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A mother-son duo from Ireland are starring in a new television series airing on the rebranded Discovery Life Channel on Thursday nights (10e/9c), a series that takes reality television and bravery to a whole new level.
Nancy Ashmawy is the star of “50 Ways To Kill Your Mother,” a show title that is way too strong for what it actually represents. The series actually is an endearing and enduring relationship between a brave 71-year-old mother, and her daredevil 38-year-old son, Baz Ashmawy, as they grab life by the horns on a unique journey to experience extreme “bucket list” adventures together around the world.
Nancy, who currently lives in Dublin, is certainly a brave 71-year-old experiencing her retirement years in a much more challenging way than most people her age. She’s tackling challenging once-in-a-lifetime adventures set up and experienced with her son… helping her to “stay young” and providing motivation for others to consider doing the same. The series takes her to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Florida in the U.S., before vising South Africa, Morocco, Thailand and Cambodia on future episodes.
Baz, our funny and sharp-witted half Egyptian, half Irish presenter has been a truly exciting talent in TV and Radio for nearly 10 years in Ireland. But he says this show is about the unique experience with his mother.
“I’ve been close to my Ma for my entire life,” says Baz. “But I’ve realized, if you only ever really treat your parents like they’re your parents, then you’ll most likely miss out on a friend you never even knew you had.”
While the 71-year-old Nancy would be much more comfortable playing scrabble and baking brown bread, a sampling of the frightening list of bucket list challenges that get her way out of her comfort zone to the delight of her son include: ski diving from 18,000 feet on her birthday, stunt car driving, steep roller-coasters, high-powered jet skis, alligator wrestling, parasailing, aerial acrobatics by flying a 1942 war plane upside-down, swimming with sharks, ostrich riding, bungee jumping, running off a mountain into a dizzying paraglide, getting up close and personal with poisonous snakes, whitewater rafting, taming lions in the wild, handling Asian elephants in the Chiang Mai jungle, tarantula hunting, and much, much more. Many of the challenges are in or over water, and Nancy can’t swim. But that did not stop her.
“Anybody thinking of doing this at my age, I say ‘Go for it,’” says Nancy, “because you only live once!”
“It’s absolutely amazing what I’ve done,” she reflects. “It’s life changing. Somebody my age, well I would say to them: ‘they can feel the fear and do it anyhow.’ That’s what I would say, and that’s what I did!”
On January 15, 2015, Discovery Fit & Health became Discovery Life Channel – a network that embraces all of life’s unplanned moments. Discovery Life brings viewers a kaleidoscope of human emotions and experiences through the true stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. From critical turning points to unexpected moments, Discovery Life explores how people tackle life’s surprising twists and turns. For more information, visit: http://www.discoverlife.com.
Barry Smith
January 29, 2023
