Ice Road Truckers

Last updated

Ice Road Truckers
Iceroadtruckerslogo.jpg
Genre Reality
Created byThom Beers
Starring Truckers
Narrated by Thom Beers
Tom Cotcher (UK)
Music by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Mark Hudson, Bruce Hanifan, Andrew Kubiszewski, Gregg Montante. Additional music by Amygdala Music Library
Opening theme"Livin' on the Edge" by Aerosmith (seasons 1 4 only (US airings))

"Ice Road Truckers Theme" by Bruce Hanifan, Gregg Montante (season 5 only (US airings)); (seasons 1 5 only (international airings))

"Maiden Voyage" by

Contents

Andrew Kubiszewski (Seasons 7 11 only)
Country of originCanada
United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons11
No. of episodes138 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersDavid McKillop
Dolores Gavin
Thom Beers
Philip Segal
Dawn Fitzgerald
Adam Martin
Aron Plucinski
Running time45 48 minutes
Production companies Original Productions
Prospero Media (season 8)
Shaw Media (season 8)
Original release
Network History
ReleaseJune 17, 2007 (2007-06-17) 
November 9, 2017 (2017-11-09)
Related
IRT Deadliest Roads
Ice Road Truckers: Breaking the Ice

Ice Road Truckers (commercially abbreviated IRT) is a reality television series that aired on History Channel from 2007 to 2017. It features the activities of drivers who operate trucks on ice roads crossing frozen lakes and rivers, in remote territories in Canada and Alaska. Seasons three to six also featured Alaska's improved but still remote Dalton Highway, which is mainly snow-covered solid ground.

History

In 2000, History aired a 46-minute episode titled "Ice Road Truckers" as part of the Suicide Missions (later Dangerous Missions) series. Based on Edith Iglauer's book Denison's Ice Road , the episode details the treacherous job of driving trucks over frozen lakes, also known as ice roads, in Canada's Northwest Territories. After 2000, reruns of the documentary were aired as an episode of the series Modern Marvels , instead. Under this banner, the Ice Road Truckers show garnered very good ratings.[ citation needed ]

In 2006, the History Channel hired Thom Beers, owner of Original Productions and executive producer of Deadliest Catch , to create a series based on the Ice Road book. Shot in high-definition video (although the season ended before History HD was launched in the US), the show "charts two months in the lives of six extraordinary men who haul vital supplies to diamond mines and other remote locations over frozen lakes that double as roads". [1]

Airings

Season one of Ice Road Truckers was shown on the British national commercial channel Channel Five in February/March 2008. In Australia, it aired on Austar and Foxtel in early 2008, and from June 18 it also began being shown on Network Ten. In autumn 2008 season one aired on RTL 7 in the Netherlands. In Italy. the first season premiered on History Channel on January 7, 2010 as "Gli eroi del ghiaccio" ('Heroes of the ice'). [2]

The second season premiered on June 8, 2008, in the US; October 9, 2008 on History in the UK and in Australia; November 12, 2008, in New Zealand; and January 7, 2009, on Channel 5 in the UK. The first season was not aired in Canada until March 4, 2009, on History Television. The third season premiered on May 31, 2009, in the US; September 10 in the UK. Channel Five debuted series 3 on January 5, 2010. [ citation needed ]

Reception

The series' premiere was seen by 3.4 million viewers, to become the most-watched original telecast in the History Channel's 12-year history at that time. [3] Among critics, Adam Buckman of the New York Post said, "Everything about 'Ice Road Truckers' is astonishing". [4] Virginia Heffernan of The New York Times said, "Watching these guys ... make their runs, it’s hard not to share in their cold, fatigue and horrible highway hypnosis, that existential recognition behind the wheel late at night that the pull of sleep and the pull of death are one and the same. ... [I]t gets right exactly what Deadliest Catch got right, namely that the leave-nothing-but-your-footprints, green kind of eco-travelers are too mellow and conscientious to be interesting to watch. Instead, the burly, bearded, swearing men (and women) who blow methyl hydrate into their own transmissions and welcome storms as breaks from boredom ... are much better television." [5] During 2007 the series was shown in the United Kingdom, Australia and various countries in Africa.

The show opening features a truck falling through the ice. While real accidents with fatal outcomes might be mentioned, the show has never featured them; the show opening is a miniature model filmed inside a studio. A season-one rumor that the sequence was staged using a real truck and dynamite caused discontent among the drivers. [6]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 10June 17, 2007 (2007-06-17)August 19, 2007 (2007-08-19)
2 13June 8, 2008 (2008-06-08)September 7, 2008 (2008-09-07)
3 13May 31, 2009 (2009-05-31)August 23, 2009 (2009-08-23)
4 16June 6, 2010 (2010-06-06)October 3, 2010 (2010-10-03)
5 16June 5, 2011 (2011-06-05)September 25, 2011 (2011-09-25)
6 16June 3, 2012 (2012-06-03)September 23, 2012 (2012-09-23)
7 12June 9, 2013 (2013-06-09)August 25, 2013 (2013-08-25)
8 12July 7, 2014 (2014-07-07)September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)
9 10August 2, 2015 (2015-08-02)October 18, 2015 (2015-10-18)
10 10August 4, 2016 (2016-08-04)October 6, 2016 (2016-10-06)
11 10August 24, 2017 (2017-08-24)November 9, 2017 (2017-11-09)

Truckers

TruckerSeasons
1234567891011
Alex Debogorski Main
Hugh Rowland Main
Rick Yemm Main Main
Drew Sherwood Main
Jay Westgard Main
T.J. Tilcox Main
Bear Swensen Recurring
Eric Dufresne Main
Jerry Dusdal Main
Lisa Kelly Main Main
Jack Jesse Main Main
George Spears Main
Timothy "Tim" Freeman Jr. Main
Cody Hyce Recurring
Jack McCahan Recurring
Carey Hall Recurring
Phil Kromm Recurring
Greg Boadwine Main
Ray Veilleux Main Recurring
Dave Redmon Main
Tony Molesky Main Recurring
Maya Sieber Main
Vlad Pleskot Recurring
David Horbas Recurring
Darrell Ward Main
Austin Wheeler Main
Ronald Mangum Main
Lane Keator Recurring
Art Burke Main
Todd Dewey Main
Joey Barnes Main Recurring
Mike Simmons Main
Steph Custance Main
Reno Ward Recurring Main
Mark Kohaykewych Recurring Main

IRT: Deadliest Roads

Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads
Also known asI.R.T.: Deadliest Roads
Genre Reality
Documentary
Created byThom Beers
Based onIce Road Truckers
Starring Truckers (Deadliest Roads)
Narrated by Thom Beers
Tom Cotcher (UK)
Opening theme"Livin' on the Edge" by Aerosmith (saeason 1 only (US airings, shortened version))

"Black Mo" by Blues Saraceno (season 1 only (international airings, shortened Version))

"Ice Road Truckers Theme" by Bruce Hanifan, Gregg Montante (season 1 only, digital / streaming))

"Over the Line" by Andrew Kubiszewski (season 2 only)
Composers Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Mark Hudson, Bruce Hanifan, Gregg Montante, Andrew Kubiszewski, Paul Hepker
Country of originCanada
United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes23 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersDavid McKillop
Dolores Gavin
Thom Beers
Philip Segal
Dawn Fitzgerald
Adam Martin
Aron Plucinski
Production locations India and South America
Running time45 48 minutes
Production company Original Productions
Original release
Network History
ReleaseOctober 3, 2010 (2010-10-03) 
December 18, 2011 (2011-12-18)

Season one: Himalayas

On October 3, 2010, a spinoff series, titled IRT: Deadliest Roads, premiered immediately after the season-four finale. Rick Yemm, Alex Debogorski, and Lisa Kelly traveled to India and put their driving skills to the test on the narrow, treacherous mountain roads that lead from Delhi to Shimla, then up to the Karchan and Kuppa hydroelectric dam construction sites in the Himalayas.

The truckers were accompanied by spotters, who were responsible for making the negotiations in case of problems with other drivers in the city and keeping them safe during their routes and difficult spots on the road.

In season one, 3 spotters were present, each one for one respective trucker. Tashi was Lisa's spotter. Sanjeev was Alex's spotter during his first day and helped him during his problems and accidents in New Delhi. Later Dave's spotter with Alex's quit and his arrive. Hameed was Rick's spotter.

Debogorski quit in the first episode due to fear of angry mobs if he were involved in an accident and the pressure of city chaos, and was replaced by Alabama's trucker Dave Redmon (who has since been featured in season five of Ice Road Truckers). As the season continued, the drivers were dispatched to carry supplies over the stormy Rohtang Pass to the town of Keylong, which had been cut off for months due to the bad weather. The season finale aired on December 5, 2010, with the truckers attempting to deliver loads of jet fuel for helicopter crews who were working to rescue people stranded in the mountains by the storms. Yemm and Redmon turned back, deciding that the conditions were too hazardous for the volatile cargo; the next day, Kelly hauled the entire shipment herself and delivered it to the crews, becoming the only North American trucker to complete the entire season.

The roads were often hacked out of vertical cliffs like a tunnel with one side open to the air, with rock overhangs overhead and drops of several hundred feet below. One part of the road was called "the Freefall Freeway".

Early promotional spots for the series listed the title as IRT: Himalayas.[ citation needed ]

Season two: South America

The second season of IRT: Deadliest Roads premiered on September 25, 2011. Six North American drivers are sent to Bolivia to haul cargo along the Yungas Road, notorious for its extreme hazards. The drivers work in pairs, as in the first season, but this time, instead of taking locals as spotters, the drivers also acted as them, where one driver would be the main driver for that run (drives the truck most part or the entire run) and the other would be the spotter, taking turns between them. – Hugh Rowland and Rick Yemm, Lisa Kelly and Dave Redmon, and newcomers Timothy "Tim" R. Zickuhr and Augustin "Tino" Rodriguez. Redmon and Yemm quit in episode two; Rowland continues driving alone, while Texas trucker G.W. Boles arrives to ride with Kelly and replace Dave in episode four. Making "Tim & Tino" the only original pair to stay together the entire season. Starting with episode eight, the truckers relocate to Peru and begin transporting loads to sites high in the Andes mountain range.

In episode six, Kelly and Boles transport 32 breeding llamas across the Salar de Uyuni, the world's biggest salt flat, 12,000 ft (3,700 m) above sea level. On the way, their truck's radiator begins to leak; after they mend it, they must empty all their drinking water into the radiator to replace the loss. Abundant lithium deposits cause their magnetic compasses to read incorrectly, and for a time, their global positioning system malfunctions.

In February 2015, Tim Zickuhr pleaded guilty to kidnapping and extortion, then was sentenced to a maximum of 15 years prison. [7] [8] Zickuhr's current incarceration and/or parole status are uncertain.

Early promotional spots for the series listed the title as IRT: The Andes.[ citation needed ]

Truckers (Deadliest Roads)

TruckersSeasons
12
Hugh Rowland Main
Rick Yemm Main
Alex Debogorski Main
Lisa Kelly Main
Dave Redmon Recurring Main
Tashi Chombel (Lisa's Spotter) Recurring
Abdul Hameed (Rick's Spotter) Recurring
Sanjeev Kumar (Alex's/Dave's Spotter) Recurring
Timothy "Tim" R. Zickuhr Main
Augustin "Tino" Rodriguez Main
"G.W." Boles Recurring

Music and sound FX

The Ice Road Truckers and Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads soundtracks are composed and produced mainly by Bruce Hanifan. The series also includes music from other artists such as Gregg Montante, Andrew Kubiszewski, Grayson Matthews, Paul Hepker and many others. The additional music and sound effects are licensed by Amygdala Music Library owned by the American recording studios company Amygdala Records, which have a partnership with Original Productions (series production company).

The series original theme song was the Aerosmith's lead single for the album Get a Grip, Livin' On The Edge, composed by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Mark Hudson and released in early 1993. The song was used in the openings of the series four initial seasons (2007 – early 2010) in the United States and Canada dubbing (original audio), which was changed in the following season (early 2011) for the song, originally composed for the series soundtrack, "Ice Road Truckers Theme" by Bruce Hanifan and Gregg Montante. Hanifan's and Montante's song was used in the series worldwide premiere and distribution as the opening theme, replacing the Aerosmith's song even in the initial seasons of the series outside the United States and Canada.

The song was also used as replacement in the digital / streaming versions of the I.R.T.: Deadliest Roads Season 1 (late 2010), which also uses Livin' on the Edge as its original theme song in the United States. and Canada. In the television worldwide premiere, the song "Black Mo" by Blues Saraceno was used as theme and background music in promotional videos of the spin-off's first season.

For season 2 of the spin-off series (late 2011), the song "Over the Line", originally composed for the series soundtrack by Andrew Kubiszewski, was used in the opening sequence, both in U.S. and worldwide airings.

Season 6 (2012) also uses a song composed by Kubiszewski as its theme, made exclusively for the series soundtrack, which was never released by Amygdala or Andrew.

In 2013, with season 7 on production, Original Productions contracted VARIPIX to rebuild the series' opening sequence, which changed its main theme once again, to the song "Maiden Voyage" by Andrew Kubiszewski, also composed for the series that lasted for the last five seasons (2013–2017).

Other media

In 2008, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights from the History Channel to create a scripted, theatrical action film based on the series. [9]

In 2010, a video game for the PlayStation Portable was released by Slitherine Software. [10] [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The King of Queens</i> American television sitcom (1998–2007)

The King of Queens is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show's executive producer, and stars Kevin James and Leah Remini as Doug and Carrie Heffernan, a working-class couple living in Rego Park, Queens. All the episodes were filmed in front of a live studio audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohtang Pass</span> Mountain pass

Rohtang Pass is a high mountain pass on the eastern end of the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas around 51 km (32 mi) from Manali in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It connects the Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh, India.

<i>Weird Science</i> (TV series) American television situation comedy

Weird Science is an American television sitcom, based on John Hughes' 1985 film of the same title, that aired on the USA Network from March 5, 1994, to April 11, 1997. Six previously unaired, "lost" episodes aired on the Sci-Fi Channel from July 11 to 25, 1998.

<i>Deadliest Catch</i> American reality television series

Deadliest Catch is an American reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The base of operations for the fishing fleet is the Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Produced for the Discovery Channel, the show's title is derived from the inherent high risk of injury or death associated with this line of work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road</span> Former ice road in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road, an extension of the Dempster Highway, was an ice road on frozen Mackenzie River delta channels and the frozen Arctic Ocean between the Northwest Territories communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, in Canada. The road closed permanently on 29 April 2017 at the end of the 2016-2017 winter season. Construction of an all-season highway between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk commenced in April 2013; it opened on 15 November 2017.

This is a list of Ice Road Truckers Season 1 episodes.

At the top of the world, there's an outpost like no other... and a job only a few would dare. The mission: To haul critical supplies across 350 miles of frozen lakes to Canada's remote billion-dollar diamond mines. The challenge: to transport 10,000 loads in 60 days—before the road disappears. The rewards are great; the risks even greater. These are the men who make their living on thin ice.

<i>Ice Road Truckers</i> season 2 Season of television series

This is a list of Ice Road Truckers Season 2 episodes.

At the top of the world, there's an outpost like no other…and a job only a few would dare. The ice men return: two titans of the southern ice roads, and two contenders. Last season they drove loaded semis on frozen lakes…this year, the Arctic Ocean. Deeper into the deep freeze. Further out on thinner ice. The new mission: to haul the heavy metal of natural gas drilling rigs up a frozen river and across ice-choked seas. Ice road truckers have come to the edge of the earth. These are the men who make their living on thin ice.

<i>Ice Road Truckers</i> season 3 Season of television series

This is a list of Ice Road Truckers Season 3 episodes.

At the top of the world, there's a job only a few would dare. Last season, the dash for the cash was fought on the smooth playing field of Canada's Arctic ice. This season, two old pros join four of America's bravest truckers to tackle the tundra's deadliest ice passage. Just when you thought extreme trucking couldn't get more dangerous, ice road truckers take on Alaska. These are the men who make their living on thin ice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Kelly (trucker)</span> American truck driver known for her appearances on reality television shows

Lisa Kelly is an American trucker who has been featured on the History channel reality television series Ice Road Truckers and its spinoff series IRT: Deadliest Roads. For seasons 3–5 and 7–11, Ice Road Truckers followed Kelly and her fellow drivers as they make their way along the icy Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, frequently hauling "oversized" loads. Kelly has also made appearances in Seasons 1–2 of IRT: Deadliest Roads. Kelly was notable as the only female trucker featured in the series until Maya Sieber joined in Season 5, and Stephanie "Steph" Custance in season 10. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, she now resides in Wasilla, Alaska. She has a YouTube channel under her name.

A maiden voyage is a ship's first journey.

Andrew "Andy" Kubiszewski is an American musician, songwriter, remixer and producer. He has worked with bands Exotic Birds and Stabbing Westward, contributed to several other bands, and composed music for TV shows and films.

Yemm is an English surname derived from an old word for uncle in its dialectal form from the Forest of Dean.

Decker Watson is a multi-Emmy-winning showrunner, executive producer, writer and director who has built a career chronicling the world’s deadliest professions.

This is a list of Ice Road Truckers Season 4 episodes.

At the top of the world, there's a job only a few would dare. The ice road truckers are back. Last year, they chased their fortunes over the frozen gauntlet of the Dalton. But this season, Alaska's most fearsome road is just the beginning, as the new riders of the last frontier head off the Dalton and over the frozen rivers of Alaska's outback. This year, the ice road truckers finally break through.

This is a list of Ice Road Truckers Season 5 episodes.

This is a list of Ice Road Truckers Season 6 episodes.

This is a list of Ice Road Truckers Season 8 episodes.

This is a list of Ice Road Truckers Season 9 episodes. On July 21, 2015, History announced season 9 would premiere August 2, 2015, at 9/8c.

This is a list of Ice Road Truckers Season 10 episodes. Per the History Channel website, Season 10 premiered on August 4, 2016 at 10/9c.

References

  1. "About the Ice Road Truckers series". History.com.
  2. "Sat News #114 – Gennaio 2010 – I canali documentaristici e divulgativi Sky" (in Italian). January 14, 2010.
  3. "'Ice Road Truckers' debut sets The History Channel ratings records – Reality TV World – News, information, episode summaries, message boards, chat and games for unscripted television programs". Reality TV World. June 20, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. "Slide Show: 'Ice Road Truckers' Take Thrilling Glide". New York Post. June 23, 2007. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  5. Heffernan, Virginia, "Honk? No, Pray if You Hear a Loud Crack", The New York Times , June 22, 2007
  6. Kaplan, Don, "BACK ON THE 'ICE ROAD'", New York Post , April 2, 2008
  7. "'Ice Road Truckers' star gets prison for kidnapping, threatening prostitute". syracuse. Associated Press. February 26, 2015.
  8. "'Ice Road Truckers' Star Tim Zickuhr -- GUILTY of Prostitute Kidnapping". TMZ.
  9. Fleming, Michael. "Fox drives 'Truckers' to bigscreen", Variety . February 12, 2008
  10. "HISTORY Ice Road Truckers". GamesIndustry.biz . Gamer Network. March 11, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  11. "History -- Ice Road Truckers". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2023.

Further reading