| Full Throttle Saloon | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Reality |
| Starring |
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| Narrated by | Johnny Dare (John Caprefoli) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | truTV, Destination America |
| Release | November 10, 2009 – December 22, 2015 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Full Throttle Saloon is an American reality television reality series premiered on November 10, 2009. Based on the bar of the same name the show originally aired on truTV.[1] The series chronicles the daily operations of the bar for which it is named. The Full Throttle Saloon is located in Sturgis, South Dakota and is known as the world's largest biker bar.
The original Full Throttle was located on 27 acres of land purchased in 1999 by Michael Ballard. The indoor/outdoor bar included several large stages, a burn-out pit, tattoo parlors, a zip line, a wrestling ring, restaurants, dozens of stores, hundreds of cabins for rent, and parking for thousands of motorcycles.[1] It was open from late March/early April until mid-November (weather permitting), and was busiest during the annual week-long Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Each year, the first full week of August marks the beginning of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, during which time, the Saloon averages in excess of 20,000 guests each night.
The series aired its fifth season with TruTV on December 2, 2013.[2] After five successful seasons with the network, TruTV confirmed via Twitter that they did not shoot a sixth season in 2014.[3] Reelz Channel announced that they would begin airing episodes on October 3, 2014.[4][5] Reelz confirmed they would only be broadcasting classic episodes of the show from previous seasons.[6]
A massive fire destroyed the original Full Throttle Saloon on September 8, 2015.[7] Ballard later stated that the fire started when a pinched power cord to a keg refrigerator overheated and ignited a nearby cardboard box.[8]
A sixth season aired on Destination America starting December 1, 2015.
The original Throttle reopened on September 19, 2015 after only 10 days. The only building still standing after the fire was the office. Visitors didn't seem to care and business continued there til August 22nd, 2017.
The "new" Full Throttle, 19950 Hwy 79, is about 7 miles north of the original. It was first used for Rally 2016 and opened on a daily basis a week before rally 2017. Amazingly the Full Throttle never missed a Rally. Operations have continued on the new site ever since. To date the new complex includes the bar, a merchandise shop, and a distillery as well as over 200 cabins. As with the original, year to year there will always be new things appearing.
During Rally has many of the same events as the original including multiple stages, and an array of vendors. The bar complex is adjacent to the Pappy Hotel Campground, of which Michael Ballard is part owner.
There is a new show called "Full Throttle Lifestyles" which can be accessed either from the Full Throttle website, fullthrottlesaloon.com or from the official Full Throttle YouTube page.
The bar is currently open 7 days a week from March to mid-December. The rest of the year please call 605 431-0013 if you're in the area as a private opening is possible depending on the weather.
- ^ a b "TruTV Gets Sturgis Fever at World's Largest Biker Bar in hit Series Full Throttle Saloon". The Futon Critic (Press release). October 28, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 27, 2013). "truTV Ready to Heat Things Up with Seven Returning Shows, Plus a new series, and a major guest Appearance". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Archived from the original on September 29, 2013.
- ^ "truTV on Twitter: "@FrankieG410 I know that we didn't shoot a new season at Sturgis this year. There may be repeats/marathons of past seasons."". September 29, 2014.
- ^ "Four Series To Join REELZ Fall Primetime Lineup". PRWeb. August 25, 2014.
- ^ "Full Throttle Saloon | REELZchannel". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ^ "ReelzChannel". Facebook. September 30, 2014.
- ^ staff, Chris Huber Journal. "Shooting into the smoke". Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ KOTA. "Owner reveals cause of Full Throttle fire". Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.