Ryan Dunn's 'Jackass' TV Stunts: A Retrospective
He was one of the less outspoken members of the "Jackass" crew, but late, bearded prankster [article id="1666021"]Ryan Dunn[/article] made up in destruction and indelible stunts what he lacked in loudmouth bravado. The 34-year-old skateboarder, who died in an early morning [article id="1666114"]car crash[/article] on Monday in Pennsylvania, stood his ground alongside such fellow daredevils as [article id="1666070"]Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and Steve-O[/article] in the "Jackass" TV show and movies, as well as on his 2005 MTV anti-home-improvement show "Homewreckers," the Margera-led spin-offs "Viva La Bam" and "Bam's Unholy Union," and his recently launched G4 show, "Proving Ground."
While some of the "Jackass" crew were known for placing themselves in front of paintball firing squads, walking on giant stilts off diving platforms or staging elaborate pranks on passersby, Dunn's "specialty" was riding BMX bikes into muddy creeks, getting slathered with nasty fish and human excrement and being dragged behind four-wheelers on all the wrong sleds.
In memory of Dunn, we decided to take a look back at some of his most memorable TV moments. (Head over to the Movies Blog for highlights from Dunn's "Jackass" movie career.)
When MTV News sat down with the crew last fall, the [article id="1649681"]"Jackass" stars[/article] agreed that one of their all-time favorite stunts was Dunn's first one for the original TV show, in which he dove into a tank of sewage.
"I loved when [Bam Margera] made Ryan jump into the poo factory, the 'Poo Dive' I think we called it," creator Jeff Tremaine said. " 'Cause that was horrible, but the best part was ... revealing his tattoos that we didn't know about. That was the first time we ever met Ryan." Dunn made his infamous dive while wearing just tighty whities that were duct taped onto his body and a snorkel. Though pal Bam Margera was grossed out by the floaters, Dunn called the dive, "exhilarating ... my skin is silky smooth!"
"Why do I always do the jobs that make me smell real bad?" Dunn lamented as he agreed to dive into 32-degree water in San Francisco. After being tossed into a giant vat of sardines while wearing a black peacoat and fisherman's cap, Dunn emerged covered in slime, only to sit in an empty tank and get covered in sardine juice and a torrent of tiny fish.
Among Ryan's best bike gags on "Jackass" was the one when he tried to ride a crappy banana-seat bike up a ramshackle ramp and over a freezing, boggy creek. He never got close to hitting the landing ramp on the other side and eventually the cops arrived to break up the party.
Ryan looked supremely confident as he was pulled by a four-wheeler on a plastic sled through a cornfield at high speeds on "Jackass." He was impressively able to hang on for long periods and even got a bit patriotic when he was handed an American flag to wave on his ride. He finally bailed after being pulled over a hill and smashing his tailbone.
Dunn donned a blue unitard and matching crash helmet for a "Jackass"-staged barrel jumping competition against Big Brother magazine editor in chief Dave Carnie. He made it pretty easily over two barrels but got racked hard when the tally was upped to five. While Carnie easily cleared the hurdles, Dunn repeatedly landed on the cold, hard ice, eventually getting smashed over the head with a metal pail by Carnie.
Wearing his best regular-guy drag (a lame suit and tie and nerdy eyeglasses), Dunn rode an office chair down a skate ramp in a joust with fellow "Jackass" and CKY regular Brandon DiCamillo. The pals smashed into each other in spectacular fashion over and over. Dunn later tried the trick while sitting behind a desk complete with computer and monitor.
Again taking his chances on a skate ramp, Dunn donned a hot dog suit and rode his BMX bike down into a spectacular crash. In true "Jackass" fashion, as he lays prone, a crew member runs up and squirts mustard in his mouth and all over his face.
Do you have a favorite Ryan Dunn stunt? Let us know or share your thoughts in comments below.
