''Full Throttle Saloon'' is an American
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series that premiered on November 10, 2009, and originally aired on
truTV.
The series chronicles the daily operations of the bar for which it is named − the Full Throttle Saloon in
Sturgis, South Dakota
Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 7,020 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Meade County and is named after Samuel D. Sturgis, a Union general during the Civil War.
Sturgis is notabl ...
. The world's largest
biker bar, it was located on 30 acres of land purchased in 1999 by Michael Ballard. The indoor/outdoor bar included several large stages, a burn-out pit, a tattoo parlor, zip lines, a wrestling ring, restaurants, dozens of stores, hundreds of cabins for rent, and parking for thousands of motorcycles.
[ 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 could average 20,000 guests each night.
The series aired its fifth season with TruTV on December 2, 2013. After five successful seasons with the network, TruTV confirmed via Twitter that they did not shoot a sixth season in 2014. Reelz Channel announced that they would begin airing episodes on October 3, 2014. Reelz confirmed they would only be broadcasting classic episodes of the show from previous seasons.
A massive fire destroyed the Full Throttle Saloon on September 8, 2015. Ballard later stated that the fire started when a pinched power cord to a keg refrigerator overheated and ignited a nearby cardboard box.]Destination America
Destination America is an American cable television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. The network carries programming focused on the culture of the United States—including food, lifestyles, ...
starting December 1, 2015.
Cast
* Michael Ballard, Owner
* Angie (Carlson) Ballard, (wife of Michael), Marketing director
* Jesse James Dupree, Business Partner
*Michael "Fajita Mike" Garner
* Gregg "The Goat" Cook, Emcee
* Eric "Senior" Soluri, Security Director
* John Caprefoli, Narrator; AKA Johnny Dare or some know him as Johnny Blaze
Episodes
Season 1 (2009)
Season 2 (2010–11)
Season 3 (2011–12)
Season 4 (2012–13)
Season 5 (2013–14)
Season 6 (2015)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Full Throttle Saloon
Biker bars
2000s American reality television series
2010s American reality television series
2009 American television series debuts
2015 American television series endings
Drinking establishments in South Dakota
Motorcycle television series
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
TruTV original programming
Television shows set in South Dakota