Season 1

30 episodes · Jan 1, 2005

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S1E1

Wrist Wrestling / Lama Kunga

Jan 1, 200530m

Wrist Wrestling The national wrist wrestling tournament in Reno, Nevada brings together athletes from across the country to compete in an event based on brute strength. Focusing on a father and son team, we watch them train and the son competes under the watchful eye of his father. Lama Kunga The spiritual reincarnation of an 11th century Buddhist monk, Lama Kunga Rinpoche was taken from his home in Tibet at the age of six to enter the monastery. In 1959, he was sent to the United States by the Dalai Lama as a spiritual guide to the unenlightened in this country. Playing in his traditional Buddhist garb, Lama Kunga plays 18 holes two to three times a week. We followed him through a lesson with a local pro and a round of 18 holes to explore the connections between golf and enlightenment.

S1E2

McFarland Cross Country / Senior Hockey

Jan 8, 200530m

McFarland Cross Country This boys' cross country team from central California is comprised completely of kids from Mexican immigrant families. The community is terribly poor and to support their families, the runners and their parents pick grapes in nearby fields. Though neighboring schools and teams are more financially secure, McFarland's runners are the class of California winning nine state championships and dominating nearly every year. Senior Hockey John Burnofsky, aka "Mr. B", claims at 93-years-old to be the oldest living active hockey player. We follow his team at the National Senior Olympics on their quest for gold.

S1E3

Easton vs. Phillipsburg

Jan 22, 200530m

Easton vs. Phillipsburg For nearly a century these two bordering towns that are separated by the Delaware River have been playing their annual Thanksgiving day football game. This monumental game highlights the heated rivalry, tradition and history between the two communities. This year's game marks only the second time in the game's history that both teams enter the game undefeated.

S1E4

Prison Chess / Barton Football

Jan 29, 200530m

Prison Chess Each year, Princeton's top chess players travel to the Trenton State Penitentiary to take on inmates at the maximum security prison. The tournament pits fifty felons against three of the Ivy League's finest. Barton Football Barton, Arkansas is town so small that it cannot be found on most maps. Fielding a football team at a school with only a handful of students is a challenge, but Coach Frank McClellan has still managed to win eight state championships and has never had a losing season in his 34 years at Barton High School.

S1E5

Willie McQueen / Bench Press

Feb 5, 200530m

Willie McQueen A junior defensive tackle at Flint Southwestern Academy, Willie McQueen has played football since seventh grade. The loss of his legs in a train accident at age seven hasn't dampened his spirits or stopped Willie from stuffing the run. Bench Press Devan Doan is your typical teenage girl – who happens to be able to bench press well over 200 pounds. Devan and her family travel to Cleveland, Ohio for the World Bench Press Championships.

S1E6

Pop Warner / Table Tennis

Feb 12, 200530m

Pop Warner Driven by intense coaches and cheering parents, the nation's best Pop Warner teams compete for the right to be called national champions. Table Tennis Hall of Famer Lily Yip is the matriarch of the first family of American table tennis. Her clan travels to Las Vegas to vie for spots on the US national team.

S1E7

Metro Academy / Ice Climbing

Feb 19, 200530m

Metro Academy The students on Lookout Mountain are not here by choice. This school within a maximum security prison hopes that basketball can help rehabilitate its juvenile offenders. Ice Climbing Driven by adrenaline, climbers at the Ouray Ice Festival attempt to scale the Uncompahgre Gorge's icy face as fast as humanly possible.

S1E8

Bull Riding / Toboggan Championships

Mar 5, 200530m

Bull Riding What drives a modern day cowboy? We ride with Tony Mendes, a third generation Bull Rider in search of the million dollar PBR title.. Toboggan Championships In Camden, Maine, the annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships pits local competitors against out of town newcomers in a battle to determine who's got the fastest sled on Ragged Mountain.

S1E9

Roller Derby / Willie McQueen

Mar 12, 200530m

Roller Derby Decked out in skirts and skates, the LA Derby Dolls are reviving roller derby in Los Angeles. The featured match pits Puncherello and the Tough Cookies against Suzy Snakeyes and the Sirens. Willie McQueen A junior defensive tackle at Flint Southwestern Academy, Willie McQueen has played football since seventh grade. The loss of his legs in a train accident at age seven hasn¹t dampened his spirits or stopped Willie from stuffing the run.

S1E10

World Pond Hockey Championships / Ice Fishing

Mar 19, 200530m

World Pond Hockey Championships Facing temperatures below zero and opponents from around the world, 96 teams converge on the town of Plaster Rock in New Brunswick, Canada. The teams compete on local ponds for a shot at glory and replica of the Stanley Cup. Ice Fishing Characters hardened from years of fishing in frigid weather compete in two-man teams to claim their sport's most prestigious prize. Spread across Lake Mary's 2,000 acres, they endure winter in Minnesota while using all sorts of gimmicks to coax fish out of the frozen water.

S1E11

Westminster Dog Show / Mr. B

Mar 26, 200530m

Westminster Dog Show Dog enthusiasts from around the world parade their meticulously groomed pets before the judges at Madison Square Garden. The dogs come in all shapes and sizes, just as their handlers come from all walks of life. Mr. B John Burnosky, aka "Mr. B", claims at 93-years-old to be the world's oldest active hockey player. We follow his team at the National Senior Olympics on their quest for gold.

S1E12

U.P. 200 / Ice Climbing

Apr 2, 200530m

U.P. 200 Mushers endure frigid temperatures and sleep deprivation while racing their dog teams across 260 miles of Michigan's frozen Upper Peninsula. Ice Climbing Driven by adrenaline, climbers at the Ouray Ice Festival attempt to scale the Uncompahgre Gorge's icy face as fast as humanly possible.

S1E13

Ann Wolfe / Lama Kunga

Apr 9, 200530m

Ann Wolfe After living with her children for two years under a tree in Austin, Texas, Ann Wolfe was discovered by a local trainer who molded her into a ferocious boxer. Wolfe has parlayed her innate toughness and brawler instincts into a super middleweight world title. Will Laila Ali dare to take her on? Lama Kunga The spiritual reincarnation of an 11th century Buddhist monk, Lama Kunga Rinpoche was taken from his home in Tibet at the age of six to enter the monastery. Now living in the Bay Area, Lama Kunga plays 18 holes two to three times a week, searching for the connection between golf and enlightenment.

S1E14

Navy brigades / Fencing

Apr 16, 200530m

Navy brigades In Annapolis, Maryland, the US Naval Academy holds its 64th annual brigade boxing championship. America's future leaders battle to have their names engraved as brigade champion. Fencing Carlton Henry is a member of the Peter Westbrook fencing foundation. The free foundation which caters to inner city children, produces olympians and saves lives alike.

S1E15

Rattlesnake Roundup / McFarland Cross Country

Apr 23, 200530m

Rattlesnake Roundup Snake hunters from across the Southwest converge on Sweetwater, Texas to weigh in a winter's worth of deadly rattlers. Brought in by the barrelful, the hunters compete to see who colleted the most. McFarland Cross Country This boys' cross country team from central California is comprised completely of kids from Mexican immigrant families. The community is terribly poor and to support their families, the runners and their parents pick grapes in nearby fields. Though neighboring teams are more financially secure, McFarland's runners are the class of California, winning nine state championships and dominating nearly every year.

S1E16

Handicappers / Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins

Apr 30, 200530m

Handicappers Ever dream of hitting a trifecta? Los Angeles handicappers Jack Karlik and Jimmy “The Hat” Allard set the odds and know a thing or two about what it takes to win at the track. Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins Former super stock driver Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins has revolutionized drag racing with his engine building techniques. The cantankerous NHRA legend is a mechanical mad scientist who fuels the sport he helped build.

S1E17

Tony Kanaan / Wrist Wrestling

May 14, 200530m

Tony Kanaan Brazilian driver Tony Kanaan won three races on his way to the 2004 Indy Car Series Championship. Go into pit row with Kanaan and his Andretti/Green racing team at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Wrist Wrestling</b< The national wrist wrestling tournament in Reno, Nevada brings together athletes from across the country to compete in an event of brute strength. Under the watchful eye of his father, Boomer Reagan takes his shot at the title.

S1E18

James "Bubba" Stewart / Table Tennis

Jun 4, 200530m

James "Bubba" Stewart Since he started riding at age three, James Stewart has been a phenom on a dirt bike. Having graduated to the 250cc class, Stewart goes toe to toe with the elite of the Supercross circuit. Table Tennis Hall of Famer Lily Yip is the matriarch of the first family of American table tennis. Her clan travels to Las Vegas to vie for spots on the US national team.

S1E19

Ohio Wrestling / Metro Academy

Jun 11, 200530m

Ohio Wrestling Ohio's Grade School Wrestling Championships showcase the future of the sport in one of the most competitive states in the country. Mario Guillen and his teammates from the East Toledo Wrestling Club give it everything they have. Metro Academy The students on Lookout Mountain are not here by choice. This school within a maximum security prison hopes that basketball can help rehabilitate its juvenile offenders.

S1E20

Quad Rugby / Rattlesnake Roundup

Jun 18, 200530m

Quad Rugby Most people could not fathom quadriplegics speeding around in wheelchairs playing a game that was once called "murderball." But at the Quad Rugby National Championships, competitors vie for the national title while proving their true athleticism and strength of spirit. Rattlesnake Roundup Snake hunters from across the Southwest converge on Sweetwater, Texas to weigh in a winter's worth of deadly rattlers. Brought in by the barrelful, the hunters compete to see who colleted the most.

S1E21

Show 21

Jun 25, 200530m

S1E22

ET / Alan Zinter

Jul 2, 200530m

ET 3,600+ consecutive games and counting. Meet Ernie Tyler, the Baltimore Orioles “Real Iron Man”. Alan Zinter What is life like in the Minor Leagues- one step from reaching your life’s goal. Ask Alan Zinter, he’s been chasing his dream since 1989.

S1E23

Compton Cricket / Navy Brigades

Jul 9, 200530m

Compton Cricket The city of Compton and the game of cricket hardly go hand in hand. But for area activist Ted Hayes, that was all the more reason to bring the two together. Navy Brigades In Annapolis, Maryland, the US Naval Academy holds its 64th annual brigade boxing championship. America's future leaders battle to have their names engraved as brigade champion.

S1E24

Aerobatics / Westminster Dog Show

Jul 16, 200530m

Aerobatics Continental pilot Ron Sheradin takes his single prop plane to barrel roll against the aviation aces at the Northeast Aerobatic Championships. Westminster Dog Show Dog enthusiasts from around the world parade their meticulously groomed pets before the judges at Madison Square Garden. The dogs come in all shapes and sizes, just as their handlers come from all walks of life.

S1E25

Lawn Bowling / Bull Riding

Jul 23, 200530m

Lawn Bowling Jonathan and Joshua Burnoski team up with their father to take on the old timers at the 2005 Southwest Open. Bull Riding What drives a modern day cowboy? We ride with Tony Mendes, a third generation Bull Rider in search of the million dollar PBR title.

S1E26

Demolition Derby / Handicappers

Jul 30, 200530m

Demolition Derby This is the National Championship of the Demolition Derby. 113 vicious male drivers and one female- meet Cindy Regimbald, Vermont's finest. Handicappers Ever dream of hitting a trifecta? Los Angeles handicappers Jack Karlik and Jimmy “The Hat” Allard set the odds and know a thing or two about what it takes to win at the track.

S1E27

Ryan McGarry / Ann Wolfe

Aug 6, 200530m

Ryan McGarry Who's that three foot tall kid hitting golf balls at 6:30 in the morning? It's five-year-old phenom Ryan McGarry, who takes his golf rather seriously. Ann Wolfe After living with her children for two years under a tree in Austin, Texas, Ann Wolfe was discovered by a local trainer who molded her into a ferocious boxer. Wolfe has parlayed her innate toughness and brawler instincts into a super middleweight world title. Will Laila Ali dare to take her on?

S1E28

Quad Rugby / Tony Kanaan

Aug 13, 200530m

Quad Rugby Most people could not fathom quadriplegics speeding around in wheelchairs playing a game that was once called "murderball." But at the Quad Rugby National Championships, competitors vie for the national title while proving their true athleticism and strength of spirit. Tony Kanaan Brazilian driver Tony Kanaan won three races on his way to the 2004 Indy Car Series Championship. Go into pit row with Kanaan and his Andretti/Green racing team at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

S1E29

Noodling / James "Bubba" Stewart

Aug 27, 200530m

Noodling No Rods, no reels, no fear. Oklahoma fishermen battle massive catfish with their bare hands at the 6th annual Okie Noodling Tournament. James "Bubba" Stewart Since he started riding at age three, James Stewart has been a phenom on a dirt bike. Having graduated to the 250cc class, Stewart goes toe to toe with the elite of the Supercross circuit.

S1E30

Prison Chess / Pop Warner

Aug 27, 200530m

Prison Chess Each year, Princeton's top chess players travel to the Trenton State Penitentiary to take on inmates at the maximum security prison. The tournament pits fifty felons against three of the Ivy League's finest. Pop Warner Driven by intense coaches and cheering parents, the nation's best Pop Warner teams compete for the right to be called national champions..