Mike Rowe films episode in Yuma
Show on Bully Rehab Awareness Gym now online
The latest episode of the Mike Rowe show “Returning the Favor” features a retired mixed-martial arts fighter from Yuma, the Bully Rehab Awareness Gym he founded and its anti-bullying message.
The episode is now airing on Facebook Watch, a video-on-demand service operated by Facebook. Rowe and his 12-member crew filmed the episode over a week in January and released it on Tuesday.
Rowe spent some time talking to “Coach Carlos” Flores and learning why he decided to open the gym. He said his goal is to help young people who are bullied by giving them confidence and showing them how to box while also helping those who are bullies by teaching them Brazilian jiu jitsu, which translate from the Japanese to “the gentle art.”
The episode also honors Flores’ mentor, the late Frank Carrillo, who helped him overcome obstacles to keep the gym running. For many years Carrillo served as the director of Habitat for Humanity in Yuma. The gym is now located in the Habitat for Humanity building, 3242 E. 43rd St.
Many of Flores’ friends and supporters turned out to help put together an obstacle course dedicated to Carrillo, and they and Rowe surprised him with it.
Russ Clark, chairman of the BRAG board, said members contacted “Returning the Favor” and the show producers thought the gym and its message would make a great story.
Clark said the story was well-received by Rowe and the production crew. “It’s a big deal,” Clark said. “They said it was the best they have done. They expect it to go viral. It was a great story
for them and a great one for us.”
BRAG is a nonprofit organization serving the children of Yuma County and the surrounding areas. It’s mission is to “provide a safe after-school environment to empower and rehabilitate low-moderate income residents who are victims or offenders of dominance behavior (bullying), with our Anti-Bullying initiative Battered and Bullied No More,” according to its website.
BRAG recognizes the bullying “epidemic” in Yuma and across the nation and that it hurts not only the individuals involved but “the overall health and safety of schools, neighborhoods, and society.” It also noted a link between bullying and suicide.
For more information, go to www.bragincyuma.org or call 928-502-9589.
At the time of filming, the locals who participated in the show signed a confidentiality clause and were very tight-lipped about the purpose of Rowe’s visit to Yuma. The only clue was a Facebook message posted by Rowe on Jan. 5 from the Yuma International Airport as he prepared to fly out of the city.
Rowe wrote: “Greetings from Yuma, Arizona, where it’s seventy-nine degrees with very little chance of snow. Sorry, America. I know it’s cold everywhere else, and snowy, as it often is in January, and I have no wish to rub your face in it.” He then went on to joke about his “exhaustion with expressions like ‘super moons,’ ‘super storms’ and ‘bomb cyclones.’”
As host of the Facebook Watch series “Returning the Favor,” Rowe travels the country in search of “remarkable people making a difference in their communities.” The show gives back to those who pay it forward with “humor, heart and surprise” because “one good turn deserves another,” as noted in the show’s Facebook page.
Rowe is best known for his work on the Discovery Channel shows “Dirty Jobs,” “Deadliest Catch,” “After the Catch” and “Somebody’s Gotta Do It.”