Doc Antle, the controversial zookeeper, and Kody Brown the plural-marriage patriarch.
Antle aka Bhagavan (his self-given moniker), is a break-out star among Tiger King’s motley crew of rednecks, meth addicts, and borderline personalities. Bhagavan considers himself the lord and master of all he surveys. However, let’s face facts: The guy is nothing without his harem of lady helpers. Just like Kody from Sister Wives, he’s surrounded by a compelling coterie of life partners who are striking individualists. However, Doc Antle seems to be having the time of his life, while Kody deals with domestic stress like moving and an unhappy marriage.
If Doc were lucky enough to snag his own reality show, it needs the perfect title to rake in the fans, while paying homage to the women. Given his penchant for big cats and saucy interns, Lion’s Pride would be a killer title. Who knows? Maybe if the show wound up on edgy FXX or Netflix they could even call it Doc’s Kitty Litter or P*ssy Galore. A bit much, you say? Well, not if you’ve seen Tiger King. Aside from a kicky title, Doc’s reality program would need as much, if not more, drama than fans have seen on Sister Wives. That’s easy since the women on both shows have quite a lot in common.
China & Meri
China is described by Doc Antle as his longtime partner and girlfriend. She’s been his ride-or-die since she was 17, and is the current director of the Miami facility. Meanwhile Meri wed Kody back in 1990 when she was just 19-years-old. Despite her husband’s subsequent relationships, their rocky union, as well as her emotional affair with a person who wound up catfishing her, Meri has stuck by her family’s side. Both she and China have respectively been the more prominent partners in their significant others’ lives. Not only that, but both of them have likely had to defend their relationships to others who just don’t understand.
Moksha & Robyn
Moksha, whose real name is Meredith, seems to hold a special place in Bhagavan’s heart. He described her as his girlfriend “with the big teeth and bright, big smile.” That parallels Kody’s wife Robyn. His fourth bride came along and became the glue that holds the brood together. She, too, is very smiley, and exudes an ease that endears her to different people.
Rajani & Janelle
Sister Wives fans love (or loathe) Janelle for the “just grin and bear it” way she handles family drama. Instead of dragging everything into the light and dealing with it, Janelle sweeps it all under the rug. She won’t confront something that doesn’t feel right, because why get all emotional when it’s not necessary? Meanwhile, Rajani was referred to by Doc as “the little Italian lady” who is very particular about her house and her face time with her man. Both she and Janelle are fairly direct about their needs so that they won’t have to whine, complain, and constantly remind everyone of them later.
Barbara Fisher & Christine
Probably one of the more compelling moments in Tiger King was when Barbara, a former intern at Doc Mantle’s Myrtle Beach Safari, spoke out about her time with the organization. Fisher arrived as a teenager back in 1999, and stayed until 2007. She noted that one of the things that first attracted her to the zoo were the photos and various advertisements that told of training animals using yoga techniques, while allowing caretakers to become one with the wildlife. Similarly, Christine is Kody’s down-to-Earth mama. She and Barbara have something bigger in common: They won’t tolerate baloney. Barbara was so over the zoo life that she bolted, singing like a canary to Tiger King‘s producers years later. Meanwhile, Christine is the embodiment of “Don’t @me, bro!” She’s not taking crap from anybody.
