‘Swamp People’ Troy Landry & Pickle Send Love To Late Co-Star
Viewers were introduced to a number of personalities through History’s Swamp People. However, there are also a few figures fans have had to say goodbye to. Recently. series stars Troy Landry & Cheyenne “Pickle” Wheat paid tributes to a friend who has passed on.
Fans Recently Saw Swamp People Return For Season 17, Complete With An Emotional Moment
On History’s Swamp People, viewers have seen various alligator hunters living and working along Louisiana’s Atchafalaya River Basin. The series premiered in 2010.
Troy Landry has been part of the series since its start. Cheyenne “Pickle” Wheat joined the series during its twelfth season.
Recently, the History series premiered its seventeenth season on January 7, 2026. During the following week’s episode, the gator hunters had to deal with flash flood waters, making it hard to hunt.
During the January 14 episode, Landry and Wheat found themselves having to adapt as they tried to make their 900 tags. Tryo adapted a Styrofoam method taught to him by the late Sterling Fryou.
As Swamp People fans may remember, Sterling had appeared on the show at times throughout the years. Tragically, he passed away back in July at the age of 88.
With this approach, the hook was passed through Styrofoam to keep the lines afloat. Troy hoped that using this technique could help pay tribute to Sterling. The technique paid off, with the two gaining a pile of alligators on Grand Lake, including a nine-foot gator.
Sterling Fryou Was Described As A ‘Local Legend’ During His Life
During the episode, Pickle confessed that she had seen Troy break down over losing various people in his life. She also felt it was her job to share the other side of Troy, as he didn’t like to be too open with his emotions, at least on camera.
Noting how much that Sterling’s technique saved the day, Troy admitted, “Mr. Sterling was watching over us today. I think we really made him proud.”
View this post on Instagram
An obituary for Fryou previously shared, “Sterling was a local legend. He was the “Bayou Man,” as proclaimed by a song written for him and performed by him on local radio.”
“Sterling was devoted to his beautiful wife, Pat, for over 64 years, and he looked forward to their reunion in heaven. He was also a loving father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, mentor, and friend. He loved his family and would beam with pride as he talked about them to anyone.”
Sterling was noted to have been an active member of his church, serving as a Eucharistic minister and a Knight of Columbus. He was also described as being “active in the community during his long and meaningful life.”
As the obituary noted, Sterling passed away on Friday, July 18, 2025, while being surrounded by his loving family. He was noted to be survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Have you been keeping up with Swamp People? What is your reaction to this emotional moment from the History series? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest reality TV and celebrity news.
- Insiders Talk Ryan Seacrest’s Health Amid Recent Weight Loss - February 8, 2026
- Insiders Talk Cardi B’s Clash With New England Patriot WAGs - February 8, 2026
- Drake Turned Down Super Bowl Halftime Spot, Forgets Revenge - February 8, 2026