Dave Mordal is best known for his sarcastic humor as a battling comedian on NBC's reality series "Last Comic Standing."
So it might just surprise people to see the funnyman wrestling alligators, shooting sniper rifles in Phoenix and duking it out in log-rolling competitions as part of his new series, "Wreckreation Nation," on the Discovery Channel.
Mordal said his show, which debuts at 11 p.m. Tuesday, was a perfect fit for the kind of person he is.
"I am not a sitcom guy," Mordal said in a recent phone interview. "I am not a cheesy, wacky comic in any way, shape or form. I'm not an actor and I never wanted a sitcom. It is really hard to top something like 'Seinfeld,' and I'm not going to have just a run-of-the-mill kind of show."
The series follows Mordal as he travels across the country, seeking out leisure activities you don't hear about every day: training falcons, lawn-mower racing, catfish grabbling.
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Mordal said filming will wrap for the season at the end of this month. He spoke to the Star last week from his farm in Minnesota.
How did this series come about?
"I was on the first and third season of 'Last Comic Standing' with NBC. Rob Fox, 'Last Comic's' original executive producer, called me up last winter and asked if I had any ideas. We came up with this. It is basically 'Dirty Jobs' for different sports that don't make it on television."
Do you have a say in what you will be doing?
"I do have a lot of say in it. If it is something that is really dangerous that I don't like, we are not going to do it. I've gotten hurt a lot in my real life. I don't want to get hurt during an episode. I am not a big animal fan because they are really unpredictable. We take those scenarios step-by-step."
Do you research the activities before you get there?
"I like to absolutely know nothing. I truly do. Sometimes we've gotten on a plane and I haven't a clue on what the event really is. I don't want to sit and think of funny things to say. I would rather have it happen."
Favorite activities so far?
"I had an absolute blast at swamp-buggy racing. It was in nice cool water and it was hotter than hell out there. I also liked the mini-moto racing. They were these little bitty motorcycles about the size of a kid's trike. If I could still be there, I would. I almost bought one and brought it home. It is like Mario Kart, just so much fun.
Your least favorite?
"I wasn't fond of bullfighting. Unless you are 23 years old and have great reflexes, you are in a lot of trouble. They teach you how to psych a bull out, but it never happened for me. I've seen rodeo clowns, but I guess I wasn't paying attention. It is really a tough job."
You traveled to Phoenix for sniper camp. How did that go?
"That was one I was most proud of. Even at 48, I went through a lot of it. I had first round hits from 500-900 yards out. I was doing really well with that.
"The camp is made up of mostly military, law enforcement and government agents. There were people there we could not show on film. And you could go in as a civilian, but they will only show you the basic stuff. There are some courses there they will not show civilians, and with good reason."
So far, has the show gone according to plan?
"Yeah. I am really hard on myself, even with my stand-up. I really like this show. I don't think it could be better."
