The Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs: Entertaining and Educational

Opening line from each episode of Dirty Jobs

The Discovery Channel has an original television show that has slowly but surely turned into a cable hit. It is interesting, entertaining and sometimes quite educational. The name of the show is Dirty Jobs and if you have never had a chance to see it I highly recommend it. You will be amazed at how addicting it can be.

The show premiered in late 2003 with a few episodes conceived by its host, Mike Rowe. The premise of the show couldn't be simpler. Rowe, a man with a quick, sarcastic sense of humor, travels the country and spends a day working on odd, dangerous and filthy, dirty jobs. At each job site he essentially becomes the normal person's assistant for the day and does the job while the person who normally does the job looks on, instructing Rowe and assisting when needed.

Not long after these episodes aired the Discovery Channel was inundated with emails and videotaped suggestions for new jobs Rowe can tackle and in 2005 it became a regular series. That has been the basis for each episode since

Rowe frequently jokes to the camera about a situation he finds himself in but never makes fun of the people he is working with (not counting his camera crew). Rowe always shows total respect for these people, especially after spending a day doing their job. Rowe recognizes, as the opening of each episode reveals, that these people who do these filthy, rotten jobs make civilized life possible for everyone else. Rowe never looks down on the people who are on camera with him. Occasionally he will kid with them (frequently these people will make a joke and Rowe will respond, "Leave the joke telling to me") but it is always good natured, never mean spirited.

Rowe has an upbeat and winning personality and he always seems to click with his audience. Just when the viewer sees how absurd a situation Rowe has gotten himself into, Rowe will comment on the absurdity of it all or flash the camera a look that tells you everything you need to know. Recently Rowe went to the top of a big bridge much like the Golden Gate and had to crawl into a small box-like space to clean it out. As he lay on his back cleaning out dust, Rowe looked at the camera and exclaimed, "I am cleaning in a place no one will ever see."

Despite the unusual situations Rowe often seems to be having fun as he (and the audience) learns new things. Recently he has been able to identify what sex baby alligators are and can now locate the genitalia of salmon after cutting them open. Rowe now knows that some vases are made from animal feces as we watched him go from shoveling up the feces to preparation to the actual creation of the vase.

Many of these jobs leave Rowe physically exhausted by the end of the show and that commands an even greater respect from him (and us) to the people that do this daily. Some jobs are difficult (removing bathtubs from condemned homes; lighting a building on fire and then putting it out and overhauling the building; a day working in a coal mine) and some are just plain silly (rounding up flocks of geese in an airplane; wine making) while others are dangerous (collecting lava samples just below a volcano). Rowe has also endured minor injuries including a vicious snake bite on his wrist to baby alligators scratching and snapping.

At the end of the day (episode) Rowe is more tired but a little wiser as well. So is the audience and how often can you say that about television shows? The next time you curse your job or the mundane life you think you lead either watch or think about an episode of Dirty Jobs. I imagine things won't seem so bad afterwards.