Ever since the Jackass series originally aired on MTV in 2000, it was instantly iconic and controversial. The show had politicians up in arms, led to several lawsuits (including one filed against them by a guy legally named Jack Ass), and had parents around the country red in the face.
Precursors to the show included a video that Johnny Knoxville made for the skateboarding magazine Big Brother that featured him shooting himself with an actual gun (while wearing a bulletproof vest, of course) and the CKY video series that starred Bam Margera and his friends and family.
Across these videos, there were appearances from Chris Pontius, Dave England, Jason “Wee Man” Acuña, Ryan Dunn, Raab Himself, Don Vito, Brandon DiCamillo, and many other characters that would appear in the Jackass series. When these two crews teamed up, they formed one of the most outrageous groups of maniacs ever assembled, and their antics were endlessly entertaining.
Here we are over 20 years after the first production of Jackass and the cast is still at it, set to release another full-length film in 2022 titled Jackass Forever. The upcoming film is set to feature every member of the original cast with the exception of the late Ryan Dunn and Bam Margera, who was allegedly fired.
Every one of the Jackass movies thus far has been absolutely revolting, astonishing, and cringeworthy in the best way possible, so we can expect the next installment in the series to be equally as absurd. These guys have made a living off of doing the most painful and disgusting things imaginable so you don’t have to and, somehow, they’re still at it.
Across the many films and television appearances in the Jackass saga, there have been plenty of insane and outrageous stunts and pranks; however, some of these antics have separated themselves from the pack as particularly outlandish. Let’s take a walk back through the last two decades of Jackass and remember the six most outrageous stunts and pranks ever pulled.
1. The Poo Cocktail Supreme
This stunt from Jackass 3D has got to be, without a doubt, one of the most memorable stunts ever pulled in a Jackass movie. It’s hard to say exactly who the most insane member of the cast is, but Steve-O definitely solidified himself as a frontrunner with this stunt.
It involved him being strapped into a port-o-potty wearing a hard hat, goggles, and nose plugs. The port-o-potty was then attached to bungee cords and slingshotted up in the air, causing the contents of the toilet to rain down on Steve-O, painting him a nice shade of brown.
Yeah. Few of the stunts on Jackass compare to the grossness of being covered head-to-toe in human excrement, all while being tossed around weightlessly in the air in a small box. Apparently, Steve-O was completely sober during the production of Jackass 3D as well, so we can blame intoxicants for this feat of insanity, it was just Steve-O being the complete sicko that he is.
2. The Toy Car
Rest in peace, Ryan Dunn, one of the most lovable and relaxed members of the crew. When I say he was relaxed, though, I’m certainly not saying that he didn’t have his moments of unthinkable absurdity. Perhaps the most memorable Ryan Dunn moment, however, was one particular stunt that he pulled in Jackass: The Movie.
The stunt involved Dunn putting a toy car up his rectum and then going to an unsuspecting doctor for an X-ray. The poor doctor had to go through the uncomfortable experience of deciphering the X-ray images and coming to the conclusion that it was, in fact, a plastic toy car up Dunn’s butt.
The entire ordeal was absolutely hilarious. The awkward expressions on the doctor’s face were simply unforgettable. The moment when Dunn triumphantly emerged from the doctor’s office holding his X-ray images was amazing. And the fact that Dunn was willing to put a children’s toy up his butt for this stunt is admirable (maybe).
3. Bad Grandpa
This may be the most well-known Jackass concept of them all, especially considering it spawned its own spin-off movie Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. This skit, however, is also featured in all three of the core Jackass films because it’s just that good.
Basically, Johnny Knoxville and other members of the crew get dressed up in old man suits (which are impressively realistic, a testament to the film’s makeup team) and terrorize the youth.
Sometimes the geriatric menaces are showing off their scrotums in public, sometimes they’re hitting on bodybuilders’ girlfriends, and sometimes they’re acting inappropriately towards their grandchildren, all with the goal of angering anyone in their general vicinity. The best part of these skits, in my opinion, is watching real people lose their cool as they’re continually provoked by Irving, Johnny Knoxville’s alter-ego.
4. Terror Taxi
This segment is probably the most well-thought-out scheme in the history of Jackass. The crew convinces Ehren McGhehey, who is often the butt of Jackass jokes due to his tendency to get overly upset, that he’s going to prank a cab driver by pretending to be a terrorist. However, what McGhehey doesn’t know is that he’s actually the one who’s being pranked and that the cab driver is in on the joke.
Essentially, once McGhehey starts making terroristic implications in the back of the taxi, the driver goes full vigilante and holds McGhehey up at gunpoint. After forcing McGhehey to get into his trunk, the rest of the Jackass crew comes out and starts pleading with the cab driver to let McGhehey go.
With some fake gunshot sounds and a couple of donuts around the parking lot, McGhehey is fully convinced that this lunatic has just shot his friends and made a high-speed escape. Finally, McGhehey is let out of the trunk and his reaction when he realizes it was all a prank just might be the most priceless part of the entire film series.
5. Knoxville Versus Butterbean
Now, Jackass is known for its raw, physical comedy, but it doesn’t get any more raw and physical than when Knoxville fought heavyweight boxing champion Eric Ersch, better known as “Butterbean,” in the aisle of a clothing store.
Watching Knoxville get absolutely clobbered and tossed like a ragdoll against clothing racks is both horrifying and hilarious. However, I definitely gasped when Knoxville’s head missed the corner of a glass display case by only a few inches.
The best part of this skit, though, is watching the terrified faces of the store’s employees and patrons as this brutality unfolds. At first, they seem (understandably) confused as to why there’s a boxing match taking place inside of the store.
But, after watching Knoxville get absolutely pulverized, they seem more concerned for his safety than anything. Knoxville walks away from the fight (also understandably) unhappy, but the whole thing is undeniably hilarious.
6. Hardware Store Crap
Dave England is probably the member of the crew who takes the cake for being the most disgusting. Many of his skits involve him defecating in strange and inconvenient places. But which one of the many places that Dave England soiled over the years was the most hilarious? That title’s got to go to the hardware store.
Yes, if you’ve ever been in a hardware store, you’ve probably seen the waterless toilets in the plumbing aisle. However, if you have a sick mind like Dave England, of course, those toilets are just asking to be pooped in.
This skit went exactly how you’d expect. Dave poops in the toilet, the manager of the store sees him, gets very angry, and chases Dave out of the store. No one ever said that Jackass was a victimless film. Poor guy.
