Q & A with Bullrun’s Andy Duncan

Last week we announced that Bullrun Season II is on. They are casting NOW. On Friday I shot Andy Duncan an e-mail with a bunch of questions about the new show. Read his answers below.

So this has been a long time coming. Are you excited about the new show?

So long coming… I won’t bore you with the details. We’re really excited about season II, we’re neck deep in pre-production right now but it’s great getting most of the original crew back together from season I. We’re like one big dysfunctional family.

Why did it take so long to get the second season off the ground?

Where do I start? We’re seriously going to write a book about our experiences with this show, it’s been a real roller-coaster ride in every sense. What most people don’t realize is it took over 12 months to do the deal for the 1st season of Bullrun. First off dealing with lawyers (not all of them) slows everything down, it’s like swimming in maple syrup. Basically this is the problem: Los Angeles + TV Networks x Lawyers = pain.

Is the format going to be the same as last time?

There are a few changes but obviously I can’t tell you. Everyone will find out in the first episode. The basis of show is essentially the same as it’s based on our original rally, which is always going to be 80% of the show format.

Continue reading after the jump.

Can you tell us anything about the route?

It will be in the USA… that’s all I can say. But I will say it’s very varied terrain, and tough.

What do you plan to do differently this time around?

From a production stand point, the show has been massively streamlined, which makes filming it much simpler. Again some of this is specific to the format. I’m not trying to be a killjoy but I think the changes will be obvious in the first episode and make the show better for the viewer.

Tell us about what it’s like to work with SPEED.

They’ve been great. They’ve been super enthusiastic about this project from day one and I think they’re as equally as excited as we are about making it a massive hit.

What familiar faces will we see in season two?

The big man himself, Goldberg is back as host. We hung out at SEMA and had so much fun talking about the next season. We couldn’t walk ten feet on the SEMA floor without someone asking him about season II.

Any advice for our members who want to get on the show?

Be prepared to bring it, and I mean really bring it. If you think you want to be on this show you need to really think about season 1 and what you would have done across those ten episodes to win the show. Who would you have helped, who you would have turned against, when and why. We’ll be asking some very searching questions.

It’s easy to sit at home and watch the episodes and think ‘I can beat that guy.’ I know, I’ve done it myself, but it all changes when you’re in the field.

It’s so much tougher than people think. They’re just watching a 60 minute episode, the guys in the show had to endure two days, about 400 miles, a challenge, an elimination and a ton of stress and nerves to create that 60 minutes.

If you mess up badly in any one day you’re probably going home, and that puts enormous stress on people and then they start making mistakes.

So we’re not interested in anyone who claims to be the best. We’re interested in people who have really thought about it and will do anything to win (within legal limits of course). And of course drivers need to have great personalities. After all that, then we look at what they’re driving.

Want to learn more about how to get on the new Bullrun show? Get all the details in our post last week.