Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Rob & Big - funniest show on TV

I have to tell you, any TV show that can make me laugh & my wife laugh has to be good. There are a few shows out there that we like - Entourage (on DVD - not HBO), My Boys, Last Comic Standing...but there is this one comedy that is hysterical. Rob & Big is a show on MTV that answers the question - what do ex-celebrities do with all that money they made? Rob Dyrdek isn't exactly a star or celebrity - so I have no clue how he made his money in skateboarding - I hadn't heard of him prior to this show - but somehow he lives in the Hollywood Hills, drives a tripped out SUV, and spends money on wigs, stunts and trips pretty frivelously. I'm sure MTV is giving him some crazy cash to film his every day life, but MTV is definitely getting every pennies worth.

Rob is a clown, a 30 something adolescent that has a best buddy who is his EXACT opposite. Rob is white, short, skinny, athletic and coordinated, while his best buddy (and roommate) Big Black is the opposite - black, tall, fat and lazy. But the two go together better than Dunkin and Donuts. Why? That is a great question, which I can not answer in a blog - you have to see for yourself.

It could be that they are on the same page in life - living it to the fullest and zaniest. The crazy stunts these guys pull off, the crazy ideas they get in their heads and then try to pull off is just hillarious. Not to mention that Rob is quite giving in his life and is not caught up in the celebrity scene at all (more on that later) makes it extra refreshing.

Last night we sat down and watched 3 episodes on TiVo. Man, we couldn't stop shaking our heads and laughing at some of the stunts/ideas these guys get. The funniest part had to be when they pulled over in Tampa, Florida to jump over an alligator that was lying in the street. Rob and buddy Steve jumped it on skateboards - but BB and security had to jump over it in their own sneakers - which was nuts to see a 400lb guy do.

The cast constantly is joined by crazy characters - their bulldog "Meaty" and miniature horse "Mini-Horse" are the regulars - including a crazy Uncle, a personal assistant, a topless maid, skateboard friends who crash the back yard ramp next to the pool and mini barn. Meaty is a character - the perfect prop for these guys - an overweight puppy bulldog that is either getting into mischief or resting his head on the kitchen table add another lovable character to the show. Mini horse is an extravagant prank/joke gone over board that these guys will have to live with for the remainder of the show. The horse is known to eat at the kitchen table, poop in the back yard barn, or pull Rob on his skateboard.

Big Black makes this show - he's kind and gentle and living out a dream. He's up for anything no matter how crazy the show is. He's entertaining yet quite funny - and he tags along in a lifestyle we'd all be lucky to try once. Whether it is reliving his youth and trying to be a stripper, going to the wig store to get a Johnny Gill wig, recording a rap song in his closet studio, getting his back shaved by Rob, trying to skateboard, getting a topless maid, or MC'ing a skatebaording event for Rob, everything BB does is comical. The best scene/episode for BB is when he loses a bet and has to sleep in a tent in the backyard. The 400lb man in a tiny tent is woken up the next morning to Rob doing a belly flop onto the tent and scaring the crap out of BB. The look on his face as he exits the tent is truly priceless.

Rob amazes me - he's not exactly in the pinnacle of his career, yet he keeps giving back to his friends and fans in excess. Opening up his personal life for reality TV is one thing - but showing how he adores his mom, fans, and friends is heart warming. Marked as a C list celebrity doesn't bother him, his diehard fans make him feel like an A lister. In the few episodes I've watch he had a contest to get donate his SUV (decked out with a generator for lights, a fridge, a show rack, shateboard racks, etc) to any true amatuer skater that could beat him in a skate contest, he won a $5,000 bet and then showered it on his fans, he signs autographs for everyone, and he is real - true to himself.

These guys are a greta combination - just pure comedy and hilarious. Jen even gets a kick out of them - even though they are more Jackass than standup - they never cross the line and (besides language) never have to be censored - which is refreshing.

I hope MTV keeps up the good work on this reality show - entertaining and real - something that isn't true with most "reality" shows.

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