Screen Savors: Screen Gems

A host of obscure but intriguing shows lie hidden among the more high-profile prime time programs and TV channels.

By RUTH BELOFF
Pawn Stars 521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Pawn Stars 521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Now that I have been upgraded to digital TV and have scores of channels to choose from in my greatly expanded HOT package, I must admit that there are times when I flip through the selections and find that there is simply nothing to watch.
It is in that mode when I am apt to discover a show that I otherwise would never have given a second glance. Hidden among obscure channels and seemingly innocuous titles are programs that I have grown to love – delightful little gems that warm my heart and gladden my spirits.
MTV’s Disaster Date is a prime example. The show is a riot. As payback for an ill-fated fix-up, the revenge-seeker sets up his/her friend on a blind date with someone who is the person’s worst nightmare. Played by an actor or actress, the date focuses on the person’s pet peeves and plays it up to the hilt, while the friend watches from a hidden camera and prompts the actor to do or say things that will drive the unwitting person even more berserk. For every minute that the person sits through the torment without walking out, they get a dollar – for a maximum of $60.
Another fake-out type show is The Fix on the Home & Garden channel. Beyond the standard home improvement program, this one has a devious little twist. The show’s two interior designers meet with the clients and tell them they will remodel their home for free.
The designers gather all the info on how the clients would like their home to be redone, specifying the desired form and function, which includes colors, textures, furnishings and ambience. “Got it,” say the pros, and send the clients away as they get down to work. But what they work on is making the rooms look as tacky and garish as they can, such as cladding the fireplace with aluminum foil, laying brown paper as floor covering and using a granny-square afghan as a bedspread. When the clients return to see the finished product, they cannot hide their dismay as they survey the massacred makeover.
Then the designers let them in on the gag. “Gotcha!” they laugh, and then proceed to actually turn the place into the clients’ dream décor.
Two other design-related gems are How Not To Decorate and Kirstie’s Homemade Homes. In the former, British hosts Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan give entertaining but effective tips on what not to do when it comes to home décor, with comments and advice from a slew of other experts as well. In the latter, British host Kirstie Allsopp not only helps clients redesign various rooms in their home, but in every episode she takes a crash course in a timeless traditional craft (e.g., weaving, stained glass or glass blowing) and makes an original item to add to their décor.
While there are several interior design competition shows I enjoy such as Top Design, Summer Showdown and Design Star, I recently came across another niche in the genre called The Arrangement. This little gem pits competitors against each other in a flurry of challenges based on flower arranging. This is where the contestants “put the petal to the metal” as one of the judges says every week.
When it comes to assessing items for the home, Pawn Stars is a real eye-opener. In what I can best describe as The Antiques Roadshow meets the Hells Angels, this American show features the burly owners of a Las Vegas pawn shop, who call in experts to evaluate the weird and wonderful items that clients bring in to the store.
Whether the clients decide to keep the article or pawn it, the viewer comes away with a wealth of knowledge about the history and the value of the item in the bargain.
And speaking of bargains, do I even need to mention Cash in the Attic? Produced in various incarnations, this show scours people’s houses in an attempt to find antiques and memorabilia that can garner good prices at auction.
It is fascinating to see what dishes, doll collections, teddy bears, train sets, vintage postcards, old chairs and Aunt Edna’s sapphire brooch can go for under the hammer.
So whether or not you’ve got some valuable treasures gathering dust in the machsan, you can always find Now that I have been upgraded to digital TV and have scores of channels to choose from in my greatly expanded HOT package, I must admit that there are times when I flip through the selections and find that there is simply nothing to watch.
It is in that mode when I am apt to discover a show that I otherwise would never have given a second glance. Hidden among obscure channels and seemingly innocuous titles are programs that I have grown to love – delightful little gems that warm my heart and gladden my spirits.
MTV’s Disaster Date is a prime example. The show is a riot. As payback for an ill-fated fix-up, the revenge-seeker sets up his/her friend on a blind date with someone who is the person’s worst nightmare. Played by an actor or actress, the date focuses on the person’s pet peeves and plays it up to the hilt, while the friend watches from a hidden camera and prompts the actor to do or say things that will drive the unwitting person even more berserk. For every minute that the person sits through the torment without walking out, they get a dollar – for a maximum of $60.
Another fake-out type show is The Fix on the Home & Garden channel. Beyond the standard home improvement program, this one has a devious little twist. The show’s two interior designers meet with the clients and tell them they will remodel their home for free.
The designers gather all the info on how the clients would like their home to be redone, specifying the desired form and function, which includes colors, textures, furnishings and ambience. “Got it,” say the pros, and send the clients away as they get down to work. But what they work on is making the rooms look as tacky and garish as they can, such as cladding the fireplace with aluminum foil, laying brown paper as floor covering and using a granny-square afghan as a bedspread. When the clients return to see the finished product, they cannot hide their dismay as they survey the massacred makeover.
Then the designers let them in on the gag. “Gotcha!” they laugh, and then proceed to actually turn the place into the clients’ dream décor.
Two other design-related gems are How Not To Decorate and Kirstie’s Homemade Homes. In the former, British hosts Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan give entertaining but effective tips on what not to do when it comes to home décor, with comments and advice from a slew of other experts as well. In the latter, British host Kirstie Allsopp not only helps clients redesign various rooms in their home, but in every episode she takes a crash course in a timeless traditional craft (e.g., weaving, stained glass or glass blowing) and makes an original item to add to their décor.
While there are several interior design competition shows I enjoy such as Top Design, Summer Showdown and Design Star, I recently came across another niche in the genre called The Arrangement. This little gem pits competitors against each other in a flurry of challenges based on flower arranging. This is where the contestants “put the petal to the metal” as one of the judges says every week.
When it comes to assessing items for the home, Pawn Stars is a real eye-opener. In what I can best describe as The Antiques Roadshow meets the Hells Angels, this American show features the burly owners of a Las Vegas pawn shop, who call in experts to evaluate the weird and wonderful items that clients bring in to the store.
Whether the clients decide to keep the article or pawn it, the viewer comes away with a wealth of knowledge about the history and the value of the item in the bargain.
And speaking of bargains, do I even need to mention Cash in the Attic? Produced in various incarnations, this show scours people’s houses in an attempt to find antiques and memorabilia that can garner good prices at auction.
It is fascinating to see what dishes, doll collections, teddy bears, train sets, vintage postcards, old chairs and Aunt Edna’s sapphire brooch can go for under the hammer.
So whether or not you’ve got some valuable treasures gathering dust in the machsan, you can always find a little gem or two on your TV screen if you look hard enough.a little gem or two on your TV screen if you look hard enough.