As a new series of Mountain Monsters launched, the absence of Trapper left fans confused. So what happened to him?

Trapper, who is officially called John Tice, was nowhere to be seen when they released the new series of Mountain Monsters on Travel Channel.

He usually leads the AIMS crew alongside Jeff Headlee and Willy McQuillian, to uncover mysterious sightings of ‘monsters’.

So what happened to Trapper? Why isn’t he in the new series? Find out…

Who was Trapper?

Trapper, officially John Tice, 72, was best known as the founder and leader of the Appalachian Investigations of Mysterious Sightings team.

For almost 60 episodes, he led the team on Mountain Monsters.

Before the show, he had played football as a teenager before volunteering to be part of the United States Air Force.

Father and grandfather John was deployed to Vietnam in 1967, where he worked until 1968, receiving multiple honours for his service.

A new Mountain Monsters??? How can they go on without Trapper?

— Master Obi-Hahn (@obihahn) January 11, 2021

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What happened to Trapper?

  • Trapper passed away in December 2019

John died WVU Medicine Camden-Clark Medical Center, after a brief illness.

No details regarding the illness have been made publicly known, however it was reportedly ‘prolonged’.

He was surrounded by loved ones when he passed. His funeral then took place on December 21 at Ingram Funeral Home, St. Marys.

Five years ago, Trapper had a blood clot in his leg, which meant he had to leave the show. He then revealed that he had serious health issues.

Trapper later told his fellow co-stars that he’s “facing up to dying”.

Fans react to Trapper’s absence

It is very clear that Trapper no longer being on the show has left a hole in viewers’ hearts.

A brief scroll on Twitter saw many heartfelt messages shared by fans.

Some are relying on Jacob “Buck” Lowe to now fill Trapper’s boots.

Very emotional new #mountainmonsters episode. I loved watching the guys reminisce about their leader Trapper, and I’m greatly looking forward to the new season of Mountain Monsters

— Lotte (@LotteRosaVam) January 4, 2021

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Is Mountain Monsters scripted?

  • The crew reportedly act themselves most of the time

While reports have led us to the conclusion that Mountain Monsters isn’t scripted, theories around whether the show is real or fake still exist.

At the same time, some fans still claim the show is scripted.

In season 3, AIMS Head of Security member Huckleberry appeared hypnotized by a big foot known as ‘The Cherokee Devil’.

Some believe this really happened, but others are convinced it’s fake.

Going back to the first ever episode of Mountain Monsters, bones lying on the ground are believed to have come from a 500-pound wolf.

However, some thought the production team put the bones there themselves, and have questioned if the bones are even real!

Mountain Monsters as obviously fake as it is, undoubtedly, is a piece of modern day folklore brilliance

— 🙂 (@Nathe__) May 17, 2020

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