(ROCK MUSIC)
SHANE: OK, let me tell you about my mates.
There's a supermodel...
the theatre star...
the AFL commentator...
and me, the guy from the toilet film.
No, I'll get it, Shane. No, it's fine.
We are four very different people.
We're this odd mixture of misfits and I love them for it.
Now, here's what's gonna happen...
we travel around the world...
I'm big in Japan.
..each location a new adventure...
Oh, he's over!
KRIS: Is it too late to say no to this TV show?
Yes.
And, then, we risk life...
Shane, I'll do anything for you, but I can't do that.
..and Lycra...
(SPEAKS JAPANESE)
..to accomplish some of the craziest missions possible.
Oh my god!
But here's the clincher...
we're checking in...
There's a room for me, Todd McKenney.
..in order to check up on our brothers...
We would all have friends experiencing
some kind of bad mental health.
..to encourage blokes not to bottle up, but to open up
about their mental health.
Talking about it now is such a relief.
I should have done that a long time ago.
Each time we join forces, one of my mates opens up.
Talking is everything.
And you've got to be man enough to say, "I've got a problem."
Tonight, in America...
(CHEERING)
..bravado...
Boom!
..and bravery...
It's something I have never spoken about publicly in 20 years.
..this Mates on a Mission is Todd's story.
I was kind of getting a little more isolated,
and isolated, and isolated, and isolated from...
It feels funny talking about it.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
The location - Las Vegas in the US of A.
There's pokies at the airport.
What happens now?
The mate's mission, daring to jump through
a flaming ring of fire on a beast of a bike.
The margin for error? Small. The fear factor? Massive.
And as far as brothers in arms go...
No, I'll get it Shane.
..we're strong.
No, I got it. No.
What I love about this show is...
four incredibly different people get along...
It should be here somewhere.
Is it that one? Is it? Yes.
..who have each other's back and share stories.
I don't think there's anything we wouldn't tell each other,
and that's the important thing, knowing that you can tell them.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
I've been to Vegas twice before and never really paid attention
to how big the mountains are around it.
Forty-five percent of Australians at some point in their life
will experience some kind of mental health issue.
So that's why we have to be vigilant.
All of us have a job to do,
which is to look in the eyes of our friends and see if they are OK.
No one can give you the answer until you say, "Mate...
"Buddy, are you OK?"
Being able to, you know, open up as opposed to bottle up,
that can make a huge difference.
(WIND WHISTLES)
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
This is where they reckon it is.
Feel like I've just pulled up at Mars.
Now, I know I said we're going to Vegas,
city of night-life not no-life,
but before we hit that playground...
How amazing is this?
..we've tumbled into the Nevada desert.
It's an eerie feeling, isn't it?
Snow. Snow in Vegas.
BT: We're in the desert.
I'm a bit scared.
And kind of excited, too.
See that big pile of dirt?
Looks like a jump to me.
No, it can't be. No.
I sincerely hope that's not it, 'cause that is so much bigger
than what he described to me on the phone.
There's an ambulance waiting there.
(LAUGHTER)
I might get to know them.
This Martian landscape is the office
of one of the coolest dudes on Earth...
Thought you weren't going to show up.
..the legendary Robbie Maddison.
I thought about it.
(CHUCKLES)
Hey mate, how are you, buddy? Shane.
Good to see you, man.
Good idea, huh? Great idea.
BT: Brian, Robbie. Great to see you, mate.
ROBBIE: Brian. BT: And great to meet you.
Absolute pleasure. Kris. Kris. Welcome.
Hey mate. Todd?
Yeah. Todd.
Vegas is kind of your victory ground.
I mean, you could jump the whole planet if you want.
It's been good to me.
What inspired me to come to Vegas is Evel Knievel.
(ROCK MUSIC)
He's what started all this.
He made it famous.
I've done some crazy jumps here. It's been awesome for me.
You know, we all grew up watching Evel Knievel.
Robbie Maddison has beaten Evel Knievel's records
by just...like, silly amounts.
He's it. He's...
he's the Muhammad Ali of motorbikes.
And he's Australian.
Robbie grew up on the south coast of New South Wales.
He traded his job as an electrician to really make sparks fly.
COMMENTATOR: That was an absolutely perfect landing for Robbie Maddison.
He's a high-octane extreme daredevil,
holding the world record for the longest motorcycle jump
at a staggering 107 metres.
There's no doubt he's a demon
and he's going to teach us crusty old mates, to face ours.
BT: None of us have ever jumped. ROBBIE: OK.
So we haven't... We haven't...
We've never ridden a bike except Bali mopeds.
Robbie, just so you know, I'm a tap dancer.
You are? Yeah.
That's my thing. So you can change gears then?
Well, you're agile. Yeah...
(LAUGHTER)
Dude... Is that it?
Yeah, that's it.
(EPIC MUSIC)
Robbie Maddison's world is a very different world
than Shane Jacobson's world.
What I call a war, he calls a fistfight.
So I don't know what I was thinking.
But, anyway, we're here now.
Too late to turn back, I think.
That is so much bigger than you described to me on the phone.
The take off of the jump looks like... It's like...vertical.
It's... It's a lot bigger than I thought.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
You could kill yourself doing this.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
Just a stone's throw away from Hell Hill is Sin City.
(CHEERS)
The Vegas Strip is an oasis in the desert.
It's all glitz, glamour, and, of course, gambling.
Hey, wave to those people.
I reckon we look like a 1970s boy band,
where they think the lead singer's kept himself pretty well...
but the fat drummer.
(LAUGHTER)
They'll reckon BT's the bass player.
I'm the backup dancer.
(LAUGHTER)
That Martian landscape was just so surreal.
But, landing on the strip,
I'm used to bright lights, I live for bright lights.
Look at that. Look how beautiful that is.
The very first time I ever stood on stage,
I got the shock of my life
because of those bright lights.
To be honest, I wet my pants.
But I was four.
I don't do that anymore when the bright lights hit me.
What is this?
What is that? Is that Caesars Palace?
Oh, it is! Oh, my God.
It's just...my calling.
Oh, here it is. Here we are.
(GLITZY MUSIC)
Oh, yeah, everything's big in Vegas...
Oh my god.
..and the hotel room at Caesar's Palace...
(SOFTLY) Oh wow.
..is no exception.
(LAUGHTER)
Bang. Wow.
There's a seat in here.
Why's there a seat in the shower? So you can do that.
(LAUGHS)
Hello. It's your third wife, mate.
(LAUGHTER)
Just like that.
We're in Vegas, baby!
Exactly.
Vegas!
Oh!
I'll be better than that come time for the stunt.
I have more coordination on a motorbike.
(GLITZY MUSIC)
So I want you to watch...this.
(CHEERING)
(MAN CHANTS) Robbie, Robbie, Robbie. Whoo!
He jumped on top of one of the buildings here in Vegas.
On and off.
There's a bit of footage here, right? So that's him doing that jump.
Oh my god.
So he is, undeniably, the best in the world.
You know he breaks bones in every jump that he does?
No, he's never... He's never even had an accident.
No... That's right, he hasn't.
No that was the other guy.
That was that was Evel Knievel.
He lands all of his jumps.
I can't do that.
Shane, I'll do anything for you, but I can't do that.
Hear me out. Before you keep saying it, just hear me out.
Robbie Maddison is a safety nut.
He's like gotta have body armour and it's full-on.
We all agreed at the start of this, we we're going to try and do things
to bring attention to the great causes.
Yeah, but Shane... That's what we said.
This is an amazing chance.
He's going to train us... I think I'm gonna cry.
No, don't. But, just hear me out.
So what he's organised is right now downstairs,
he's got four motorbikes....
Just baby steps.
..for us to take out now.
The worst I can think of happening is death.
(ROCK MUSIC)
Is that them?
# Born to be wild #
I'm getting the safest colour.
It's a 50cc engine.
I could run quicker.
(LAUGHTER)
Can I have the white one? I need the white one.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Done.
I know absolutely nothing about motorbikes.
How do you put this on?
Alright, yeah? Not too tight?
Is it on?
OK.
It's off now.
I can't read that. There you go!
Hang on is my light on?
Hang on. Hang on. Yeah, yeah, you're good.
(ROCK MUSIC)
Look out.
Oh my god. Oh my god.
Oh my god.
Oh my god. Oh my god.
# In the day, we sweat it out on the streets
# Of a runaway American dream #
You alright, Todd?
# At night, we ride through mansions of glory #
# In suicide machines #
Don't look at me. Makes me nervous.
# Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin' out over the line #
This is the way to say Vegas, innit?
(SQUAWKS)
# 'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run #
Oh, wow, look at that.
(INDISTINCT)
The music!
# You're here
# There's nothing I fear #
(SCREAMING) You all right, Todd?
(LAUGHTER)
(ROCK MUSIC)
Keep your eyes up.
If you take me through fire right now,
I'll kill you.
(LAUGHTER)
Go Toddy, get up there.
I'm hating it. I'm hating this experience.
I feel like Mr Magoo.
Well, you don't look like Mr Magoo.
You're doing great.
You feel comfortable don't ya? Ah...
You can clearly ride a bike.
All he's gotta do now is do it 30 times faster
on a much bigger, more powerful bike
and just go through a ring that's on fire over a jump.
So there's just a few more bits to bolt to that.
(ENGINE CLUNKS)
Oh. Shit.
Can't even ride a scooter down the middle of the main street.
How am I going to ride a cc dirtbike?
Come closer. Oop, car coming.
I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this.
I hate this. I hate this (BLEEP).
I am terrified. I'm already terrified.
(ROCK MUSIC)
We're mates on a mission,
out to get men to start talking about their mental health,
to open up, not bottle up.
And to do that, we're risking life and limb -
belting through a ring of fire on top of that monster mound.
Let's get you guys on the bikes.
Let's just go in a straight line.
I just want to get you guys getting comfortable
using the brake with one finger
and using just your toes on the rear brake.
When motorbike legend, Robbie Maddison, has your back,
we've got the best chance not to break ours.
It'll be gnarly. It will be gnarly.
(LAUGHTER)
(ENGINE STOPS)
I'll ask before I get on.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
Go up a gear.
(ENGINE REVS)
Those bikes are a weapon.
When you give it a bit of throttle
that thing just wants to jump out of the ground, you know.
He's got me.
Me and BT have ridden bikes before, so we're going to take to it easier.
I was surprised. You did good. Look, he's smiling.
I told you he'd smile when he got off.
Yeah, Kris.
KRIS: I've not been on a bike like that before.
When you feel what it can do and, you know, you're in charge of it,
it's such an incredible feeling.
Alright, Todd, you're up brother. Am I up?
I am scared witless.
(TENSE MUSIC)
(GRUNTS)
Ride around there. Go first gear, second gear.
Hang on. What's that?
So...
You're gonna take off in first gear, which is all the way down.
Right? Yeah.
See how you go.
Yeah. So...
Clutch in. So it's in neutral now?
Yeah. Clutch in. Yeah, there you go.
Nice and smooth.
(ENGINE STALLS)
That's alright. That's better than too many revs.
So why did that do that? You just let it out too quick.
Increase the revs a little bit.
And then just... Yeah...
So is it in first now?
It's in first, yeah.
So as it comes out, just give it a little bit of throttle. Not much.
(ENGINE STALLS) Oh shit.
Just a little bit more.
There you go. You're good, you're good.
Oh shit. (ENGINE STALLS)
As scared as Todd is, there's one thing I know really well about Todd,
we're mates.
That once he's dedicated to something he pours himself into it.
Oh bugger.
Clutch goes out, throttle goes on.
Oh.
Bugger.
Throughout my years in the entertainment industry,
and getting lead roles, and fulfilling my dreams and stuff,
I always run my own race.
I don't compete with anybody else, but I don't fail.
I don't like to fail.
Nice and slow all the way out.
Go on, mate. Go on. Go on.
(ENGINE STALLS)
So close.
That's alright.
I have never felt power like that.
I mean I've water-skied, I've jumped out of planes,
but I've never felt that power of...
That scares... It scares me.
It's as scary as I thought it was going to be.
Shane, I don't think I can do it.
How long have we got? We've got time.
At this point...
Like, I don't normally give up on stuff,
but I think this is way out of my...my comfort zone
Right now, I don't think I can do it.
I just don't think I can do it.
(UPBEAT DISCO MUSIC)
So away from the dirt of the bikes,
we've scrubbed up for a night on the town.
BT: So we're going there?
In this entertainment Mecca, it'd be mad not to soak up
a little bit of culture.
I love the Bee Gees.
So, I've scored some tickets to the very popular
Australian Bee Gees tribute show.
They actually look like them, too.
I was just gonna say they look like them.
I think it's fair to say the fever always runs hot in Vegas,
not just on a Saturday night.
(SENSUAL MUSIC)
# Oh, when you shake that thing
# Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting #
ANNOUNCER: Direct from Australia...
Ladies, this is Thunder From Down Under.
Get ready to make some noise, come on!
# Party Rockers in the house tonight #
(INDISTINCT)
# We just wanna see you... Shake that #
Let's hear it for the boys!
We were expecting the Bee Gees.
(LAUGHS)
Hey, one more.
Bee Gees were on two hours earlier.
So they've... Both shows are here, but I had no idea.
You stuffed up the timing.
How can you not know that?
Well I know now.
Once again, a Jacobson idea.
This guy, he needs to be hauled in.
Let's go get a beer, ay? Yeah.
Let's get a beer. It's on me.
Oh, you know it's on you.
I quite liked it.
(SOFT MUSIC)
And, then, for today's exercise, we'll just come up to speed,
pull the clutch in and controlled braking,
come to a stop and we're good.
Are there two brakes? There is two brakes.
I've only been using the one. BT: Just in case you missed...
Where's the other one? On the other side of the foot.
Is that a brake? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I thought it was a foot rest.
(LAUGHTER)
That's why I haven't been able to go!
If Todd McKenney can teach me to dance,
I mean, I know dance is a very loose word that I use
to describe my dancing...
then Robbie Maddison can teach him to ride a motorbike,
'cause they're both legends.
(SLOW ROCK MUSIC)
I want to pull this off to get a message out there,
but I don't want people to think
that this is a walk in the park for me and I'm bunging it on.
This is...
the worst thing I've ever done in my life.
OK.
If he can just go...
If he can just go up and back here and change gears,
I think he'll be right.
(BLEEP)
I don't want to rev it.
(BLEEP)
Oh!
It's just got too much power for me.
It's got too much power for me.
I don't feel... I don't feel safe.
(SOLEMN MUSIC)
Remember when I came to do dancing with you...
You didn't get there either.
No, I didn't get all the way there, but I got up and was able to walk.
Yeah.
So you'll be able to get up and ride.
We had to get around him.
We had to encourage him,
because if we could pull this off,
if someone that's never ridden a motorbike before
can go over a 10 metre high jump...
Wow, what a sense of achievement.
The message to Australian men is really simple,
if you've got friends encouraging you and getting you to stay open...
anything's achievable.
(INDISTINCT)
Just the sound of it scares me.
The sound scares you?
The sound of it scares me.
You're doing it! You're doing great.
I don't wanna let the boys down.
Go, Toddy!
Yay!
Yeah. Toddy.
Oh, he's a natural!
Like a duck to water that, Robbie.
You must be proud of him.
It's a braver man to attempt something that makes them nervous
than it is to do something you feel comfortable with innit?
(ENGINE STALLS)
(EXHALES)
(ENGINE STARTS)
(DEEP BREATH)
(ENGINE STALLS)
Oh!
(TENSE MUSIC)
(GRUNTS)
Can someone give me a hand?
Sorry, mate.
It's all good.
I hate this.
I absolutely hate it.
Oh mate, like... I don't know.
I don't know.
Now's not a good time for me.
Sorry, mate.
I hate this.
I absolutely hate it...
but I'll do it for the team.
Yeah, I don't want to be the one that doesn't do it.
SHANE: As scared as Todd is, we're in this together.
My favourite expression is
a team should travel as fast as its slowest member.
I'm kind of banking on the group getting Todd across the line.
You know, I don't want to do this without Todd.
It looked smoother than the first lot.
When I was around here it went... (MAKES NOISE)
'cause I've got my hands all confused.
And it took off and I got the... I got really scared.
Men talking to men, I think, is a really important thing to do
in your life, you know?
I got brought up in a world full of women.
You know, my mum, my sister, the girls at the dancing school
and all of that and, so, I never found talking to men very easy men.
Men know men.
And I think it's a really enlightening moment
when you have a good chat to a man about something soulful and real,
and health related, particularly.
Gosh.
I haven't done something that's scared me like that
in a very long time.
Yeah? In a very, very...
Really scared? Yeah.
And I'm not having a joke, that's... that...
Yes, that totally scared me.
Like I'm here doing this... this bike riding.
I don't want to be perceived in front of the other guys
to be a failure.
Oh, it'll click in. Yeah.
I think that is what men do when they all get together,
they want to just play along with the boys
and not let their guard down,
you know, 'cause the boys will think that they're soft,
and I think that's something that men need to...need to drop.
# Next stop, Vegas, please #
While Todd's not comfortable with the roar of a bike,
he's totally at home with the roar of a crowd.
Wow.
It's huge.
Now, I happen to know that appearing in Cirque du Soleil
is on Todd's bucket list.
He's a massive fan.
So I want this to be the confidence booster he desperately needs.
MAN: If you look on stage over here, the red fabric,
that's what we're going to fly on, right?
That's where we're going to learn to fly.
This theatre stages the most expensive production in history.
It's called 'Ka' and it's mind-blowing in the extreme.
This feels like the set of 'Mad Max' on steroids.
Hey guys, how you doing?
So this is Paul. He's the head coach here at Ka.
If you look up there... that's Christian.
Hey Christian.
So he's the one who's got the control
that's going to run the motor that's going to pull us up and down.
Oh OK. Right.
That's high, isn't it?
So we'll give you a little demonstration. Yeah?
Please. Anyone else want front row seats to our death?
(LAUGHTER)
So you'll hold the sides like this.
The first thing we're going to do is I'll give Christian a 1-2-3
and he'll just lift me up.
One, two, three.
Keep your shoulders down the whole time, yeah?
Right. So stay down.
So bring me down.
And he'll bring you down.
Yeah? That simple.
So that's it. That's great.
Wow. Thank you.
Alright.
Alright. Well, thanks guys. Let's go.
Right, we'll see you. Nice meeting you.
Now I feel at home.
Being a boy
dancer back in the 60s,
I was always ragged at school, as we used to call it.
So he'll pick me up.
Oh, I so wanna do that!
Oh, that's cool.
I always knew I was doing what I wanted to do
and it was tough,
but I didn't really have a choice.
Let's go.
All right.
BT: You're our man, Todd.
I've been wanting to do this for years.
This is all about you.
Mum, took me along to see this guy called Peter Allen
when I was 12 or 13.
# When my baby
# When my baby smiles at me I go to Rio #
And I remember sitting in that audience,
as cliche as this is going to sound,
and I looked at him and I thought, "I want to do that one day."
# I am not the boy next door
# I don't belong like I did before #
You know, poetically,
I ended up doing that.
I achieved a goal that...
I didn't even dream about, really.
Changed my life.
Oh yeah, right.
My career was soaring...
Point your toes, yeah.
..everything around me started to become heavy.
Everybody looking at me would just think
I'm just having this amazing success,
but I was kind of getting a little more isolated and isolated,
and isolated, and isolated from...
It feels funny talking about it.
It's something that I have never spoken about publicly in 20 years.
It's a bizarre feeling.
It's almost like you go into slow motion
and everything gets a little bit faster around you.
These two worlds were colliding.
My personal world just felt like I was out of control of my...
My work world was flying, soaring...
SHANE: There he goes! KRIS: Have a look at him go.
Oh my god.
..and I would dread going to bed.
The other moment I have which in my business is just a nightmare,
is I didn't like mirrors.
And I started to think I didn't look good,
and so then I thought I was too thin,
and, then, so I'm gonna look at myself
and, oh, it's just endless...
battle.
I swear to you, nobody around me would have had a clue.
Oh my god.
Your choices are to drink a lot or to overdo...
other aspects of your life.
Try and... You sort of try and numb yourself a bit.
I did for sure. Yep.
Amazing.
Oh my god.
Back then, I know we knew what depression was,
but it wasn't really talked about.
If it was, it was a bit...
Mm-mm...depression.
So, I got to a point where I just knew that this situation
wasn't going to fix itself, so I found a psychologist.
That was really good for me.
If the jump gives me that sense of flight that just did...
But you... I can probably...
But you'll only be off the ground as much as that.
Yeah but, Shane, can I wear the silks...
(LAUGHTER)
Then I'd do it. Thanks, mate. That's great.
That was great fun.
The loneliness thing is because you feel like
you're the only person in the world who's ever felt like this.
My message would be, there is somebody out there
who is going to be able to tell you what you're feeling
without you telling them.
Talking about it now is such a relief,
and I should have done that a long time ago.
You're gonna love that.
The most important thing to get out of this show
is to get the conversation started about mental health.
It's not just four yobos yucking it up around the world.
Wahey.
Look Ma, I can fly.
1, 2, 3.
Boing!
# He came in like a wrecking ball #
(LAUGHTER)
Look at him go. Go Caesar! So graceful.
# All I wanted was to break your walls #
It's a bird. It's a plane. It's a block of flats.
(LAUGHTER)
BT: You smartarses.
(LAUGHTER)
Look at him! That's the most graceful you've ever looked.
Look at his feet all crossed like a dancer.
You just take off and I love that feeling.
Yeah, you really feel the breeze as well,
which is probably what's going to happen when I get over that jump.
See how positive I'm being?
When I get over that jump.
(LAUGHS)
Right, now, what do you have to get me down off this?
Shoulders, shoulders, here we go. Oh, yeah, look, it's beautiful.
Oh, another finish.
Nup. Still nothing.
# Now you're singing with the choir
# Now you're dancing with the crew #
Well, after that, Todd's found his mojo again,
and he's ready to get back on the bike.
Stay in the moment. Right now.
Let's just get this gear change happening.
Don't worry about your fears and what's in the future.
You're amazing, you're an amazing dancer
and it takes a lot of ability...
and this is the same.
It's just a little thing to wrap your head around,
you'll be good to go. # You sing the melody
# And I'll take the harmony #
(ENGINE REVS)
There you go! Wah!
Yes, Todd! Whoo!
Go on, Toddy. Oh, here you go.
(WHISTLES)
Yeah buddy, that's it.
(CHEERING)
Yeah!
And stopped perfect, too.
Whoa!
I can finish on a high.
Yeah, you did it. You did it man.
I did it.
BT: Todd's achievements today were brilliant.
You're doing it.
I was rapt to see him do so well today.
I did it. You did it.
I did it.
We're all so proud of him.
That was bloody good. Thanks for recognising that.
He's getting so much better, isn't he?
You good? Na, really good.
Yeah.
Well, I can tell you, I'm terrified and so it's...
I think, hopefully, we're doing the job that we came here to do.
Your confidence in me is helping me...
Na, mate.
..and I just want to thank you for it.
You're doing so well.
Out of anything I've ever thought I would do,
I just want to thank you all now, please.
ROBBIE: Oh no, mate, I'm stoked with you.
Yesterday you were like, "I'm not doing this.
"There's no way I could do this."
And now you're like, I see the signs that...
Yeah. ..you're going to go off this ramp.
Now get it away from me. Get me off this thing.
Oh god.
BT: The guys, the atmosphere together is great.
Everyone's in it together.
If Todd doesn't do well, we don't do well.
The camaraderie and togetherness is second-to-none.
I think I'll be alright.
SHANE: This is Elvis Presley Boulevard.
With our focus firmly set on the big jump,
we're heading to training.
Stop. Stop. Stop the car.
Wedding chapel in Las Vegas.
At least we were heading to training.
Look at Elvis swinging them hips. He's still got it.
(LAUGHS)
First one in gets married.
I'm gonna look better than the bride.
The subtext of Mates on a Mission could easily read,
'looking stupid and doing stupid stuff.'
WOMAN: Do you like brown suede?
(UPBEAT CLASSIC ROCK MUSIC)
Welcome to the world-famous Little White Wedding Chapel
in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Gambling on love is huge business in Vegas.
This Little White Chapel is one of about 50,
making this city the marriage capital of the world.
What is love?
Mates isn't a term that only refers to men.
My wife is my best mate.
BT: I don't go to many weddings...
particularly people I don't know.
You gotta wear this ring now for the rest of your life.
If I'm honest, it's probably the only wedding I'm going to go to
where I get to look across the aisle and see BT sitting with a dog
in a chapel.
I don't know if that comes under the same kind of special
that a wedding day is, but that's...
that's extra special in a very weird way.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr and Mrs... What?
McHugh. McHugh.
What? McHugh.
Ladies and gentlemen. Let's go.
I thought that was unusual, that she didn't know who she was marrying.
But I guess if you're doing a wedding every 15 minutes,
you can't be on top of everyone's names.
He had a dog. You brought a dog to a wedding.
It jumped me as I was going in.
(SCOFFS) Oh, it jumped you.
Try telling that to your wife.
(CAR HORN)
Taxi!
That was weird, wasn't it?
(UPBEAT SHOW MUSIC)
Go, go, go!
It looks like one big set.
It does look like a film set, doesn't it?
# Luck be a lady tonight #
This is the old part, innit?
This is Sinatra vintage years.
Like... Oh, this is where the strip started.
You're talking 60s, you know?
The Vegas strip sprang up in the 40s
when the first casinos chipped away
at old prohibition laws.
It quickly became an iconic destination
for the high life and the high rollers.
Fast forward to today...
Let's get a selfie. C'mere.
Oh. (LAUGHTER)
Heeeey!
..and this place has got it all.
From the classy to the crass.
Snow.
It's snowing.
Could it possibly be the World's Largest Gift Shop?
What are we doing here?
Well, I wanted to buy my family some souvenirs and gifts.
Todd.
(LAUGHTER)
(BIRD SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
(BLEEP)
(LAUGHTER)
Evel Kinevel suits?
They're enormous. They've gotta fit.
Thanks. Is this it?
I'm happy. Are you done?
Yeah. You want that, don't ya?
Yeah, thank you. Yeah, great.
# It ain't pretty #
(BIRD SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
This is Vegas...
so there's a lot of shiny things to distract us.
But we can't escape the fact that very soon
we're going to attempt to jump Heartbreak Hill
through a flaming ring of fire.
I just hope we go down, not up in a blaze of glory.
ROBBIE: It might look daunting from here,
but I'm confident that all four of youse
will do a jump through a ring of fire.
Todd, I just don't want to put pressure on you.
I think you could do it.
No, you've just put pressure on me...
to prove you wrong.
I love it. That's how I work. That's the sort of pressure...
that I work with.
(SOFT TRANQUIL MUSIC)
Oh (BLEEP)!
Can I say, "Shitting myself"? I can? I'm shitting myself.
BT: Oh, no. KRIS: Robbie.
ROBBIE: Be careful.
Be careful?
It's so steep, the answer is be careful.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Other than those mountains, we're now currently the tallest thing here.
I can see all of Vegas.
Ring of fire, we'll put, like, kind of right here.
Start, once you guys get over it...
I didn't think about that.
Yeah, around here.
It's not sunk into me yet.
I'm just concentrating on the jump.
Getting the bike up, getting it airborne...
and then landing it again afterwards.
I haven't even thought about the ring of fire yet.
BT: So getting things in perspective,
I'll go down there, because I'm pretty big,
you have a look how small I look as a result.
(TENSE MUSIC)
It's ridiculous.
It's going to be scary. It's gonna be very, very scary.
We know what we're here for.
This is us stepping outside of our zone
to raise awareness and try and keep families together for longer.
Shane?
I can't even hear you, he's that far away.
If we think we're going to get up here...
launch like the rocket man over the other side...
At the point that we leave the ramp,
we're already 20 feet in the air.
ROBBIE: You're gonna be sweet, mate.
This is what the mission's about,
stepping out of your comfort zone, believing in yourself.
You're gonna be fine.
Sadly, there's more self-doubt than self-belief.
But now with the ramp in place, we might just fly.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
You would be OK if I just roll through it, right?
Mate, roll through it.
If I get up the top with enough speed
and just roll through it, that won't be letting you down, will it?
Not at all. Yes.
Gotta make that deal with him.
Yes, we can do that.
I'm in.
ROBBIE: I've never done so many fist bumps in all my life.
I'm doing fist bumps.
Evel Knievel time... Gnarly fist bumps.
I'm doing gnarly fist bumps. Gnarly fist bumps.
Let me lead this one.
Let me drive this one.
(LAUGHTER)
Feels good, man.
Man.
(LAUGHTER)
Boom!
BT: Give us an exploding fist bump. Exploding...
Boom!
My big concern...
is that my whole life is about performing to an audience...
Bit of a Diana Ross finish.
..and I think that, according to Robbie,
is going to be something I may struggle with,
because I know there's going to be a crowd of people there,
and I have to just forget all that...
Boom.
..and just think technique and not performance.
That I might struggle with a little bit,
because I think that could kill me.
Mate, you know all the stuff, just don't get all throttle happy, right?
Just kind of get into third just...
just start small.
Copy that.
(ROCK MUSIC)
Come on buddy, that's it.
Got it. Yee-hoo!
TODD: Oh here goes BT.
Todd?
Yesterday, I was almost going to pull out.
The day before was hopeless. I was gonna pull out.
Don't worry about a big jump or anything like that.
Just nice and smooth.
Today...
I'm at...
65% that I'll probably give it a crack.
It's a daunting feeling.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
(WHISTLING AND CHEERING)
Kris... Do you want to show us how it's done, mate.
Yes!
(ROCK MUSIC)
My confidence is getting higher and higher every day with practice.
(CRASHING SOUND)
Oh my god. Oh shit.
(SIRENS)
Oh my god.
BT: You alright, Kris?
ROBBIE: Come on, Kris. Let's go.
(CRASHING SOUND)
TODD: Oh my god. Oh my god.
Oh shit.
BT: You alright, Kris?
Yeah, this place is a constant reminder,
you gotta keep your wits about you,
and even with your wits, you can still go over.
The confidence that I had walking in...
it's slipped away a little bit.
Did that freak you out a bit? Maybe a little bit.
TODD: Kris, he stacked it! My confidence just...
(MAKES WHOOSHING SOUND)
You've gotta fall before you appreciate it, right?
You do, you do. (NERVOUS LAUGH)
You just use my me feel a lot better, thanks Kris.
I know you did that for me.
Just for you that, Todd.
(SIRENS)
You need a paramedic. I've been saved five times now.
I've hit my head and I've stopped breathing,
and heart's stopped from...from... traumatic impact.
BT: You've effectively died...
Died, yeah. ..five times?
ROBBIE: Yeah.
BT: You're (BLEEP)-ing crazy.
ROBBIE: Four more left, right? (MEOWS)
(LAUGHTER)
Now, Robbie might be a cat with nine lives,
but we just want to hang on to the one we've got,
and with the jump tomorrow, we need all the support we can get.
(MUSIC DIES)
I just can't figure out why they couldn't get all of my sign
on one side.
Anyway, let's just... let's just do this thing.
(UPBEAT BIG BAND MUSIC)
Anyone want to see four idiot Australians
attempt to kill themselves for a great cause?
Have we got a show for you? Not really.
But we do have four guys on motorbikes.
You lost them.
Shane...it's simple as this - social media.
Are you guys gonna get naked?
(LAUGHTER)
Especially him!
Naked. Right there.
Shane...this is not going well.
So I have basically turned up with one match
to try and entertain people
at what can only be described as a firework show
of attention-grabbing.
Even if I yell at this now...
Free Lamborghinis.
Nothing.
TODD: That went really well.
Good one, Shane.
(COUNTRY ROCK MUSIC)
Yeah, OK, that wasn't great.
So, time to find some inspiration and some body fuel.
Evel Knievel. It says 'Evel Pie'.
It's a pizza joint.
She's quite cool, ay?
BT: Nice place isn't it?
Look at that.
I'm gonna be a gentleman, and I'm gonna give you the heater end.
You're a good man. I'm not.
(LAUGHTER)
So Evel Knievel's peak years were...
What do you reckon, seventies?
No, mid to late 60s...
OK.
..to early 70s.
Famous jumps?
Caesars Palace. Snake Gully?
There you go. I always forget the names.
He did two kind of gully jumps.
And what was his big thing?
Caesars Palace was the...
And what was that?
He jumped the fountain.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
We've got to land this jump better than Evel Knievel
landed his most famous jump at Caesar's Palace.
'Cause he didn't land it.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Just got to remember why we're doing this whole thing as well,
don't we?
Yeah, absolutely.
When you said we're doing this
and you said that these guys are also doing it,
and then I found out that neither of you had really ridden bikes,
if you guys get to the point where you're going to jump...
It's amazing.
Seriously, yesterday I just thought I can't do this,
but I couldn't have been in better company,
'cause we... I felt very supported by you guys.
Can I just raise a glass and say, I wouldn't want to do this
with any other group of guys.
(ALL CHEERS)
See you on the other side.
Of hell.
As this neon metropolis pulsates into the night,
we're just as wired,
knowing that tomorrow this deadly mission
is ours to accomplish.
And whatever the outcome, boys...
..it's been emotional.
# I'm a survivor
# I'm not gon' give up #
SHANE: As much as this is a show, cameras don't make you safe,
and we are mates...
you don't want to see any of your mates get hurt.
I'm glad I'm doing with these guys.
Life's hard on your own, so reach out.
Men have to be honest about their feelings,
and if they're struggling with something,
'cause people standing around you are just a crowd around you.
They're not helping until they know you're in trouble.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
# I'm a survivor I'm not gon' give up #
BT: I'm as nervous as all hell...
because there are so many things that can go wrong on a motorbike.
It's a dangerous thing.
KRIS: Will I do all this in the dark?
We haven't done this at night.
So, yeah, there's a lot of scary thoughts going through my head.
I'm doing something that I feel like could kill me.
I can feel every bone in my body.
My heart is in my throat.
But I'm going to do it, because if this can prompt somebody else
to put themselves through a similar difficult decision
and seek help...
then what I'm going through now is worth it.
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
# We
# We can be heroes #
Hey, Mum.
Alright, I'll be safe.
There's a bike starting up.
There's the crowd. There's the DJ.
See it in the back, the big blue thing there?
That's what we've got to jump. WOMAN: Oh my god!
Life's about to end.
Alright. Love you.
Thank you for all your support. I love you.
Love you too, darl.
OK. Bye.
ROBBIE ON PA: Thanks for coming out here to see the Mates on a Mission.
They're here tonight to be Evel Knievels's,
to step out of their comfort zones
to try and inspire everyone in Australian
to step out of their comfort zones.
If you were to do my blood pressure right now,
I can guarantee you it'll be through the roof.
You guys ready?
Ah... Yeah. Probably not.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Don't laugh!
How can you laugh?
(CHUCKLES)
ROBBIE: Shane, you're the leader of the pack, brother.
All the best mate. Thanks mate.
You've got this, I know you've got this.
Yeah, big fella!
You got this mate.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, Shane Jacobson!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SHANE: Any mistake comes with massive consequences.
I wish I'd gone first now.
Silence all of a sudden. Yeah.
Cut it with a knife, couldn't you?
Yeah. Yeah.
(YELLING)
ROBBIE: I think he's taking his time.
I hope they don't make me wait up there?
I can't wait up there.
I just hope they don't make me wait up there too long,
'cause that'll do my head in.
Come on, mate.
(CROWD NOISES)
(EPIC MUSIC)
ROBBIE: Come on Shane, let's see this buddy.
Nice technique.
Smooth on the throttle.
(ANGELIC MUSIC)
Oh, nice jump.
Oh yeah!
Wow.
(TRIUMPHANT MUSIC)
(CHEERING)
Yes, Shane.
TODD: Yeah!
(LAUGHS)
That was sick. That was awesome brother. Well done.
Oh man. Thank you. I'm so proud of you.
That was awesome.
KRIS: You saved your best one.
BT: That was your best one, mate.
ROBBIE: Way to stay on the gas and just friggin' send it.
(LAUGHS)
It was beautiful. It was beautiful.
(ROCK MUSIC)
Come on Kris. Come on Kris.
ANNOUNCER: Everybody give it up for Kris Smith!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Let's do it!
This is the unknown for me.
Will I land the jump?
(CROWD CHANTING) Go Kris, go Kris.
SHANE: Here he goes, here he goes.
(CHEERING)
(ANGELIC MUSIC)
Yeah!
(ROCK MUSIC)
ROBBIE: That was awesome.
BT: Well done.
ROBBIE: Airborne.
Great jump, that was awesome.
Thank you, brother. That was beautiful.
TODD: BT, good luck, mate.
Come on mate. BT, you got this bro.
(CHEERING)
BT: It's either going to be a broken arm or a broken leg,
or it's going to be get-out-of-jail-free...
and I'm hoping it's the latter.
(ENGINE REVS)
SHANE: He's off, he's off, he's off. BT!
ROBBIE: Not too fast. He's nice and...
Stand up, stand up...
Nice and forward.
Get over the bars, get over the bars.
(ANGELIC MUSIC)
Oh yeah!
That was his best jump yet.
And you've got us doing a little stunt show.
This is the best thing ever. (LAUGHS)
Oh mate... I'm just...
I got so much joy right now.
BT!
(CHEERING)
BT: Thank you Robbie.
ROBBIE: You were a demon, mate. That was awesome.
Well done, buddy.
ROBBIE: Mate, it was brilliant.
BT: I never thought I'd get up one of those things.
Todd's next. Come on Toddy.
Ooh. You're good mate, you're good.
Yep. You good buddy?
I don't know.
I just can't... I hope they don't make me wait up there too long.
I'm so nervous, I'm shaking.
The lights of the city and, like, every...and the flame and the...
The...
It's a whole different ballgame. I'm back to my nerves.
You got this. Yeah?
You got this. TM.
Yes, Toddy!
(CHEERING)
BT: He won't hang around on the start line here.
He'll want to get it over and done with quickly.
ROBBIE: Light 'em up. Light 'em up, boys.
Light the flame.
We need to light the flame.
(TENSE MUSIC)
ANNOUNCER: Everyone give it up for Todd McKenney!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
We need your help out there!
My mental state is severely rattled right now.
Go Todd! Go Todd!
Ah. (BLEEP)(BLEEP)(BLEEP).
I can't do it.
(TENSE MUSIC)
ANNOUNCER: Everyone give it up for Todd McKenney!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
We need your help out there!
(TENSE MUSIC BUILDS)
Ah. (BLEEP)(BLEEP)(BLEEP).
(ENGINE HUMS)
(SOFT PULSING MUSIC)
(ENGINE REVS AND STALLS)
Ah, (BLEEP).
I just can't do it.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
BT: Anything could happen here.
KRIS: Yeah, come on Toddy, land it.
SHANE: If he just gets up the ramp.
I want him... Here he goes, here he goes.
BT: Oh he's off.
Go Toddy!
Go, go, go, go. Get up.
Get up, go, go!
ROBBIE: Faster.
(TRIUMPHANT MUSIC)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ROBBIE: He cleared the flame, too.
(LAUGHTER)
He got up.
He did it.
What a cracking job you've done with him.
He didn't believe it...
I could see the doubt on your face when you showed up.
Oh man. This is serious. Na, this ain't happening.
(LAUGHS)
Tough Cajun Todd.
Yeah!
I know the feeling, mate.
Yes!
Well done.
(LAUGHS) You did it!
That was awesome.
Hey, that was your biggest jump.
Oh, I can't speak.
Mate, you did it.
Oh my god.
You alright, mate? You did it buddy.
You did it... You're in one whole piece.
You are still a full dancing Todd McKenney.
Oh my god...
Well, now you can add stuntman to your resume.
Hey, give me some.
I promise, you never have to do it again.
Great work, great work.
Mate. Thanks mate.
Well done, mate.
Well done.
I think he's going to buy himself a bike after this.
ROBBIE: Good job, buddy. Good job.
God, I have... Seriously, I'm shaking.
I have never been so frightened in all my life.
To come here and do this in a really short amount of time
is... Well, it's mind-blowing.
But...but... We had a good cause, uh?
For a great cause, man.
You guys stepped out of your comfort zone
and Australia's proud of you guys.
Reaching out and opening up, I think, is terrifying for most men.
Talk to each other and open up to each other and face your fears.
I put my money where my mouth was...
and then I sacked my agent.
I didn't sack my agent.
# We
(CHEERING)
# We can be heroes
# We #
Alright boys, congratulations on a successful, amazing jump.
Thanks buddy.
(CHEERING)
Oh my god. Now, Shane... Yeah?
I'm walking. Oh, you're never riding again?
I'm retiring on top.
I hope I see you again. But...
I don't know...in a pub.
(LAUGHTER)
A really nice restaurant.
A really lovely restaurant with lovely bone china
and some crystal glasses, and a lovely pinot.
(LAUGHS)
That'd be splendid.
I hated it.
I'm glad I did it now.
Like, it's one of those moments where you go, oh yeah, I...
I've told my friends.
I said, "I've ridden a 450cc motorbike
"and I've gone up a ramp in the middle of the night,
"Robbie Maddison and I landed it,
"with fireworks through a ring of fire in the Nevada desert."
So, now, I'm all talk.
Happy to talk now.
Captioned by Ai-Media ai-media.tv