There's Plenty Of Room For Nice On Reality TV

It's not easy to create a segue from Snooki, star of MTV's Jersey Shore to a segment talking about Mike Holmes, but NPR managed to do it. In a segment about reality TV shows-- the good, the bad and the trashy (my description, not theirs)-- they list off several shows on TV where backstabbing, gossip, sex, and plain old misbehaving bring in massive audiences. They then juxtapose shows like Jersey Shore against Holmes Inspection, where "nice" rules, and rules quite nicely. I guess their main point was, Mike Holmes is "nice" and still manages to have a successful TV show (I take it they've never seen episodes of HOH and HI where Mike gets angry, huh?). LOL.


Here is a partial transcript from the NPR segment:

But there's a star who doesn't fit that mold: Mike Holmes.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HOLMES INSPECTION")

MIKE HOLMES: As soon as I see the electrical, that issue is electrical.

DEGGANS: Holmes is a TV star imported from Canada. He's a building contractor who rescues unlucky homeowners, swooping in to redo bad renovations on his HGTV series "Holmes Inspection."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HOLMES INSPECTION")

HOLMES: The home inspection appeared to go well, or so she thought. But now she's faced with a lot of problems. I'm going to make it right.

DEGGANS: Some critics have questioned his knowledge or his habit of tackling massive projects to correct problems. But it's refreshing to see a reality TV personality focused on helping other people in the most realistic setting around: their homes.

Like other reality TV stars, Holmes has used fame to forge his own media empire. It includes books, TV shows, celebrity endorsements, his own home inspection service and even his own charitable foundation. Sometimes it's possible to get ahead by helping people, even on reality TV.

INSKEEP: That's Eric Deggan, the helpful TV and media critic for the Tampa Bay Times. You hear him on MORNING EDITION which is brought to you by this local public radio station. Glad you're joining us this morning. You can continue following the program throughout the day on social media. We're on Facebook, we're on Twitter. We're at MORNING EDITION and at nprinskeep.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: This is NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

Mike's segment begins around the 2:20 mark: