Big Boy Cable: The TV Report

My child is off today with a bout of the yucky stomach virus, I should be using my time wisely in a domestic fashion, but I'll be continuing my breather break to share with you what we have found.  These are in no particular order.

1.  Chopped-  I love this show.  I love that they give them goofy things like herbal cough drops, ramen noodles, chocolate nibs and pre-made waffles that they have to make into something fantastic.

2.  Sweet Genius-  Tried it once.  Can't do it again.  It is Chopped on crack.  With a bad announcer.  And a old concept. 

3.  Long Island Medium-  Not my thing.  Tried it once.

4.  Sister Wives-  Not my thing.  Tried it twice. 

5.  Flipped Out-  Loved this show, but the drama made me scratch my head from time to time. 

6.  House Hunters-  It can be okay.  I've watched it from time to time.

7.  Extreme Couponing- I appreciate the stories where people help family or people in the community, but to have an extreme stock pile of things that -- HELLO PEOPLE, DEODORANT AND SHAMPOO DOES EXPIRE!-- they have and touch and tell it that it is all pretty like makes me so sad.  I'm glad that they've gotten such good deals, but really what's with all of the hot sauce and Yokisaba noodles?  Most of the things gotten are so extremely unhealthy it is awful.  Shelves of chips?  Those suckers don't have a long shelf life at all.  To me, it is mostly glorifying gluttony. 

8.  Toddlers & Tiaras- Perhaps I don't understand the extreme craziness of all of this because up north, we all don't do this.  We don't do the massive amounts of pageants and crap like that.  I mean, I'm sure that there is something, but the south corners the market on dressing their children up in dresses (on this show) that cost more than my entire catered wedding did, are sporting hair with hair pieces looking like they've rocked it right out of the 60's, fake lashes, fake tans, flippers and hoochie outfits that as an adult I would never consider.  There was one mom who had her child's hair bleached.  Really? 

9.  American Pickers-  We love Mike and Frank and their want to pay what is fair.  They aren't out there to steal people's items away from them for a song.  They'll give fair prices and even bump those up if the people give them a low-ball price.  We love the stories that go along with.

10.  Pawn Stars- We love the entire show.  It's amazing to see what people have squirreled away.  It is like Antiques Roadshow where you love to see the very valuable items, but chuckle a bit when there is something that comes down the pike that is fake.  It is so hilarious to see how when people know that their item isn't worth what they thought, yet they still want what they thought it was worth.  "Um, no."

11.  Storage Wars-  A new love for us.  I turned Hubs onto this one last night.  Now, grant you, I'd like to bean the guy (Dave) who belts out his bit in a Tourette's like repeat.  (We mean no offense to anyone with Tourette's, as we love someone in our family with it.)  Barry is my absolute favorite.  Darrell?  He seems like a whiner that stomps away in a huff.  Jarrod and Brandi?  I think that they'll work it out okay.  Jarrod just needs to pull up his big boy britches and act as such.

12.  Storm Chasers-  Of course.  We aren't a fan of the rework of the show, though.  Team Dominator, Team TIV and Team TWISTEX?  Really?  Just ditch the "team" part.  The music?  We miss the music that you've had for YEARS!  We aren't a fan of the new narrator, either.  We're thinking that Storm Chasers is declining and isn't going to be around much longer.

13.  Mythbusters-  This is a toss up.  Sometimes, it is really good.  Sometimes, it just sucks.  Adam is still my favorite, as Jamie seems a bit constipated.  The duct tape show is still my favorite so far.

14.  Dirty Jobs-  We used to love it, but now we hate it.  I don't know that we'll watch it again.  They reworked it and the "Dirty Mindbenders?"  Too much of the show is sucked up with banter and less is in the dirtiness part. 

15.  Bridezillas-  Train.  Wreck.  Do people actually act that way?  I've watched it a few times and all I can say is, "Jerry Springer!"

16.  Say Yes to the Dress-  I don't mind this one.  My years as a bridal consultant doing this very thing makes me appreciate what these folks are going through.  Believe me.  This show is no lie.

17.  Top Chef, Desserts-  I don't mind it, but I like Chopped better.  I watched it a time or two and that was enough.

18.  Iron Chef-  I don't seek it out, but I'm good with watching/listening to it. 

19.  American Handyman-  (or something to that effect)  Mike Holmes, we plead to you-- please stop doing this show and go back to Holmes on Homes or Holmes Inspection! 

20.  VH1- I love the 80's-  Oh. my. goodness.  I loved it!  Hubs had me sit down and watch it.  I'm such a child of the 80's that it is disgusting.

21.  19 and counting-  I'm okay with it.  It's not something that I seek out, but it is on in the AM when I drop K- off to the bus stop and come back to eat my cereal. 

What is your take on big boy cable?  We've come to the conclusion that we are very happy that we don't pay for it and that when it does go away, we will miss certain things.  Still, we won't miss quite enough to increase the subscription.

In final post news, we're so sad.  Mike, our neighbor, just let us know this evening that his pit bull Brandy has been given 2 weeks - 2 months to live.  Brandy has been a bit of a fixture, waiting for me to come home when Mike is out toodling in the yard.  She loves K- (through supervised visits, of course) and I've taken care of her more times than I can count over the 12 years that he has had her.  Mike will not do well when Brandy is no longer here and it's safe to say that we will be in the same boat with him.  K- and I went over this evening to give her a good ole fashioned scratch on the nose.  Our hearts are sad.  We'll miss having Brandy around, lounging in the shade of the purple plum and forever leaving dead strips of grass behind from her peeing all over our front yard.  She'll be missed.