Coffee Importer Todd Carmichael Ups The Ante And Calculated Risks In Season Two Of Travel Channel's 'Dangerous Grounds'

Season two of Travel Channel's "Dangerous Grounds" just got more dangerous. Coffee importer and adventurer Todd Carmichael's big name clients are as demanding as ever. They send him to source the perfect coffee in the world's most dangerous places, from the Amazon jungles of Brazil to the conflict zones of Guatemala. Premiering on Tuesday, January 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, the critically acclaimed original series features Carmichael as he treks around the globe for his biggest clients including chef Jean Georges Vongerichten, chef Mario Batali, Starr Restaurants, Dean & Deluca, West Elm Stores and Four Seasons Hotels. For this self-made businessman who grew his company bean by bean, failure is not an option.

"'Dangerous Grounds' returns with an explosive season that pulls back the curtain on the hazards of sourcing coffee," said Andy Singer, General Manager, Travel Channel. "Expert Todd Carmichael gives viewers a look into a world unfamiliar to many. Avoiding mafia-like kingpins, walking through sniper crosshairs and being held at gunpoint are just a few of the tense situations he encounters on his quest for the ultimate coffee to close each deal."

In the one-hour premiere episode of "Dangerous Grounds," Carmichael heads to Mexico to find a rumored wine-like coffee in order to retain one of his key clients Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a premiere culinary talent in New York City. Carmichael's Philadelphia-based company, La Colombe, regularly does business with Jean-Georges. When he is suddenly on the verge of losing the account of his single biggest restaurant client, he must travel to Guerrero the most dangerous region in Mexico ruled by a ruthless drug syndicate known as Los Zetas. Carrying $20,000 in cash to purchase coffee from local farmers, Carmichael seeks out a local vigilante that can guide him to the special coffee. But when his vigilante contact ends up allegedly murdered, Carmichael quickly learns he must blend in with the locals to avoid a similar fate. With everything on the line, he must rely on new Mexican allies to discover the legendary coffee and return home with enough of it to close the deal with Jean-Georges.

Throughout the second season, Carmichael travels to remote locations in India, Nepal, Tanzania, Thailand and Uganda showcasing sites and cultures that few have even seen, let alone visited. These are places where things can get out of control in the blink of an eye. Whether sleeping under a truck to avoid being detected by highway robbers or hiring an ex-Soviet fighter pilot to drop him deep into the mountains, Carmichael takes calculated risks in order to bring his clients the best coffees in the world.

"Dangerous Grounds" is produced by Nancy Glass Productions for Travel Channel. For Nancy Glass Productions, the executive producer is Nancy Glass. The executive producer for Travel Channel is Bill Howard.

ABOUT TODD CARMICHAEL:
A thrill-seeker his entire life, Carmichael ran his first ultra-marathon at the age of 20 and soon after sailed solo across the Atlantic. In 2008, he set the still-standing world record for the fastest unsupported trek to the South Pole thirty-nine days, seven hours and forty-nine minutes. In addition to being an avid adventurer, he is also an active humanitarian. Carmichael's expedition to the South Pole raised a great deal of money for Orangutan Foundation International and he worked with the Clinton Global Initiative to raise considerable funds and awareness toward a coffee university in Haiti. He also developed a coffee blend with Leonardo DiCaprio, Lyon, of which 100 percent of the profits go to the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, funding wildlife protection, forest preservation, clean-water projects, disaster relief and climate-change research around the globe.

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