The Zach Nichols Podcast - The TJ Lavin Interview! | ZNP EP. 168

Episode Date: May 29, 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All right, here we go. Welcome back to the Zach Nichols podcast. Listen, I'm speechless, T.J. Thanks. T.J. Lavin invited us into his home to film a podcast. And I have expected the DM to go on red, to be honest with you. Are you serious? Not because I'm not, like, I don't think you like me or anything. I just am like, you mean, you got a lot going on.

I'm busy guy. No, and it's, it's like, for a challenger, like, my biggest goal was like getting a, like, a shout out from T. Like so for me that was always like like after a couple challenges And you're like hey great job I was like that was the coolest thing ever So I just want to start out by thanking you for let us do this is awesome No my pleasure man I'm stoked to have you guys man no worries Yeah this is awesome yeah this is great man I'm so happy to have everyone here Brother thank you so much man the hospitality top notch just the humbleness

Give me a round of applause one more time You got this stashie? Yeah I got a stash you want to you want to do the Ackley's No you're the hype man you're the hype man dude i'm not i'm not changing so normally when we have someone on the podcast there's you know they have a couple things going on in their life but there's a long list of stuff but uh we're gonna have to go through it in case people don't know in case people don't know um this is one of the greatest people to ever ride a bike in the history of humankind bmx legend three golds once over three bronze at the x games he's also the dk dirt circuit champion that's right

Gravity Games champion. And most importantly, husband and stepfather, T.J. Levin, in the building. Give him some love him. Dog dad as well. Yes. That's real. That is very important.

Yeah. The whole house is set up for the dogs to live the best life. The whole house, my whole life revolves around my dog's having a good life. It's the best. Everything else is just whipped cream.

Pop cuffs. A little cherry on top. So let me begin by saying, you know, 2005 you get called to be the host of the challenge. Yeah. Did you really, like when you started, I mean, did you think this was going to be your job for the next 21 years? No.

It was one or two seasons and I'm done because I was still winning on bikes. I was still doing really good. So I actually told them to take nasty because it was me and nasty and Kear Dylan, who's a pro-snowboarder. It was us three that were up for the job. Right. And they asked us a simple question. We went to L.A. for the meeting. It was Justin Booth and John Murray and all these people in this one big room.

And they were like, all right. So if you were us, who would you pick to be the host? And I was like, nasty, 100%. They were like, what? I was like, yeah, nasty. He's the funniest guy there is. He's the best dude. He has the most charisma.

He has everything. For sure, nasty. He has more charisma in his pinky than any 10 people have in their whole body. He's the best dude ever. And they were like, okay. And I go, but if you want somebody to show up for sure, I'll definitely be your guy. But I really think that you should pick nasty. And they were like, all right.

I'm like, cool. So then they were going to pick nasty. That's not the way most job interview. No, no. But it's so weird because at the time, I was still winning really like, really doing really good on my bike and then and nasty wasn't doing that good he was a little bit in the in the lower end of it um until like later on he he spiked again and he got crazy good and like he started doing double backflips and all this wild stuff like but he wasn't doing that good

during that time and i remember specifically thinking like man let nasty take the show for a minute and then see how it goes and if it goes great good good you know what I mean I'll be awesome for him. And then like it's only going to be another season or two anyway. Like Dave Mirra told me like, I called Dave Mera to do the show. I was like Dave, like they're trying to get me to do this show. What do you think? And he's like, oh, you'll do it for one or two seasons. Then you'll be over it. Don't worry about it. Dude, you'll love it. Dude, you should do it. Do it. I was like, all right, well, I'll tell them I'm, I'm down to do it. But, but then, you know, we'll see what happens. So then we all sent in these tapes of us hosting the show. and my buddy that is a filmmaker came over and made my tape,

and it was all pro and all this stuff. And I did the whole thing, sent it in, then they called us up. We got the call back. Then we go into the meeting. They asked the question. I said nasty. And then they said, okay, cool.

Then they called MTV. And they were like, all right, we're taking nasty. And then Jackie French at the time, she said, no, you're not. You're taking T.J. And they were like, no, no, we're going to go with nasty. He actually told us to go with nasty. And then she goes, yeah, that's because that's who he is. You're not, you're not, no, no, we're taking T.J.

And then he was like, all right. So Justin was like, he reluctantly took me. And then then I go to Trinidad and Tobago for the first season. And I'm on this plane and these people wearing cowboy hats and all this weird shit. And I'm like, this is so weird. Like, what am I doing? And I was by myself, dude. I didn't have nobody with me or nothing.

I was just like sending it. And they didn't have any idea who I was. And I didn't know who they were. And it was like people that all were producers and the Jeff Schmitz and all these people that were there. And I was like, this is the weirdest thing I've ever done. Like, this is so weird. Like, this is like wild. And I brought my BMX bike too.

Yeah. Because I had to go ride in Louisville, Kentucky, halfway through the season. I left, did the do action sports tour, got that TV for signing autographs. And it was so weird. And so halfway through the season, I took a break, went to Louisville, Kentucky, competed, got forth, came back, and finished the season. So what did they do when you were gone? They just didn't shut down the show for a second.

Those are the good old days. How long are we talking? Like a couple, like a week and a long weekend? Okay. So that's kind of typical. This is back in the day when they could like go ahead and the town and stuff. Right. We've got in the stories.

The cast members would just be like, all, you're on your own. Oh, dude. The cast members just go wild. Yeah, they would. They do. They do. Yeah. Not so much anymore.

Like that happened at one time on free agents before we changed locations. We didn't see production for like two whole days. Jesus. We're just in the house. And I like took a walk on the beach and there was like a beached whale that was dead. But it was way down. I was like, where are all these flies doing? And then there was just a huge whale.

But yeah. that never happens anymore. Well, I don't know anymore because it's been a while, but back when I was on the show, you know, so. And that first season, that is when the Cyrus situation happens, right? You want to, you know, yeah. Like for me watching the Cyrus,

when you and Cyrus got into it, I was, because I knew, like, battle the seasons was after you act, all the accident and all that. So for me watching that, I'm like,

who, like, I don't know, like, I knew you were a competitor, but I was like, you were mad. You were about that action.

I'm like, I've never seen that side of you before where you don't, like just totally like like like the most of that I think you'd be like yeah whatever man. Yeah, yeah. Now that the new guy definitely wouldn't give a fuck. But back then I was a BMX dude that really didn't care. Like I was like nothing mattered. I didn't care about the job.

I didn't care about the this. I didn't care about the this dude up and I'm going to die trying. Right. You know what I mean? That's what I was thinking. You know what I mean? Like so stupid. Like yeah, okay.

Cyrus is going to kill you dude. What are you? doing. Well, that's one thing I'm loving about the story, too, is because when we, we've interviewed so many people and they're all basically like, I didn't give a fuck to do it. And that's how you got the job. It's basically like you did not care. Like, whatever. I'll, I'll show up. But yeah. There's like a trend a bunch of cast members who like, how did you get cast and like, oh, I went with a friend and they chose me. And then that sparked their whole career like me. I was acting like an idiot in a bar. And they came out to me and they were like, do you want to be on

TV? But I was in college playing football. My parents would never let me drop my scholarship. So I was like, nah, that would have been. Ryan Knight's season. They were trying to cast me to be on that season. I said no. So now different state or different city in Michigan, I'm done with college. I was being an idiot again at a bar. And the same lady comes up to me.

He was like, hey, do you remember me? And I'm like, yeah, she's like, you want to be on TV? And I was like, yeah, it sounds cool, you know? So then I just showed up the next day, got walked up to the attic of this bar and told him I didn't want to fill out the forms. I was like, I'm not doing this. Way too much. And she said, well, can you just fill out some of them?

So I was, like, doing one word answers and just got out of there because I was going bird hunting with my uncle. And then I had a football game, arena football game the next day. And they're like, can you come in and do an interview? And I was like, it's got to be at like 6 a.m. They're like, okay. So I went into a hotel at 6 a.m. interviewed. And then I was on the real world. Wow.

But that's funny because I thought I was like unique. Almost every cast member, it was just them kind of like stumbling upon it. Yeah. I mean, it really is that crazy because the whole story of how I got. got the job, like how I even got into the, the hemisphere of these people is I was in New York signing with William Morris for my BMX and music career. Like doing BMX and music and I was having meetings in LA and then I had meetings in New York. When I was in New York City, I knew this dude named Vinnie Potostivo.

And Vinny Potostivo was one of the head dudes at MTV. but back then he was a PA turned vice president at talent development. Yeah. So he like was PA here in 99 at my house, sweeping my back porch, getting ready for the, for the sports and music festival back then. And I said, come in and I'll cook you a cassidia in the mornings because that's what I had. So I did and we did and we became friends. Yeah.

And then fast forward, I sweep back porch with them. made everything sweet. And then we became friends. And then he became that dude. And then I'm in New York City. He calls me. He's like, that concludes the free preview of the Zach Nichols podcast. So go to Patreon and subscribe to see the rest of the shit that we talk.

Go do it now.