First-Ever "CMT Bike Week" Kicks Into High Gear With Jaw-Dropping Special "Tunnel Of Fire," Premiering Tuesday, August 20 At 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

STURGIS, S.D., Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CMT brings the annual motorcycle festival best known for its jaw-dropping stunts and off-the-wall competitions to television with CMT BIKE WEEK, 10 hours of bike-themed programming centered around the 2013 Sturgis Rally, premiering every night at 8 p.m., ET/PT Sunday, August 18 through Saturday, August 24.  Filmed at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip's two-week event in Sturgis, S.D., CMT BIKE WEEK will give viewers an in-depth and behind-the-scenes look into the music, culture and camaraderie that make up this popular festival.  Cameras will be on-hand to document three separate world record attempts, including Clint Ewing's death-defying attempt to ride his motorcycle through a blazing 360-feet inferno.

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Throughout the week, CMT will premiere four, all-new specials including TUNNEL OF FIRE, BIKER BATTLES and KID ROCK: LIVE FROM BUFFALO CHIP; the 30-minute special DOOMSDAY GARAGE; as well as all-new episodes of HILLBILLIES FOR HIRE and DOG AND BETH: ON THE HUNT.  Beginning tonight, fans can also check out CMT.com to see how things heat up at Sturgis when the sun goes down, with never-before-seen "After Dark" video content. 

The CMT BIKE WEEK lineup includes:

ALL-NEW SPECIALS

• TUNNEL OF FIRE – Premieres Tuesday, August 20 at 8:00 – 9:00 p.m., ET/PT
  Hosted by Rossi Morreale and Cristy Lee, this adrenaline-pumping special highlights the craziest daredevils and stunts that happen at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip. Motorcyclist Clint Ewing will attempt to set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title, completing the death-defying "Tunnel of Fire" stunt by traveling through a towering inferno longer than a football field. The special will also feature front row seats to the "Wall of Death," where American hell-rider Patch McGillicutty will steer a motorcycle around a circular wall at 90 miles per hour.  An encore of TUNNEL OF FIRE will air immediately after at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT.  TUNNEL OF FIRE is produced by Cary Glotzer, Jordan Stone, Joe Townley and Michael Yudin of MY Tupelo Entertainment.
• BIKER BATTLES – Premieres Wednesday, August 21 at 8:00 – 9:00 p.m., ET/PT
  This all-new special will highlight the most insane and outrageous competitions that take place at Sturgis each year.  Hosted by Big Jay Oakerson, the show will highlight everything from a makeshift bikini competition, to a tattoo challenge, bike build and burnout contest and even a vertical motorcycle hill climb.  BIKER BATTLES is produced by Cary Glotzer, Joe Townley and Michael Yudin of MY Tupelo Entertainment.
• DOOMSDAY GARAGE – Premieres Wednesday, August 21 at 9:30 – 10:00 p.m., ET/PT Father and son team Jeff and Zach are the go-to guys for rides that can do a lot more than just off-roading. They are the leading builders of doomsday vehicles; cars, trucks, buses and boats that are built for survival against all elements and extended escape from civilization. With a crack team of automotive experts, Jeff and Zach take run-of-the-mill vehicles and turn them into all-out survival machines, building everything from a luxury RV to an armored tank.
• KID ROCK: LIVE FROM BUFFALO CHIP – Premieres Thursday, August 22 at 8:00 – 9:00 p.m., ET/PT
  Don't miss superstar Kid Rock performing all of his greatest hits in front of thousands of fans and the rowdiest biker crowd in all of America, live at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip, in this all-new concert special.  KID ROCK: LIVE FROM BUFFALO CHIP is produced by Cary Glotzer, Joe Townley and Michael Yudin of MY Tupelo Entertainment.

SERIES/MOVIE PREMIERES

• HILLBILLIES FOR HIRE – Premieres Wednesday, August 21 at 9:00 – 9:30 p.m., ET/PT
  HILLBILLIES FOR HIRE follows perennial pranksters Jeremiah and his best friend, Big Ox, as they use their backwoods ingenuity to concoct the most outrageous pranks imaginable.  Well-known for pulling pranks on their family and friends, the guys also run a for-hire prank business in Polk County, Fla., making themselves available to anyone who feels the need to enact a little "redneck revenge" on someone they know.  On this special bike-themed episode, a son wants to teach his overprotective mother a lesson, so Ox and Jeremiah devise a prank at a local motocross track. 
• CMT #1 MUSIC & A MOVIE: WILD HOGS – Premieres Friday, August 23 at 8:00 – 11:00 p.m., ET/PT
  Starring Tim Allen, John Travolta and Martin Lawrence, WILD HOGS centers around a group of suburban biker-wannabes looking for adventure on the open road.  The guys get more than they bargained for when they encounter a New Mexico gang called the Del Fuegos.
• DOG AND BETH: ON THE HUNT – Premieres on its new night Saturday, August 24 at 9:00 – 10:00 p.m., ET/PT
  The world's most renowned bounty hunters, Dog and Beth Chapman, return to CMT with all-new episodes of DOG AND BETH: ON THE HUNT. Dog and Beth, joined by their son Leland, will step outside their headquarters in Hawaii to unite with bail bondsmen from around the country as they hunt down some of America's most dangerous criminals. On this all-new episode, Leland Chapman's 18-year-old son Dakota wants to join the family business, but first he must prove himself on a treacherous hunt in the lawless jungles of Hawaii.

www.cmtpress.com

MY Tupelo Entertainment is a joint venture between MY Entertainment and Tupelo-Honey Raycom. Led by television veterans Michael Yudin, Cary Glotzer and Joseph Townley, MY Tupelo Entertainment merges the program development, production and content creation expertise of MYE with the live entertainment sports and concert production and post-production expertise of Tupelo-Honey Raycom. MY Tupelo Entertainment is a major developer and provider of television content in the cable industry with productions that include Ghost Adventures, Baggage Battles, Paranormal Challenge, Wreck Chasers, and Pros vs. Joes.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S.  CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand.  The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

Video with caption: "Ride along during Clint Ewing's insane motorcycle stunt featured on CMT's "Tunnel of Fire" premiering Tuesday, August 20 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT. This new footage comes from a GoPro camera on Ewing's bike and gives a perspective on what it was actually like inside the inferno." Video available at:  http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/FX-CL66051-20130819-1.mp4

SOURCE CMT