Thats the way you do it -- play your guitar on MTV

Just another form of reality TV. We used to watch Mary Tyler Moore "work". But she got paid actor's wages and so did the other 20+ people in the cast (not to mention the extras!).

Cheaper to create a TV program where people volunteer to work on camera just to be able to say that the were on TV. The production cost for "Dirty Jobs" is almost nothing. People beg to be on the show. What's it cost to have Mike Rowe narrate the thing with a camera man following him around? Everybody else isn't getting paid by the show.

I think that a number of crew members of deadliest catch have achieved stardom in other venues (like commercials). Look at that family of Cro Magnons that gave us "American Chopper". I see these guys on billboard ads for Bike dealerships and other products.

Its kind of like the old "Wild Kingdom", except involving people as watchees.


Id like to see a show where they follow around some lottery winners for an ongoing gag.

Dirty Jobs isn't really about working. It's about watching Mike Rowe make an ass of himself all the time.

The show would be a flop without him.

It's true..he cracks me up

He's also kinda cute.
Plus he narrates Deadliest Catch so, there's a reason to watch all by itself.

Rowe does a lot of voice overs on various cable shows and commercials. Hes a busy guy

I think it's porn for urbanites.

Do you think people who work at the pulp mill all day go home and watch other people work on TV?

Maybe.

Wouldn't surprise me.

On job sites we often get visitors, many are just curious about what we are building...."what's going up here"....but otherwise they simply want to watch us work...."I've always wondered how you guys did that". Since the popularity of the home refurbishing shows has taken off, now many of them want to see or ask if what they saw on tv is as easy as it looks...it rarely ever is.

I often explain that although you might see Bob Vila drive in the first few nails or screws, after the camera pans away he has someone else drive in the other {very dull to watch} 1,000 fasteners, while he sets in his ac/heated rv getting his makeup touched up, until they pull him back on camera to install the last remaining screws, then make a few comments looking quite fresh and relaxed.

I have nothing against Bob or his counterparts in that respect, it would be a whole different show if he were trying to explain something while soaked with sweat, or with teeth chattering. But I think that is the appeal of shows such as Ax Men, they do show the parts of the day where your cordless drill runs out of juice, and of course "Bucky" the new guy forgot to charge the other batteries the night before because he is hung over and nursing a bad crab infestation, so you have to drag out the old corded drill, which takes an hour to find in the bottom of the gang box. After you have wrapped up your hand so you don't bleed all over the place from the cut you received form a vicious Saw's All blade while tool box diving. You figure out that the drill probably should have been thrown away years ago....the chuck is rusted solid, the reverse does not work, the brushes are worn, and the cord has a few shorts in it so you have to hold it a certain way...upside down...to keep from losing power, but you make do....all while cussing God, DeWalt and your girlfriend you knocked up in high school, for not going to college and getting an easy job.

But you stick it out, and with a few screws remaining, you start to feel it was all worth it...a feeling of accomplishment begins to grow in your chest...the cut will heal, DeWalt is actually a decent brand, and you really do love your wife....almost done....."OK stop" cue Bob.

Did I totally kill the thread or what....I was just joking guys, I would never, under any circumstances cuss DeWalt.

I watch Ax Men every week, and usually during the week whenever they replay them...or at least listen to them in the background, and I would have to say that it's one of the best shows I've ever seen on tv. The fishing one...was ok, but I really hate the cold, was hard to watch....and the same for the Ice Road Truckers....eh, just not my thing. A large part of my life revolves around trees, both caring for and cutting...so it's right up my alley.

I know quite a few guys in construction that also watch these types of shows, but also tend to laugh at the "flip this house/weekend project" shows.....we all hate Martha Stewart.....actually, I'm not even sure if she does that sort of thing....I did watch her build a trellis once....regardless, we really hate her.

What made me think of this thread was, I have been working on my sisters bathroom, mainly ceramic tile, but I also built her a small wall with shadow boxes in it so she could put her soap, shampoo, etc...in them instead of buying a shelf or whatever...anyway, all I like is just one piece. I have tried to cut this piece 7 times, and 7 times I have failed, it's the piece that goes where the tub spout, or faucet if you prefer is located...basically a one inch hole, in the middle of a 6x6 tile...normally I can cut this piece with my eyes closed, several different ways....but not this one. Today I tried my ace in the hole...a ceramic hole saw...tungsten carbide, with industrial strength diamonds imbedded in the cutting head, it will cut/drill a hole in anything.

That is of course if you have a drill that will work...after trying four different drills, and then my grinder plus the fourth drill...in some weird drilling/grinding experiment in a cake pan full of water....I think I even uttered a prayer in Apache...I don't know, at that point I was becoming delirious. My brother-in-law had a large stash of heavy duty truck batteries stacked up by his shed, and I was seriously contemplating tapping into the power lines and building a Tesla coil to blast a hole thru the muther...anyway, after another broken tile thrown across the backyard later, I gave up and came home...I wish Ax Men was on tonight.