Out Of Time

There are several reality shows that I enjoy on HGTV, History Channel and Discovery Channel. One of my biggest complaints with some of these shows are the time constraints that are placed on the participants. I understand competition and the need to fill a specific time segment, but when this comes down to the participant not being able to do his/her best work because of time constraints, I protest.

On design shows, some have quirky rules, such as only using things you can get in a pet store and designing a room around those materials. That’s fine. But no real designer of worth is going to run madly around and put something together in a slap dash way and expect real results. I quickly got tired of those kinds of shows and quit watching them. Not to mention the back-stabbing, whining and crying. The real design shows have a design presented and the rest of the show is watching it all come together.

“Forged in Fire” is a show that Marv and I really enjoy, except for the stupid time limits. You cannot make a quality edged product without taking your time to do a good job. Again, I understand the competition aspect, but you’re asking reasonably experienced smiths and metalworkers to do their sloppy best in the time allowed. When the final two contestants are allowed to go home to their own forge to make something that is when you will really see some fine work. Again, there is a time constraint, but it’s much more manageable to get something done when you have more than 3 or 4 hours to put something together.

One show that I had high hopes for and was bitterly disappointed in was “Steampunk’d” on GSN. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Steampunk and was so jazzed about this show. Expect for the Steampunk theme, it was just another design show with all the back-stabbing, whining, crying and time constraints. If they’d given the contestants more time to create and not worry about filming all the interpersonal drama, if would have been a much better show.

I’m all for keeping it real, but tying the contestant’s hands with time limits is not worth my time watching it.