| J1 - Summer in the Sun | |
|---|---|
J1 - Summer in the Sun logo |
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| Also known as | J1 Summer |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Created by | Motive Television |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Bob Kelly, Jamie Lee D'Alton |
| Camera setup | Solid State EX-1 camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | RTÉ Two |
| Original run | 17 November 2008 – 22 December 2008 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
J1 – Summer in the Sun is an upcoming RTÉ documentary television programme, documenting the experiences of eighteen students working in the United States. The students range from ages 18–23 and are divided into three "gangs": the Chicago Gang, the Hawaii Gang and the San Diego Gang.[1] Billed as a sort of Irish version of MTV’s Laguna Beach, the series was filmed from 27 May – 1 September, as one of the first series in Ireland to be shot on the new Solid State EX-1 camera.[2] The series will be broadcast on RTÉ Two each Monday at 21:30.
Contents |
| Origin | Students | Age range | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Chicago Gang | National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) | Eamonn, Susan, Donal, Darach, Gemma, Alan, Darren, Fiona, Keith | 19 - 21 | [3] |
| The Hawaii Gang (The Fundalkers) |
Dundalk Institute of Technology (Dkit) | Agne, Dean, Shane, Gina, Sorcha | [4] | |
| The San Diego Gang | Institute of Education, Leeson Street | Tim, Dáithí, Proinny, Luke | [5] |
Episode one serves as an introductory show. The San Diego Gang are initially happy with their gaff as it has a pool room but quickly start fighting when they realise they are living out in the "burbs", miles away from the beach and the parties. Latecomer Luke arrives and they organise a drinking session to welcome him to San Diego. With the help of fortified wine, the drinking games become a little excessive and the casualties increase substantially. In a drink-fuelled rage Proinny breaks his ankle. Without an ability to participate in the surfing and partying his summer seems ruined. The Hawaii Gang are complete idiots. They find an apartment directly on the waterfront with views of Waikiki beach, but fail to read the small print and discover that they have arrived in an alcohol-free zone. Dean and Gina roam the streets and locate some unusual sources of employment.
Proinny opts to stay in San Diego despite having broken his heel and the group head to Tijuana to celebrate. They discover a special bus trip to a club across the border, the bus being kitted out with a stripper-pole. It deposits the boys at the Mexican border and they set off to a club where one can drink through the night for $12 per head. A drunken Tim goes missing and the rest of the lads are forced to exit the country without him. The second episode also introduces the Galway gang. The group of nine females and males have grown up together but have never before lived together. Gemma obtains a job and is paid for being rude to the customers, but brings this new work persona home and provokes a fight. Then there is a party with lots of drinking games.
In Hawaii, Sorcha and Agne are working in a deli. Agne is promoted and they find they can do whatever they like. They feed their friends back in their house and later take a tumble from an airplane to witness Hawaii from the sky. On the Fourth of July Sorcha is invited on a "date" by a local. The San Diego gang seems set to split, with Tim and Luke getting out of the lease and setting off for the beach. The lads discover a loophole in San Diego's drinking regulations (it is possible for them to drink in the sea as long as they do not set foot on the beach). They join a flotilla of drunk Americans to celebrate the Fourth of July festival. Darren and Donal of the Chicago gang set off to do some volunteer work and make a fortune feeding hungry Americans in a burger joint. The American dream (and the money) goes to Eamonn's head.
Sorcha is treated to a sunset cruise by her American date. Darren tries to court Alma, a lass from Limerick who is also on her J1. Proinny's Mum appears and takes him on a shopping trip in New York, whilst the rest of his gang go to an exotic club. The time for exam results comes. All the groups check their grades via the internet. If they fail they must return home for their repeats and may miss the road trip finale. Boy scout Darren takes the gang on a camping trip into the wilderness of Illinois. The girls struggle to cope without their home comforts and decide they no longer wish to take part.
Tim returns home. The San Diego gang's exploits in this episode include being the recipient of a dodgy tattoo as Luke and Dáithí embark (arm in arm) to obtain "His 'N' Hers" tattoos. Proinny receives an unexpected visit from a girl he first met in Las Vegas. Andrea from Albuquerque, New Mexico has driven 800 miles to see him again. Dáithí readies himself for his first stand-up comedy gig. The following day Proinny and Dáithí make their return to Ireland for their repeats, leaving Luke "on his Toblerone". Luke attempts to find a way to amuse himself by setting out to find a new gang to play with. The Chicago gang split into two teams for a baseball game. The losing team agrees to undergo a waxing. Later they pack to leave for alternative "5-star" accommodation as the lease on their current house is up on 1 August. Keith has a surprise for the rest of the gang, having managed to score tickets for them all to feature on The Jerry Springer Show. The Hawaii boys are struggling to adapt to Sorcha's leaving early, with Gina taking the occurrence particularly badly and blocks the toilet. Sorcha is "heartbroken" about missing the roadtrip so the rest begin work on a plan to send her off with happiness. They arrange a Limousine to carry her to the airport. They then head off on a trip to Maui to lift their dampened spirits. But without Sorcha, fighting erupts amongst the group.
Episode six begins with each group setting off cross-country on a road trip to New Orleans. The Hawaii gang fly to San Francisco to begin their roadtrip in the east. Underwhelmed by the city they cheat their road trip by catching a train to Salt Lake City and when there they pick up their RV. Their home for the following one week period, the RV is akin to driving a "massive sofa bed" across the United States. Agne falls asleep at the wheel and side swipes the car of a local insurance salesman in Kansas. The San Diego lads have no transport and have to hitchhike from California. Luke creates a sign proclaiming "Heading East? Can we cum too?" which works to good effect. They pick up Dáithí in New Mexico, visit Proinny's girlfriend from Las Vegas and a hospital after Luke discovers he has caught a serious rash. The Chicago gang rent a large passenger van which comfortably fits all eight of them alongside Gemma and Suzan's gigantic baggage. Their trip begins on the famous road, Route 66. The gang become popular with the locals in an authentic honky tonk bar in Nashville but Susan has her eye on someone elsewhere. The three gangs race to New Orleans from Memphis to Nashville and Amarillo to El Paso.
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