T. J. Lavin

Thomas Joseph Lavin (born December 7, 1976) is an American BMX rider and the host of MTV's The Challenge since its eleventh season.

T. J. Lavin
Born
Thomas Joseph Lavin

(1976-12-07) December 7, 1976
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Occupation
  • Cyclist
  • Television Host
Spouse(s)
Roxanne Siordia
​
(m. 2012)​
Children1

Early life

Thomas Joseph Lavin was born December 7, 1976 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lavin first began to ride bikes when he was two and raced BMX until he was 15. He then gave up racing to try dirt jumping. He eventually became a professional at the age of nineteen. He was also on the wrestling team while in high school.

Career

BMX

He has entered events including the X Games and the Dew Action Sports Tour. In the X Games he took bronze three times, silver once, and gold three times (One was Australian). He has been a DK Dirt Circuit Champion, a champion in the Gravity Games, a European championship winner, and a CFB Champion. In 1995, he was crowned the "King of Dirt". He has a 1-acre (0.40 ha) BMX track in his backyard which includes several groomed trails and dirt jumps.[1] He is currently sponsored by S&M Bikes, Headrush, Monster Energy Drink, Lavs Lab, and Kicker. TJ Lavin is also the subject of a photorealist painting titled King of Dirt.[2]

Lavin was competing in a Dew Tour event in Las Vegas on October 14, 2010, where he crashed and was rushed to the hospital. Due to the critical injuries he sustained, he was put into a medically induced coma and developed a case of pneumonia shortly after.[3][4] On October 20, Chas Aday, friend of Lavin, reported that Lavin was breathing on his own, following simple commands like squeezing hands or giving thumbs-up to the doctors and he was expected to make a full recovery.[5] Lavin was able to return home on November 16, 2010.[6]

Music

Lavin taught himself how to play piano and has a recording studio in his home. He released his album called LAVS the First SET. He appeared on the song "Never Gonna Hold Me Down" with Johnny Richter on the Sub Noize Souljaz album, on the song "Watcha Want" on the album Random Stuff by good friend and Suburban Noize recording artist Big B, and on the Tsunami Bros. album King Harbor in a song titled "The Crab Shack Special".

In 2008, Lavin released the single "Soldier" — a tribute to his long-time friend Stephen Murray. Stephen crashed during the AST Dew Tour. He suffered a serious spinal injury during a double-backflip attempt on June 22, 2007. All sales from the single were donated to the Stephen Murray Family Fund.[7]

MTV

Lavin is the subject of the film A Film about T. J. Lavin. He appeared on an episode of MTV's Cribs.[8] Lavin has a video game named after him: MTV Sports: T. J. Lavin's Ultimate BMX.

He has hosted spin-offs, specials, and MTV's reality-competition show The Challenge (originally titled Real World/Road Rules Challenge) since its eleventh season.

The Challenge

Acting

Lavin appears in a starring role as Eli in the independent film A Monster Among Men, released in 2012.[9]

Personal life

He married his longtime girlfriend Roxanne Siordia on November 2, 2012 in Las Vegas. The couple had been together for eight years and married on their anniversary. Through Siordia, Lavin has one stepdaughter, Raquel (born in 1999), whom he has since adopted.[10]

References
  1. "Larger Than Lav".
  2. https://berternie.com/portfolio/king-of-dirt/
  3. "BMX-MTV host TJ Lavin in critical condition". Archived from the original on 2010-10-18.
  4. "BMX star TJ Lavin in coma after major crash".
  5. "T. J. Lavin expected to make a Full Recovery".
  6. "T. J. Lavin returns home one month after serious bike crash".
  7. "TJ Lavin's Official Site".
  8. "TJ Lavin Bio".
  9. "Blood Sweat and Fears Films". Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  10. "TJ Lavin Marries Roxanne Siordia; Wedding Is at Las Vegas's City Hall". 3 November 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
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