Wildboyz

Format

Wildboyz follows the antics of Chris Pontius and Steve-O, as they travel around the globe. Over the course of 4 seasons, Pontius and Steve-O have traveled to 19 different locations. At each location, the pair would both interact with the wild as well as learn the culture of the natives. Some of their antics include dressing up and running with the animals they encounter, subjecting themselves to the defense mechanisms of the animals, and eating the food of the native cultures.

The dangerous nature of the stunts arguably outstrips that of either Jackass or another similar spin-off, Viva La Bam. In the course of the show, Steve-O has purposely subjected himself to the relatively mild sting of the emperor scorpion on more than one occasion, and Pontius has nearly been attacked by a wild jaguar and has been bitten by a black bear. One of their most dangerous stunts showed the boys attracting a great white shark while disguised as seals, then later jumping into the open water just 10m away, as well as placing dangling meat attached to a hammock to attract wild lions. In another dangerous stunt, the pair dressed up as fake zebras in the Sahara near a lion den. The supposed sport of "hyena football" also made its debut, which in its earliest form was nothing more than a game of keep-away with a pack of spotted hyenas using smoked ham as a ball. The "sport" according to its founders, "deserves Olympic status".

Despite the crude humor, the show has educational value, as it features accurate narrations of various animals and indigenous cultures. What separates Steve-O and Chris Pontius from their animal show-host colleagues is their complete fearlessness despite their lack of training. This recklessness is also seen in their willingness to interact with the various cultures that they come in contact with. Steve-O and Chris seem open to any new experience, which has given them a chance to experience rituals and partake in events that a typical visitor or tourist may not be privy to. This has made them very popular with both animal and comedy lovers alike.

Several members of the Jackass cast and crew have contributed assistance to the show. The director of Jackass, Jeff Tremaine, returns as director and executive producer of Wildboyz. Cameraman Dimitry Elyashkevich also serves as the Director of Photography as well as executive producer for the show. Manny Puig, a wild animal expert who appeared on Jackass several times, occasionally joins the Wildboyz on their adventures. Fellow Jackass cast members Johnny Knoxville and Wee-Man also make occasional appearances on the show.

End

The show ended in 2006, after four seasons. The reason for not making a fifth season came after the death of Steve Irwin, on which Pontius and Steve-O commented, saying "If this could happen to him, and he's a professional, we've got to look out for our own safety." Steve-O's memoir, Professional Idiot, makes no reference to Steve Irwin's death as factor leading to the end of Wildboyz. Steve-O writes instead that,

"...Wildboyz probably could've kept going after Season 4. It just didn't seem like there was a point. Over time it had essentially evolved back into Jackass. During our final trip to Russia there were no stunts that wouldn't have fit in just as easily on Jackass. Knoxville came along on that trip too, which contributed even more to that vibe."

In all 32 episodes were produced, more than its predecessor Jackass.

Though no proper series finale was created, the concept of Wildboyz was somewhat revisited during Jackass Number Two, which was filmed after Wildboyz had ended. Jackass 2.5, director Jeff Tremaine says, "We shot some of the most amazing stuff [for Wildboyz] we've ever made. And so one of the ideas with Number Two was to recreate some of the best things we ever shot for Wildboyz. Unfortunately, it didn't always work out."

"The Fish Hook" sketch in Jackass Number Two featured Wildboyz stars Pontius, Steve-O and frequent collaborator Manny Puig, fishing for sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. The sketch involved Pontius fishing with Steve-O as his bait, and in order to attach himself to Pontius' fishing line Steve-O put a fish hook through his cheek. The sketch ended after Steve-O kicked a mako shark in the head. During the commentary for Jackass Number Two, Jackass/Wildboyz cameraman Dimitry Elyashkevich jokingly called the sketch "Wildboyz: The Movie!".

The "How to Milk a Horse" sketch was in fact filmed for Wildboyz, according to Jeff Tremaine in the director's commentary for the DVD release, but due to its questionable content (Steve-O, Pontius, and Knoxville obtained a sperm sample from a studded horse, which Pontius proceeded to drink) Tremaine said that it would never have aired on MTV.

Additional footage captured during the filming of "Jackass Number Two" also followed a "Wildboyz" style format. These sketches can be seen in Jackass 2.5.

A balloon is placed between Steve-o's butt and is popped by the bite of an eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

Chris Pontius is bitten on the nose by a snapping turtle in a scene identical to one filmed for Wildboyz.

Wee Man runs through the streets of India with dozens of other short men all dressed in blue with orange wigs, chasing Preston Lacy, and vice versa.

Steve-o drinks beer off the fingernails of Shridhar Chillal, an Indian man alleged to have the longest fingernails in the world. Steve-o throws up repeatedly, upsetting the many Indian actresses on set.

One sketch was designed to display all Indian stereotypes in one scene. After much searching for a talent to perform this skit, Ehren McGhehey agrees reluctantly. He lies on a bed of nails wearing a turban with a cobra in a basket on his chest. He is surrounded by Indian snake charmers, a painted elephant, and Wildboyz stars Pontius and Steve-o.

In a sketch dubbed by director Jeff Tremaine to be "the ultimate failed bit,"Jackass stars Chris Pontius, Steve-o, and Dave England visit the Aghori tribe of India. The tribe disturbs the actors and the sketch fails.

Other sketches in Jackass 3.5 similar to Wildboyz include:

Steve-O getting bitten on the buttocks by an alligator snapping turtle. Steve-O claimed numerous times throughout Wildboyz his dislike for alligator snapping turtles. Once the turtle bit, it refused to let go as Steve-O screamed and writhed in pain.

During the filming of Jackass 3, Jeff Tremaine claimed that one scene he shot for Wildboyz, where Steve-O and Chris Pontius wore a two-person llama costume and one llama with an erection attempted to mate with the costume, seeing Steve-O, the bottom half, being "raped" by the llama was "The funniest thing he had ever filmed." The Jackass crew made an unsuccessful attempt to replicate this with a donkey and a costume of one with clearly defined orifices. Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville manned the costume. Even after coating the orifices with female donkey urine, the donkey failed to become aroused. The same donkey suit makes a cameo appearance during the end credits of the 2012 Girl & Chocolate skateboard movie Pretty Sweet.

Starring

Chris Pontius

Steve-O

Guest stars

Manny Puig

Johnny Knoxville

Wee-Man

David Hasselhoff

Method Man

Juvenile

Three 6 Mafia

Loomis Fall

Mat Hoffman

Tony Hawk

Macaque

"Black mamba"