The Gustafson family is up in arms. Quite literally. And it’s not just because you’re likely to see them all crossing a dusty street on The Blasters carrying long-barrelled guns like something from another century.

“I think we’ve all got a little bit of John Wayne in us” jokes Scott Gustafson, who is also known as Daddy Master Blaster. He is the head of a family of experts in explosives and demolitions that now have their own show, after having blown up just about everything you can think of.

They’ve done it all: from nuclear missile silos in the Soviet Union to bridges, dams and buildings in the United States. In fact, the family holds a world record, after blowing away the longest structure ever: a bridge more than a kilometre in length that used to cross the Cuyahoga River Valley in Ohio.

The Gustafsons take care of everything to do with demolition through their company Demtech. From preliminary planning on their Wyoming ranch, to testing and seismographic scanning of the proposed site, to placing the charges in strategic locations, and eventually pressing the button. And now cameras are following them through the whole process, documenting their every move.

The day-to-day pressure is incredibly high. The fact that any mistake can have disastrous consequences resulting in the destruction of more than the intended objective, or even in lives being lost, makes watching each episode an intense experience.

“There’s always a chance that someone is going to come out worse than hurt, so it’s a constant challenge, with all the more reason to pay extra special attention to safety,” explains Scott about the business that keeps his entire family busy.

“But the fact is that, for me, my employees are just an extension of the family, this is a small business, and we don’t want to risk anyone’s life.”

His sons, Dan and Cody, have thrown themselves into the family obsession with gusto. “We like living on the edge,” says one, and the other adds, “we like living life to the full.” The adrenaline that seizes them at the moment of a demolition of a really big structure makes their eyes light up.