WARNING! The following show features stunts performed either by professionals or under the supervision of professionals. Accordingly, MTV and the producers must insist that no one attempt to recreate or re-enact any stunt or activity performed on this show.

Sound familiar? Of course it does! It’s the infamous disclaimer to the show that you all watch but none of you will admit – Jackass!

Much to the mortification of parents with stupid children everywhere, the show premiered in 2000 on MTV after a negotiations war between the network and Comedy Central. Created by Johnny Knoxville, a writer for the Larry Flynt-owned skateboarding magazine, “Big Brother”, Knoxville can be credited with show’s premise. He quickly became an underground icon, as he was convinced by his editor, Jeff Tremaine (now executive producer and co-creator of Jackass!), to videotape himself product-testing things like bulletproof vests, stun guns, and pepper spray. These videotaped stunts led to more asinine stunts and eventually, a trilogy of tapes were released of the acts and Knoxville, strangely enough, found himself in high demand.

After Knoxville sorted through some rather lucrative offers and eventually decided on MTV, the network came up with the idea of Jackass!. The show would give Knoxville full creative control and would combine the efforts of the Big Brother Crew (Knoxville and a couple of others); members of CKY (Camp Kill Yourself), an East Coast skateboarding crew and cult heroes in their own right whose members include founder Bam Magera, Brandon DiCamillo, Ryan Dunn, and Chris Raab (“Raab Himself”); a failed circus clown, Steve-O; Spike Jonze, a popular music video and feature film director; as well as Chris “Party Boy” Pontius, Jason "Wee Man" Acuna, Dave England, and Ehren McGhegan. This eclectic collection of enterprising, daring, bored, stupid … and let’s not forget, quite funny … young misfit skateboarders quickly changed the face of television and on one hand, found themselves unlikely media darlings and on the other, embroiled in more controversy than they could have ever imagined. When the show hit the airwaves, it quickly became the darling of MTV programming (which isn’t hard to do these days) and in the words of Steve-O, “slayed” the illustrious 12-34 male viewing audience.

The show is best experienced rather than reviewed, but I’ll try to break it down as simply as I can. Jackass! is nothing more than a series of stunts and skits that feature cast members performing some of the most dangerous, ridiculous, and hilarious antics you’ve ever seen captured on tape. A guy jumping his bike in to raw sewage, getting up and doing it again? Check. Someone snorting earthworms and hocking them back up? Check. Somebody swallowing goldfish and them regurgitating them out? Check. A guy eating omelette ingredients and regurgitating them into a frying pan only to make an omeltte that he then eats on camera? Check. A guy taking a dump on the side of the road in plain view of motorists? Check. A dude who wakes his dad up from dead sleep with a toilet plunger to the face? Check. A boxing match in the middle of a sporting goods store? Check. Ladies and gentlemen, Jackass! is ready for take off and over these two DVDs from Paramount, you’ll find over 150 minutes of these types of shenanigans and many more.

The show’s two-year run on MTV ended a few months back and now, many of the show’s stars are parlaying their inexplicable fame into sweet movie deals and endorsements. The show went out with a bang in October as Paramount released the highly successful (and very profitable) Jackass: The Movie and it was said that the film was the last hurrah for Jackass crew as we know it. However, for those that need their fix, CKY and Steve-O are still out in full force doing what they love to do (and filming it), while Jackass front man Johnny Knoxville seems to be quite content in Hollywood making the occasional film and leaving his Jackass days behind him.

Ultimately, Knoxville and the Jackass crew don’t really care whether you or I like their material – they did it for little to no money/recognition before and I’m sure they’ll continue to do it as long as they’re able – regardless of ratings, video deals, endorsements, or whatever. They’re out to entertain themselves and themselves alone and if you want to come along for the ride, “fine” – if not, “screw you, we’re going anyway”. This is nothing more than a tight-knit group of friends who have turned doing what they love – being “jackasses” – into a lifestyle that for now, pays real well and gets them a lot of attention. It’s not the end of humanity as we know as many have predicted – it’s simply some stupid, moronic fun that has been documented for our viewing pleasure. If you don’t like – don’t watch – simple as that.

In case you’re wondering why Paramount and MTV have decided to start the set with Volumes 2 and 3, versus Volume 1 … well, you’re not alone. However, on a sticker placed on the cover of Volumes 2 and 3, Knoxville and the Jackass crew state that Volume 1 may or may not ever come out, so we might as well enjoy the successive volumes in the mean time. However, I have a feeling that this was more of a marketing ploy than an actual situation, so don’t bother looking for Volume 1 anywhere and make a “jackass” out of yourself – I have a strange feeling it doesn’t exist.

You already know whether or not you want this set, so if you’re in the “Jackass Sucks” camp, there’s nothing included here but the material that made you hate it in the first place and you won’t find anything new to endear you. However, for fans of Jackass! or any of its participants, this is quite a mother lode of material and a nice holdover until the film hits DVD early next year. (Also, for those of you who really dig this type of stuff, Amazon now carries the Steve-O DVDs, as well as some DVDs from CKY.)

Paramount presents the shows just as they were presented on MTV – in a fullscreen aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The skits, as well as the interludes, are shot with handheld cameras and maintain a very amateurish look and feel to them. If you’ve seen the show, you know what to expect and unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot to say about the video transfer for the series. The footage simply looks like it was shot by a bunch of kids running around with some high-priced video cameras filming themselves acting like a bunch of jackasses. Do I really need to say more? I mean, do you want to hear how brilliant the colors were in Dave England’s “Puke Omelette”? Do you want to know that the fleshtones on Steve-O and Chris Pontious’ butts were natural looking – right down to the pimples and blemishes? Didn’t think so …

The only flaws noted were inherent to the medium and didn’t distract one bit from the viewing of the show itself. Paramount has provided viewers with a pragmatic transfer that looks as good as the show itself. Nice job.

Paramount presents Jackass in a Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround mix that doesn’t do much more than present the material at hand in a serviceable and workmanlike way. The transfer for the skits/stunts is limited by the source recording material, as the majority of the sound is what’s pulled from the mics on the handhelds. There are some punk/alternative tracks that play over some of the stunts, but even so, the sound is still relegated to the front surrounds throughout the entire 70+ minutes of each feature. As a side note, here’s some things you won’t find on either of the DVDs; ambience, panning, split surrounds, and LFE, as what you see is pretty much what you get.

Subtitles and alternate language tracks are not available on either disc.

The extras package, if you can call it that, is identical for both DVDs and much like the other areas of the film, warrants the same score for both.

Starting things off is a Quiz that asks you certain questions about episodes contained on the particular DVD you’re viewing. If you answer wrong, you’re awarded by being called a “jackass!” and are taken back to the main menu to start all over again – which, by the way, really sucks. If you answer the questions correctly … well, I don’t know what happens because I didn’t feel like spending an hour finding out. Going all the way back to the main menu for missing one question is just ludicrous – bad implementation on Paramount’s part.

Next up are Cast Bios which contain very limited information on the Jackass crew including Johnny Knoxville, Bam Magera, Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Preston Lacy, and Wee-Man.

Finishing off the disc is a rather weak Photo Gallery that runs on its own and doesn’t allow you to scroll through any images. Each individual jackass is featured in 5-7 photos a piece and the feature clocked in at around 1:17.

That’s all there is and while it’s a bit disappointing, I didn’t expect much anyway. The feature is is extra and I’m just glad that the series is finally out on DVD.

Paramount is offering the DVDs as individual purchases that are retailing for $19.99 each, or as a set for $35.98. Even with mass retail or Internet discounting, Paramount has made your decision quite an easy one. By running a quick check of the numbers, if you’re considering purchasing just one of these DVDs, it just makes sense to take the plunge and get ‘em both.

Fans of CKY, Steve-O, and Johnny Knoxville rejoice! Jackass has finally made its way to DVD! This is the set we’ve all been waiting for and Paramount has done an excellent job making them not only affordable, but a great compilation for the short-lived series as well. The price is right and the set comes highly recommended for fans of the show or the individuals featured alike. The extras aren’t much, but that’s not the reason any of us would be interested in the set anyway. Take the plunge and enjoy … but remember … DON’T TRY ANY OF THIS AT HOME!