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Jump City: Seattle | |
---|---|
Genre | Reality Sports |
Directed by | Matt Bartley |
Starring | Blair Herter Brady Romberg |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Producers | Gabe Landau John Moore |
Production location | Seattle, Washington |
Cinematography | Sebastian Jungwirth |
Editors | Carl Cramer Paul Sadowski Chris Sam Eli Sentman Stephen "Buzz" Wein |
Camera setup | Multiple |
Running time | 48 minutes |
Production companies | Pro Parkour Little Pond Television Inc. |
Original release | |
Network | G4 |
Release | February 15 – April 5, 2011 |
Jump City: Seattle is an American television series that aired on G4 from February 15 to April 5, 2011. It featured four of the top freerunning and parkour teams in the United States participating in a parkour competition. Each week, the athletes competed in different parkour challenges spread out across the streets of Seattle. The series ran for eight episodes and was not renewed for a second season. Team Tempest, led by Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco of American Ninja Warrior fame, won the competition.
Jump City: Seattle was promoted as the first American championship parkour competition. It was hosted by G4 correspondent Blair Herter and Parkour veteran Brady Romberg. Filming of the show was based in Seattle, and the show was produced by Fremantle Media, North America. The series premiere aired on February 15, 2011 with the season finale episode airing on April 5, 2011.
The show follows four teams participating in the Pro Parkour League (PPL), which was created specifically for the show. Four locations were used for the competition: Seattle City Hall, Freeway Park, Pioneer Square, Seattle Center, and Qwest Field.
After the show aired, several athletes competed in the subsequent season of American Ninja Warrior, which then aired on G4. One of the show's participants, David "Young Flip" Rodriguez, remain a top competitor to this day.
Each episode featured two of the four teams competing in a parkour "match", which consisted of two rounds: the Speed round and the Freestyle round. Should the teams split the two rounds, a sudden death tiebreaker would be used.
During the Pro Parkour League regular season, the four teams competed in a round-robin format, with the second and third placed teams competing in the semifinal match for the right to face the first place team in the Championship match at Qwest Field.
Three of the four members of the team participated in a relay race through a pre-determined set of parkour obstacles. Each leg of the relay had several "fly zones"; the competitors were required to touch every "fly zone" in their leg but were allowed to use any means by which to reach them. The team would incur a five-second penalty for each missed "fly zone". The team that completed the course the fastest, after penalties, won the round.
Three of the four members of the team received 45 seconds each to perform a freestyle parkour routine, utilizing anything in the area. After their run, competitors were judged on a scale of 1 to 10. [1] Judging consisted of three elements:
The team with the higher sum of their three scores won the round.
Should a sudden death tiebreaker be required, one member of each team would perform another parkour routine, this time lasting just 30 seconds. Judging worked the same as the freestyle round. The team with the higher score was declared the winner.
Based in Los Angeles, Tempest Freerunning was founded in 2007. [2] Many of the team's members work as stuntmen in Hollywood.
Name | Nickname | Background |
---|---|---|
Paul Darnell | Diddy | Darnell founded Tempest Freerunning in 2007 with teammates Rich King, Gabe Nunez, and Victor Lopez. The four also participated in the inaugural Red Bull Art of Motion competition. [2] He competed in the first season of American Ninja Warrior and subsequently qualified for the 23rd SASUKE competition. |
Levi Meeuwenberg | Skynative | Meeuwenberg worked as a stuntman and was considered one of the most elite freerunners in the world. He participated in only two matches, as he broke his wrist while warming up during the team's second match. He participated in three seasons of American Ninja Warrior and competed on SASUKE five times; in his first SASUKE appearance, he was the only man to reach the Third Stage. Meeuwenberg retired from stuntwork and returned to his home state of Michigan to take up permaculture. [3] |
Brian Orosco | NoSole | Orosco is a stuntman who is known for his handlebar mustache. Like Meeuwenberg, he is a frequent American Ninja Warrior and SASUKE competitor, competing on the former for each of its first six seasons. |
Caine Sinclair | Sinclair is known by fellow freerunners for his big drops and complexity. His style incorporates a variety of technical moves such as corkscrews and twists. He competed in the first three seasons of American Ninja Warrior, the first of which earned him qualification in SASUKE. | |
Miami Freerunning emanates from Miami, Florida. The team members met in 2008. In order to become an official member, they have a ritual of being shot with a stun gun.[ citation needed ]
Name | Nickname | Background |
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Adrian Gonzalez | Gonzalez was a former Tribe member who later founded Miami Freerunning. He teaches kids and adults at his gym, Miami Freerunning and Parkour Academy. | |
David Rodriguez | Young Flip | Rodriguez is known for his black and white half-masks, which he wears so he can remain emotionless in competition. As of 2024, Rodriguez has participated in every season of American Ninja Warrior since Jump City: Seattle ended and also appeared in one tournament of SASUKE, making it to the Second Stage. |
Albert Valladares | Spider | Valladares earned his nickname in his former career as a professional wrestler. He also competed in mixed martial arts before he became a stunt choreographer, performing various stunts for fight scenes. After the show, he became a member of Tempest Freerunning. |
Jared Woods | J.J. | Woods, a former sprinter, is the fastest on his team. He incorporates both powerful vaults and a variety of handstand poses. |
Founded in Washington, D.C., Tribe is America's first parkour team,[ citation needed ]. As Tribe founder Michael Zernow says, "This is art. This is physicality. This is being able to take your life into your own hands, so it wouldn't just be about kids on YouTube doing crazy stuff."
Name | Nickname | Background |
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Travis Graves | Noble | Graves is very competitive and has the ability to combine speed with power. |
Billy Hughes | Skipper | Hughes is a former competitive diver training for the Olympics, which he channels with his parkour and freerunning. |
Jereme Sanders | Sanders incorporates martial arts moves into his freerunning technique. | |
Michael Zernow | Frosti | Founder and team leader. A teacher of parkour, he has many years of experience. He also appeared on Survivor: China and three seasons of American Ninja Warrior. |
Team Rogue was specifically created for the show with the intent on highlighting up-and-coming freerunners.
Name | Nickname | Background/Style |
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Dylan Baker | At 18, Baker was the youngest freerunner in the competition. He still remains in the competitive freerunning scene. | |
Drew Drechsel | Drechsel's style includes huge flips off high platforms. After the show, he became one of the top competitors on both American Ninja Warrior and SASUKE, competing on the former nine times and the latter eight times. He later became a member of The Tribe before becoming a full-time American Ninja Warrior trainer. He was arrested in 2020 for soliciting sex from minors. | |
Korey Sarvas | Sarvas was a former soccer player who got into parkour because it challenged his mind and body. He died from a drowning accident in 2011. | |
Jake Smith | Smith is an all-around trickster who is very creative in his freeruns. He also competed on American Ninja Warrior on several occasions and SASUKE once. | |
Original Airdate | Location(s) | Parkour Teams | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Sudden Death Round | Winning team |
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February 15, 2011 | Seattle City Hall Freeway Park* | Tempest | Time: 56:27 | Orosco = 7.4 Darnell = 7.0 Meeuwenberg = 8.8 Total: 23.2 | Meeuwenberg = 9.1 | Tempest |
Parkour Team | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Sudden Death Round | Losing Team | ||
Rogue | Time: (52:85) 57:85* | Baker = 8.3 Smith = 8.0 Sarvas = 8.4 Total: 24.7 | Baker = 8.4 | Rogue |
Original Airdate | Location(s) | Parkour Teams | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Winning team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 22, 2011 | Freeway Park | Tribe | Time: 55:65 | Hughes = 7.9 Graves = 7.9 Zernow = 8.5 Total: 24.3 | Tribe |
Parkour Team | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Losing Team | ||
Miami Freerunning | Time: 56:52 | Woods* = 7.9 Valladares = 8.3 Gonzalez = 8.0 Total: 24.2 | Miami Freerunning |
Original Airdate | Location(s) | Parkour Teams | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Winning team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 1, 2011 | Downtown Seattle (alleyway) | Rogue | Time: (43:25) 48:25* | Smith = 8.2 Baker = 8.7 Drechsel = 8.5 Total: 25.4 | Rogue |
Parkour Team | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Losing Team | ||
Tribe | Time: 50:25 | Zernow = 8.4 Sanders = 7.6 Graves = 7.8 Total: 23.8 | Tribe |
Original Airdate | Location(s) | Parkour Teams | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Winning Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 8, 2011 | Downtown Seattle (alleyway at night time) | Tempest | Time: 50:33 | Orosco = 8.8 Sinclair* = 7.5 Darnell = 8.0 Total: 24.3 | Tempest |
Parkour Team | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Losing Team | ||
Miami Freerunning | Time: 55:89 | Rodriguez = 7.8 Gonzalez = 7.5 Woods = 8.3 Total: 23.6 | Miami Freerunning |
Original Airdate | Location(s) | Parkour Teams | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Sudden Death Round | Winning Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 15, 2011 | Seattle Center (rooftop) | Tempest | Time: 46:33 | Sinclair* = 8.3 Darnell = 8.1 Orosco = 7.8 Total: 24.2 | Orosco = 9.0 | Tempest |
Parkour Team | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Sudden Death Round | Losing Team | ||
Tribe | Time: 43:71 | Zernow = 7.7 Sanders* = 7.5 Hughes = 7.6 Total: 22.8 | Hughes = 8.4 | Tribe |
Original Airdate | Location(s) | Parkour Teams | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Winning Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 22, 2011 | Seattle Center (rooftop) | Rogue | Time: 44:51 | Drechsel* = 8.0 Sarvas = 7.8 Smith = 8.0 Total: 23.8 | Rogue |
Parkour Team | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Losing Team | ||
Miami Freerunning | Time: 47:20 | Woods = 7.6 Valladares = 8.6 Gonazlez = 7.5 Total: 23.7 | Miami Freerunning |
Original Airdate | Location(s) City Hall | Parkour Teams | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Winning Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 29, 2011 | Seattle City Hall | Tribe | Time: 49.74 | Graves = 7.5 Hughes = 8.5 Zernow = 8.9 Total: 24.9 | Tribe |
Parkour Team | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Losing Team | ||
Rogue | Time: 51.55 | Smith = 7.7 Baker = 8.2 Drechsel = 8.2 Total: 24.1 | Rogue |
NOTE: The course was entirely changed from its Week 1 set-up so as not to give Team Rogue an advantage.
Original Airdate | Location(s) | Parkour Teams | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Sudden Death Round | Winning Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 5, 2011 | Qwest Field | Tempest | Time: 1:32:10 | Sinclair = 8.5 Darnell = 8.1 Orosco = 8.5 Total: 25.1 | Orosco = 9.0 | Tempest |
Parkour Team | Speed Round | Freestyle Round | Sudden Death Round | Losing Team | ||
Tribe | Time: 1:24:28 | Graves = 7.9 Hughes = 8.2 Zernow = 8.4 Total: 24.5 | Zernow = 8.6 | Tribe |
(After 6 Matches/Week 6)
Team | Win | Loss |
---|---|---|
Tempest (C) | 3 | 0 |
Rogue* | 2 | 1 |
Tribe | 1 | 2 |
Miami Freerunning (X) | 0 | 3 |
(C) = Championship Berth / (X) = Eliminated / * = Eliminated in the play-offs
Championship final | ||||
Tempest* | 1 | |||
Tribe | 0 |
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