Viva La Bam


Viva La Bam is an American reality television series that starred Bam Margera and his friends and family. The show was a spin-off from MTV's Jackass, in which Margera and most of the main cast had appeared. Each episode had a specific theme, mission, or challenge which was accomplished by performing pranks, skateboarding, and enlisting the help of friends, relations and experts. Although partly improvised, the show was supported by a greater degree of planning and organization.

History

Production

The cast included Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, Raab Himself, and Rake Yohn. The show also starred Margera's parents Phil and April and his uncle Don Vito. Tim Glomb and Brandon Novak later joined the main cast. The show was mostly filmed in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania and also visited Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, and Finland. Bam and his friends also went to Miami in 2006 for "Viva La Spring Break", an unaired two-part episode. The episode "Iceland", originally shot for the second season, became known as the "Lost Episode" of the series, and can be found on Viva La Bands: a compilation album featuring several bands from the series.
The show debuted on October 26, 2003 and concluded on August 14, 2005, on the MTV network in the United States. It later became licensed around the world. Tony Hawk starred in the pilot and 'Mardi Gras' episodes. Each of the five seasons consisted of eight half-hour episodes, comprising 40 episodes in total. In December 2005, Bam Margera addressed rumors of a sixth season on Last Call with Carson Daly. His comment was that there would be no sixth season, but there would be occasional MTV specials and he and Johnny Knoxville were planning things for possible Jackass stunts.

Featured music and guests

The show also featured music from some of Margera's favorite bands, such as HIM, CKY, The Bloodhound Gang, Cradle of Filth, Clutch, Turbonegro, Dimmu Borgir, Carnal Forge, Slayer, Gwar, Children of Bodom, The Bled, The 69 Eyes, and skate rock legends Free Beer. Many of Margera's friends also appear on the show, including Johnny Knoxville, The Dudesons, and fellow skateboarder Bob Burnquist. Actor Sean Penn and his son Hopper made an appearance in the episode "Fort Knoxville", and Rockstar Billy Idol appeared on the "special" birthday episode "Ape's Surprise".

Episodes