'Life of Ryan' - Episode One Recap

Sep 04 2007 / Los Angeles, CA

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As I sat down to watch the first episode of "Life of Ryan" I wasn't sure what to expect.  Obviously Ryan Sheckler's professional life is pretty open and it's easy to see when he competes in contests, makes appearances, etc.  But his personal life is a little less open -- after all, he's only 17 and has been going to school and living at home.  So a show like this could definitely shine some light on that part of it.  But would it be similar to "Rob & Big," MTV's other reality show about a famous skateboarder?

The first episode started up with Ryan hanging out with his friend Casey, surfing and talking about the divorce of their respective parents.  According to press materials, the two sets of parents divorced on the exact same day -- that would suck, regardless of how rich and successful you are.  But then they started talking about Christmas...  Christmas?  In August.  Nope.  Christmas in December 2006 more likley.  Uh-oh.  For most shows, being transported in time nine months in the past might not matter, but since we tend to know everything he's doing, it makes a difference.  Add to that Ryan's birthday is December 30, and that actually means he's still 16 at this point.  Actually, for anyone who has watched Ryan in action during the AST Dew Tour or X Games, the difference is noticeable.  He just looks younger.

Photo Gallery    Check out screen grabs of the first episode of MTV's "Life of Ryan" View the Photo Gallery>

Ah well, all this means is that we will get a look at his romantic dilemmas and how he hangs with his friends.  The main issue this episode is the winter formal.  Ryan is going with one girl, Whitney (a long-time friend), but actually wants to go with another named Cambria instead (a former flame).  But Cambria's scooter-riding ex-boyfriend Mitch is still in the picture and she isn't sure about getting with Ryan because she can't handle being apart from him for several weeks at a time (if there's one thing Ryan does, it's travel a bunch).   So on the double-decker Red Bull party bus (which apparently acted as the winter formal setting -- that wasn't exactly clear), Ryan gets a chance to talk with her but it's not until a later lunch that he hears it straight from Cambria -- she's getting back with Mitch.

Other than the romance, the family struggle of dealing with the divorce and where to spend Christmas is the main storyline of the episode.  It seems both parents, Gretchen and Randy, are doing the delicate dance of trying to make sure the kids aren't too affected but it's tough when you have three kids of varying ages -- Ryan at 16, Shane at 14 and Kane at seven. 

"Life Of Ryan" Clip   Check out a clip from the first episode of MTV's "Life of Ryan" - © MTV

There was some skating -- hard to avoid it if you have a skate park.  Very few tricks though, except Ryan taking a jump over Kane.  Kane also supposedly had a gnarly fall on his little razor scooter but the cameras missed it.  Ryan was there to pick up his brother and assure him everything was going to be alright.  It certainly showed him taking over that role as a father-figure. 

The only confusing thing was that the episode ended with Ryan, his mom and Steven Astephen, another of his managers from Wasserman Media Group, getting on a private plane to apparently fly off to Dubai, Australia and points in between.  Earlier in the show that was mentioned to be happening in February the time period might have been compressed.  We'll see in the next episode.

In all, it's perfectly clear that so far "Life of Ryan" is not going to be a skateboarding show.  While the upcoming preview of the season shows some scenes from the Dew Tour and other events, it's clear this is going to be about the life of a kid who is normal in just about every way -- except he's a world-famous skateboarder.  And come to think of it, that's about the only thing it has in common with "Rob & Big."  It'll probably have more in common with "The Hills" by the time the show hits its stride.

Check back next week for a recap of the second episode of "Life of Ryan."

Random Notes from Episode One

- There were a couple of weird flashbacks which felt like they were taped recreations.  Those were odd.
- What did work was the touch of including family video from throughout the years.   It was a nice break from the usual MTV reality-show-template.
- Sheckler's friend Tony reminds me of the Eddie Kaye Thomas character in "American Pie" -- which makes Sheckler's Mom Stiffler's Mom in this equation.  You get the idea.
- If you want any clue about who this show is focused on you only need to look at the show it's partnered with ("The Hills") and most of the ads that came up during it (Clearasil, women's razors),  I felt my testicles start to shrivel up.  Thankfully, the ads for "Shoot 'Em Up" kept me from losing it. 
- Special thanks to Wahoo's Fish Tacos was given in the credits.  I wonder why?  Maybe it was because that seemed to be the only place other than his house that Ryan spent any time in.
- Ryan's customized Range Rover is as dope as it looked like in all the pictures we've seen.  Nice.
- Funniest moment.  Ryan's response to his dad when he holds out his sunglasses for Ryan to wear: "I can't.  Contractually."    Yep, just like a normal kid.

• Read the recap of Episode Two Here