A few years back one of my favorite reality shows was Monster House, where a team of builders turned a normal house into one filled with things you don’t normally find in a residential home. Building Wild reminds me of Monster House.
Each episode features someone who wants a cabin built, usually in some difficult location where it’s all but impossible to get materials and equipment. We follow two dweebs around as they argue about everything and built cabins the way Cake Boss makes cakes and American Choppers makes motorcycles. They make cabins that are a step above the wooden boxes in the wilds that most cabins are.
Paulie and Tuffy are the stars who run a business called Cabin Kings. Paulie is a nerdy looking fellow who usually agrees to everything the Clients suggest, no matter how difficult these requests might be. Tuffy is a more down to earth kind of man who reminds me of Rupert from Survivor and often spends his time yelling at Paulie. A running gag in the show is to have someone on the build suggest that Tuffy and Paulie get some counseling to resolve their anger management issues.
Most of the shows feature cabins built from recycled materials, such as wood from old barns or an old storage container. Seeing how they use these materials is half the fun of the show. Part of the show’s gimmick is that they only have a week to build their Über Cabins and things never seem to go smoothly the first couple of days. Equipment is often broken or damaged and Paulie always puts on his school teacher voice when he chastises someone for making a mistake. Tuffy tends to stand around yelling for a few minutes then shrugs and says Oh Well.
I know nothing about cabins, but I have found it odd that they have said nothing about keeping food fresh or where they might get water. They don’t spend a lot of time talking about sanitation either, even though these cabins are always built to be used by ten or twelve people at a time. They also don’t seem to worry about building codes or safety issues as several of the structures have had features on rooftops without handrails or any thing to keep our beer guzzling cabin owners from tumbling off.
Building Wild is a fun show and it is amazing to see what the guys can whip up in seven days. As with many similar shows, the Cabin Kings clearly provide a service for people with a lot more money than I have. It’s a fun show to watch.
