Parenting Skillz

[Magpie]

It can't possibly be worse than "Renovation Realities". I shudder at the lawsuits inherent in a camera crew watching morons work on active gas and electrical lines with reciprocating saws and not telling them to stop!

I watched an episode of Canada's Worst Handyman once. I'm not sure that I'd watch it more, even if I had a TV. The scary part is that the people where being offered advice. What makes someone a horrible handyman is an unwillingness to take/follow basic instructions on how to do the tasks. I was commenting to my husband that I wouldn't be any better than these people without him/my mom/the building code book to get instructions from. It was then pointed out to me that many of these people were ignoring advice from their spouse/the host, and that they probably were able to ask for help if they needed it.

[Jetfire]

Yeah for most of the challenges that CWH do, they are given lessons from the experts merely hours before they have to do it themselves, usually lessons that outline exactly what they need to do. Plus they have the instructions on the devices they are using which they rarely read either. (It's boggling how much mortar/grout/cement they go through in a season simply because they don't listen). The experts are always watching, and if a Handyman asks for help, it is freely given.... The problem is, those handymen rarely ask for the help nor do they read the instructions or follow the instructions even if they DO read them. That's usually the #1 problem most of them have... and it's rarely fixed despite everyone else's best efforts.

The experts and the staff of the show do make sure that basic safety is followed throughout the series, like power being turned off, water turned off, etc... Only once that I can remember have they purposefully left the power on, to teach a particularly obtuse handyman a lesson, and IIRC the lesson didn't really take. If a Handyman is doing something particularly dangerous, Andrew's usually ready to rush in and stop them. (like the time last time when a Handyman tried to use a saw backwards)

Frankly, it's the Driver's I'm more worried about when they get behind the wheel to do some of those challenges. While they try to be safe, and usually do the high speed turn stuff on low gravity cars, the worst drivers have spun out and gone in so many unexpected directions, I'm scared for the cameramen as much as for the drivers (Especially when Donna or Angelina were driving. Yikes!). And that all said, I'd love to do a lot of the challenges on CWD.

[Gravekeeper]

Only once that I can remember have they purposefully left the power on, to teach a particularly obtuse handyman a lesson, and IIRC the lesson didn't really take.

They didn't leave it on, they chided him for not bothering to check to see if it was on or not and just jamming his hands into the fixture right off the bat. He's lucky they did turn it off. >.>

But yeah, Angelia was terrifying. Doubly so because she was selfish about it and completely unrepentant despite being legally incapable of driving. She *is* going to kill someone before it sinks in she should not be behind the wheel.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

They should actually do a 'where are they now' show for both CWD and CWH...

I'd like to know if 'winners' from previous years have either improved or kept their promise to stay off the roads (there was a guy from Victoria who cut his license up and SWORE he'd never drive again)...

I'd like to know if Colin (the kid who was kicked off CWD season 2 for intentionally crashing the test vehicle) ever became a cop and grew out of being a jackhole...

I'd like to know of Donna the grandmother from season 4 is OK...

I'd like to know what Brian P. said to get kicked off the show during CWH 4...

[Jetfire]

I'd like to know what Brian P. said to get kicked off the show during CWH 4...

I doubt anyone would officially say anything, but over on the TWOP forums when that season aired, we guessed that it was probably something French-racist, given his attitude earlier that day towards the guy from Hull, and his overall actions. Serious racist comments were the only thing we could think of that would get someone booted off a Discovery.ca show, since pretty much all other types of comments got through (with an occasional bleep here and there).

Most of the time on these shows, while they are serious in trying to teach the contestants to improve, they also seem to encourage them to have fun and relax a bit. Some disparaging remarks are allowed and even encouraged sometimes, but if you go outside the realm of driving/home reno and seriously insult others, it's good-bye time. Most of the time you can tell that the groups are bonding and getting along well, but Brian P never seemed to gel with his CWH group. (On the other hand, how the CWD group supported Crystal when the news of the death in her family came through really showed how good the show can be)

[BusBus]

Yar, its just across the street on the other side of the mall. Just head out the exit by EB/McDonalds, turn right and head down half a block and viola.

and no, no it wasn't. -.-

I know where it is. I have even purchased items from there. It just completely slipped my mind. Probably for the best...I'd hate to have to fight the crowds in there on the last day of the Boxing Week sale. Super Mario Bros can wait.

[Jetfire]

Just saw the CWH ep where it was actually one of the Nominators who was shocked twice. She was trimming wallpaper around a live outlet, which the electrician quickly turned the power down so it was just a trickle of shock.

It was the season that Joe was CWH.

[Jester]

You can waive injuries. I'm fairly certain you cannot waive death.

I hate to say you're wrong....but you're wrong. You can't waive death, of course, but you can certainly waive responsibility for death. Not only can you, it is often part of a standard waiver involving various dangerous (and sometimes not so obviously dangerous) activities, and I myself have signed several of them.

I am not a lawyer, but I will try to paraphrase the general central clause to such waivers: "I understand that there are potential dangers involved in Naked Ballroom Dancing, and that by undertaking this activity, I expose myself to those and other dangers, including but not limited to injury, maiming, and death. I undertake this activity knowingly and willingly, and that by so doing, I excuse Mad Jester Productions from any and all liability, and take full responsibility for anything that may befall me."

Or some such. You get the point. Having bungee-jumped, watched powerboat racing from a boat that was an actual part of the course, and participated in various charity bicycle races, among other things, some of them seemingly harmless, I have signed many such waivers. Chances are you have too. And by signing said waiver, you are pretty much waiving any right you or your estate could bring a lawsuit against the company involved.

Do such waivers prevent such lawsuits from being filed? No. They often still get filed. But such waivers are, generally speaking, a death blow to any such lawsuits, unless the plaintiff can prove that the company acted negligently or misled the injured party.

Chances are that the tv versions of these wiavers include something about the tv crew not interfering with the person's activities on the show, that they are merely observers, and that even though the production crew may well take steps to prevent such things, in the then, they will not be held liable for anything stupid someone does on their show.

I have no doubt that the tv crews DO make sure, as much as possible, that nothing serious happens to the people on their shows, are deaths are not good for ratings, and to be completely cold and calculating about it, anyone dying on tape would be wasted tape, as you could not realistically air that segment.

Somehow I doubt not telling someone to not cut in to a live powerline doesn't fall under the "we did everything we can to prevent death" clause.

A lot depends on the nature of the show and the waiver signed. I do not pretend to be a lawyer. I am sure, though, that with home improvement shows, they are going to give the subjects some leeway with stupidity, especially when the show is all about highlighting said stupidity. Again, death is not good for the production company, so they would probably do all they could to prevent it, but we in the service industry know full well that sometimes there really is no cure for stupid, and some stupid people are too quick for anyone to be able to prevent them from doing something catastrophic to themselves or others through their stupidity.

I'd love to do a lot of the challenges on CWD.

Though I've never seen the show (never heard of it before this), I would love to do the challenges too, as I believe myself to be an excellent driver (my record bears me out, incidentally), and would love to put that to the test.

[Jetfire]

FYI, the wiki links to CWD have descriptions of the challenges

The link for CWH also has descriptions.

Last season of CWD had the gimbal challenge, where they had to balance a stick shift jeep on a gimballed platform so the outer edges of the platform were all in the air.

The eye of the needle challenges and the high speed turn challenges scare me, but I'd still love to attempt them.

Frankly, given how popular the series is for Discovery, I'm shocked that we haven't seen "America's Worst Driver" yet. CWD5 (the recently ended one) had the highest ratings EVER for Discovery.ca; it even beat network TV shows like Heroes and CBC's The National (granted the latter isn't that hard to beat. :P )

[Jester]

I'm shocked that we haven't seen "America's Worst Driver" yet.

We have. Evey. Single. Day. On the roads of America, we have seen it.

In Los Angeles. In Miami. In Boston. In Chicago. In Phoenix. In Phoenix. On the interstates. In town. And these are just some of the places *I* have experience driving!

Even here in Key West, on this tiny island where the highest speed limit is a whopping 35 mph, I see some amazingly bad and stupid shit on a daily basis. Just on the 3 mile, 10 minute commute to and from work, I see some amazingly bad driving around me, and thank goodness I am very aware and alert of what goes on around me, or I would have been in some potentially bad accidents.

It's people like this that make me fear for my niece's safety as she drives around KW and around Florida. Teenagers are notoriously not very attentive drivers. And while Princess is not your typical teenager in many ways, in this, she so very much is.

[Broomjockey]

I hate to say you're wrong.

Liar.

[Andara Bledin]

My giganticnormousawesome new monitor is magnificent and fills me with funny feelings like when we use to climb the rope in gym class.

Ah, starting off on the up-side, hm?

SC: “Wow, I’m surprised you’re answering!”

I have actually said something quite like this, once.

In my defense, I was expecting to leave a voice mail to have someone at the company in question fax a document first thing the next morning. Getting it that afternoon was a bonus.

They are not giggling because they think you are cute. They are giggling because they think you are retarded.

I'm giggling, too. And for much the same reason.

I guess Ill uh, go unjoin that Facebook group now....before Im calling you @ 3am for a lawyer...and a full length pink camo cashmere coat.

There. Fixed that.

But one obvious one is that, had I witnessed this same event, I would have laughed my fool ass off. Assuming, of course, that I did not actually own the 7/11 in question, and that none of the urine actually got on me.

But, what if you had needed to use said ATM?

It can't possibly be worse than "Renovation Realities". I shudder at the lawsuits inherent in a camera crew watching morons work on active gas and electrical lines with reciprocating saws and not telling them to stop!

I imagine that there's a ream or two of contract paperwork indemnifying them of anything that they do or do not do while filming. They're like nature documentaries that watch the turtle die because it can't flip itself back over (not that that actually happens, mind, since turtles aren't that evolutionarily challenged).

Pretty much what Jester said.

She *is* going to kill someone before it sinks in she should not be behind the wheel.

The worst part is that the vast majority of the time, it's someone else.

^-.-^

[AriRashkae]

I have to say I kind of understand these people. For example, I know from personal experience that I am often pleasantly surprised when a woman says "yes" to me (pick a situation--your choice), and sometimes I accidentally vocalize said surprise.

Hell, I admire people that try something they expect to fail at, and understand their resultant surprise when they actually succeed. As I said, I understand this, if for no other reason than the fact that I occasionally get laid.

Always a good reason to try.

I'll have to say that I often call when I don't expect an answer, because most places nowadays will have a recording with hours listed, and if I don't call right now, I will forget by the time I get to the computer to look it up. Hence why it took me 2 weeks to call for an oil delivery, done finally on a Saturday with the assurance to the answering service that it wasn't an emergency, I'm just a twit.

[Magpie]

I am not a lawyer, but I will try to paraphrase the general central clause to such waivers: "I understand that there are potential dangers involved in Naked Ballroom Dancing, and that by undertaking this activity, I expose myself to those and other dangers, including but not limited to injury, maiming, and death. I undertake this activity knowingly and willingly, and that by so doing, I excuse Mad Jester Productions from any and all liability, and take full responsibility for anything that may befall me."

Or some such. You get the point. Having bungee-jumped, watched powerboat racing from a boat that was an actual part of the course, and participated in various charity bicycle races, among other things, some of them seemingly harmless, I have signed many such waivers. Chances are you have too. And by signing said waiver, you are pretty much waiving any right you or your estate could bring a lawsuit against the company involved.

Do such waivers prevent such lawsuits from being filed? No. They often still get filed. But such waivers are, generally speaking, a death blow to any such lawsuits, unless the plaintiff can prove that the company acted negligently or misled the injured party.

Might be regional, but I know that those waivers have very limited applicability here. The standard release form I have to sign for juggling club irritates my former flatmate to no end, because it is (apparently) not legally enforceable, due to the fact that we've waived any and all responsibility they might have for injury or death. I think that we probably can't sue for injury, but we aren't actually able to sign that on behalf of our next of kin. It probably cuts down on lawsuits where WE did something stupid (to the level of circumventing controls put in place for our safety) and got killed though.

[Jester]

But, what if you had needed to use said ATM?

1. I find another ATM. I doubt I need that particular ATM so desperately.
2. If I do need that particular ATM very desperately, I probably wouldn't be in a laughing mood anyway, regardless of whether or not someone was peeing on it.
3. However, if I saw that at an ATM that I had to use, with no other alternative, I would be forced to beat the living shit out of the perpetrator, at which point I would once again find my sense of humor, and laugh at the person getting the shit beat out of them for being a complete kumquat of a moron. And I would find napkins/something plastic/anything to use to key the ATM so I wouldn't actually have to touch it. Though I imagine someone peeing on an ATM is probably peeing LOWER than the actual keyboard/screen area. Physics and all, ya know.