There's this new show on TLC. Yes, it's another of those DIY reality TV shows. I don't know how I got hooked on home decorating shows, but somehow it happend. Damn you Trading Spaces!
So, right, the new show....It's called Clean Sweep. Since I'm a Trading Spaces addict, I've been seeing commercials for the show for quite some time. And for quite some time I've been thinking, that it wouldn't be very interesting at all.
I was wrong.
I'm not the most organized person in the world. In fact, I think somewhere on my computer I've even got pictures of the clutter that usually surrounds me. If I can dig them up I may even post one or two. Because when compared to the people that are on this show, my clutter is positively tidy. So, maybe it's a feel good thing. "Holy shit, look at that mess. I'm not nearly that bad." Or something.
At any rate, the show goes something like this.
Welcome to so and so's house, they are complete and total slobs and are in dire need of help, because they are just so slob-like they can't possibly sort this out all on their own.
Enter Clean Sweep Team. The team seems to consist of one organizer, one decorator, one master carpenter and several underlings, one hostess, and several general labourers. And the homeowners. The team tackles two rooms in the house. Generally it's a bedroom and a living space, but not always (I imagine that the homeowner has some say in which rooms get fixed).
So, the entire crew picks up everything in the two rooms and dumps it outside on the lawn. (I'd like to see what happens if it rains) So, now the lawn looks like a tornado has gone through town. The organizer and the homeowners then have to dig through all this crap and decide what they keep, what they throw out and what they sell in their yard sale.
So, the homeowners put a zillion stupid things that they don't need in their keep pile, throw out practically nothing, and put a decent amount of things in the pile to sell. I swear, one man put bowling balls in the keep pile. Bowling balls that he'd bought at another yard sale for $1 a piece. Does anyone in the family bowl? No, of course not. Obviously the organizer then digs through their keep pile and makes it a whole lot smaller than the way the homeowners left it.
Meanwhile, in the house, the decorator and master carpenter are going to town on the rooms. Generally the idea is to create more storage, because obviously these people have a problem, they collect junk and lack a place to put it. The rooms I've seen so far have all been really gorgeous when they're done. Both decorators (there are two that switch off) are really good.
So on day two the homeowners have a yard sale. The host has each of them pick one thing of their spouses that they hate, and then puts those two items up as a prize. The homeowners have a contest to see who can sell the most stuff at their yard sale. The winner gets to keep their item and the loser..well the loser loses of course. And their item has to go with the rest of the leftover junk to charity.
I'm sure the experience really helps the homeowners out. But really, the entire thing makes me laugh. Why is it so overwhelming for someone to sit down and dig through their junk? Honestly, it doesn't strike me as something that can be so terrible that you require an entire team of people to come in and help you out.
Nonetheless, the show is strangely compelling. I'm enjoying it, a whole hell of a lot more than I ever expected to.
Posted by Michelle at August 18, 2003 06:57 PM