The Buried Life
Four friends chase 100 life goals while helping strangers.
The Buried Life is a reality documentary series that aired on MTV, following four friends as they attempted to complete a list of 100 things to do before they die. The pilot episode aired on January 18, 2010, and the show was renewed for a second season before the group announced in October 2011 that they would not produce further episodes. The series was notable for its shift toward socially conscious programming on MTV.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Reality television
- Director
- Brad Tiemann
- Starring
- Ben Nemtin
- Dave Lingwood
- Duncan Penn
- Jonnie Penn
- Narrator
- Ben Nemtin (Season 1); Various (Season 2)
- Country
- Canada
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 18
Facts from the source article.
Background
The Buried Life began as a company formed by four university students from Canada who grew up in Victoria, British Columbia. The name originated from an 1852 Matthew Arnold poem titled "The Buried Life". The project filmed its first full feature documentary in the summer months of 2006 and 2007, titled The Buried Life: What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?, shot across Canada and the United States including British Columbia, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington, D.C. In 2007 the group turned down a Canadian television offer to retain creative control. An April 18, 2009 article in The New York Times announced MTV had chosen the documentary for development as a serial television version, selected as a flagship reality program to shift the network toward more socially conscious media. Dave Lingwood stated in an interview that MTV found them on YouTube and reached an agreement where the group filmed, edited and cut all material themselves, sending MTV the finished product to air.
Reception
The Buried Life has been cited as an inspiration by social media stars and YouTube influencers including David Dobrock, The Yes Theory, Logan Paul, Jake Paul, The Nelk Boys, and Shawn Mendes, who entered the group's 5th Member contest in 2011. In 2012 the group's book became a #1 New York Times Best Seller and remained on the list for four weeks. In May 2012 they sent a copy of the book into space after a bet with fans. In April 2012 they organized and set the Guinness Book World Record for the biggest speed dating event. The series earned a nomination for the Do Something TV Show Award from the VH1 Do Something Awards in 2010 and again in 2011. They appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2010 to help a young girl conquer her fear of heights. In October 2010 they helped make a $100,000 donation to the World Food Programme and set the record for the largest roulette spin in Vegas history, betting $250,000 on black at The Golden Gate Casino. In February 2011 they were nominated for the 15th annual Prism Awards. In July 2011 they helped make a $300,000 donation to The Keep America Beautiful foundation.
Cast
David Lingwood is a competitive break-dancer who briefly pursued a degree in sociology at Concordia University in Montreal. He was briefly married in Las Vegas, crossing off number 91 on his bucket list, and the marriage was later annulled. Ben Nemtin played sports throughout high school, was selected for the Canadian National Rugby Team, and earned academic and athletic scholarships to attend the University of Victoria, where he switched from a science major to business. Duncan Penn attended the University of Victoria and later the John Molson School of Business, graduating with honors, and helped found the charity OA Projects building soccer programs for youth affected by war in Ecuador, Rwanda and Uganda. Jonnie Penn is enrolled at McGill University with a double major in History and English Literature and currently attends Cambridge University; he won the Sacramento Film Festival at age eighteen and was selected to represent Canada at the Oxford University Debate Championships.
The book
In March 2012, Artisan Books released What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?, an illustrated paperback by The Buried Life—Jonnie Penn, Dave Lingwood, Duncan Penn, and Ben Nemtin. The book follows their mission to finish a list of 100 goals and motivate others to create their own. Its idea came from list items viewers sent in; a handful were selected and illustrated by an artist. The four members also share personal stories about how the group started. Shortly after publication, the book hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, which let them cross off item number 19.
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