By Marty Hastings,
History Channel鈥檚 exploration of the B.C. Interior will continue with Backroad Truckers.
Season 1 of the documentary series revolves around Donny Kleinfelder of Barriere and Dave Schwandt of White Lake, the stars who have parlayed appearances on another History offering, Tappen-based Rust Valley Restorers, into a show of their own.
鈥淔ive years ago, would I have thought I鈥檇 be on TV? I would never have thought so,鈥� said Kleinfelder, the 400-or-so pound man who goes by Big Donny. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun. It鈥檚 a life-changing event.鈥�
In Backroad Truckers, the stars鈥� businesses are pitted against each other, with a focus on hotshotting, which is the process of moving time-sensitive loads from points A to B, often through perilous off-road conditions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a high-octane show, with big adventures, crazy scenery, vehicles you鈥檇 see in a kids鈥� playroom, but imagine if the playroom was inside a Mad Max movie,鈥� said showrunner Matt Shewchuk, who gets executive producer credits, along with Mayhem Entertainment business partner Tyson Hepburn.
These types of series only achieve success if personalities click with viewers, who will have plenty to choose from with Backroad Truckers.
Read more:
Read more:
Schwandt, who runs Twisted Auto Recycling, is a workaholic family man who has five children, a salvage dealer who loves building cars for demolition derbies and restoring old snowmobiles.
鈥淢e and Donny have known each other for 20 years,鈥� said Schwandt, who grew up in the Salmon Arm area. 鈥淲ho would have thought we鈥檇 be on not one, but two huge shows? We have the potential to become a huge hit. It was not even remotely on my mind for something like this to happen.鈥�
Shewchuk penned a concept for a hotshotting show prior to his involvement with Rust Valley Restorers, which is in the midst of Season 3.
After meeting characters such as Donny and Dave while working on seasons 1 and 2 of the car restoration series, the time was right to make a pitch to Corus Entertainment, History鈥檚 parent company.
鈥淎s each piece came together, it became more and more apparent that, yes, this could be an amazing show and we could tell some amazing stories,鈥� Shewchuk said, noting filming brought the crew as far north as Yellowknife.
Kleinfelder, who spent a good chunk of his life in Chase, employs an eclectic crew that includes ex-con Craig Gruden, big-rig-operating little person Dale Kristensen and Angela Kirstein, a fearless foul-mouthed driver.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 care what anybody looks like, as long as they don鈥檛 have bad habits,鈥� said Kleinfelder, whose son, Little Donny, also features on the show. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to kind of take what you get. It鈥檚 two families trying to survive.鈥�
The stars insist there has been animousity between them in the past, noting the conflict is not just a storyline drummed up to increase ratings.
鈥淲e鈥檝e butted heads over the years legitimately,鈥� said Schwandt, who used to work for Kleinfelder. 鈥淭here is no baloney in that situation whatsoever. It gives great exposure to the industry, of what it takes to actually do something like this. These back roads we do travel on are pretty treacherous sometimes.鈥�
The Interior and Shuswap, along with other B.C. regions, will again be given a platform on the nationally televised show. Kamloops, Barriere, Sandon and White Lake are pictured in the first episode.
What the audience thinks of Kleinfelder and Schwandt will go a long way in determining the success of the show, with Corus and History executives left to decide whether to green light a second season.
Episode 1 will air at 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 4.
鈥淐uriosity killed the cat, right?鈥� Big Donny said with a laugh. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all been kind of grinding away, wondering when is it coming, when鈥檚 it coming? Now it鈥檚 going to be here and we hope for the best, right?鈥�
Like us on and follow us on
