The Buried Life

Premise

The series focuses on four friends (Ben, Duncan, Jonnie and Dave) as they travel across North America in a purple transit bus named "Penelope" to complete a list of "100 things to do before you die." For every item they try to complete on their list, they help a stranger achieve one of their dreams and encourage others to go after their own lists. Everywhere they go they ask the question: "What do you want to do before you die?" They have crossed off most of the numbers on their list. Ranging from asking a girl out to surviving on a desert island, the boys are always doing something different. It has been confirmed that The Buried Life will not be returning for a third season, but the boys are working with MTV on a new project.

Background

The Buried Life is a company formed by four university students from Canada. The four grew up in Victoria, British Columbia located on Vancouver Island. The idea for the name originated from an 1852 Matthew Arnold poem entitled "The Buried Life".

The project filmed its first full feature documentary in the summer months of 2006 (August) and 2007 (August to October). The documentary is titled The Buried Life: What Do You Want To Do Before You Die? It tells the story of four friends who make a list of 100 things to do before they die and their journey across North America to accomplish it. The film was shot in locales throughout Canada and the United States including: British Columbia, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington, D.C.

In 2007 The Buried Life was offered a television show in Canada but ultimately turned it down citing they were not willing to give up creative control of the project.

On April 18, 2009 an article in The New York Times announced that a serial television version of their documentary titled The Buried Life was chosen by MTV for development. The show was selected as a flagship reality program that would usher in MTV's shift away from the superficial content currently dominating the network's programming, toward the production of more socially conscious media, something the Times dubbed "MTV for the era of Obama."

In an interview with Shave Magazine, Dave Lingwood revealed that MTV first found the boys on YouTube and later reached an agreement with them whereby they would film, edit and cut all the material themselves and send MTV "the finished product and they just air it."

Awards and nominations

In 2012 The Buried Life's book titled "What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?" became a NYT #1 Best Seller, it remained on the list for 4 weeks.

In May 2012 after making a bet with their fans sent a copy of their book titled "What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?" into space.

In April 2012 The Buried Life organized and set the Guinness Book World Record for the biggest speed dating event in history.

In 2010, The Buried Life earned a nomination for the Do Something TV Show Award from the VH1 Do Something Awards. The Buried Life received a nomination for its efforts to encourage people to pursue their life goals.

After originally failing in their attempts to play basketball against the President, in the spring of 2010 The Buried Life finally crossed off Playing Basketball with Obama during a visit to the White House.

In 2010 The Buried Life appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show where they helped a young girl conquer her fear of heights.

In 2011, The Buried Life again earned a nomination for the Do Something TV Show Award from the VH1 Do Something Awards.

In October 2010 The Buried Life helped make a $100,000 donation to the World Food Programme (Fighting Hunger World Wide).

In October 2010 The Buried Life set the record for the largest roulette spin in Vegas history making a bet of $250,000 on black at The Golden Gate Casino. The previous record was set at $135,000 by radio personality Howard Stern.

In February 2011 The Buried Life were Nominated for the 15th annual Prism Awards. The PRISM Awards honor productions that are not only powerfully entertaining, but realistically show substance abuse and addiction, as well as mental health issues.

In July 2011, The Buried Life helped to make a $300,000 donation to The Keep America Beautiful foundation.

Cast

David Lingwood is a competitive break-dancer with a lust for life and adventure. He also briefly pursued a degree in sociology at Concordia University in Montreal. He was briefly married in Las Vegas, NV, crossing #91 off his bucket list: Get Married in Vegas. The marriage was later annulled.

Ben Nemtin grew up playing sports and continued with athleticism throughout high school. After graduating, he was selected as a member of the Canadian National Rugby Team, and also earned academic and athletic scholarships to attend the University of Victoria, where he attended as a science major who then made a switch to major in business.

Duncan Penn attended University of Victoria and later the John Molson School of Business, where he graduated with honors. After college he helped found a charity, OA Projects, which builds soccer programs for youth affected by war, and has made a positive impact on communities in Ecuador, Rwanda and Uganda.

Jonnie Penn is enrolled at McGill University in Montreal, with a double major in History and English Literature. He is currently attending Cambridge University. Jonnie was a winner at the Sacramento Film Festival by the age of eighteen. In addition, he was also selected to represent the country of Canada at the Oxford University Debate Championships.

The Book

"What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?" by The Buried Life, Jonnie Penn, Dave Lingwood, Duncan Penn and Ben Nemtin was published and released by Artisan Books on March 27, 2012. The illustrated paperback chronicles The Buried Life's ongoing journey to complete their list of 100 things and to inspire others to make their own list. "Our goal was to give people the feeling that you can do anything," said Jonnie Penn. "We started with that. We scribbled down the ones that moved us ... Some are sad, some are hilarious, some are scandalous. We wanted to get that balance.". The premise of the book surrounds list items sent to them by viewers. A select few were chosen and incorporated into the book as depicted by an artist. The book also contains personal accounts from Ben, Jonnie, Duncan and Dave, each explaining personal stories leading to the creation of the group. The book became a #1 New York Times Bestseller shortly after its release, crossing off number 19 on their list.

Their List

1.) Open the six o'clock news

2.) Lead a parade

3.) Get a tattoo

4.) Start a dance in a public place

5.) Go down a mountain on a long board

6.) Crash a party at the Playboy Mansion

7.) Plant a tree

8.) Ride a bull

9.) Destroy a computer

10.) Learn to fly

11.) Get a college degree

12.) Kick a field goal

13.) Help someone build a house

14.) Grow a mustache

15.) Get on the cover of Rolling Stone

16.) Drive across North America

17.) Start a huge wave

18.) Tell a joke on Late Night Television

19.) Write a bestselling book

20.) Get a song we've written on the radio

21.) Become a licensed minister

22.) Approach the most beautiful girl you've ever seen and kiss her

23.) Learn how to play an instrument

24.) Go to a rock concert in all leather

25.) Solve a crime or capture a fugitive

26.) Tell a judge: "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!"

27.) Give a stranger a $100 bill

28.) Send a message in a bottle

29.) Scream at the top of your lungs

30.) Make a big donation to charity

31.) Cut a ribbon at a major opening

32.) Get something named after you

33.) Compete in a Krump Competition

34.) Pay for someone's groceries

35.) Sing the National Anthem to a packed stadium

36.) Throw the first pitch at a major league baseball game

37.) Win and yell "Bingo!" at a Bingo hall

38.) Kiss the Stanley Cup

39.) Stand under a plane while it lands

40.) Make the front page of a newspaper

41.) Make a toast at a stranger's wedding

42.) Host a cooking show

43.) Become a knight for a day

44.) Catch something and eat it

45.) Sleep in a haunted house

46.) Do a sketch with Will Ferrell

47.) Get in the Guinness Book of World Records

48.) Accept a dare

49.) Take a stranger out to dinner

50.) Streak a field

51.) Climb a large mountain

52.) Go on a blind date

53.) Start a television show

54.) Donate blood

55.) Kiss Rachel McAdams

56.) Write an article for a major publication

57.) Spend a week in silence

58.) See a dead body

59.) Ask out the girl of your dreams

60.) Go paragliding

61.) Draw a mural

62.) Protest something you believe in

63.) Run a successful business

64.) Visit Folsom Prison

65.) Learn how to sail

66.) Design a shoe

67.) Make an important speech

68.) Swim with sharks

69.) Smash a guitar on stage

70.) Compete in a soap-box derby

71.) Take a kid on a toy shopping spree

72.) Throw a surprise party

73.) Make a music video

74.) Help deliver a baby

75.) Make a million bucks

76.) Go dog sledding

77.) Go to Burning Man

78.) Fall in love

79.) Dance with Ellen DeGeneres

80.) Meet the Lonely Island dudes

81.) Tour with a major band

82.) Win an award

83.) Street perform and make $100

84.) Run a marathon

85.) Throw the most bad-ass party ever

86.) Teach an elementary school class

87.) Pay off our parents' mortgage

88.) Escape from a deserted island

89.) Experience zero gravity

90.) Ride a roller coaster

91.) Get married (in Las Vegas)

92.) Learn how to surf

93.) Ride through the desert in a dune-buggy

94.) Party with a rock star

95.) Play ball with President Barack Obama

96.) Host a lemonade stand

97.) Be in a fight

98.) Race horses

99.) Host Saturday Night Live

100.) Go to space