Why So Many Jackass Stunts Have To Be Done More Than Once
In 2000, MTV decided to shake up their usual programming of music videos and unplugged live performances with a reality show unlike anything else at the time. "Jackass" premiered, showing a tough crew willing to endure the most brutal stunts and shamelessly play out some of the cruelest pranks. The combination of people hurting themselves and gross-out humor propelled "Jackass" into a massive hit that's lasted a few decades. The series has produced three unforgettable seasons, a host of worthy spin-offs, and a collection of successful films.
Sometimes, through behind-the-scenes clips or in the middle of the TV show, fans would witness the "Jackass" cast engage in a few stunts multiple times. We'd think that how dangerous and painful some of their work can be, the "Jackass" cast would limit themselves to performing their stunts only once. After all, who wants to wrestle with an alligator or get punched in the head by a pro boxer numerous times? But believe it or not, the reason "Jackass" stunts have to be done more than once isn't that everyone involved is a glutton for punishment. There's actually a frustrating technical reason.
The camera crew will ask them to perform again
In any TV series or film production, getting excellent footage is essential. That fact has probably led to numerous horror stories of a cast having to deal with brutal schedules because of reshoots. But it's all for pursuing the perfect shots because it can make or break a project. And unfortunately, the same notion applies to "Jackass." During a "Jackass" cast interview with Jake's Takes, Steve-O, Wee Man, and Chris Pontius explained that no matter how vicious or gnarly the stunt, it's common for the camera crew to ask the cast to perform it again to make sure the footage is solid or to improve the scene.
"The thing is, they always get it just fine," Steve-O said in the interview. "But in the director's mind, maybe the next time will be even better. So even though it was brutal, and it was crazy, like you have to do it again." "Jackass Forever" and series director Jeff Tremaine is often spotted in the show with a devilish smile, having watched the crew hurt themselves in absurd ways. However, it's not always easy for him to ask them to do some stunts again. As he later noted in the same interview, asking Johnny Knoxville to do a second take of the Magic Trick Bull bit for "Jackass Forever" was very uncomfortable. The scene is also probably one of the most difficult to watch, as it hurt Knoxville so severely that it ended his death-defying stunt career.
Knoxville thinks bulls equal great footage
As horrifying as the "Magic Trick" scene is to witness in "Jackass Forever," longtime fans probably already know that the show has a bit of a history of dealing with bulls. For instance, "Jackass Number Two" famously opened with the cast running on a suburban street from the horned animals to the sound of Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold." Astonishingly, they've worked with the animal so much even though most of the cast isn't a fan of the unique collaboration, especially Pontius. As Pontius said in the Jake's Takes interview, he'll work with bulls if needed but personally finds them terrifying.
So, why would the animal make constant appearances throughout the series? As Knoxville shared, the dangerous qualities of bulls for anyone unlucky to cross paths with them make for some of the most incredible footage. It's just too bad it's not the easiest footage to catch at times, at least in one take. It also seems Knoxville has some mighty respect for the horned animal beyond being good on camera, as he was quick to make a sly reference during the build-up to his WrestleMania 38 match against Sami Zayn, according to Channel 9 News. "For WrestleMania, it's not going to be too safe for Sami Zayn, I'll tell you that right now," Knoxville stated. "He's going to be wishing he got run over by a bull."