The Dudesons
The Dudesons (Finnish: Duudsonit) are a four-man stunt group from Finland. They are best known for their TV shows and live performances, which are a combination of stunts and comedy.
| The Dudesons | |
|---|---|
 The Dudesons in 2010 | |
| Created by | Jarno Laasala, Tuukka Tiensuu, Jukka Hildén |
| Starring | Jukka Hildén Jarppi Leppälä Hannu-Pekka "HP" Parviainen Jarno Laasala |
| Opening theme | "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg |
| No. of seasons | 6 (Original series) 5 (English series) |
| No. of episodes | 46 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | MoonTV (FIN) Nelonen (FIN) Sub (FIN) Spike (USA) Channel V (AUS) TV 2 Zebra (NOR) MTV (LA) OLN (CAN) |
| Original release | January 2001 – May 21, 2015 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
History
The Dudesons consists of "four dudes from the Arctic Circle": Jukka Hildén (b. 1980), Jarppi Leppälä (b. 1979), Jarno Laasala (b. 1979) and Hannu-Pekka "HP" Parviainen (b. 1981). All were born in the town of Seinäjoki, Finland, where Hildén, Leppälä, and Laasala became close friends while attending elementary school together, where they later met Parviainen and George Hutton who makes brief cameos in the videos [1]
As teenagers, the four became quite interested in snowboarding, skateboarding and downhill mountain biking. In the early 1990s, when Laasala got his first video camera, the group began filming their activities which eventually led to further pranks and extreme stunts. They created and sold VHS tapes which were filmed and edited by Laasala and subsequently their reputation began to grow in Seinäjoki.
Original Finnish TV series
In January 2000, Jarno Laasala obtained a job as an editor for a small Finnish cable TV-channel called MoonTV. He saw a possibility to make his own show out of all the stunts the Dudesons had filmed. After finishing high school, the Dudesons set up their own production company called Rabbit Films. The group immediately began shooting a self-financed pilot episode of their own show.
This pilot was finished in August 2000 and the channel immediately green lit the first season, titled as "Maailmankiertue" (Worldtour). The episodes began airing in January 2001, and the series became the most popular show on MoonTV. In September, 2001, the Dudesons moved from MoonTV to a nationwide TV-channel Nelonen.
The 2nd season, called "Extreme Duudsonit, Maailmankiertue 2", was first screened in 2002, and the same year the Dudesons were also elected as The Media Persons of the Year by the readers of Finland’s most popular youth magazine Suosikki.
The 3rd (Maailmankiertue 3) and 4th seasons (Duudsoni Elämää) of Extreme Duudsonit ran respectively in 2003 and 2004.
Recurring stunts and segments on the English-language version of the Dudesons includes: the "Human Dartboard," playing pranks on "Mr. Hitler" and a vast array of other stunts with "absolute disregard for [their] own safety."
International career
In 2003, the Dudesons made a decision to start making English-language material in order to find international distribution. Their following series, Duudsoni Elämää, was shot both in Finnish and English. The material was then edited both into Finnish-language series, and English language series. The Finnish series ran in 2004, while the English series had its international debut at Australian Channel V in February 2006. The American debut was on SpikeTV on July 6, 2006.
The Dudesons can be seen on Bam Margera's Viva La Bam and Bam Margera Presents: Where the ♯$&% Is Santa?.
By September 2007, the Dudesons Season 1 had been shown in 22 countries around the world, making it the most widespread Finnish TV-series of all time. The second season began in Australia on May 20, 2008 on Channel V. By the year 2010, different Dudesons seasons have been seen in over 150 countries.[2]
The Dudesons are also featured in the hit 2010 movie Jackass 3D, alongside Johnny Knoxville. All four Dudesons were seen on the red carpet at the Jackass 3D premiere.
Season 1: 2006
| # | Title | Original Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2–102 | "Mayhem on the Dudesons Ranch" | July 13, 2006 | |
| The Dudesons try out new car stunts. They join up with Bam Margera in "The Human Dart Board" and perform a wake up call with a metal baseball bat. | |||
| 3–103 | "Destroying a Supermarket" | July 20, 2006 | |
| The Dudesons get a summer job at a grocery store, but in the end they end up destroying the whole place. | |||
| 4–104 | "Freezing to Death" | July 27, 2006 | |
| It's winter in the arctic circle and the Dudesons are freezing to death, so they go to Mexico and cause mayhem with their friend Bam Margera. | |||
| 5–105 | "Neighbor Wars" | August 3, 2006 | |
| The Dudesons start a war against their neighbor Mr. Hitler. Steve-O also shows up. | |||
| 6–106 | "Fire in the House" | August 10, 2006 | |
| The Dudesons go on a live tour, destroy a rock festival and accidentally burn down their house. | |||
| 7–107 | "Friendship Hurts" | September 24, 2006 | |
| The Dudesons meet up with Bam Margera in Las Vegas for Viva La Bam and perform live shows in front of Thousands. | |||
Season 2: 2008
| # | Title | Original Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8–201 | "The Desperate Househunters" | June 13, 2008 | |
| The Dudesons reunite after traveling for six months. The destruction of the ranch from last season suddenly dawns on them and they hunt for a new place to live. | |||
| 9–202 | "The Prank Wars" | May 2, 2008 | |
| Jarno pulls a classic prank on Jarppi causing a full-scale Dudesons prank war. The Dudesons also throw a house warming party for the new ranch. | |||
| 10–203 | "The Dudesons Road Trip" | May 9, 2008 | |
| The Dudesons have a new van and decide to go on a road trip. Stopping along the way for fun and mayhem. | |||
| 11–204 | "Super Heroes" | May 16, 2008 | |
| The Dudesons become super heroes, and after intense training, are released onto the unsuspecting public to save the world. | |||
| 12–205 | "Britney's Birthday" | May 23, 2008 | |
| Britney is unwell. Fearing she will not be well enough for his special birthday party, the Dudesons take her to the vet. | |||
| 13–206 | "Cops & Robbers" | May 30, 2008 | |
| The Dudesons have a contest to see who can get themselves arrested in the most inventive and imaginative way. The winner gets to drive a tank. | |||
| 14–207 | "The Dudesons Olympics" | June 6, 2008 | |
| The Dudesons host their own special olympics. Jarno and Jukka vs. HP and Jarppi in five events. | |||
Season 3: 2009
| # | Title | Original Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15–301 | "Astronauts" | January 9, 2009 | |
| Jarppi blows up a building with himself on top of it. The Dudesons then make a space shuttle out of an old car and try to see if they can launch themselves into space. | |||
| 16–302 | "Follow the Leader" | January 16, 2009 | |
| The Dudesons play a variation of "Follow the Leader" with the losers marching in a three man gay parade around town. | |||
| 17–303 | "Dream Jobs" | January 23, 2009 | |
| The Dudesons live out their childhood dreams. HP becomes a firefighter, Jarppi becomes a construction worker, Jarno becomes a police officer, and Jukka becomes a life guard. | |||
| 18–304 | "Dudesons World War" | January 30, 2009 | |
| Each Dudeson forms a country and takes over a part of the Dudesons Ranch; The United States of Jukka, Kingdom of Jarppi, The Republic of Jarno, and HP's Developing Country. | |||
| 19–305 | "Motor Heads" | February 6, 2009 | |
| The Dudesons create a crash car called the Dudesons Mobile. It is equipped with weapons, a defense system, and artificial intelligence. | |||
| 20–306 | "Winter Olympics with Bam Margera" | February 13, 2009 | |
| While filming Where the ♯$&% Is Santa?, Bam Margera and the Dudesons compete for olympic gold. The teams are Bam and Jukka vs. Novak and Jarppi. | |||
| 21–307 | "Return of Jarppi's Thumb" | February 20, 2009 | |
| Jarppi and the rest of the Dudesons travel to Helsinki to get Jarppi's thumb. Then they have a funeral party for the 10-year-old thumb. | |||
| 22–308 | "Dudesons Top 10" | February 27, 2009 | |
| The Dudesons host the top 10 moments of the season followed by trailer destruction derby. | |||
Season 4: 2010
| # | Title | Original Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23–401 | "Follow the leader: Winter edition" | January 15, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons are playing "Follow the Leader" once again. This time in the snowy Ylläs in Lapland. | |||
| 24–402 | "Santa's Little Helpers" | January 22, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons try to see what is it like to be Santa Claus and his assistants. | |||
| 25–403 | "Dirty Bets in Australia" | January 29, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons go to Australia and meet with the Dirty Sanchez cast. | |||
| 26–404 | "Dudesons' Battle Robot" | February 5, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons build a robot and then fight against it. | |||
| 27–405 | "Dudesons' Do America" | February 12, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons do a promotional tour in America and meet the Nitro Circus cast. | |||
| 28–406 | "Back to Basics" | February 19, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons rebuild their sauna. | |||
| 29–407 | "How Did the Dudesons Start" | February 26, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons tell how they started and their growing popularity. | |||
| 30–408 | "Dudesons Top 10" | March 5, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons talk about the top 10 moments of season four and HP gets hit by a giant wrecking ball. | |||
The Dudesons in America: 2010
After a multimillion-dollar deal with MTV, a new show called The Dudesons in America was green lit. With a budget of six million dollars, it would consist of the same line-up of all four Dudesons, and was set to be produced by both Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine. The Dudesons' own production company, Rabbit Films, decided to do the show with the co-operation of Dickhouse. "The Dudesons have balls where there should be brains and I am honored to be doing a show with them," Knoxville says on the Dudesons's official website. However, after the episode Cowboys & Findians, MTV changed the time the episode would air due to unknown reasons. The Dudesons stated on their official Facebook page that the show would continue on July 16, 2010 and has since ended.[3]
The first episode was shown on MTV May 6, 2010. The Dudesons in America was first aired on August 1, 2010 in the UK, on MTV Bang.
| # | Title | Original Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31–501 | "Follow the Leader" | May 6, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons are playing "Follow the Leader" once again in California, USA. | |||
| 32–502 | "Cowboys & Findians" | May 13, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons want to know if they can hack it like the original Americans once did, so they have found a Native American mentor named Saginaw who has agreed to lead them through seven painful rites of passage. (MTV pulled this episode from distribution after American Indians protested its racist stereotyping.) | |||
| 33–503 | "Spaced" | May 20, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons decide to build their own rocket and launch it where no man has gone before - Uranus! | |||
| 34–504 | "Abusement Park" | July 16, 2010 | |
|
The Dudesons take their extreme antics to an amusement park, or as they like to call it, an "abusement park". Guest starring Andy Bell from Nitro Circus. | |||
| 35–505 | "American Frontiersmen" | July 23, 2010 | |
|
The Dudesons try to survive a harsh winter in the Rocky Mountains to learn more about American pioneers. Guest starring Erik Roner from Nitro Circus. | |||
| 36–506 | "Armed Forces" | July 30, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons start their own army in order to adequately fight Canada if they ever attack the United States. | |||
| 36–507 | "Alien Invasion" | August 6, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons built a series of 'what to do in case of alien invasion' tests to ward off an imminent invasion from space. | |||
| 37–508 | "Winter Games" | August 13, 2010 | |
|
The Dudesons battle one another for the title of "King of the Mountain". Guest starring Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn of the Jackass crew. | |||
| 38–509 | "Action Heroes" | August 20, 2010 | |
|
The Dudesons love Hollywood action films so much they decide to reenact some of Hollywood's biggest on screen stunts. Guest starring film producer Lawrence Gordon. | |||
| 38–510 | "American Jock" | August 27, 2010 | |
| America is a country obsessed with sports, and the Dudesons want to try to understand what it's all about by immersing themselves in all things sport. | |||
| 38–511 | "Dudes Mobile" | September 4, 2010 | |
| The Dudesons, like Americans, love their cars. So they decide to build one and race it against their new American dudes | |||
| 38–512 | "American History" | September 4, 2010 | |
| With the help of their history teacher, The Dudesons start learning about some of America's most important historical moments. | |||
Season 5: 2016
| # | Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 39–601 | "Undercover Dudesons" | July 1, 2016 |
| 40–602 | "Dudesons in Africa" | July 8, 2016 |
| 41–603 | "Follow the Leader: Mobile Edition" | April 16, 2015 |
| 42–604 | "Gumball Rally in America" | April 23, 2015 |
| 43–605 | "Dudesons vs. Professionals" | April 30, 2015 |
| 44–606 | "Dudesons Exposed" | May 7, 2015 |
| 45–607 | "Dudesons Home Invasion" | May 14, 2015 |
| 46–608 | "Kill Your Darlings" | May 21, 2015 |
The Dudesons Movie
The international launch of the Dudesons TV-series was supported by the full-length feature film The Dudesons Movie, which was released theatrically in Finland on March 31, 2005, and straight to DVD in a dozen other countries. The movie was released in the USA on July 11, 2006, by Warner Rhino. Despite mixed reviews from Finnish mainstream critics, the movie won the "Audience's Favorite Movie" at Jussi Awards, the Finnish equivalent of Oscars, with about 47% of votes.[4]
Dudesons Do Gumball
In 2013, the Dudesons filmed and launched their own three-part series when taking part in the Gumball 3000 event. The show aired exclusively on Extreme Sports Channel, and followed the Finns as they travelled from Copenhagen to Monaco. This year they had a Cadillac SUV which had the look of a blue elephant. During the race through Europe they had their "Wheel of Fortune", which was used for different types of pranks.
See also
- Jackass (TV series)
- Dirty Sanchez (TV series)
- The Janoskians
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Dudesons. |
- Official website
- The Dudesons' production on IMDb:
- The Dudesons at TV.com
- Extreme Duudsonit (The Dudesons) Official Website in Finnish
References
- and George Hutton who makes brief cameos in the videos"New Exclusive Interview with Jarppi of The Dudesons". MazeWorldWide. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2010-08-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Log into Facebook - Facebook".
- "Jukka Hilden - tunnetaan Duudsonina".