‘Fight. Grind. Repeat.’ Award-Winning Radio and TV Personality Bobby Bones’ Personal Mantra is Put to the Test in New National Geographic Series ‘Breaking Bobby Bones’

In Partnership with BBC Studios, Bobby Bones Travels the U.S. to Meet with Hometown Heroes Who Challenge Him to Conquer—Or At Least Attempt—The Tricks of Their Trades

The 16-Part Series Premieres May 31 at 10/9c with Two Back-to-Back Episodes on National Geographic

Continuing its long-standing tradition of delivering the best in nonfiction storytelling to connect audiences with the world around them and to inspire new passions, National Geographic will premiere its newest unscripted series, BREAKING BOBBY BONES, May 31 at 10/9c with two back-to-back episodes, then moving to Sundays at 10/9c with two new episodes premiering each week. Produced by BBC Studios’ Los Angeles production arm for National Geographic, the 16-part series is hosted and executive produced by award-winning and influential American radio and TV personality Bobby Bones, a bestselling author and a full-time mentor on ABC’s hit singing competition show “American Idol.”

In each half-hour episode of BREAKING BOBBY BONES, Bobby crisscrosses the country to meet everyday heroes who have extraordinary jobs, hobbies and abilities, welcoming him with open arms to give him a crash course in their specialized skills. Bobby accepts the challenge of living a day in their lives and attempting the tricks of their trades, which often means pushing past his own comfort zone, like dangling over the Grand Canyon 4,000 feet above the Colorado Riverdespite his greatest fear in life—heights. Along the way, Bobby is able to make a personal and compassionate connection with each person’s unique life story.

Under the careful guidance of the heroes in each episode, Bobby becomes everything from a tenacious stunt performer in Hollywood with one of the few women of color in the industry, to harvesting grain with a farmer who is from one of the first Black families in Virginia to own land after the Civil War, to learning to kayak the Payette River completely blindfolded from a blind honorably discharged U.S. Navy Petty Officer, to playing para sled hockey in Denver with a veteran who lost his legs while on deployment. He is guided, encouraged and inspired to put his all into the task at hand when he learns about what these brave people have had to overcome to achieve their goals—from leaving families behind to serve the country and their communities to rebuilding lives destroyed by bankruptcy, violence and injury.

Each of these extraordinary people has lived Bobby’s personal mantra: Fight. Grind. Repeat. With Bobby’s sincerity, compassion and playful humor, he helps bring out their incredible, relatable and moving stories of trials and triumphs. Like Bobby himself, they have overcome hardships and persevered to find success and purpose, making these hometown heroes who they are today.

“I love connecting with real, hard-working Americans to hear their stories of dedication, survival and how they turn their challenges into extraordinary opportunities,” says host Bobby Bones. “As someone from a small town who grew up in a trailer park, I’m always striving to do whatever it takes to never lose touch and meeting with each person has been nothing short of inspiring.”

“I am a longtime listener and huge personal fan of Bobby’s, so I couldn’t be happier that Nat Geo is the home for this fun, adventure-filled, inspiring series that celebrates Americans who work hard and take pride in everything they do,” says Courteney Monroe, president, Content, National Geographic. “Bobby’s enthusiasm is infectious and the authentic connections he builds with the people he meets touches the hearts of every one of them and will do the same for our viewers.”

“Bobby Bones personifies the resilience of the American spirit. He has a proven ability to connect with audiences in a truly genuine way. We are passionate about producing a series with heart that celebrates unsung heroes and committed to our long-standing partnership with National Geographic based on the Emmy-winning ‘Life Below Zero’ franchise, which has been going strong for nearly a decade on the network,” says Valerie Bruce, general manager of BBC Studios, Los Angeles Productions.

Throughout BREAKING BOBBY BONES, viewers will delve into Bobby’s own inspiring backstory of drive, determination and shared enthusiasm for hard work, discipline and overcoming obstacles. Audiences will come for the adventure but will stay for the fun, heart-warming stories.

BREAKING BOBBY BONES is produced by BBC Studios for National Geographic. Alongside Bobby Bones, Betsy Forhan serves as executive producer for National Geographic and Travis Shakespeare and Jeffrey L. Weaver executive produce for BBC Studios.

Bobby Bones is represented by CAA and managed by Red Light Management.

About Bobby Bones

Radio and TV personality Bobby Bones, who “has carved out a place for himself in nearly every corner of the entertainment world” (American Profile), is host of the nationally syndicated radio show “The Bobby Bones Show,” which broadcasts to over 170 stations and is the No. 1 Country morning show with millions of weekly listeners. The show recently garnered its second Country Music Association Award for National Broadcast Personality of the Year and fourth ACM Award for National On-Air Personality of the Year and earned Bones the title of youngest-ever inductee into the prestigious National Radio Hall of Fame. The “media multitasker” (Billboard) also launched his own podcast, “BobbyCast,” which features candid long-form interviews with top artists and industry figures and has been downloaded nearly 20 million times. Bones is the official in-house mentor on ABC’s “American Idol” and is set to star and serve as executive producer in a new travel TV series titled “Breaking Bobby Bones,” coming to National Geographic in May. Additionally, Bones won season 27 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and is host and executive producer of “Opry,” a weekly TV program airing highlights from the Grand Ole Opry stage on Circle Network. Bones is also a two-time New York Times No. 1 bestselling author, touring stand-up comedian and philanthropist – a true “jack of all trades” (ESPN). Visit bobbybones.iheart.com for more information.

About National Geographic Partners LLC

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National  Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 133 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About BBC Studios  

BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Formed in 2018 by the merger of BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios, it spans content financing, development, production, sales, branded services and ancillaries. BBC Studios’ award-winning British programs are internationally recognized across a broad range of genres and specialties. The company has offices in 22 markets globally, including seven production bases in the UK and production bases and partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. BBC Studios, which makes over 2,500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector.

In the Americas, BBC Studios – with team members across the region – operates its major production unit in Los Angeles and is responsible for ratings juggernaut and Emmy®-nominated Dancing with the Stars and multi-award-winning Life Below Zero.  In Brazil, through a production partnership with Endemol Shine, local production Dancing Brasil has become a breakout hit. The company manages joint venture relationships with AMC Networks for flagship channel BBC America (U.S.) – home of original series “Killing Eve” and global brands “Seven Worlds: One Planet,” “Doctor Who”and “Top Gear” – and with ITV for SVOD service BritBox (U.S./Canada), as well as a strategic partnership in Canada with Blue Ant Media for BBC Earth Channel. The company also operates a robust linear and digital content sales and co-productions operation, as well as a franchise management business. Currently, the company is readying the launch of BBC SELECT, a digital streaming channel offering unrivalled content across culture, politics and ideas that will be available on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the Apple TV app in early 2021. 

Follow us on Twitter: @BBCStudiosUSPR | BBC Studios Press Room 

Media Contacts:

Nadia Aziz, 202-704-6727, nadia.aziz@natgeo.com

Jennifer Driscoll, 614-595-9604, jennifer.driscoll@jbdpr.com