So, I was watching some of Bam Mangera's show on MTV the other night, and I guess some of the less extreme more goofy ones are still pretty funny. I know it's Bam's show and everything, but it would be nice if he didn't always *win* in the end.
How sweet of a deal do you figure that his parents are getting for doing this show? Obviously MTV replaces everything that has been trashed, but the show really wouldn't work if they weren't apart of it. I take it they don't work normal job so that they have time to go on all of these adventures, so MTV must be paying them pretty well. Then there is Don Vito who I assume is getting paid well, but sometimes I wonder if he is mildly retarded or just playing a part.
When the show is over I'm sure Bam will be able to make some of his own money, but what do mom and dad do? Do you think they are making the kind of money to not have to go back to everyday life? What do you think goes on there when MTV is not there? I can't imagine MTV is ponying up crazy money for this show, but maybe I'm mistaken.
You are mistaken if you believe that Bam's sole source of income is from MTV. He had money before the show thanks to skateboarding sponsorships and his high-profile friendship with Tony Hawk. The kid drives a Ferrari and he had it before the MTV show. His parents haven't HAD to work for the last three or four years. If you happen to see any of the cKy videos (the stuff before Viva La Bam and Jackass), you'll notice that the Margera family lived in a very normal, lower middle-class house. The one they have on MTV was built and purchased by Bam for his parents.
As for what happens when MTV isn't there, I imagine that it's more of the same stuff. There's always a rotating "cast" of friends living in that house and doing crazy shit. The strangest thing about his group of friends is that Rake Yohn (the guy with the really metal hair and the fucked teeth) is a chemist.
And no, Don Vito isn't playing a role. But he's not "special". He just gets flustered when all that crazy shit happens around him and what you see on TV and in the videos are his legit reactions to the craziness.
"What you don't understand, you can make mean anything." -Palahniuk
Last I heard, April is a hairdresser and Phil works in a supermarket bakery. In fact, one episode in the first season (the Three Mile Island one) actually showed April at work.
At least as of the first ep of Viva La Bam, Phil did actually work at the bakery. However, I think I might've heard Don Vito saying something during the show about being a family member's manager. Not entirely sure, as they didn't bother subtitling that part. I also think I read in Rolling Stone that Bam got $250K for the first season, but yeah, he is independently wealthy.
And it seems everyone else's getting into the fun... Phil's in THUG 2, voice and all. So the show's probably opening up more money for the rest of the family, too.
DEAN:
"Jiminy fucking Crickets, someone needs to write a Gordon Lightfoot-esque song- "The Ballad Of What The Fuck Just Flew Out Of Dean's Ass"."
I remember when Viva La Bam first came on and Bam was interviewed in Spin or some other "quality" magazine and he was going off on how Knoxville got all the credit, but all the insane shit you saw was his home movies of him and his buddies doing stupid shit. I sorta thought I outgrew the whole concept of Jackass and didnt bother watching Bam, then on a chance, I caught it one day and was lauging out loud at some of the shit they were doing. (It was the one where they ordered Dunn a Russian Bride and went to Las Vegas). I dont miss a show now!
It's a great show, and the kid has to be loaded to pull all those crazy stunts. To be honest I never realized MTV probably pays for all the damage..
Vito..he's a special person..you know why? He is the only one that is actually sane out of the regular cast! April screams a lot but usually joins in. Phil is always the first to shrug and join Bam.. Vito at least says he is an idiot who shouldn't do that sort of shit. And then eventually he joins in.
Originally posted by dMpIt's a great show, and the kid has to be loaded to pull all those crazy stunts. To be honest I never realized MTV probably pays for all the damage..
Vito..he's a special person..you know why? He is the only one that is actually sane out of the regular cast! April screams a lot but usually joins in. Phil is always the first to shrug and join Bam.. Vito at least says he is an idiot who shouldn't do that sort of shit. And then eventually he joins in.
That, and the show is allegedly worked. Which is prolly why Ape & Phil haven't had Bam killed.
There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Originally posted by Mild Mannered MadmanThat, and the show is allegedly worked. Which is prolly why Ape & Phil haven't had Bam killed.
That, or they're the most forgiving parents ever.
Probably a little bit of both. I'm sure the producers have coaxed them into several things they wouldn't usually.
"It takes lots of drunk daddies missing a lot of dance recitals before you decide to blow a goat on the internet for $50, and if that disappears, where does that leave me on a Friday night with my new high speed connection?" -Lazyboy, Underwear Goes Inside the Pants
I'm a big fan of Bam and his crew, solely because they've taken something that lots of kids do (pull creative pranks and film themselves doing goofy shit) and turned it into a viable career. One of the CKY DVDs contained a bit where Bam rags on my old high school guidance counselor mercilessly, talking about how Mr. Pyle told him that "this skateboarding stuff is just a fad, and you'll never make any money doing it." Well, while that's viable advice for 99.9% of the population, who's laughing now?
The show is definitely "worked" as far as the family's participation goes. The camera crews show up, exaggerated wackiness ensues, they tape footage for n episodes over a short span, and then they go back to semi-normal life until it's time to shoot the next season. They're not always "in on the joke," so to speak (telling them ALL the details would spoil those spontaneous reaction shots), but they do know when filming's taking place (it's hard to ignore cameras in your living room) and when Bam is thus likely to do something dramatic for the show.
There's some footage that will never air, like one stunt where Bam and Dunn backed a car through the glass balcony doors of a friend's apartment; neither the friend nor the apartment complex were in on the joke, and the local cops were not amused.
April works here, and they sell merchandise there. Phil bakes pies for Acme supermarkets.
Dubya v2.0. We're ALL living in Bumfuck, Alabama now.
Just to clarify, Dunn didn't get the Russian bride, Raab did. Knoxville got a lot of the fame at first, but then people realized that Jackass was just a toned down version of the cKy videos. Most of the Jackass show that didn't involve Knoxville or Steve-O was just edited footage of the cKy stuff.
On a side note, is it possible that Len Pasquarelli and Don Vito were separated at birth? Would have mentioned it sooner, but I just realized what/who BigDaddyLoco's avatar is.
"What you don't understand, you can make mean anything." -Palahniuk
I felt this epsiode was a mixed bag and I ended up disappointed. It was great to see the band back together so to speak with the Strike Team back on the prowl. Shane was a real cut up this week.