Anyone watch Extreme Makover?

[ConGregation]

I love shows like This Old House or The New Yankee Workshop. I probably don't learn much but its just cool seeing things put together with all the mistakes left on the cutting room floor.

 

Caught EM twice now. Different than the classic version that those other shows have but still fun to watch. They make it more of an emotional thing and overplay the drama. I guess they are going for the 'reality' style.... But it's still very cool to see them totally renovate (or rebuild) a place in seven days.

[Bubblegum Bandit]

I love this show. I think its great, try and watch it every week....

[Mad Bean]

I like it as well. I also really like the different shows on Discovery. Monster Garage, Monster Nation, Monster House, BIG, American Chopper, American Hot Rod, and the Biker Build-off shows. I like seeing them all make everything by hand.

[gOOters]

The wife and I like it too. And yes, it is uber-over emational...still good. Besides, thats why the wife likes it.

[Bubblegum Bandit]

I would agree that it sometimes gets hoakie with the stories. Case in point, the wedding at this last one was a little over the top. I still tend to enjoy the stories. Its good so see reality TV doing something good for the public instead of all this "who's my daddy crap" and "steal, lie, and cheat your way to a million dollars on a remote island with as little clothes as possible." I'll admit, I was entralled with survivor the first couple of seasons, but they just seem to get worse and worse. Seems like each next reality show gets more and more pathetic, so its nice to see people in need being loved on in front of such a huge audience.

[ConGregation]

It is a good thing they are doing... but we all know a lot of stuff is staged. Like Monday night they showed the producer saying that it was going to be a huge show with a wedding... but they all acted like it was a last minute thing on the show.

 

Also how they go into the house just after the family leaves and start drawing the new house on paper. And come up with a great idea like building two houses. <rolleyes>. I am sure they go in there with EVERYTHING drawn up and every detail worked out. They couldn't do it if they didn't.

[Bubblegum Bandit]

It is a good thing they are doing... but we all know a lot of stuff is staged. Like Monday night they showed the producer saying that it was going to be a huge show with a wedding... but they all acted like it was a last minute thing on the show.

 

Also how they go into the house just after the family leaves and start drawing the new house on paper. And come up with a great idea like building two houses. <rolleyes>. I am sure they go in there with EVERYTHING drawn up and every detail worked out. They couldn't do it if they didn't.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Oh absolutely, I mean, you know they do the beginning scene at least 20 times before they get it right to air. I'm also sure they have everything planned, ie floor plans, lumber on order, concrete trucks lined up, among other things. I don't know how long they actually take to build the thing, but you can tell by day/night scenes that these volunteers are working around the clock to get the house built in record time. Plus, it just makes for better TV....supposedly. I mean, if the show lasted 7 days, I wouldn't sit there and watch it...lol

 

Its the same way with Norm and the New Yankee Workshop you know. His jigs and machines don't just magically get set up for him....I don't care how good of a craftsman you are, you are going to have to go through scrap pieces to get everything lined up just right. Sometimes I wish they would show that part....I think it would be much more educational to see the process he goes through setting up his box cut jig rather than just see him knock it together perfectly every time. Don't get me wrong, he is a master craftsman, but for TVs sake they cut stuff out.

 

Even still, I think they both are really great shows and I think the tone that is set with the Home Makeover thing is something great to see in a prime time TV slot.

[ConGregation]

Man I couldn't agree more about the Norm thing. He is always spouting his tricks and such. But he only shows the last succesful cut. It does make for better TV... some of those shows that has the guy just working and talking with no cuts or 'production' do not hold my interest nearly as well.

 

I think it would be kind of cool for Norm to just make some videos sharing his knowledge on using each major tool. Show us his tips on setting up saws, using and making special jigs, etc. I guess it doesn't help a lot though because each tool brand and make will be different and take different measures.

[Bubblegum Bandit]

I like it as well.  I also really like the different shows on Discovery.  Monster Garage, Monster Nation, Monster House, BIG, American Chopper, American Hot Rod, and the Biker Build-off shows.  I like seeing them all make everything by hand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yeah, Discovery is awesome. Monster House, American Chopper, those two are my favorite of that genre. Being the engineer that I am, I also love the Modern Marvels, Building Big, and there was one recently on like the 7 wonders of the modern day world? Huge huge builds that are amazing.... I'm not sure if you've seen the one on the Millenium Tower, but that thing is going to just be amazing!!! Being an aspiring design engineer I really get into these shows as well.

 

They also had some interesting shows on the history of tsunamis on recently that were really great as well. Its amazing the devastation(as we have all witnessed here recently). It brought up the fact that a tsunami the size of the most recent one is about the biggest you can get from an earthquake because the actual change in elevation causes the wave...I think they said the floor of the ocean's elevation changed by about 30 feet in some places. But they said even bigger ones are caused by huge landslides coming from seaside mountains. Said evidence of a 450 ' wave are present in a sea in Alaska. I mean, its just amazing what sciene tells us and what the earth is capable of.