What happens when you cross the creative inspiration of MTV's Jackass with the high-octane thrills of extreme sports? This question is more than answered in the new MTV series Nitro Circus. Front-lined by X-Games superstar Travis Pastrana, the show features a group of adrenaline-junkie friends that travel around and participate in a variety of almost always ill-advised stunts. Most of the stunts involve motorized vehicles, but there are also plenty of base-jumping, BMX, snow and water sports included. Instead of the multitude of "Oh, that's gross!" moments that were the staple of Jackass, Nitro Circus focuses more on the "Oh My GOD!" and "No WAY!" stunts, as well as a healthy helping of "Oh, that HAD to hurt!".

Joining Pastrana on the cast of Nitro Circus are former pro motorcross rider Andy Bell, pro mountain bike rider Jim DeChamp, pro motorcross racer Jolene Van Vugt, pro skier/base jumper Erik Roner and construction worker/crash-test dummy Streetbike Tommy. The six, along with a cohort of regulars (most of the members of the film crew get involved at some point or another), travel to several locales both in and out of the United States, searching for the next great stunt to try. While they are all interesting to behold, most are very dangerous and over-the-top, and, more times than not, end in spectacular wipe-outs. The theme of the show, as stated by the cast repeatedly, is "land big or crash big," and do they ever live up to that mantra. Nitro Circus even throws in a healthy smattering of guest appearances by famous extreme sports stars, so even if you may not recognize the regular cast members, there is a good chance that, if you follow extreme sports at all, you will recognize some of the guests that appear, some of them repeatedly.

Admittedly, I took this review simply because someone had to do it. I recognized Pastrana's name, and I do occasionally watch X-Games, so, while not a real fan, I'm was not totally without some background knowledge. Still, knowing that it came from the makers of Jackass, I was a little less than enthused. Upon first sitting down to watch it, I immediately noticed a difference. Instead of a steady diet of disgusting, nearly vomit-inducing pranks, Nitro Circus focuses first and foremost on the stunts. While there are still some "prank" moments, these are well dispersed, softening the nausea. Many of the stunts are so far out, you'll find yourself thinking "They've got to be kidding me" when they first talk about them (back-flipping a monster truck anyone?). There are plenty of cringe moments during accidents and wipe-outs, and there are a few that show some blood, but the effect is minimized and not something that should bother most fans of this sports genre. The show is not rated, but it does include some language and nudity (bleeped and blurred respectively), and the box states that Nitro Circus is intended for mature audiences. The series consists of 12 episodes, most running around 20-25 minutes. The DVD also includes a good amount of bonus features, including cast interviews, bonus footage of stunts (some that were cut, some of differing angles of included stunts), outtakes and a music video of the theme song. I found the overall experience quite enjoyable, despite my early misapprehensions. I watched every episode and all of the bonus features and found that I really was disappointed when finished; not disappointed in the show, but that I did not have more to watch. My wife even enjoyed watching some of the episodes with me, something that surely would not have happened with Jackass. While hesitant at first, I now find that I am ready to see what the ringmaster has in store for next season. I'll go ahead and book my tickets for the show now...