T. J. Lavin

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

T. J. Lavin
Born
Thomas Joseph Lavin

(1976-12-07) December 7, 1976
Occupations
  • Cyclist
  • television host
Spouse
Roxanne Siordia
(m. 2012)
Children1

Early life

Thomas Joseph Lavin was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lavin first began to ride bikes when he was two. He eventually became a professional winning his first pro contest at the age of nineteen.[1]

Career

BMX

He has entered events including the X Games and the Dew 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.[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]

According to Bleacher Report he is considered one of the greatest BMX riders of all time.[7]

Lavin was included into the USA BMX Hall of Fame on October 29, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. Source: https://www.usabmx.com/site/sections/8 See photo of Hall of Fame Inductees for 2022.

Music

Self taught in playing the piano, Lavin used the recording studio in his home to record and release an album called LAVS the First SET.[7]

In 2008, Lavin released the single "Soldier" a tribute to his long-time friend Stephen Murray. Stephen crashed during the Dew Action Sports Tour in Baltimore. 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.[2][8][7]

MTV

Lavin is the subject of the film A Film about T. J. Lavin. He appeared on an episode of MTV's Cribs.[9]

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.[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, whom he has since adopted.[10]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Network Notes
2002-2021 Cribs Himself MTV Season 6, episode 6; season 18, episode 1
2005-2006 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet 2 Host
2006 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Fresh Meat
2006-2007 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Duel
2007 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno 3
2008 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet III
2008 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Island
2009 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Duel II
2009 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins
2010 Spring Break Challenge
2010 The Challenge: Fresh Meat II
2010 The Challenge: Cutthroat
2011 The Challenge: Rivals
2012 The Challenge: Battle of the Exes
2012 The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons
2013 The Challenge: Rivals II
2014 The Challenge: Free Agents
2015 The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II
2015-2016 The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines
2016 The Challenge: Rivals III
2017 The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions
2017 The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30
2018 The Challenge: Vendettas
2018 The Challenge: Final Reckoning
2019 The Challenge: War of the Worlds
2019 The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2
2020 The Challenge: Total Madness
2020-2021 The Challenge: Double Agents
2021 The Challenge: All Stars Paramount+
2021 The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies MTV
2021-2022 The Challenge: All Stars 2 Paramount+
2022 The Challenge: All Stars 3
2022 The Challenge: USA 1 CBS
2022-2023 The Challenge: Ride or Dies MTV
2023 The Challenge: World Championship Paramount+
2023 The Challenge: USA 2 CBS

References

  1. Hope, Clover (April 9, 2021). "'The Challenge' Is Chaos, But TJ Lavin Keeps It Sane". GQ. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  2. Feldberg, Sarah (May 28, 2009). "Larger than Lav - Las Vegas Weekly". lasvegasweekly.com.
  3. "BMX-MTV host TJ Lavin in critical condition". Archived from the original on 2010-10-18.
  4. "BMX Star T.J. Lavin in Coma After Major Crash". TMZ. October 14, 2010.
  5. Vena, Jocelyn (October 20, 2010). "TJ Lavin Expected To Make A 'Full Recovery,' Pal Says". MTV News.
  6. Montgomery, James (November 16, 2010). "TJ Lavin Returns Home One Month After Serious Bike Crash". MTV News.
  7. Solar, David (October 21, 2010). "TJ Lavin: Latest News on BMX Star's Accident and His Recovery". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  8. "Soldier - a tribute to Stephen Murray". TJ Lavin's Official Site. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009.
  9. "TJ Lavin Bio". MTV.
  10. Gray, Mark (November 3, 2012). "TJ Lavin Weds Longtime Girlfriend in Las Vegas". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
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