“Today we went ice fishing, which was new for me,” John Burke said over the phone, explaining why he was in Ely on a cold January day. “Yesterday we did an ice sculpting contest at Kate Lake, on the outskirts of town.”
Welcome to the new Outdoor Nevada, the more rambunctious little sister of Vegas PBS’ late-’90s travel show, which begins airing a week from today, January 27. Burke, the affable, intrepid film and TV personality cast as host, embodies the remake’s spirit.
“I think one reason I got hired out of the 1,500 people who applied,” he says, “is that I just have a natural knack for talking to anybody. I’m not afraid to talk to the kid who’s fishing, or the elderly man who was in World War II, or the Mark Twain impersonator. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be, ‘Hey! Come with me and check this out!’”
(It probably didn’t hurt that his relevant credentials include exploring the Titanic’s wreckage with film director James Cameron.)
Although the new show has “a little more muscle,” Burke says, it will still be relatable to fans of the previous version because of its smart blend of activity and inquiry. The 26 half-hour episodes of its first run explore Nevada’s cultural, historical and natural wonders through the lens of Burke’s adventures.
“We did 7,000 miles in 90 days last year,” he says, trying to recall his favorite moment. “I’ve been skydiving in Las Vegas, scuba diving at Lake Tahoe and four-wheeling in Moapa. Yet what I enjoyed the most is riding in the back seat of the Land Rover having a cup of coffee, looking out the window, wondering what it used to look like, how it was discovered, and dreaming about where we’re going next.”
Wherever that is, producers hope Burke’s enthusiasm will inspire both newcomers and longtime residents to go along for the ride. Or, even better, take one themselves.
