Mountain Men ended its first season last night and, true to form, it was ridiculous.
Season One of Mountain Men is over.
What a colossal waste of an opportunity for a great show.
My hopes were high from the very beginning for this show. It could have been a modern-day Alone in the Wilderness. Mountain Men could have actually taken three individuals living in various mountain areas, and shown viewers what it is like to live “off-the-grid” to varying extents. It could have presented viewers with real situations and real people. It could have even—gasp—offered viewers some knowledge that they could have walked away with after each 60-minute sitting, something that was real and perhaps even helpful to someone living in another situation, one not necessarily as extreme or drastic as the ones in which these three were said to reside.
Instead, producers of Mountain Men presented viewers with a campy farce each week, making its stars into presumable caricatures of themselves and insulting fans with gun switches; having Marty's gun disappear into thin air on more than one occasion; and, really, coming up with some of the most contrived, over-the-top, “mountain men” drama a roomful of never-owned-a-gun writers could dream up for the small screen.
Could Marty, Tom and Eustace be the “real deal?” They could be, but how would anyone watching this show know? According to the History Channel, great oudoorsman Eustace is unaware of how to use the word "misfire" appropriately (no, for the final time, it does NOT mean "failure to achieve desired results" in the presented situation)--is that the "real deal?" And, are viewers at fault if they laugh and point out this and many other production misfires--yes, failures to achieve desired results--throughout the show?
Of course they aren't; the producers are.
Reality Programming CAN Be Great
There are some excellent reality shows out there these days, featuring real people doing real things. Swamp People, also on the History Channel, comes to mind. For Alaska living, Flying Wild Alaska (Discovery Channel) is good, as is Alaska: The Last Frontier (Discovery Channel). Dual Survival (Discovery Channel) gives viewers some real knowledge for potential life-threatening situations. And, of course, the king of all things-most-of-us-could-never-do reality shows, Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel), consistently gives people good reality television. Are any of these “production free,” with no off-camera manipulation of scenes or TV magic in editing? No, of course not. But, they are well-done shows, and they respect not only the stars, but the fans, as well, by striving to give viewers shows that, in the world of reality television, are realistic. 100% “real,” maybe not; but realistic, yes.
Mountain Men could have been one of those shows; it definitely is not.
Season Two of Mountain Men will bring back Marty, Tom and Eustace, and will add a new “mountain man” to the gang. Perhaps, given the not-so-impressive feedback the show has received overall, the producers for this History Channel show will strive to give viewers something better next go around. If not, it will still probably be one of the funniest hours on television, intentional or otherwise. Until then, let’s just hope that Eustace made it back to Turtle Island Preserve without being overtaken by that overwhelming brushfire he encountered on his way into Boone.
Stay tuned.
Image: Wikimedia Commons via Ken Thomas
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Comments
#1 Season 2
Can you tell me when Season 2 begins? Thanks!
#2 Season 2
At this point, I don't believe History Channel has announced anything regarding a date; if/when I get any info on it, however, I'll be sure to let fans know here on Huliq. :)
#3 Say It Ain't So Joe!!
Please NO!! Not another season this stupid stuff.
COME ON MARTY!!
#4 Final
When Marty comes up to the final peak before he sees his planr, he had no sleeping bag on the bottom of his backpack! When they show him again, he has a sleeping bag with a string hanging down!
#5 When they go to get the truck
When they go to get the truck because of the dead battery both men plus the dog leave. why leave the extra vehicle. There are so many production problems with this show it's silly
#6 Eustace trip to town
Cracks me up that they protrayed Eustace not only riding into town on horseback which supposedly took 5 hours, but cutting a trail to get to a shortcut, shoeing his own horses, not to mention making his own shoes. Mustve dedicated 3 days to make a ten mile trip that wouldve cost 4 bucks in fuel. Oh sorry, 8 bucks round trip. And theyve shown he has access to a small truck, soooo. Its a shame that they make an obviously well educated man, look like an idiot. Just because we are country and prefer country ways, doesnt make us stupid.
#7 Exactly!
Quite the opposite, I'd say. My grandfather never made it past the sixth grade and was country as country gets but, I swear, that man could do ANYTHING--you could have set him out in a field miles from another soul, and he could have built a house, grown/raised his food, made his clothes, etc. Whatever he needed, he could have done it. He was, in my opinion, one of the smartest people I've ever met. Perhaps Eustace is like that, too, I don't know, but these producers have turned him into a joke, so I doubt we'll ever know. Could have been a great show.
#8 Useless
No, the production makes Tom and Marty look foolish with silly voice over drama but they don't "make" useless do anything. He is obviously willing and eager to play the roll, willing to endanger his horse and his friend just to make an impression. If he didn't want to burn a gallon of gas he could have walked down to his mail box and thumbed a ride to town, but that wouldn't have fit the image. And how did he acquire an $85,000 lien on his beloved land? For a guy who has stated (I heard his voice and saw his lips move) that he lives on less then $2,000 per year, that is quite a debt, he'd have to clear cut his land to pay that off in firewood. LOL
#9 Oh, you're right about that, CoyoteJoe
He's being compensated, going back for more in Season Two, no telling what else he'll get into. But, I still lay the brunt of the blame on the producers; they wanted to make a silly show, and they did a great job of just that; the production is shameless. And, yes, I well recall his "under $2,000 per year" statement--LOL
#10 "EUSTACE"
EUSTACE owes that money in back taxes. Cant help but to think that if he would have put this much energy in keeping up with his taxes he wouldn't be goin thru all this. Good luck to him hope he can keep his land,
#11 It was not a tax lien
The paperwork they showed was a Notice of Rights to Claim Exemptions. That is only sent to a judgment debtor in a civil matter. Exemptions to not apply to tax debts. Look at North Carolina General Statue 1C-1601. He was given notice to claim those exemptions. I explained all this in another post. But that is NOT a tax debt that he was noticed about.
Does he also have a tax lien? Maybe. Probably. He comes off like a complete loser.
#12 Oh I must of misunderstood
Oh I must of misunderstood what I read. Thank you for clarifying that for me. Still hope him the best of luck he's my favorite.
#13 CoyoteJoe is so right!!
I thought the same thing. There's no way a horse person would saddle up a 'bush' horse & ride through a busy town (& brush fire). I thought that was TOTALLY ludicrous & unnecessary. That poor horse was so sweated up, his coat was matted when they finally stopped at the Town Hall. Hope the producers of the show hire someone that really knows about living in the bush (I do) to consult on future shows & stop making these guys look like idiots.
#14 Coyote Joe is so right!
Let's go one better than that.
Fire everyone associated with the show and cancel the whole stupid thing.
COME ONE MARTY!!!
#15 Is this for real
It apears that Eustance is not an experienced horseman..the way is holding the bridal is a dead give-a-way..And it also appears as if the guy is really scared riding in traffic
#16 Eustace rode a horse cross
Eustace rode a horse cross country when he was younger
#17 Useless Rode a Horse
I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. So what?
COME ON MARTY!!!
#18 Canned nonsense.
I hope the History Channel execs see these posts and make serious adjustments -- if there is a Season 2! Great premise, fabulous scenery, likeable characters (esp. the Montana folks) but absolutely farcical situations. About as far from “reality” as the dumb show producers can make it. An experienced Alaskan leaves camp to tend a winter trap line without a gun. Sure he did, just like he used a broken down snow machine that, from scene-to-scene found and lost its trailer, and whose ‘electrical problem’ required a replacement engine, but, of course, broke down again. Then, he flies into a storm and has to set down overnight. Death-defying? No – just stupid. If he is so careless, how has he managed to survive in the bush this long? And, what about Marty shooting game immediately after he landed his plane? Doesn’t the Alaskan game provision, “it’s against the law to (hunt) until 3 AM until the day after you have flown” apply to Marty? Then there was the absurd North Carolina rifle sighting sham and ‘misfires.’ (Hey Eustace – you know that a gun does not ‘misfire’ when you leave the chamber empty! Why didn’t you explain that to the producer?) And what about his absurd water pipe clog; chasing a phantom ‘poacher’, who barely managed to escape on a hidden ATV, and in the final episode, the guys “clear” a new “shortcut” that reaches the road at, (surprise!) the very same spot the ATV poacher had escaped on the previous episode! Even Tom and his wife in Montana do stupid things. In the last episode, Tom was, for a moment, gone and his wife worried he may have been taken by the bear. I guess she didn’t see the floodlight flashing around in back of the shed Tom was investigating. Canned nonsense.
#19 canned nonsense
You can pick apart most programs and find portions to which you object. Even the best ones. I fail to see why you put so much time and energy into making mountains out of molehills. The program is interesting to me even if there are a few flaws, and I live in a log cabin without power on 40 acres in the Ozarks. It is surely more interesting than watching another pawn shop or 'picker' program.
#20 Ericman1947 - Canned Nonsense
So you live in a Log Cabin WITHOUT power in the Ozarks - Right? I call BULLSHIT.
So you must have the same electrical power plant the Useless Conway has to power your TV, Computer, Cable / Satellite box and Refrigerator. I guess you have an electric sawmill too. Got graze on some Kale.
COME ON MARTY!!!
#21 Criticisms
Hey guys, let us enjoy a clean, moral show that is truly entertaining. Mountain Men fits that bill. I will welcome a new season for them.
#22 Can't wait for season 2
My husband and I enjoy this show very much! It is much better than most of the garbage you see on tv.Thank you history channel! Looking forward to season 2.
#23 Over/under on the number of times Ellie gets lost in season 2...
Place your bets.
#24 Put me down for ZERO
I'm betting the number will be "0". Let's keep our fingers crossed that there won't be a Season 2.
COME ON MARTY!!!!
#25 Had high hopes for this
Had high hopes for this series but this program is complete trash. Unadulterated trash. It is true the story lines and editing made these three men look foolish. But EVERY word EVERY one of them uttered was said to deceive and manipulate the audience more often than not and in the end it was THEIR decision to play the fool.
Conway is the biggest offender. Virtually everything he did was without common sense. Did these people really think they could pull the wool over everyone's eyes? The saw mill is not operated by a single phase generator fed by a clogged up line. No one lets someone else sight in their rifle. No one rides a horse into town to dispute a defaulted judgment. On and on. Conway and the rest were all willing participants in the fraud and deception.
So why get so upset when we all know that most of reality television isn't? Because this program shows zero respect for its audience. Shame on these three men for cashing in their reputation and integrity for chump change.
If the producers told me to ride a horse through traffic for drama I would tell them to shove it. I am far from perfect. It just seems like common sense to NOT let someone cast you as a fool.
You know....common sense. That trait that Conway claims he never sees in others will failing to display any himself.....
#26 Book Review
Interesting and truthful review on an over the top bit of fiction. At least the heroic passages were fictionalized, while the sycophantic fawning is laughable. Eustace was a fool LONG before this program aired.
scathingweekly.blogspot.com/2010/12/book-review-last-american-man-by.html
#27 Excuse me?
I've had the pleasure of meeting Conway at Turtle Island twice. Where are your grounds for calling Eustace a moron? Someone who's started out their young adult life by making the bold decision of moving into a tent at age 17 is anything but a moron. I think you are, though.
#28 true
You're absolutely right, Eustace is no fool, it's the people who give him money who are foolish and those "interns" who give him money for the privilege of doing his dirty work are total idiots but he would be a fool to turn it down. LOL
#29 Well.....EXCUSE ME........
Makeing the "Bold Decision" of living in a tent at 17 doesn't automatically make it a good decision. I would call it a "Bold Ill-Advised - BAD Decision" on his part.
Your're right, the term MORON may not be strong enough to describe him. Maybe COMPLETE DUMBASS.
COME ON MARTY!!!
#30 Turtle Island, Mountain Men
I love this show. I don't notice, the things most of you are talking about. what show are you in? if you don't like this show. don't watch it. simple.