Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe

After being on TV for a couple of years, you’re probably all aware ofMythbusters on Discovery (now available on DVD). But before that show starting being aired on a regular basis, there was a pilot Somara and I caught while on a long weekend in San Antonio. It was called Dirty Jobs and it mainly caught our attention because the host went into a bat cave with a biologist. Other than bats having rabies what’s so dangerous? The bats had been using the cave for decades, possibly centuries thus the floor was hip deep in bat guano (the fancy word for poop) with a pervasive stench of ammonia. Also, the caves were somewhere south of Austin (sounds logical because this area is probably home to tens of millions of bats with around two million under the Congress Avenue bridge). 
 
Recently Discovery has picked up this show with its rather hardened, cynical everyman host Mike Rowe. It has become the latest space filler on my DVR (a generic TiVo) as we watch Mike’s latest adventures doing some of the nastiest work in the United States. Some of the jobs are obviously gross: sewage technician, making compost from dead turkeys; but most are dangerous and very back-breaking: alligator farmer, sugar factory technician. 
 
The dirty jobs are the stars of the show but it’s Mike’s wit, attitude and bravery that makes the show work. Even though this is on cable, the foul language is bleeped out (Mike can’t help his candid reactions, especially with the alligator farm) and much of the major gross-out stuff is not shown (the toilet scene inTrainspottting was more disgusting). 
 
I highly recommend this show on its entertainment and informational value alone. But if you need a child to straighten up and fly right or you need a greater appreciation of your gruelling desk job, Mike Rowe has the remedy. Check Discovery’s schedule for the correct time.