SCIENCE—television’s home for audacious genius—digs deep this August with the world premieres of two enormously entertaining series appealing to the “enginerd” in us all. Beginning August 18, audiences will meet the jester of the junkyard when trash connoisseur Jimmy Ruocco reveals his latest creations in JUNKies at 10:00 PM (ET/PT). Immediately following, survivalist savant Chris Hackett proves himself to be a “post-apocalyptic MacGyver” in STUCK WITH HACKETT, at 10:30 PM (ET/PT).
Long Island’s Jimmy’s Junk is the setting for SCIENCE’s world premiere August series, JUNKies. This is the premiere junkyard for the subculture of high-end inventors, backyard builders and antique pickers constantly looking for missing parts to complete their passion projects. The Freeport team, led by Jimmy “The Junk Genius” Ruocco, will go to any lengths to construct new and inspired devices; with highlights including a hovercraft, a coffin car, a lawn mower racer and a flamethrower—all made from the finest discarded spare parts. These guys know the guts, bolts and science inside even the most unique machines. Crossing paths with a crazy cast of characters, they encounter everyone from inventors and students to mechanics and artists. This eclectic band of dumpster divers will redefine engineering on JUNKies on Thursday, August 18, at 10:00 PM (ET/PT).
STUCK WITH HACKETT features “alternative engineer” and survival expert Chris Hackett. Each episode finds Hackett left alone in an extreme environment—from deep wilderness, to ruined cities, to arid deserts—with little more than his wits and ingenuity. The goal isn’t survival, however; it’s luxury … achieved by any means necessary. Through a series of video diaries, he explains how to turn junk into creature comforts, such as making a hot tub in a snowy terrain, fashioning an A/C unit from spare airplane parts and fermenting leaves to run a washing machine. Watch Hackett turn one man’s nightmare into his own personal retreat using common sense and a lot of spare parts in STUCK WITH HACKETT on Thursday, August 18, at 10:30 PM (ET/PT).
“SCIENCE is the home for the ‘thought provocateur,’ and no two characters personify this title more than Hackett and Jimmy. Every adventure turns a trash heap into a treasure hunt, and their out-of-this-world creativity is what makes these two truly unique characters must-see television,” said Debbie Adler Myers, general manager and executive vice president of SCIENCE. “We cannot wait to share their distinct brands of ‘junkyard genius’ with the world.”
JUNKies is produced for SCIENCE by Leftfield Pictures. David George, Brent Montgomery and Colby Gaines are executive producers for Leftfield Pictures. Bernadette McDaid is vice president of production and executive producer for SCIENCE.
