By NATHAN SOLHEIM
The Red & Black

On a nondescript, austere evening in front of Blue Sky Coffee, a trash can sits unnoticed.

An innocent bystander walks by the trash can, and to her great surprise, a man pops out of the can wearing an ugly Halloween mask. Meet Scary Wolf.

It’s just one of the many incarnations of the three students who produce "The Damn! Show."

"You’ve got to scare a woman," said Waco O’guin, a senior from Valdosta. "Men just don’t scare as easily."

The story behind the three University jesters dates back just a year, and it has unexpectedly seen drama rather than comedy.

The show was originally broadcast on Intermedia, Athens’ local cable provider.

Matt Chastain, a junior from Monticello, said the company only looked at the first five minutes of the tape.

They wouldn’t have seen "Hump Dog," a segment that showed a neutered dog copulating with a sleeping bag, which in their view was why the show was taken off the air.

Billy Porter, president of Intermedia, said the reason was different.

"It’s our privilege to decide what goes on the air," Porter said. "We (Intermedia and TCI Media Services) elected not to continue running the program."

The channel airs other programs that aren’t comparable to "The Damn! Show," like the Christmas parade, Porter said.

But the three continued, getting rave reviews by students and media alike.

"That was the funniest show I’ve ever seen - especially that ‘Hump Dog’ part," one student e-mailed the three. "Just wanted to let you know."

Lee Sanders, a senior from Augusta, compared the show and its impact to radio shock jock Howard Stern.

"They almost love to hate us," Sanders said.

Chastain took a more cynical approach.

"Locally, it’s all politically motivated," he said. "Some little old lady who has power in the garden club can call up and bitch because they don’t think it should be on the air."

Undeterred by media executives and a few offended people, the trio started a small company making commercials, some of which aired during their first show.

Their local accounts included Mexicali Grille, The Loft and Munchies. With the money from the advertisements, they bought better equipment and filmed a second show, which had its premiere Thursday at Georgia Theatre.

The same day, the syndicated show "RealTV," typically filled with car chases and rescues, aired a "Damn! Show" skit.

And to think it all started with a Camcorder. When they decided to make and air a television show, they knew it would be a product of dedication.

"We had to put our balls on the line," O’guin said. "But we knew we wanted to do it.

They sent tapes to MTV and producers up in New York, and said they’ve received lots of positive feedback.

"I think we can be on the air," O’guin said. "All we need is someone with an open mind to help us out."