'Zombie Apocalypse' to document real Americans preparing for real zombies

After Max Brooks published "The Zombie Survival Guide" in 2003 he embarked on a press tour of American colleges. At each visit, he lectured the masses on what to do in case of a zombie pandemic, keeping a straight face and acting deadly serious the entire time.

It seems that some people missed the fact that his tongue was in his cheek.

Many Americans are actually preparing for the horde of ghouls seen in '28 Days Later' and hit shows like 'The Walking Dead.' Discovery Channel's upcoming unscripted reality special 'Zombie Apocalypse' focuses on four such Americans, following their beliefs in the possibility of a zombie plague and detailing the many steps each have taken to ensure they'll be prepared when the dead come a'knocking.

But this is Discovery, so it won't simply be another reality show where we're expected to poke fun at the whackos and feel better about ourselves (*cough*Honey Boo Boo*cough*). Along with the documentary about the quartet of would-be zombie-killers, 'Zombie Apocalypse' will look into the possibility of the zombie outbreak actually coming to pass. Headlines such as drug-induced cannibalistic attacks in Florida have put the reality of this question on several front-pages, and 'Apocalypse' will bring science to bear on the speculation.

The best part? The documentary is claiming that the zombie pandemic event is actually possible--although it leaves out the 'reanimation of corpses' portion of the myth. One of the experts involved with the project weighed in on the question:

"The most likely ideology for a zombie pandemic would be a viral outbreak, a mutated contagion most likely a virus,” says Dr. Steven Scholzman of Harvard Medical School. “Viruses are fascinating organisms and would be very effective at changing us into something approaching the zombies …  They use our DNA they rely on us to spread themselves, so it fits right into the model of zombie pandemic.”

The foursome of Americans featured in the show includes a mother who has transformed her home into a bunker and has trained her children to ward off a zombie attack and the founder of the Anti-Zombie Militia of Kansas. The documentary will not reveal the militia's secret location, where they have stockpiled a massive arsenal of deadly weapons. Nothing unsettling about that at all.

'Zombie Apocalypse' airs December 18 on Discovery.