Upfronts 2014: Nat Geo Greenlights New Food-Themed Series

National Geographic Channel will look to build on its "smartainment" lineup with several new shows, along with a move into the food/cooking genre with two new series, the network announced Wednesday during its upfront presentation in New York.

Nat Geo, which set a viewership record in 2013 on the strength of original series such as Brain Games and its original movie Killing Kennedy, will expand its "smartainment" science/entertainment-based programming with several new series.

Crowd Control, which features several innovative and fun science experiments that can manipulate the behavior of people, and You Can't Lick Your Elbow -- featuring former-NFL star and now CBS studio analyst Tony Gonzalez and focusing on body tricks like holding your breath for four minutes -- will join returning series Brain Games and None Of The Above on the Nat Geo lineup, said network officials.

Other new shows include Meat Heads, which chronicles the travels of chef Eric Greenspan who heads across the country to find meaty recipes; Cabin Fever, which follows a family of builders who create log cabin dwellings; The Primitives, which follows families that live off the land; and Remote Survival, in which individuals are dropped in the middle of nowhere with only a two-way headset to guide them through the wilderness.

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R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.