Since we're obsessed with TV shows, am I the only one here who HATES

[Bunny]

those home-improvement, trading spaces-type shows? And all of their various clones? I loathe them. Absolutely loathe them. And there's really no good reason for my loathing, the shows themselves aren't THAT bad. But I just cannot stand them! Maybe because I find them dreary and repetitive. How many times can you watch someone paint their ugly kitchen cabinets? Or staple fabric to the wall? Dull, dull, dull.

So, is it me? Or does anyone else feel the same way? Can I get a witness?

[progressoid]

1. I know a lot of interior designers that HATE them.

[Bouncy Ball]

2. I find 99% of what's on TV to be dull and loathsome.

So you can definitely get a witness in me.

I've never seen Lost or Desperate Housewives. Or most anything else.

[tridim]

3. The only one I like is "This Old House"

The original, and still the best.

Monster House is just hideous.

[Zuni]

9. Monster House was the best

I thought they did some that were really cool

[tridim]

22. A few ideas were cool on the show

like the pneumatic delivery tubes.. But I still wouldn't want that in my house! I think what bothers me the most is that stupid countdown clock. I'm so sure they really finish the project every time with 10 seconds to spare. :eyes: Home remodeling isn't about doing a half-assed job while battling a clock, it's about spending the required time to do the job right.

[Zuni]

31. That is a good point

they always do finish with like 4 minutes left

Yeah, why have them race? If they fail, do they leave the person's house unfinished?

[Starryhope]

10. I like the decorating tips

But hate the chit chat. I don't like the ones where people are surprised, Trading Spaces, Picture This, etc. Agreed, some horrific resuts. There are alot of good ones on Discovery Home and the DIY channel, Home and Garden channel. But the stupid forced small talk is torturous.

[Bunny]

14. Yeah, that show is okay. I can watch that because it's usually a much

more involved renovation, with total system replacements, etc. At least you can get to see how crown moulding is cut and applied, new windows are fitted and framed in, new plumbing and mechanical systems are installed, and so forth. It's more interesting and educational.

Anything is better than that crap they have on now. I cannot bring myself to watch Monster House. Is that where they go in with sledge hammers and just start bashing the walls in? Ugh.

[Left Is Write]

4. I used to like Trading Spaces.

I liked it when it was actually a show about how to redo a room on a tight budget.

When it turned into a contest to see which designer could do the most outrageous, egregious damage to someone's house, I quit watching.

Haven't watched any of the clones.

[AlCzervik]

5. i'm tired of them

[Zuni]

6. Monster House rulz!

I love that one. I could care less about most of them, but Monster House was a damned good show

[AlCzervik]

13. i think monster house is different from the ovtr do-over shows

i think thats a good one.

[politicaholic]

7. Most of the time they really don't do much. Anyone can throw a pillow.

They're just taking the home of someone with no taste what so ever and throwing some flare in there.

I like Extreme Makeover Home Edition because they take people who need help and then build them a brand new friggin' house in a week. Now that's driving...er, building, excitement!

[Bunny]

17. I've not seen Extreme Makeover. But if it's helping people who need

renovations for solid reasons, then that's a good thing.

[Beaverhausen]

27. They give the families a lot more than a new house this season

they are giving kids college scholarhips and other stuff like that.

I actually had to stop watching the show- lest I spend sunday night in tears!!!

It's really a great show.

[Bunny]

28. Well then, I stand corrected!

I should actually watch some of this stuff before I go shooting my mouth off, huh? ;) That's good that they do good things for those who need it.

[Beaverhausen]

30. Be warned - have hankies nearby

Seriously!!! :cry:

[tjwmason]

8. 100% agree

But like all of reality television they're pretty cheap to make.

Now should I go with the mauve throw, or the aubergine one?

[Bunny]

15. Aubergine? That's S-o-o-o 2004! Honestly, the hot color for 2005 is

puce! Or maybe chartreuse? :silly:

[movie_girl99]

11. i frickin hate them but

i'd be willing to bet the big DIY stores like home depot and lowes..love them.

[sniffa]

12. yes, except for...

any show with genevieve on it. :loveya:

[Debi]

16. I want to see a 'Return to...'

show that takes us back to the Trading Spaces homes a year after to see if the cheaply re-done stuff is still standing or if the people have re-done it (and a greater expense) from the crap that was stapled and glued up so quick.

(Agee w/you - I hate these shows!)

[Mad_Dem_X]

18. I pretty much hate ALL reality shows

I watched the first season of "American Idol," and the first season of "Newlyweds" (only to laugh at how stupid Jessica Simpson is). After that, I swore off all reality shows.

[Bridget Burke]

19. Why bother to HATE them?

I've got a bit of a weakness for the shows--especially the originals on BBCAMERICA. There's quite a bit on TV that is not to my taste--so I don't watch.

Is somebody forcing you to watch these shows? Have you lost control of the remote?

[Bunny]

21. Nope. Just bitching about them, that's all!

I don't watch them.

But I will confess to occasional frustration when I'm flipping around the channels, and those shows are all that seem to be on at the time.

It's really not a big deal to me. Just kvetching!

[ThorsHammer]

20. I like the one where they actually help people who need it

I don't watch any of them, but think that the helping people in need one is good. I'm not sure which one it, but it's the one where people have had their house burn down, had a family member die, had a crippling illness, etc. This show is definitely for a good cause. The other ones are pretty silly though, and are up there with Survivor, Simple Life, Real World, and all the other crap.

[FormerDittoHead]

23. I DO like "Anything I Can Do" ...what other shows have taught me...

In "Anything I Can Do" Mag Ruffman shows the 'little' things you need to know to do a project and she's not afraid to screw up in front of the camera. She keeps projects SIMPLE and she doesn't require you to buy $5,000 of power tools.

http://www.homeenvy.com/mag_ruffman.html

We saw this OTHER show last week (with a couple, forgot the name) about building a wall unit for storage. It took them about 2 MINUTES to build the bottom part (the cabinets with doors!)

We've learned the following for all of other home improvement shows:

1) The only tools you'll need to learn how to use are:
Tape measure.
Screw Driver.
Power Drill.
Level. (and everything is always level)
Caulk gun.
That's about it, otherwise, learn it on your OWN time!

2) Everything that is cut always fits PERFECTLY.

3) Restoration shops / lots always have great bargains, selling high quality antiques for pennies on the dollar. It wouldn't be like they'd know the VALUE of such things...

4) You can pick up Tiffany lamps up at yard sales for like a dollar. You'd think people sold JUNK at yard sales!

5) 50 foot Cranes and back-hoes must be dirt cheap to rent, otherwise, why the hell would you rent one to lug dry wall up to the third floor?

6) Most everything can be done in 2 days, 3 if you have problems, this includes laying a foundation and framing a house.

[Bunny]

24. HAHAHAHA! So true!

I love your list of things you've learned. They only ever have to measure once and cut once, huh? :D

[BigMcLargehuge]

25. I'll give you an amen

I HATE HATE HATE HATE every single one of those DIY shows. What I hate most is that The Learning Channel, which used to be very good, not features those shows exclusively. There are already a DOZEN DIY networks on my cable system too, one of them is Discovery DIY, which is like a mirror image of The Learning Channel....

The producers of all those shows, the spine-twistingly perky Swiffer shilling hosts, all the colorblind patternblind and texture blind egomaniacle idiots who act as "designers" on this shows, all the morons who turn their houses over to them, and the carpenters who spend their time making plywood bookshelves for them, should be rounded up and exiled to a small island in the Arctic circle. Preferably one that's a preserve for Timber Wolves.

[Bunny]

26. Well, you certainly said that much better than I did!

But those are my feelings too. Especially TLC, which used to be a good channel. Wonder what the next TV craze will be, when everyone else starts to hate these shows too?

[elperromagico]

29. I'll say this much. I preferred The Leaning Channel when it was actually

a learning channel.

[WMliberal]

32. You mean you don't like to LITERALLY WATCH PAINT DRY?

What's wrong with you? :crazy: :silly:

[hyphenate]

33. You know that old saying about watching a train wreck?

The one where you can't take your eyes off it as it happens? That's how I feel about some of those shows, but I watch them anyhow.

I don't care for the "new" Trading Spaces since they changed the rules. I don't give a shit if the room they pick is worth more money--the old rule about working on a room that was already decided upon would tend to make me less insecure about a prized possession getting completely torn apart and demolished.

I DO like Trading Spaces Family. I think the designers are far more considerate when they do a room on that show, and I personally prefer Joe Farrell over Paige, simply because he's more engaging. And he has great rapport with the parents AND the children. They've stuck to the original concept of the show, and it's a working formula.

I watch While You Were Out, but I'm really not that keen on it. I basically watch just to see if Jason (the other carpenter) is on, and to see what they're doing with the rooms. I find the interior designers on that show to be a tad too much on the bizarre scale for me, especially Mark Montano. Chayse Dacoda is a bit too shrewish for me, and I find Andrew dan Jumbo to be too much a goof-off.

I've gotten into In a Fix, which concentrates more on actualy construction and interior design from that standpoint. The guys are a lot more industrious, and while they don't have the overall "personalities" that some of the carpenters and construction people on some of the other shows have, they are far better in their workmanship and serious attitude toward the projects they're working on.

I might be a bit of a spoiler, but I think it would really be great to have some sewing and building shows for pure beginners like me, that come with baby steps, and not the giant steps of a show like Yankee Workshop.