Madventures/Blog

The first two questions this week come from Ryan, who articulated very clearly what many of you have been wondering too. So, without further ado…

1. Are you locked in for 2010 in the USA?

RIKU: First of all, we’d like to thank each and every one of you who has appreciated Madventures, given away your time to watch it and given us feedback or even praise – you just don’t know how much it means to us!

It’s been extremely hard to work with a foreign language and to make a genuinely different “no-compromises” show for American TV and after your feedback, we’re more than happy with where we are now, no matter the dramatic events of this week – this all has been worth the effort!

Especially thanks for those who have expressed their opinions to the Travel Channel, via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or TC’s own message board.

I’m sure they will appreciate direct feedback, too. After all, Travel Channel was the channel that decided to give green light to a fresh but controversial show, so let’s not diss ‘em too much for what happened, huh? Right now there’s a lot of changes going on there, check out the latest news here: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad8ed368-bea2-11de-b4ab-00144feab49a.html

So, finally, to the answer: we’re not yet locked in for 2010, as there will probably be a lot of changes to their programming anyway. But all of us: me, Tunna, the whole Mad team and our great producers in the Travel Channel want the same thing: the triumphant return of Madventures – most probably in the first half of 2010!

The same situation in the UK – programming is not locked yet, but 2010 it’s a go.

And soon we’ll be able to give you other interesting news about 2010 stuff…

TUNNA: Yeah. What Riku said. : )

2. Will you continue to run this blog?

RIKU: Sure! We’ll keep on trucking, updating this blog weekly, sharing clips and pics, posting in Facebook & Twitter and delivering all the news to the friends of Madventures!

TUNNA: Absolutely! Although I myself will soon be in a total radio silence for a month or so, somewhere in the deep tropics, locked inside my hammock. I’ve been editing our huge DVD box for the last two months like a lunatic and now it’s time for a holiday!

3. Jahcure has a question about the latest blog entry, where we discussed the Aghori.

Do these men believe themselves to be above or even beyond local law? Has any sort of government authority ever approached these men, or are their “sacrifices” far and few?

RIKU: When you read Indian newspapers, sometimes you notice news about the most hardcore actions in Aghori sects: human sacrifaces.

Human sacrifice is pretty rare and you’ll have to remember that there’s more than a billion people there – many things can happen, especially when there’s extreme poverty, illiteracy, ignorance and fundamentalism, especially in the rural areas…

According to our research, most of the Aghori taboo-breaking has to do with shocking people, not really actual murders etc. But of course we do not know what kinds of acts Dhobia and his followers have really commited.

One would guess that even in the countryside India you can’t easily get away with a murder. Here’s more about human sacrifice in India.

TUNNA: I assume that Dhobia Baba meant that God will forgive them seven murders, even if people will not.

4. Have you seen Sadventures, the parody made of your program?

RIKU: Yeah! Laughed my ass off, good job guys! You know you’ve reached a certain level of notoriety when there’s a parody about you!

TUNNA: I’ve heard a lot about the parody and people said it’s funny. I just haven’t had time to watch it. Ok, I’m gonna watch it right now!

SADVENTURES

TUNNA: Okay, that IS funny. They must have been watching our show a lot to be able to imitate us so perfectly! Great tribute guys!

My vocabulary seems to consist of one sentence: What the fuck? Well, they are three great words, what else you need!

5. Plans for the rest of the year?

RIKU: I need to rest and get my infection fixed. It’s been around since PNG, got an abrasion while trekking in the jungle and it got infected… There’s been an open wound – from all af the possible places – in my ASS for six months already. Bombo claat!

Can’t bike, can’t sit for a long time, can’t have a sauna, can’t travel into the tropics this winter… Of course this is not really dangerous and I’m lucky to have a good health after all we’ve done, but I have to admit, this starts to get on my nerves.

Today, I go for the operation #4 – time for the good old epidural again.

Until this heals, there’s three assholes in Madventures instead of the obvious two!

TUNNA: What the fuck?

See, I told you those are the only words you need.

No, seriously, my plans are as much hammock as possible.

And that’s it for this week, you all have good weekend.

R & T

EDIT: As I’m uploading this, Riku sent an SMS from the hospital – the operation went well and he should be back home later today. – A