Viva La Bam: Complete Seasons 2 & 3 DVD Review:

Borderline annoying in his destructive and mean spirited ways, Bam Margera will do anything for your entertainment on MTV’s Viva La Bam. Seasons two and three promise even more ridiculous entertainment than the first season, which was already on the edge of insanity. Viva La Bam the most destructive and unhealthy, although arguably the most entertaining show on television. In many ways it is comparable to a ten car pile-up on the freeway; you want to look away but for some reason you find an odd fascination with the bloody mess.

In season two Bam decides that they bothered the neighbors too much with their antics in the previous year, and he sets out to find a new home. This gives them a reason to “move”, which in Bam terms means destroying everything from the old house. For some odd reason, Bam’s parents Phil and April continue to stay with Bam in his new abode, setting the stage for even more pranks and competitions. If it isn’t a car derby, a Fat Boy Face-Off, or any number of prank wars, there are plenty of other ways that Bam manages to break all of the rules. Highlights include the treetop casino and the road trip to Mardi Gras with Tony Hawk and gang.

Season three continues seamlessly with more of the same, and yet it never seems to get old. It starts with a trip to California in which Bam’s Uncle Vito attempts to enter the gates of the Playboy mansion. The season continues with the ultimate prank war when Johnny Knoxville comes for a visit and a trip to sea on a pirate ship.

The only thing more entertaining than the horrible things Bam does to his family, is watching them react. It seems as though his father, Phil, has grown used to the money and he doesn’t react quite as much as he did in the early days, but April and Vito still give quite a show. It seems as though April’s competitive nature leads her to have hope that she may actually win at one of Bam’s competitions. Somehow she hasn’t figured out that the point isn’t to win, but to destroy things in the process.

The most entertaining character isn’t Bam or any of his dysfunctional friends, however drunk and hilarious they often are, but it is Vito. Vito, the uncle with one good eye and a few extra chins, is quick to get angry and impossible to understand. Somehow watching this scary and obscene man hit on women and yell at Bam in gibberish is the highlight of the show. It seems that every episode Bam destroys Vito’s car, which he replaces only to destroy again. Subtitles are added so that we can see exactly what Vito is saying, although it doesn’t help us understand him any better.

The Season 2 & 3 DVD comes in a three slim disc set, all wrapped up in a slim box. The first two discs are the first and second seasons and the third is exclusively for special features. Although many T.V. shows on DVD have no special features, Viva La Bam has nearly two hours of features, including deleted scenes, Random-A** Moments, Behind the Scenes Featurette: Making the HIM Video, a photo gallery, and music videos. About half of the features are entertaining which isn’t bad for nearly two hours of junk.

Possibly some of the worst morals on television, and the absolute wrong thing for young kids to see, I am absolutely addicted to Viva La Bam. Bad taste or not I find it horribly amusing. Seasons two and three are no exception with a great many cameos, including a strange appearance by Sean Penn.



Ryan Izay