Speed Signs on With 'Bullrun'
Former Spike Series To Anchor Thursdays
by Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 1/4/2009 7:00:00 PM
Speed Channel has licensed 10 original one-hour episodes of former Spike TV series Bullrun, hosted by former pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, to anchor its Thursday night primetime lineup starting Feb. 19 at 10 p.m. ET.
The show, based on the international rally of the same name, follows 12 teams of diverse personalities, driving everything from Corvettes to Ferraris to a VW microbus across 3,500 miles of the southwestern United States in search of fame and fortune. They don't just drive from point A to point B — without benefit of GPS navigation or cellphones. The teams also must survive challenges, conflicts and car problems to try to win $200,000 in cash and prizes.
The stunt challenges were devised and created by the Bullrun team under the supervision of stunt director Matt Kutcher, whose credits include the upcoming film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and the new Mike Judge product, Extract.
“It's going to be a spectacular watch in HD,” Speed senior vice president of programming Steve Craddock, who negotiated the licensing deal, said. The two-and-a-half week competition ended the Monday after Thanksgiving, he said, and weather was among the complicating factors. “It snowed 20 inches in Flagstaff while they were there,” Craddock said. “The temperature changed about 60 degrees during the 10 episodes.”
As a road rally, competitors must follow speed limits, can only leave each day when instructed and cars must start and finish each day under their own power, or the power of their drivers.
Bullrun ran for one season on Spike, in 2007. Speed said short-form content, including behind-scenes video from the competing teams, will be on SPEEDtv.com, on-demand cable, iTunes video podcasts and other venues.
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