While writing an article on self-defense equipment for skateboarding magazine "Big Brother," Philip John Clapp, better known as Johnny Knoxville, decided to experiment on himself. While Jeff Tremaine, editor of the magazine, video taped the experiment, Knoxville proceeded to test out red pepper spray, a stun gun and a taser. The resulting video is the proverbial seed that eventually grew into the MTv series Jackass. After several seasons, two movies and a number of specials, Knoxville has branched out into production and movie acting. Now, in an obvious effort to squeeze a little more blood out of the dried up turnip, Jackass: The Lost Tapes has been released.

Jackass: The Lost Tapes is largely just a compilation of short takes. Many of these shorts are early videos that were later incorporated into or re-envisioned for the first season of Jackass. While there are a few gems to be found, most of the included 93 segments are gross, lewd or idiotic, even by the already low standards of the show. The average length per segment is about one or two minutes, but there are more than a few that are simply 5-10 second shots of one of the cast (usually Bam Margera) jumping off something, often with no explanation or meaningful context. I was mildly amused by the actual stunts and gags, but the gross-out shoots, of which it seemed the majority were, took up far too much of the 105 minute running time. I can take a little vomiting or urination, even some defecation pranks, but when it started to feel like I was wading through a cess-pool looking for gemstones, I had had enough.

In the end, Jackass: The Lost Tapes fell far short of the original series. With Knoxville and MTv showing the evolution of this type of entertainment with new series such as Nitro Circus (which he produces) and Fantasy Factory, the appeal of this mindless stupidity has thankfully passed its prime. There are the occasional elements that have true entertainment value, and I'll admit to a bit of nostalgia about seeing the video segment (the aforementioned "Self-Defense" test) that started it all. Sadly, most of the show left me feeling dirty and ill and I cannot help but think that it might have been better if The Lost Tapes had simply stayed lost.