''Rocket City Rednecks'' is an American television show that focuses on
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
. The show is set in
Huntsville,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
(known as "Rocket City" for its historic contributions to the American space program), and features
Travis Taylor, three of his relatives, and his best friend. All five cast members are highly educated (Travis holds multiple Ph.D. degrees and his brother-in-law also holds a Ph.D.) but, when not working on technical matters, play the part of stereotypical "
redneck
''Redneck'' is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, ' ...
s" and use their advanced knowledge to solve "real world" problems (such as creating a rocket that uses
moonshine as fuel).
The show was first broadcast on Wednesday September 28, 2011, with Tim Evans as the supervising producer.
It is broadcast on the
National Geographic Channel, and will be shown in all regions of the United States.
Cast
*
Travis Taylor, Ph.D. aka "The Ringleader"
* Rog Jones aka "The Sidekick" (Travis' long-time best friend)
* Charles "Daddy" Taylor (Travis' father)
* Michael "The Kid" Taylor (Travis' nephew)
* "Pistol Pete" Erbach, Ph.D. (Travis' brother-in-law)
Format
A typical episode features the five main cast members and possibly the addition of an expert in the field related to the particular challenge of that show. The challenges are varied, usually involving constructing a machine to achieve a particular objective. Examples of challenges include making a mechanical "
ironman" suit, a
submarine, a
spy satellite
A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications.
The ...
, and a machine to fling a frozen
watermelon
Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varie ...
to simulate an
asteroid collision with the southern United States.
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2011)
Season 2 (2012–13)
References
External links
*
*
{{National Geographic TV
2011 American television series debuts
2010s American documentary television series
National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming
Culture of Huntsville, Alabama
Television shows set in Alabama