Saturday, January 5, 2013

Winter TCA 2013: Kings of Crash


Good morning from the second day of the 2013 Winter Press Tour for TCA. This is Cable’s last day of presentations, so we’ll be hearing from the Discovery Networks, Starz, Sundance, BBC America, and the Viacom Networks, plus breakfast with TVLand and cocktails with BET.

For those who were able to make breakfast, we were delighted to be in the company of the Hot in Cleveland cast, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Betty White. A short message came about the upcoming episodes, and we saw a clip where the girls are playing a Pictionary-esque game with a couple of gentleman callers. The cast didn’t really make many comments, though White joked about Elka being pregnant in an approaching storyline. Journalists who spoke with the ladies seemed to focus on inquiring about the live episode which will air on Wednesday, June 19th, at 10pm Eastern.

Velocity’s Kings of Crash was the first full presentation of the day, which showcases purposeful car crashes in Utah. Described as brutal, simple, raw, unrehearsed, spontaneous, and highly emotional, the drivers keep coming back because they’re addicted to the adrenaline rush. Panelists included producer Alex Campbell and talent Gumby “The Mormon Maniac,” TJ McPhee, Mont Sweat, Ryan Sweat, and his wife, Katy Sweat. Gumby, also known as the “Stormin’ Mormon,” explains that “safety is the number one priority of the promoters and the drivers,” and that he wants to show people that Mormons in Utah should not be stereotypes as restricted – they certainly can have as much fun as anyone else.
Velocity, Discovery Communcations
Ryan Sweat has been involved in derbies for seventeen years, and Katy began fourteen years ago, the day after having one of their five children. Of the children (ages 18, 13, 12, 8, and 4), one of the daughters likes to paint the cars, one son is very interested and knows about as much as anyone about derby cars, and several of the children help in many ways, including welding. This can come in handy, as it takes a minimum of 60-80 hours and $6,000 - $10,000 to build a derby car. And, although the purses for winning the derbies can get into the thousands of dollars, it is a hobby where spending is high. Gumby subsidizes this a bit with his career in selling used auto parts. Plus, in the summer, they drive to derbies outside of the area, though the group hopes that this show will bring more competitors to the activity, explains Mont Sweat, a carpenter.

Ryan Sweat went into some of the rules involved in their type of demolition derby, where you cannot stay inactive and hope to be the last car standing (which is how his brother, Mont, likes to play). Instead, you must hit a can every sixty to ninety seconds (but not the driver’s door). You also do not have to try to be the last car standing, as Ryan points out that “some drivers go for the purse, some go for the crowd.” McPhee expands that idea by talking about the “Mad Dog” award, which is presented to the hardest driver of the night. Don’t be worried about the cars exploding, though, as Katy Sweat pointed out that the vehicles are heavily modified, and the gas tanks they use are not factory-issued; instead, they go behind the driver’s seat, which is the area to be avoided in collisions. Still, the concept behind demolition derbies remains unchanged. As Ryan Sweat put it, “every kid wants to break something, we’re just showing them how to do it.”

Watch for Kings of Crash to premiere Sunday, February 10th, at 10pm on Velocity.
Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Email This Pin This

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

this tv series sounds awesome!
finally, some reality tv thats REAL!

Anonymous said...

fake not real. was there

Anonymous said...

I was there too and have been to all these guys derbys---- there is nothing fake about this series.

Russell Rowley said...

I watched last night. I hope this series becomes the mpst popular on TV.