MTV stands for Music Television, but everyone knows that MTV hardly ever airs music videos anymore on their network. Why would they when they realize that the real money-making shows come from the world of reality television. Like it or not MTV has really become the “King of Reality Television on Cable.” Their successful reality shows range from catty dramas (The Hills, Laguna Beach, The Real World) to hilarious comedies (Run’s House) with even some of your standard reality-competition shows (Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Making the Band) thrown in for good measure. But perhaps the funniest and most entertaining show on the network is Rob & Big. The first two seasons were a surprise hit for MTV, and sadly season three would be the final season.

Rob & Big focuses on the life of Rob Dyrdek, a professional skateboarder, and his bodyguard and best friend, Christopher “Big Black” Boykin. Rob has been skateboarding since he was 16, and now he has his own line of clothes and skate stuff. This is the only job he has ever had, but he found it difficult to illegally “street skate” in most places, which is where “Big Black” comes into play. “Big Black” is 6′5″ and around 400 lbs. They are the modern version of the “Odd Couple”, but you couldn’t find any better friends than these two. They love together in a house in Los Angeles with Rob’s cousin and personal assistant, “Drama”, and their two pets, a bulldog named Meaty and a miniature horse named Mini-Horse. Boykins’ friend and fellow “Chunky Boy” rap partner, “Bam Bam”, is not far away either.

The third and final season of the show is just as funny as the first two seasons. Once again, the reason this show is funny is because of the people involved. Rob and Big are both extremely funny people, and they continue to do some pretty hysterical things. There are more stunts and skateboarding stuff thrown into this season, but that doesn’t lessen the comedy. In addition, you really can’t help but laugh at the sight of a mini-horse and a bulldog playing together.

Season three also featured a variety of wacky people that interacted with Rob & Big in their lives. It’s almost worth the price of this DVD set to see them. In addition, unlike most MTV shows that feel like they have “forced” drama and less “reality”, Rob & Big feels completely real. Sure, Rob & Big act crazy, but you still get the feeling that they would be doing everything that you see them do on camera, even if the cameras weren’t around.

This show was like the ultimate bachelor show as it appealed to male 18-34 demographic that is great contrast to the audience The Hills gets. But just like in real life, all the fun and games of being single eventually must come to an end. “Big Black” is having a baby and he must move out of Rob’s house, which ultimately ends this short-lived MTV reality series. Most great television shows that don’t know when to stop airing new seasons, but Rob & Big went out on top. Their antics were both hilarious and believable, which is a winning combination for any reality show.

Episodes:

Disc One:

Episode 1 – Poop in the Pool
Rob, along with the help of Big and Bam Bam, take extreme measures to catch whoever left a nasty surprise in their pool.

Episode 2 – Racing Turtles
When Rob & Big Black find a turtle they decide to train it to run, so they can put the turtle in a big turtle race.

Episode 3 – Mini-Horse Road Trip
Rob & Big think Mini-Horse has what it takes to win a horse show, so they enter Mini-Horse into it.

Episode 4 – Meaty Goes To Hollywood
Rob and Big try to get their dog, Meaty, onto a dog food box and also try to get their own faces onto a cereal box after an inspirational shopping trip.

Episode 5 – Guinness
Rob & Big do some crazy things to try and get a world record.

Episode 6 – Big Bob
Rob & Big take a trip to the zoo where they get to feed various animals. Rob also gets a fat suit made so that he can feel what it’s like to be Big for the day.

Disc Two:

Episode 7 – Charity
Inspired by a free ice cream truck, Rob and Big try their hand at charity, handing out the “homeless hookup” and spending quality time at an old folks home. Also, Big Zeus tries to show Rob that big men can catch some sweet air on a BMX bike.

Episode 8 – Harry the Healer
Rob enlists the help of a street shaman to help improve his spiritual awareness and skateboarding.

Episode 9 – Dating Game
Big Black plays matchmaker after Rob finds a pair of women’s gloves in his bedroom. The guys buy remote-control helicopters, then have a hard time mastering them.

Episode 10 – Vegas
Rob and Big Black take the whole crew to Las Vegas to celebrate Drama’s 21st birthday. Skateboarding great Danny Way joins them, and they stop along the way for some skateboarding.

Episode 11 – Meaty’s Birthday
Rob and Big plan an over-the-top “Super Sweet Fourteen” bash for their beloved puppy.

Episode 12 – Parents
Rob tortures his mother when the Dyrdek family pays a visit to Hollywood.

Disc Three:

Episode 13 – Cancun
Rob and Big vacation in Cancun, Mexico. Here they experiment with wrestling attire and Rob prepares to perform as “Bobby Light.”

Episode 14 – Haunted House
The guys try ghostbusting when Rob feels a supernatural presence in the house and thinks it must be the cause of their rat infestation. They hire an exterminator, a psychic, a demonologist and a landscaper to deal with their problems.

Episode 15 – Baby
Big Black announces he’s expecting a baby and that he’ll be moving out of his home with Rob.

The video is given in fullscreen color with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Transfer is good with minimal distortion. The quality is a little better than what you would find on television. No major problems at all. You really can’t expect much more than this for a MTV show.

The audio included is available in English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. There are subtitles available in English as well. It’s pretty standard quality for a TV show as well. The dialogue comes out crisp and clear.

Audio Commentaries -
Rob Dyrdek (star/co-creator), Christopher “Big Black” Boykin (star/co-creator), Bam Bam (star), Zeus (star), Drama (star), Jeff Tremaine (co-creator), and Ruben Fleischer (co-creator) comment on all 15 episodes from season 3. These are once again highly entertaining. For the most part, Rob, Big, Drama, Bam Bam, and Zeus provide the most material with Jeff and Ruben just trying to keep things moving and provide insight when needed.

“The Best, Worst, and Unused Episode -
This is basically what it says. It’s basically the “clip show” or “recap show” for the mid-way point of season three. It originally aired on MTV, but it is just the highlights of the entire season so far. You have seen this all before, but Rob & Big break do break down their favorite moments from the third season so far and preview what happens in the rest of this season. Yeah, you have all the episodes here so the only reason to watch this is to hear what Rob & Big have to say about certain moments in this season.

Deleted Scenes -
There are 33 scenes that didn’t make the final cut of this season, and they total 32 minutes. Unlike most deleted scenes, these are all pretty much funny. You can only have so much material in each episode. This didn’t make the cut, but still worth checking out.

This is the probably the funniest reality show ever created. Not just on MTV but every other network as well. There was little drama, just straight up laughs. It doesn’t hurt that Rob & Big are extremely likable people. If you haven’t given this show a chance, you should. Season three is the absolute best and sadly the last as well, so you might as well rent this to see what you have been missing. Fans of the show will have a no-brainer in buying this DVD set.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Paramount/MTV Home Entertainment presents Rob & Big – Season 3. Created by Rob Dyrdek, Christopher Boykin, Jeff Tremaine, and Ruben Fleischer. Starring Rob Dyrdek, Christopher “Big Black” Boykin, Chris “Drama” Pfaff, Bam Bam, “Meaty”, and “Mini Horse”. Running time: 300 minutes. Rated: NOT RATED. Released on DVD: September 23, 2008. Available at Amazon.com

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