Review: 'Mud Madness'

When it comes to deciding which automotive and vehicle-related unscripted programs I plan to watch regularly, I employ what I like to describe as the American Chopper test. If you eliminate all of the conflicts and personal storylines from the show, is there enough left to keep me around every week? Because if you were a regular viewer of American Chopper, you remember the point when it shifted from "family who argues but makes really cool motorcycles" to "family yells at each other while standing in the vicinity of motorcycles."

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the new Discovery series Mud Madness because while I did grow up in a small town in the Midwest and do have a fondness for loud noises and a cold beer, I've never been a mud-curious kind of guy. So is this a show that I'll find entertaining enough to return to each week?

While I have only seen the first episode of Mud Madness, the answer seems to be "yes." The show includes the requisite conflict and often petty rivalries. But more importantly, it provides a fascinating look at a sport and way of life that is pretty far off of my daily radar.

The series takes a look at events on the fall Mud Racing Circuit, which I knew in the abstract was a thing, but had never really thought about it until I watched the show. While it's not NASCAR money, there is about $500,000 worth of cash prizes available across the season. This is a lot of money for people who are generally self-funded and hoping to have some fun, settle some scores, and maybe nab a bit of sponsorship money.



The premiere episode takes place at Pike's Off-Road Park in Bowling Green, Missouri, which is the home course for one of the show's primary characters, 49-year-old full-time chiropractor and budding mud racing magnate Josh Carmon. Carmon has everything a TV producer would want in a potential bad guy. He's ambitious, with a disorienting combination of a desire to be liked and an awkward laugh that probably led to him being bullied a bit in school.

His primary rival is Bryce Sparks, who appears to have been ordered from a catalog that listed him under the category of "perfect Instagram mud racer." He's young, thin, and good-looking. He has a massive social media presence and is at the age where he possesses that entertaining mix of ambition and a willingness to do something stupid just because it's fun.

But as much fun as their rivalry is to watch, some of the focus of the show is thankfully devoted to less confrontational storylines. Randi Alicia is back on the circuit two years after an accident in which an ATV rolled back on top of her. The accident fractured two vertebrae in her back and left her with a couple dozen screws in her arm. It's not just that she's worried about being competitive. There's also her concern that the fear of having another accident might stand in the way of her returning and giving it her all.



And then there is Larry "Dredbone" Oakes, the soft-spoken father of two young daughters who enjoys mud racing, but also sees it as a way to connect with his kids. He involves them in the races and every scene is a struggle between his competitive nature and his desire to be a good role model and companion to his daughters.

The races in the premiere are just as insane as you would expect. A one-on-one race in which each competitor puts up $2,500 and it is  winner-take-all. The Bounty Hole Course is a best of two runs sprint through a 300-foot long, 4-foot deep, triple-terraced dip, with a grand prize of $10,000. And the Battle Course, a 1/4-mile twisting, turning run with mud holes and a 15" concrete jump. 13 racers enter, the fastest time wins, and the grand prize is $7,500.

I'm not sure the show's producers would appreciate me calling Mud Madness "big, stupid fun," but in this case, that's a compliment. Sometimes you just want to turn down your brain a bit and let a TV show wash over you like some big, hour-long palate cleanse. And this is the perfect show to make that happen.

Mud Madness premieres Tuesday, April 9th, 2024 on Discovery.