Hancock Maine’s Fred Ashmore At It Again; New “Overlanders” Show To Debut Friday

Hancock, Maine's Fred Ashmore has been a busy little bee over the last few years, and has spent his fair share of that time in the spotlight for many of his endeavors.

He first came onto our radar in 2020, when he decided to do the opposite of everyone else in the world, during the pandemic. Rather than stay at home, Ashmore rented a Mustang from Avis (and was subsequently banned for life from ever doing so again) modified it, and then broke the Cannonball Run record.

The next year, as his reputation as a jack-of-all-trades grew, HGTV tapped Ashmore to take part in its reality show, Battle On The Beach.

In 2022, Ashmore went back for a second season with HGTV, this time taking his brother, and electrician from Lamoine, along for the adventure.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Ashmore would have yet another project up his sleeve for 2023.

This time, instead of renovating houses, Ashmore returns to television, and his car modification roots, with a show set to debut on the Outdoor Channel, called "Overlanders."

Ashmore says he wasn't initially picked for the show. Then things changed.

"We started production in November of 2022. I was contacted by Hatch Entertainment in association with my work from HGTV’s Battle on the Beach. I was interviewed by the staff and initially not chosen for the show. Approximately a month before the show I was contacted again to replace a team that dropped out."

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Ashmore says the producers and sponsors of the show, (Hatch Entertainment OnXoffroad Engel coolers Tread Lightly)  sent him out with a very specific mission for the show.

"The producers wanted a unique vehicle that would represent the essence of Overlanding at an affordable cost in an unusual entry. With less than a month to build a vehicle, I sourced a right hand drive Mitsubishi Pajero turbo diesel. My good friend Billy Taff from here in Oklahoma agreed to partner with me on the show and the task of building the truck in such a short period of time."

"Everything on the truck had to be custom, used, or homemade due to the rarity of the vehicle. We sourced all the parts from my property of cars here in Oklahoma and back in Maine to finish in time for the show."

"The competition starts in Colorado with 5 teams, and we are presented with challenges each day from navigating to offroad situations. We prepared every day all day whether on set or at the campsite. Billy and I pushed each other to do our best against some factory-sponsored team in high-dollar rigs."

"To me, this was just another day in my life, doing and loving what I do. Always trying to run and put in our best effort. Billy is a great friend and a great talent. We’ve been on several excursions and done builds together over the last few years. Hopefully, we make our families proud, for our determination and hard work. Otherwise, I guess hopefully people will watch and it will motivate them to get out and see the world while they can."

"Overlanders" debuts on the Outdoor Channel Friday, July 14th, at 8:30 PM.

As for Ashmore, while he can't tell us the outcome of the show, he will say this:

"I’m a simple guy that just loves life a bit differently and says yes when the opportunities offer themselves. I’d definitely do it again."

Check out the trailer for Ashmore's "Overlanders" show. Looks like this is right up his alley!