DVD available at Amazon.com
Created by
Jeff Tremaine, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Dimitry Elyashkevich & Sean Cliver
Cast:
Chris Pontius…Host
Steve-O….Host
Wee-Man….Recurring Guest
Johnny Knoxville….Recurring Guest
Manny Puig….Predatory Animal Expert
Paramount Home Video presents Wildboyz: Season 3 & 4. 16 episodes on 3 DVDs. Unrated. Original airdates: Mar. 11, 2005 – Feb 24, 2006. DVD released Sept. 12, 2006.
The Show
With the cancellation of the mindless stunts spectacular known as Jackass on MTV, Steve-O and Chris Pontius went in a direction that gave them a lofty excuse for their bad behavior: educational programming. They became the hosts of a global animal show that put the wild back in Wild Kingdom.
What kid isn’t fascinated by nature programs on TV? Who didn’t spend a couple hours watching Marlin Perkins and Jacques Cousteau exploring wildlife around the world? But instead of merely spying on nature like Marlin & Jacques, Chris and Steve-O clash with nature. No matter how out of control Jack Hanna gets, he never puts on a jock strap – cup included, of course – and lets a goat ram him in the nuts. Not that a majority of the home viewers wouldn’t enjoy such a sight.
The key to Wildboyz is that these guys do what we wish Joan Embrey would have done to Johnny Carson. I always wanted to see Marlin send Jim Fowler into the jungle dressed as a scratching post so that a Tiger would hump him. This is a nature show made for drunk guys by drunk guys.
Besides dealing with animals in their indigenous environment, the show exposed the cultural peculiarities and customs of the local folks. Steve-O and Chris might come off as the Ugly Americans during these interactions, but the locals always have the last laugh. Like Steve-O puking all over the place having eaten the native delights, or pounding down the local booze. Haven’t you wanted to see Rachel Ray vomit her guts out on the Food Channel? We even see Steve-O puke in zero gravity. That’s educational, right? The third season episodes include “Louisiana,” “India II,” “Indonesia,” “Brazil,” “Kenya,” “India III,” “The Deep South” and “Mexico. The fourth season contains “Argentina,” “Thailand,” “Russia,” “California,” “Mexico II,” “Argentina II”, “Thailand II” and “Russia II.” You get to see the world through the worst traveling buddies in the universe.
The stunts they pull with the wild animals are completely over the top. A bear licks honey off Steve-O’s chest. Chris kisses the hood of a King Cobra. They run with the bulls and someone gets hooked with the horns. The boys play twister with alligators. They stay in a hammock while lions collect beneath them. Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville dress up as a llama and get humped by a horny elk. This elk is such a stud that even when they break the suit in half, the elk still climbs up on Steve-O’s rear for one last romp. Plus there’s a visit to a beach where killer whales can sneak up onto the shore to nibble on seals that must be seen.
In the wake of Steve Irwin’s death, it’s hard to watch Wildboyz without thinking that at any moment Steve-O could be slaughtered by the lions, tigers and bears. But he survives. How does Steve-O breathe oxygen while the Croc Hunter decays? He appears to be the missing link between man and cockroach. We’re never going to be rid of him.
I don’t quite get how we’re to believe that this show is made under the supervision of professionals. What’s professional about having an alligator bite you on the ass? Would an unsupervised amateur have the alligator bite them on their genitals? While Manny Puig is the expert about dealing with the dangerous animals, there are times when he looks like he’s pooped his pants from the stunts. When Manny and the boys get attacked by a tiger that eats their rubber raft, he doesn’t look like a professional in control of the set. Who needs professionals when you have a pack of “wild” misfits that are willing to do anything to create entertaining footage?
Even though the box claims “Unrated,” they’ve still blocked out the nudity. This is a shame cause we don’t get a good view of the guy who pulls a compact car with a chain attached to his wiener. Most of the salty language has been restored. It’s only fitting that a man getting bit by snakes gets to cuss like a sailor. This is the perfect show for people who wished Marlin had dropped acid and then went to mess with the gorillas in the mist.
The DVD
Video
While the picture is letterboxed for 1.78:1, it’s full screen.
Audio
The soundtrack is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. There’s commentaries on each episode from the cast and crew. They sound like they might have been drinking. No subtitles.
The Extras
Outtakes (14:32) – The essential outtake has Tony Hawk taking a nasty tumble. The skateboard legend, dressed in a monkey suit, hits a pipe, goes airborne and comes down hard. Remember kids that a fur monkey hat is not the same as a safety helmet. I’ve never seen Hawk with his melon bleeding like this. Shame it didn’t make it into the show to be a real “don’t try this at home” warning. There’s expanded footage of the boys wearing a llama costume and being humped by an Elk in a heavy petting zoo.
Bonus Segments (36:50) – There’s almost two episodes stashed in these deleted moments. The boys get drunk on vodka with a pack of insane Russians. Steve-O gets stoned while wearing a dress. When I say “stoned,” he gets rocks thrown at him by Mexicans. The boys get thrown into a Mexican jail wearing only swim trunks, but it can’t keep them from partying. They meet a Thai woman covered in scorpions. It’s easy to see why MTV2 didn’t want to air Chris saying, “In Thailand, it’s amazing what you can get a chick to do for cash.” They bob for crawfish. The boys catch catfish with their hands. There’s an educational demonstration on how to get a thick gold necklace off an alligator. The king bonus segment is when the boys drop leeches into their underwear. They did it because they knew the viewers would want to see it.
Wild Boyz: Over and Out (25:59) – This is was a special which gave Chris and Steve-O a chance to discuss their experiences over the four seasons. Plus we get to spend time with Jeff Tremaine, the mastermind behind the Jackass empire.
Top 10 Wildboyz Moments (24:21) – Think this is the second half of the wrap up special. The moments aren’t presented in a true Top 10 list. A lot of the great moments include projectile vomiting.
Photos – A batch of snapshots taken around the globe.
