Johnny Knoxville wondered what it would be like to be subjected to pepper spray-a substance police officers use to subdue unruly people. He offered to write a story about the experience for a skateboarder's magazine, which suggested Knoxville film the stunt. He did make a video, including the pepper-spray stunt as well as other bizarre and oddball antics. When executives at MTV saw the video, they saw the potential for a reality TV show. In October 2000, the program, titled Jackass, premiered on the network. For three seasons Knoxville and his friends Bam Margera, Steve "Steve-O" Glover, Chris Pontius, and others continually placed themselves in danger, always with a comical touch. In fact, the Jackass stunts always seemed funnier when they didn't work. During the show's run, Knoxville and crew developed a devoted following-each week, as many as 3 million fans tuned in. Book jacket.