"Tiger King" star Bhagavan “Doc” Antle and Britney Spears go way back, didn't you know? It was recently discovered that the professional animal trainer and stars of the wildly popular Netflix docu-series, Tiger King: Murder, Madness, and Mayhem, was actually onstage during Britney's iconic performance of her hit song, "I'm A Slave 4 U," at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.
Although the performance is most memorable for the moment in which Britney has a Burmese python draped over her shoulders while she struts around on stage, there was also a live tiger involved, which was handled by Doc himself. The performance begins with a young Brit locked in a cage with the tiger before she breaks out onto the stage, and Doc can be seen in the background controlling the wild animal for the most of the performance.
“She was such a darling, totally just a fanatic person wanting a perfect performance,” Doc said about the then-19-year-old Britney. “We were there for several days rehearsing so that the tigers would be relaxed and happy to be out there and that everything could be smooth and taken care of as best as possible. She was there rehearsing and working—just the hardest working, sweetest young girl, out there making all the pieces click together.”
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“I have total confidence in that tiger. I knew him since he was a baby,” he continued. “He’s about seven years old right there [and at the] peak of his game. A super macho, aggressive male tiger. That’s the tiger that you go somewhere like that with because he cares less about the fireworks, the gas explosions, the banging music. He’s totally concerned with just holding his own and being cool.”
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The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.) founder and Myrtle Beach Safari owner says Britney's always welcome to visit the park, but he realizes that she may not be too keen on it right in the midst of all the drama surrounding the series. “Brit knows who we are and where we are,” he said. “Right now, I’m sure with the Hollywood vibe, she’d be afraid that it’s on fire with all of this crazy salacious, insanity that has been made into Tiger King.”
"Tiger King" Stars Doc Antle & Carole Baskin Have Strange Britney Spears Connections
"Tiger King" star Doc Antle was onstage with Britney Spears during her iconic performance at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, handling a wild tiger.
Britney Spears lit up the stage for an iconic performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2001, dancing alongside some exotic animals and carrying a snake around her neck. As Tiger King continues to blow up as one of the most riveting documentaries of the year, fans of the series noticed that one of the principal characters, Dr. Bhagavan Antle, was actually on stage with the pop star during the performance.
Newly resurfaced photos show Tiger King star Doc Antle in the background as Britney Spears sang her hit single "Slave 4 U" during the exotic-themed performance. The doctor is seen handling a giant tiger as Spears does her thing, getting ready to electrify the crowd.
Another shocking photo has also hit the internet, showing Britney Spears seated in the audience following her performance. Surprisingly enough, she was sitting right next to Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue and one of the most important characters in the doc.
Tiger King fans are going insane at the revelation that both Doc Antle and Carole Baskin were somehow involved in the iconic VMAs performance.
In other news related to the series, Joe Exotic has filed a $94 million lawsuit against the feds and one of his ex-husbands, John Finlay, has gotten new teeth since filming his parts for the show.
