This season, the VICELAND Network started up some of the greatest shows on television. They’re raw, they’re real and they leave no stone unturned. One of the most popular shows highlights what real heart and dedication is all about.

King Of The Road…

Is a grueling two week challenge that invites pro-skaters and amateurs with
a dream, to do some of the the sickest, craziest and most dangerous sh*t you’ll ever seen done on a skateboard. The first televised season consists of three teams; Chocolate, Toy Machine and Birdhouse (owned by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk).

Each team is given 2 weeks and a book of the most outrageous stunts you could ever imagine involving skateboards, rolling toilets, fire, shaving cream and a lot of making out. Each of the stunts  has an amount of points attached to it, that the team will receive if the stunt is completed. Oh- and these guys can’t even think about lying about their points. Every minute of the 2 week challenge is on video as these guys survive the west coast living out of a van.

Team with the most points becomes the champions and the King of the Road.

This is show is so much more than a bunch of crazy skaters jumping off sh*t and eating a ton of junk food. It probably wasn’t intended to instill life lessons in people, but when you pay close attention to the episodes, that’s exactly what is does.

Here are the 5 Things King of the Road Teaches You About Life:

1. It’s Not All About The Money

Here’s the deal, there really isn’t a sh*t load of money in a skateboarding career. Skaters like Tony Hawk and Rob Dyrdek are the one in a million that really become as rich as they are. Most skaters are putting their lives on the line simply because it’s what they love to do. Sure, they’ll make enough money to live comfortably and may have a few epic payouts over their career, but the majority of them live in modest houses with their families and lead a pretty normal life.

2. A Bad Fall Doesn’t Slow Them Down

These guys are tough motherf*ckers. They do things that most people couldn’t even think about without cringing. They’ve been knocked down, flipped over, thrown off of quads and skated through fire, but they’ve kept going. These guys aren’t big buff dudes that spend 4 hours a day at the gym, but they are by far the toughest guys most of us have ever seen. How many of you would get up after slamming your face on the concrete just to possibly slam your face on the concrete again? Hum, no one? They have a team who’s cheering them on and they’re not about to let a little (or a lot) of blood get in the way.

3. People Still Want To Have Fun

One of the challenges is, hook up with as many people as possible. Clearly, this is one task that most are willing to take on. This year, it seems like amateur  skater Mike Davis pretty much owns this challenge. But there is a bigger picture. Most of the girls have their faces blurred out, they’re just looking to have a little random fun. Aside from that, strangers have agreed to let some of the teams into their homes for the guy to complete challenges like cook the breakfast or dinner. People are still open to random, crazy sh*t and letting loose a little bit never hurt anybody.

4. Family Support Is The Best Support

Another challenge this season was having someone’s parent ride around in the van with them for an entire day. It was awesome to see how supportive the parents who took on this challenge were for their sons. Jaws’ father in particular showed not only how much he loved and support his son and the absolute crazy sh*t he did, but also how to have fun with your kids passion. That’s the best type of support there is. No, these guys aren’t CEO’s and doctors, but they followed their dreams and seeing how proud their parent were of them for that, brings back hope for kids everywhere.

5. Teamwork Makes The Dream Work

They cheer for each other, they support each other, they protect each other and fear for each other. These guys understand that if you’re not in it together, then you’re not in it at all. The celebrate whole-heartily whenever someone on their team accomplishes a sick stunt. They all know how hard each other worked to get where they are today. For these guys, it was never just an after school hobby, it was and still is a way of life. When one falls, they all fall. When covers himself in shaving cream and jumps off a ramp naked-well, they all pray. Win as a team, lose as a team. Go down in Thrasher history as a team.

These guys are the real deal and- although a little crazy- are some the best role models kids could have today. They represent how hard work can pay off and why you should never stay down if you fall.

Tune into VICELAND at 11pm this Thursday and become addicted just like so many of us have.