''Edge of America'' is an American culture and travel show on the Travel Channel, hosted by and starring

Geoff Edgers Geoff Edgers (born 1970) is an American journalist, author, filmmaker, television host, and podcast host. He is currently the national arts reporter for ''The Washington Post'' and was previously a staff arts reporter for ''The Boston Globe''. Ed ...

. The show features Edgers, an arts and entertainment reporter for ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', on a journey through America in search of strange and unique forms of entertainment and culture. Edgers samples bizarre foods and joins in activities such as bicycle jousting, rattlesnake hunting, and Pig-N-Ford Races. The show ended after a run of ten episodes on March 14, 2013.

Premise

''Edge of America'' follows Edgers as he discovers and participates in traditions such as bicycle jousting and Pig-N-Ford Races in Oregon, lobster boat racing in Maine, and a calf testicle festival in Oklahoma. In an interview with the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', Edgers described the content of the show: "It's history, entertainment and action ... To me, this is the greatest kind of Americana, where people take a necessity—like castrating cows and killing rattlesnakes—and make a big party out of it." Edgers also said that the show would feature "strange American things in scenic American places" in an interview with ''The Boston Globe''.

Production and reception

The Travel Channel announced that it had picked up ''Edge of America'' in September 2012, and slated a run of six episodes, to be broadcast in early 2013. The premiere was eventually set for January 22, 2013, with two episodes—"Oklahoma" and "Oregon"—to be broadcast back-to-back at 9:00 pm ET. Promoting the new series, Travel Channel general manager Andy Singer said of Edgers' hosting: "As a journalist, Geoff Edgers is a curious storyteller. He's also crazy and up for anything, which makes him the ideal host to help introduce our viewers to these surprising pursuits". ''Edge of America'' initially received good reviews and strong ratings upon release. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Neil Genzlinger wrote a mostly positive review, saying that "The intent is to make you marvel at just how bizarre Americans' recreational preferences can be .... Too often, Mr. Edgers settles for .... Phrases like 'What am I doing?' and 'What have I gotten myself into?' .... But once in a while he lets his deadpan side run loose, to good effect." Scott Christian wrote in the preface to an interview with Edgers in '' GQ'' that the show was " Charles Kuralt meets Jackass". After a successful premiere the show's ratings slipped, leading Travel Channel to shift ''Edge of Americas time slot out of

primetime Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

to 11:00 pm. The show was then moved to 2:00 pm on Saturdays, and finally to 11 am on Thursdays. After a run of ten episodes, ''Edge of America'' was cancelled, although reruns continue to be shown on the Travel Channel. Edgers chronicled the brief success and eventual demise of the show in an article for ''

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'' entitled "The Rise and Fall of a Reality TV Star. In Nine Days". "The whiplash wore off and I realized I had little to regret" wrote Edgers. "Yeah, I would have loved a few more weeks at 9 p.m. so we could have at least tried to find our audience. But how could I complain? A television network gave me a shot. They invested time, money and creative energy into Edge of America. I'm proud of the show we made."

Episodes

References

{{Reflist, 27em 2013 American television series debuts American travel television series English-language television shows Travel Channel original programming 2013 American television series endings