A new season of a popular cable TV show that includes a segment shot recently in Des Moines premieres tonight. “Biker Build Off” features two people who are given two weeks to build a motorcycle, and then must take the cycles on a trip to prove they work.

Hugh King, known as the “Chopper King”, is the creator and editor of the show and was on hand when the latest contestants stopped at the Iowa Air National Guard base in Des Moines last week to film a segment of the show. He says they had a color guard, fighter bombers, some 200 airmen and a flyover of F-16’s for the show.

The contestants left Iowa on their way to a motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. King says the first segment of the new season airs tonight. King says the shows air each Monday with 13 segments and the Iowa segment will air in late September or early October.

King says the viewership of the show has remained strong. King says people are fascinated by people who know how to build something from a bare piece of metal into something. He says many of the viewers probably dream of owning a bike or building their own.

King says the show touches a nerve of nostalgia. He says people remember when they could build things on their own. King says a lot of people are stuck in jobs behind a computer that aren’t very fulfilling. He says there’s a longing for the past when you could pick up a hammer, beat on a piece of metal, and make something happen. King left Iowa to head to Sturgis where he’ll chose the winner of the latest motorcycle building competition.