Meet the Backseat Drivers Stars

From Road & Track

Backseat Drivers is a super-fun car show starring three kids who get into all kinds of adventures putting vehicles through wacky tests. Like what would happen if you used a high-performance luxury car to deliver pizzas? Or what if you raced a school bus against a minivan? We caught up with the hosts to find out if being on a car TV show is as cool as it seems in an exclusive interview for the July issue of our R&T Crew kids magazine. (Spoiler alert: It is!)

You can stream all episodes of Backseat Drivers on the family- friendly online channel Yippee.

How did you get on the show?

Sean: My parents’ auto mechanic, Koko, heard about the show from one of the creators and told him how crazy I am about cars. The audition was awesome because when I was in the room with the producers and casting agents, I heard a car’s engine revving and I told them I think there’s a Lamborghini Huracán outside. They looked out the window and there was a Lamborghini Huracán EVO on the street!

Ariana: There were several rounds of auditions for this role. The first one was a video audition, where I threw a bunch of scrunchies in the air.

Zachlewis: I was late to submit to the initial audition, and by the time I submitted, they were already holding callbacks. Fortunately, luck was on my side, and I was called in! It must have been destiny!

What is something about filming a show that most people don’t know?

Ariana: Here’s a little secret—the Backseat Drivers garage isn’t even a garage! We filmed it in a studio which the creative art crew transformed to look like a garage. Oh, and when we shot on the drag strip, we kept losing our shoes because it was so sticky!

Zachlewis: Some people think that there is no school on set, as we would be too busy filming or some other reason—but no, we still have school for a minimum of three hours. So, when we aren’t racing around on the track, we are in school with a professional studio teacher to help us with our school work.

Sean: It can take all day long just to film a few minutes of TV, especially when you’re doing stunts.

What was your favorite episode to film?

Sean: “Grocery Getters” because I got to drive a golf cart!

Ariana: My favorite episode to film was, hands-down, “Kid vs. Car.” I mean, I got to drive a real car! At 11 years old!

Zachlewis: That is a difficult question as they are all awesome. Well, I would have to say “Grocery Getters.” The Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid was surprisingly smooth even though we were weaving through the shopping cart slalom super fast.

If you could pick anyone to be a guest driver on the show, who would it be?

Zachlewis: Professional motorcycle racer Katsuyuki Nakasuga, as he has experience on the track and has won quite a few races, which I think is awesome.

Sean: Jay Leno!

Ariana: I would pick Shank from Ralph Breaks the Internet. She is so cool. Come to think of it, she’s a lot like my character Remy—a daredevil who loves to speed.

What is something you can’t live without on a long car trip?

Ariana: When I’m going on road trips, I cannot be without music. Jamming out to pop songs in the car for three hours? Count me in!

Zachlewis: I never leave for a road trip without a nice long book to read. And I don’t forget my ukulele on trips either. But when music and reading is not an option, I always bring a cube puzzle that I like to solve.

Sean: Cheetos and music!

What’s your dream car?

Sean: A very mysterious Bugatti that went missing during World War II and has never been found called La Voiture Noire.

Ariana: My dream car is the Jeep Gladiator—an adorable, fun, beautiful car that I really, really, want in red! I talk about it so much Sean and Zachlewis joke with me about it.

Zachlewis: My fantasy car would be a Mo-car-bo-plane, MCBOP for short. It can turn into a car, a boat, and a plane for convenience, and it can shrink itself down to a size small enough to fit in my pocket!

Every R&T Crew subscription box comes with its own kids-focused magazine. Want to learn more? Head on over to our dedicated site here!

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