Sneak preview of Knievels Wild Ride

KNIEVEL’S WILD RIDE on A&E

Episode One -- “The Jersey Curse” Airs April 5 @ 10PM/9C

The launch to Robbie’s big summer tour is riddled with bad omens. He’s going to New Jersey to jump 25 cop cars in the “Above the Law” jump. Haunted by the memory of a previous crash in New Jersey, he’s decided the place is cursed. His first stop in the long trip from Washington State to New Jersey is in Butte, Montana where he was born and raised. The nostalgic visit turns sour when he goes to a local watering hole and winds up in a barroom brawl that leaves his face and his ego seriously battered. Once he finally reaches New Jersey, he discovers that the jump site itself is not what he expected. There are curbs, light poles, and other objects in his path. The venue has to incur the expense of tearing up the lot in order to give Robbie a clean run at the takeoff. To make matters worse, ramp builder Todd and Crew chief Bill Rundle aren’t getting along, and their lack of communication is creating confusion among the crew.

MEET THE MEMBERS OF TEAM KNIEVEL
Cast Bios:

"Kaptain" Robbie Knievel – Daredevil Motorcycle Jumper
Son of world-renowned Daredevil Evel Knievel, Robbie began his career as a daredevil at the age of eight as a part of his father’s act. By age sixteen he had a falling out with his father, and started up his own act, proceeding to break all of his father’s motorcycle jumping records. He has completed more than 300 jumps and set 25 world records of his own. His most notable jumps include the Grand Fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, a 200-foot-wide, 2,500-foot-deep chasm of the Grand Canyon, a building-to-building leap in Las Vegas, a daring vault over an oncoming train near San Antonio, Texas, and a jump over seven vintage aircraft on the USS Intrepid, a retired aircraft carrier in Manhattan. The one stunt that still looms over Robbie’s head is the famed “Snake River” jump. Evel failed in his attempt to cross the Snake River in a rocket in 1974, and Robbie vows to one day eclipse that by succeeding in crossing the 1800-foot gap. Even though he's paid his dues for the last 34 years and is a significant daredevil in his own right, his relationship with his ailing father continues to be strained due to professional jealousy. Robbie’s biggest challenge and his biggest blessing in life is his last name. Now in his forties, Robbie is single but has two daughters, and one granddaughter. His greatest hope is that he will continue to jump for at least another decade. Robbie grew up in Butte, Mont., and now lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

Krysten Knievel – Robbie’s youngest daughter
Krysten took the “evel” out of Knievel. Unlike her father and grandfather, she has no desire to attempt life-threatening stunts, and she’s focused primarily on being a good student. This nineteen-year-old “nice girl” from Chicago still lives with her mother, volunteers at the local animal hospital, and earns straight A’s as a freshman in college. She finds that the best way to get quality time with her father is by meeting up with him at jumps. Sometimes she sings the national anthem at his jumps, but even if she doesn’t she still likes to attend the events to give moral support.

Bill Rundle – Team Knievel Crew Chief/ Bike Mechanic
Bill Rundle has known Robbie his entire life. When Robbie was living with his dad in Butte, Montana as a child, Rundle worked on Evel’s crew. Bill is Executive Director of “Knievel Days” in Butte, Montana, which brings tens of thousands of people to Butte each year. He makes his living as a car dealer. Bill is married, and he and wife Davene, son Brett, daughter Brittney and nephew Jon make their home in Butte. Bill started Robbie racing motorcycles back in the days when Bill was Montana State Flat Track Champion. In fact, Robbie worked for him sweeping the floors at a local motorcycle shop.

Bill and Robbie have been buddies since they were kids, and he has worked with Evel and Robbie for over 30 years. He and Robbie consider each other brothers. Also, Robbie is Godfather to Bill’s daughter Brittney. Often called the “Godfather of Butte,” his association with the Knievel name has given him notoriety in his hometown. Robbie puts all of his trust in Bill as his mechanic. Rundle is a straightforward family man who does not drink excessively. He seems like a fairly well adjusted “normal” person, which makes him a bit of an enigma among the other members of Team Knievel.

"Master" Brian Gates – Robbie Knievel’s bodyguard
Master Gates currently holds the rank of 8th Degree Black Belt in the Martial Arts and is a Gold Medalist and Heavyweight Champion in Kickboxing. The Master is always prepared for any level of threat with the tactical weaponry he carries in his arsenal. His prime directive is to protect Robbie
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Knievel from nefarious saboteurs. He is constantly on the lookout for potential threats, and is very much at Robbie’s side all of his waking hours during the week of a jump and throughout his travels. Master Gates is a licensed Constable in the state of Pennsylvania and a Certified Travel Marshall and Law Enforcement Officer. Among the many other celebrities he has protected are Evel Knievel, Chuck Norris, Michael Douglas, Garth Brooks, Gwen Stefani and Phil Collins.

Roman – Team Knievel Roadie
Born is Austria, Roman is a muscle-bound, tattoo-clad, longhaired biker dude! Roman is a licensed Harley Davidson mechanic who rides a road bike that he built himself. He came to the United States in his early twenties, and now, at age 39, is a citizen and registered voter in the State of California. He met Robbie a few years ago at a motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, and they quickly became friends. Early on, Roman didn’t really have a defined role on the Team and was mostly there for the “fun factor.” Now, he says, he’s responsible for “everything and nothing,” from building takeoff and landing ramps to fixing vehicles to tending bar. When Roman is not on the road with Team Knievel, he “couch surfs” from one friend’s place to another.

Dan “Zuck” Zucker – Robbie’s Manager
When you see Zucker amongst the other members of Team Knievel you may be inclined to think to yourself "one of these things is not like the other." Zuck is a slender, bespectacled, high-energy Long Island boy with a penchant for nervousness. He is not a motorcycle rider, and has no interest in motorcycles beyond their importance in making Robbie Knievel who he is. As his manager, Zuck's main task is handling the day to day business activities including: booking performances, appearances and endorsements; handling press and PR and keeping Robbie in front of the media; coordinating the crew and Robbie's schedule during event weeks. Zuck met Robbie back in 1995 when he was working as a salesman for a sports radio station in Seattle. He has since teamed up with Robbie and has been a key figure in launching Robbie back into the spotlight. Zuck's constant struggle as Robbie's manager is to get him to be where he needs to be when he needs to be there. He commits Robbie to a lot of press engagements in the days leading up to a jump, and keeping Robbie to task is a constant source of anxiety.

Todd – Team Knievel Ramp Builder/Backup Crew Chief
Todd met Robbie when he jumped at a local casino a decade ago and the rest is history. Todd, who is in his forties, was born in Denver and raised in Sequim, Washington. He is currently single and has one teenage son who also lives in Sequim. Todd’s younger daughter lives with his ex-wife in Arizona. Todd is a framer who “grew up on a construction site.” As such, he is a fully capable builder charged with overseeing the construction of Robbie’s ramps. Todd used to date Darci, Robbie’s live-in housekeeper and bookkeeper – a situation that so far has not caused any problems. Todd often wears his emotions on his sleeve, and often flies off the handle, provoking a lot of riffs between fellow crewmembers. Todd and Robbie share a common bond, a strained relationship with their respective fathers. When he’s not on the road with Robbie, Todd is lead singer and front man for the country & western band Gunner. And, when he’s not working, he’s usually slalom water skiing or riding his Harley on the road.

Rocker Pete – Team Knievel Roadie
Rocker Pete was also born and raised in Sequim Washington, and is a lifelong friend of Todd’s. Pete got close to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of a head-banger band called Hammerhead. The group achieved some notice in Europe. After getting ousted from the band, Pete struggled to keep his music career running, but he never managed to put it back together. However, recently he completed an album titled “Mainzer Mania,” which he hopes will gain some recognition through his association with Robbie and the new series. On the road with Team Knievel, Pete is the utility guy –
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washing the vehicles, stocking the fridge, and assisting Todd in any tasks that need be dealt with regarding construction.

Jon Simanton – “Weeble Knievel”
Jon Simonton is a little person who is a professional actor living in Los Angeles. He has a four-year-old daughter who is taller than him. In the role of “Weeble, The World’s Smallest Daredevil,” Jon is the wildly popular opening act for Robbie at most of his jumps. The shtick is that he jumps one more of whatever Robbie is jumping... The hitch is that they’re miniature versions! For example, if Robbie jumps 15 tractors, “Weeble” will jump fifteen Tonka toys. Before meeting Robbie 18 months ago, Jon had only ridden dirt bikes for fun. As his confidence and experience grows, his jumps are getting more extravagant – and even more crowd-pleasing.

Dan Haggerty – “The Griz”
Dan Haggerty is best known for his role as Grizzly Adams on the popular television series in the 1980s. “The Griz,” as he is called, is a friend of Robbie’s who likes to appear at a lot of his jumps just to give him support. As “The Griz” would say, he likes to “catch him when he lands.” He also likes to party and party hard when he and Robbie are together.

Spanky Spangler – Stunt Coordinator
Spanky Spangler has performed more stunts than anyone else in the world. Famous for his “high falls” and car stunts, he’s one of the nation’s foremost experts when it comes to setting up a stunt. He is a close friend of Robbie’s and makes it a point to be at all of Robbie’s jumps to help him with analyzing the situation and calculating speeds and other variables. When Robbie was just a teenager, Spanky filmed his first jump for the television series That’s Incredible. Spanky is a Vietnam veteran and ex-Green beret who parlayed his experience in commando operations into a career that boasts 22,000 stunts, three Hall of Fame honors and 22 World Records