How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
They had been shooting an Expedition Survival! in Cambodia when Derek had decided to play snake charmer with a spitting cobra…When Mr. Na saw what Derek was doing he leaped between Derek and the dangerous reptile just as it released a jet of deadly poison. (5.20)
Raven has seen it all… and she doesn't want to be reminded about it. Derek's foolish behavior could easily have lead to his death. Did he learn his lesson or does he try to forget like Raven?
Quote #2
Wahoo…made a pushing motion with both hands, a signal to back off. Either Derek didn't see him or pretended not to. The bite was a hissing blur. (5.58, 59)
Not having any common sense, Derek pokes at a large snapping turtle while his face is just a little too close. Do you think he sees Wahoo's warning?
Quote #3
With a cameraman on his heels, Derek wriggled forward and pounced with a triumphant cry upon Beulah. He locked both hands two feet below her head, which is just about the worst place to grab a snake. (5.88)
Ignoring Mickey's detailed directions about how to handle Beulah, Derek goes ahead and does whatever he wants… which gets him nowhere. Actually, he is lucky this time because the python was full and sleepy.
Quote #4
Somehow he wound up straddling her back, like a tipsy cowboy on a bronco. (7.93)
Yes, this is one of the most foolish stunts Derek does in the Everglades. He rides on Alice the gator and she bucks him off violently and starts thrashing around. We don't blame her. It is only because of Mickey that he survives this one… Is this guy lucky or what?
Quote #5
While shooting a program in Australia…Derek had ignored the local wrangler's warnings and tried to tackle a wallaby…the result: five broken ribs, a torn Achilles tendon, sixteen stitches in his scalp and five days in the hospital. (8.22)
Raven remembers so many foolish things Derek does even though it seems like Derek forgets right away. We think Derek is not cut out to be working with animals, so why is his show so popular?
Quote #6
The director was the opposite of psyched. Surviving the alligator scare obviously had inflated Derek's already-bloated ego and filled his head with foolish notions. (9.74)
Derek is excited about his new idea to work with only wild animals to make the show more realistic, and Raven is not the only one who knows better. Why doesn't anyone say or do something about it?
Quote #7
"Promise me you'll stay close to Derek," she said. "We cannot have a repeat of what happened with your alligator. Is that clear?"
"Lady, do I look like a bleeping babysitter?"
"He nearly died."
"Yeah, because he's a fool," Mickey said. "There's no known cure for that." (10.111-114)
Raven seems to blindly hope that someone else can continue to save Derek when he does something that might kill him. Why does she care to keep Derek safe while at the same time letting him do dangerous stunts?
Quote #8
To capture maximum drama on video, Derek wanted the real deal, wild and raw. The caution and common sense that would govern the actions of a clear thinking person were in his case overpowered by a blinding hunger for more fame and wealth. (12.127)
The narrator makes the move here to show us what is motivating Derek. Are his reasons for acting so foolish worth it? Obviously not, which helps us see how greed and mistaken priorities lead people into dangerous situations.
Quote #9
"Cheesecake," the chef replied.
…Derek beamed. "Hallelujah! Bring it to baby."
Firmly, Raven said, "One small slice for you." She was scoping out his gut, a bulging orb that threatened to bust the buttons off his safari shirt.
[…]
His attack on the cheesecake was a gross spectacle. Raven could only stare in disgust. (14.130-134)
Abusing animals and putting his life in danger are not the only ways Derek is foolish—gorging on sweets and over-eating are both foolish, too, and not only because he is already over-weight. The fame and wealth he cares so much about depend on him being a believable survivalist.
Quote #10
The mastiff bat that Derek Badger slowly lowered toward his gaping maw wasn't vicious. She simply didn't want to be eaten….She chomped down on the first chompable target that came within reach, which happened to be Derek's plump, purple-blotched tongue. (15.80-81)
The big mistake Derek makes that pushes the story into an intense adventure is when Derek tries to eat a live bat. It is this foolish decision that makes him sick with an infection and drives him to run away.