Reality shows - love 'em or hate 'em - seem to be a mainstay of cable channel programing. Personally, I hate 'em, with few exceptions. I remember, though, when the American specialty cable channel TLC first began I used to watch that cute and perky Paige Davis in Trading Spaces. I'll bet she melted a few viewers' hearts. But then HGTV came along and spawned an entire schedule of programs based on TLC's home redecorating premise.
I'm a fan of Amazing Race but never got into Survivor. And I certainly never watched those shows based on has-beens and wannabes like Family Jewels with the former KISS member with the longest tongue in the world, the short-lived "that's hot" show, although viewers were lukewarm, with Paris Hilton, the craziness that's called The Kardashians and of course the show I loved to hate - Jon and Kate Plus 8.
I kinda got into Discovery's The Deadliest Catch about five Alaska King crabber captains and their crews, but I took a pass on Ice Road Truckers.
From time to time I'll catch Storage Wars. Yuuuuuuup. It follows several guys to storage locker auctions and covers just what these poor saps come away with. It's good for a laugh. Just not on a regular basis.
I never understood what happened to A&E, dropping intelligent and thought-provoking programs in favour of mind-numbing, reality programming. I mean, c'mon, there's only so many alligators, bats and bees Billy The Exterminator can eradicate from Louisiana homes. And Dog The Bounty Hunter? We all know how each show will end. He and his buxomy wife and fellow crime-fighting cronies always get the bad guy. But now comes the worst, the weirdest, the whackiest show I've ever seen.
It's the tale of a Texas family that runs around the state hunting...wait for it...wild boars. It's called American Hoggers and hunting boars in the bush is what this family does for a living. Apparently there are over 5 million of these things running wild and causing over $50 million in damages in terms of crops, farm animals and what-not.
Jerry Campbell, a grizzly-bearded character, and a dead ringer for singer Ronnie Hawkins, leads his ass-kickin' clan as they cavort after big bad boars. The guy has such a heavy southern accent they run sub-titles every time he speaks. I'm not kidding. His son Robert is along for the ride. But the sibling that caught my attention was Kystal "Pistol" Campbell.
Krystal's a former beauty queen and - as the A&E blurb tells it "this Texas beauty isn't worried about breaking a nail when it comes to wrestling down a 300-pound hog".
Boy, reality TV's come a long way since Paige Davis!
That home-wrecker, Paige
I'm a fan of Amazing Race but never got into Survivor. And I certainly never watched those shows based on has-beens and wannabes like Family Jewels with the former KISS member with the longest tongue in the world, the short-lived "that's hot" show, although viewers were lukewarm, with Paris Hilton, the craziness that's called The Kardashians and of course the show I loved to hate - Jon and Kate Plus 8.
I kinda got into Discovery's The Deadliest Catch about five Alaska King crabber captains and their crews, but I took a pass on Ice Road Truckers.
From time to time I'll catch Storage Wars. Yuuuuuuup. It follows several guys to storage locker auctions and covers just what these poor saps come away with. It's good for a laugh. Just not on a regular basis.
I never understood what happened to A&E, dropping intelligent and thought-provoking programs in favour of mind-numbing, reality programming. I mean, c'mon, there's only so many alligators, bats and bees Billy The Exterminator can eradicate from Louisiana homes. And Dog The Bounty Hunter? We all know how each show will end. He and his buxomy wife and fellow crime-fighting cronies always get the bad guy. But now comes the worst, the weirdest, the whackiest show I've ever seen.
It's the tale of a Texas family that runs around the state hunting...wait for it...wild boars. It's called American Hoggers and hunting boars in the bush is what this family does for a living. Apparently there are over 5 million of these things running wild and causing over $50 million in damages in terms of crops, farm animals and what-not.
Jerry Campbell, a grizzly-bearded character, and a dead ringer for singer Ronnie Hawkins, leads his ass-kickin' clan as they cavort after big bad boars. The guy has such a heavy southern accent they run sub-titles every time he speaks. I'm not kidding. His son Robert is along for the ride. But the sibling that caught my attention was Kystal "Pistol" Campbell.
A pistol isn't all Krystal's packin'
Krystal's a former beauty queen and - as the A&E blurb tells it "this Texas beauty isn't worried about breaking a nail when it comes to wrestling down a 300-pound hog".
Boy, reality TV's come a long way since Paige Davis!
Comments
I just think reality TV is too "out there" these days for my tastes. I mean, really, who cares about these people?
Do you have many boars wandering around your part of Texas?
I'm thinking of doing a similar show called "Canadian Snoozers" where I track down bores north of the border.
I just think reality TV is too "out there" these days for my tastes. I mean, really, who cares about these people?
Do you have many boars wandering around your part of Texas?
I'm thinking of doing a similar show called "Canadian Snoozers" where I track down bores north of the border.
No, I'm not kidding.