***The Holmes Spot Obligatory Disclaimer***
The Holmes Spot is an UNOFFICIAL FAN RUN BLOG... all opinions expressed are MY OWN!
Damon Bennett has been a staple crew member on Mike's shows for almost a decade. Speaking purely as a fan and avid follower of both Mike Holmes and his shows, how do I feel about Damon's departure from the show, and presumably the Holmes Group? One word describes it: unceremonious. It's almost like a slashed tire... there's no loud pop, it just hisses, rapidly deflates, and it's done. For me, that's kind of how this feels, and here's why...
First, reading Damon's statement, it's obvious the heart that went into it. How do you sum up a ten year career on television, especially one with as many emotional highs and lows as the Holmes shows have had? It's not easy to do, I'm sure. But one glaring thing that stands out to me is this, that Damon doesn't acknowledge Mike Holmes directly. He acknowledges him indirectly as "The Holmes Group" and "crew" and even acknowledges certain crew members, but not Mike. I find that fascinating, given Damon's elevated position as Mike's right hand man and crew supervisor.
Out of curiosity, I did a quick check over at the Point Load Picture's website, the production company run by Mike Holmes and Peter Kettlewell. There seems to be no trace of Damon's show, Damon Bennett Restoration Company, the one that was supposedly in production and had filmed a pilot episode. Am I being too quick to make the assumption that this is no longer on the table?
I'm not implying for one single second that Damon is not being gracious, nor am I doubting for one single second his sincerity and his appreciation of his role over the last 9 years. I'm merely making the observation that this announcement -- BOTH announcements -- were rather awkward, abrupt, unceremonious, and a little bit icy as well. After all, the Holmes Group is a party-hearty bunch of folks who love to celebrate milestones. One would hope and think that a crew member as significant as Damon moving on to better things would warrant more than a little blurb on a Facebook page. As of now, there's no mention of Damon's departure on the MAKEITRIGHT.ca website, which is a shame. Makes me believe the split is less than amicable, but that's just my own speculation.
As far as the only official statement from Mike at this time, the one made on his Facebook page, I think the same observations can be made... it's quick, abrupt, and cold. I think Damon deserves a little more than a status update, he's been a huge part of the show for a long time, and he's part of why the shows have been so successful over the years. Fans love Damon, and whatever the reason for the split, I think fans deserve a little closure. Drop the bomb and walk away.
If anybody (official) has anything else they'd like to add, or would like to make a statement, please contact theholmesspot@gmail.com.
The Holmes Spot wishes Damon all the best, and hopes to see more from him in the future.
I think Holmes is making way for his family. I think we will see Adam taking on Damon's role for a period of time and then MJ will move into the role. As they say, blood is thicker than water and who is to say what any of us would do in this situation? I find it interesting that the Holmes shows are essentially moving away from HGTV to DIY. A bit of a downslide I think or should I say I "perceive".
ReplyDeleteOnly now became aware of this, a bit of a shock. Was much of anything really clear said about other folks that stopped appearing on the shows, like Kate when she went to build decks with Paul or when Sean started his own contracting business?
ReplyDeleteHe could have just been burnt out from the hours and stress.
ReplyDeleteI talked to one of the 3 guys who were on the first 4 seasons of HoH, and I asked him why he left.
He said the hours were getting too long to tolerate as the show picked up.
He said he was making 100 grand a year, but it was too much of his time to continue.
He said he asked for more money to stay and Mike said no.
He told me that a second guy left as well for the same reason.
Anyone familiar with the first 4 seasons of HoH can figure out who I am talking about.
He also told me that the sub contractors that worked on the show did not get paid, they worked for the credits during & at the end of each episode.(maybe it's different now)
Damon struck me as a guy who didn't have a lot of time for himself, based on his position of head supervisor.
Even if there was extenuating circumstances for why he left, I'm sure he knew it was time for him to go for his own personal circumstances & benefit.
A couple of years later, we can look back and see: Mike Holmes is going a completely different direction, it would appear that he feels he has grown larger than what he was doing on TV, and has turned into a celebrity endorser and corporate spokesman. That trend started when they started Holmes Inspections, so that Mike didn't have to do too much on camera stuff and didn't have to dedicate as much time to the actual work on the projects. Damon did a very good job, but even with all of the time on air and all of the Holmes star power around him, he may not have reached the level that would allow the network to buy a new show without Mike in it.
ReplyDeleteSo what you have is a simple problem: Holmes didn't have any real work for Damon as a contractor anymore, the show pilot was apparently produced and rejected, and that is pretty much where the road ends.
Since then, Mike Holmes is much more of a speaking tour, corporate spokesman type, and no new shows produced or in production. For fans of the shows and what could be learned form them, it's a sudden, sad, and less than impressive end. I am sure that Mr Holmes is making more now than ever, and doesn't have to get contractor dirty or sweaty much anymore. Good on him for it. It's just too bad that things overall were not handled in a better way, at least on the public side.
Sorry to see him go. Damon should do a show where he does interior design since he has a flair for it.
ReplyDeleteI am sad to see Damon go and over the last few years the individual that drew me to watch the it was Damon not so much Mike or any of the other crew members. So doubt I will watch much of it as it really does not have the same draw for me to watch any more with Damon gone. If Damon ever is to host his own show I would for sure watch him.
ReplyDelete