Starring: Mike Rowe
“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.”
Aristotle
Another season of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs….new ways for Mike Rowe to get filthy and grossed out. And, it might even make you thankful for your soulless cubicle job.
The Series
Just in case you aren’t familiar with the series, here it is in a nutshell: workers take on Mike Rowe as a fully-involved assistant during a typical work day, during which he works hard to complete every task as best he can despite discomfort, hazards or disgusting situations. And before you start thinking that Rowe’s intention is to look down his nose at the people doing these difficult and dirty tasks, he says this in every episode: “My name’s Mike Rowe, and this is my job. I explore the country looking for people who aren’t afraid to get dirty — hard-working men and women who earn an honest living doing the kinds of jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us. Now, get ready to get dirty”. Rowe and his production team have all due respect for the people that do these types of jobs.
Rowe and his crew find out about jobs from viewers and fans send in every sort of job you could ever imagine, and some you couldn’t imagine.
What types of jobs are covered in Season 4? Everything from retrieving venom from spiders in the Arizona desert, recycling mattresses, tofu maker, diaper cleaner, high rise window cleaning and worm grunting and a whole lot more.
What is worm grunting you ask? Worm grunting, also called worm charming and worm fiddling, are methods of attracting earthworms from the ground. The activity is usually performed to collect bait for fishing but can also take the form of a competitive sport. Worm grunters drive a wooden stake into the ground and then a piece of iron across the top. The sound derived from this sounds like low grunting and the sound and vibration of this activity brings earthworms to the surface.
Wait until you see the episode on cricket farming. Did you know that cricket farming is a multimillion dollar industry? And that crickets are not only used in private and commercial fishing, but are used extensively in the feeding of reptiles, amphibians and birds, both for privately owned pets and major zoos around the world.
You are not going to learn lessons like that from just watching Dancing with the Stars, are you?
Mike Rowe and his crew seem to be having a genuinely good time and this show remains a fun experience to watch. And the jokes write themselves, particularly in the toilet recycling episode. Rowe is a very naturally charismatic and funny guy and is the perfect guide for the adventures contained in this season of the show. Rowe doesn’t mind getting dirty, sweaty and even burned, cut, or otherwise injured in pursuit of the story. The same goes for his crew. These are not camera men and hosts that stand back. They get right in the trenches, shoulder to shoulder with the workers.
All things considered, a fun and filthy ride that you shouldn’t pass up.
7/10
The Video
Dirty Jobs: The Complete Season 4 is presented in anamorphic widescreen. The overall transfer is decent and the black levels are respectable. The color palette is vibrant and I did not notice any instances of grain or artifacts.
7/10
The Audio
Dirty Jobs: The Complete Season 4 is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. The dialogue is crystal clear and well mixed with the ambient sound. You are going to hear every squish and splat. This is a decent presentation that compliments the transfer of the film well.
7/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
Dirty Jobs: The Complete Season 4 is presented in cardboard slipcover encasing the 5 disc set with Rowe’s mug on the cover.
There are many deleted scenes to explore and enjoy on each disc that fans of the show will enjoy thoroughly
Unfortunately, that’s about it on this release.
4.5/10
Overall (Not an Average) 7/10
The Review
The Series 7/10
The Video 7/10
The Audio 7/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 4.5/10
Overall (not an average) 7/10