So the other night I was flipping through the TV channels when I stumbled on a commercial for a new documentary series reality show (docureality?) called Ice Road Truckers on the History Channel. At first, I honestly thought it was a joke because of the way they were promoting it and the fact that it didn't seem to be very "historical". Sure, ice road trucking is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, but that doesn't mean it makes for exciting television. Plus, it's quite obvious to me that they're just trying to cash in on the success of the Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" show, which is extremely entertaining to watch. Still, I had to watch at least one episode of Ice Road Truckers to see if they could pull off an entire series about this occupation.
So the show itself covers the lives of these ice road truck drivers who work up in Canada's Northwest Territory to bring supplies to the diamond mines. Just like on Deadliest Catch, there are a variety of characters including veteran truckers and rookie kids in a race to make the most cash. The best thing about the show so far would have to be Hugh. He's the big guy who they all call "the polar bear". Honestly, they should give everybody on the show nicknames like that. Call the rookie "lil' penguin" or "baby seal" or something and you've got yourself an even better show, guaranteed.
Anyway, Hugh owns four trucks and drives one of them himself while his employees drive the other three. The first episode I saw was very exciting... what with all the green night vision shots of Hugh yawning inside his truck, staring out into the black abyss talking about how he's on his own when he's out there. Oh and there was a fender-bender too! ACTION-PACKED! There was also one guy who lost his license due to speeding, so he went to a bar, played some horrible song about the ice road and went back home, vowing to never drive a truck again and instead become a full-time musician. Good luck with all that, pal.
In some of the later shows, trucks fall through the ice, which is the big danger that they're hyping up for this show. Now don't get me wrong, these truckers have a hard job, it is dangerous and I'm sure I couldn't cut it out there on the open icy road (I can't even stay on the road in Pole Position), but come on... this just isn't something that you need to dedicate an entire TV series to. I can understand doing a single documentary about their job, but it's nowhere nearly as exciting or dangerous as watching the action of Deadliest Catch on the Bering Sea. There are no pots filled with king crab or ships named "Time Bandit" and "Fierce Allegiance" or even Bon Jovi singing "Wanted Dead or Alive" on this show... just yawning guys driving trucks. But hey, it still might be enough to hold your interest since every now and then you'll get to hear some wisdom straight from their lips such as this: "You gotta have a respect for the ice road. If you don't have a respect for the ice road, it'll come up and bite you in the ass." Classic.
So am I the only one here that even cares about looking into these kind of shows, or do you all dream of hauling in a big pot of king crabs some day too? Or perhaps hermit crabs?
Alex (Guest) on 07/20/2007 2:36 pm
I don't like this show at all. And by the way, theirs the blabber shows the "The Doritos X-13D Flavor Experiment" on the I-mockery homepage.
Ramon Reyes (Guest) on 07/20/2007 3:30 pm
The first ep I saw showed "The Polar Bear" shooting at another trucker behind him with a pistol. I thought it was good TV but haven't seen any other eps.
-RoG- (Guest) on 07/20/2007 3:34 pm
Alex, you probably just need to refresh cuz the old one is still in your cache or something.
Ramon, haha see what I mean? The Polar Bear is the best thing about that show, no question about it.
Sweet Zombie Jesus (Guest) on 07/20/2007 8:53 pm
You mock the show now, but you'll watch this Sunday. Mark my words.
For my money, it's the most entertaining show where nothing ever happens since Deadwood.
The Squatch (Guest) on 07/20/2007 9:03 pm
Sweet Zombie Jesus, do you dare doubt the power of Deadwood, I've got three words for you Powers Fucking Booth.
Magic Flyin’ Lemur (Guest) on 07/20/2007 9:12 pm
They did indeed do a single documentary about ice road truckers a while back. That pretty much DID cover everything interesting about the profession.
Is it just me or are all the educational-type channels being severely dumbed down lately?
Alex (Guest) on 07/20/2007 9:16 pm
Yeah, I just refreshed, it fixed it.
Sweet Zombie Jesus (Guest) on 07/20/2007 11:00 pm
Hey, I said Deadwood was entertaining, didn't I? I'm not being sarcastic, I love Deadwood. But nothing ever happened, it was the only Western I've ever seen where instead of having a High Noon showdown to settle their differences, cowboys would chair subcommittees and draft written resolutions. Ice Road Truckers is like the reality show equivalent of that. I watch every week, knowing full well that the ice is never going to break, but I watch anyway just in case. Because the last thing I want to do is not watch the ONE WEEK when it happens.
Aks (Guest) on 07/21/2007 1:48 pm
I dont watch either. Im too busy with Man VS Wild. Now that show is entertaining as hell. He was on a rafty raft with a sail he weaved last night. He got a boat to find him with a knife. Now is that awesome or what?
evan (Guest) on 07/22/2007 4:06 am
The history channel is all I watch, along with a few servings of the discovery channel. I don't much care for Deadliest Catch, and it pisses me off because it's on nearly EVERY DAY. So what? I still have the History Channel right? WRONG! Take that shit off the air and give me my WWII documentaries and that one about Hitler and The Occult! Wolfenstein in real life? Hell yeah!
Ramian (Guest) on 07/22/2007 4:26 am
To Mr/Ms/Mrs Lemur:
It's not just the educational channels that are getting dumbed down, it's every channel. The educational ones are just easier to notice because they are the ones based on learning.
adam martin (Guest) on 07/22/2007 9:38 am
The history channel has been showing non acurate and non historic stuff for years, on memorial day they showed Planet of the Apes (the original with Heston) which I love but has no place on the History channel.
Jesse B (Guest) on 07/22/2007 12:49 pm
-RoG- 64,000 dollar question
Man vs Wild, or Survivorman?
swanmeat (Guest) on 07/22/2007 4:10 pm
I don't like this show or Deadliest Catch or the massive amounts of hype they give to them both.
Misty (Guest) on 07/22/2007 5:09 pm
I don't waste my breath with Ice Truckers. Normal trucking is boring enough, and ice trucking is just as boring, but colder. Deadliest Catch has no competition with this.
Derek Meece (Guest) on 07/22/2007 6:54 pm
Meh. You're right it is kind of just a rip-off of deadliest catch.
Nick (Guest) on 07/22/2007 7:03 pm
I'll stick to my 80's cartoon shows, thank you!
jonostarsmore (Guest) on 07/23/2007 1:56 am
My boyfriend loves this show, for whatever reason. It's a snoozefest for me.
Mark (Guest) on 07/23/2007 2:22 am
Deadliest Catch is awesome, they've actually had people die on that show. I was going to start watching ice truckers, but after your take i think you summed it up for me. The best show on History channel has got to be DOGFIGHTS!!! That is the best idea they've had ever. CGI reenactments of famous dogfights, brilliant!
-RoG- (Guest) on 07/23/2007 10:51 am
Jesse B, I haven't seen Survivorman, so I'd have to go with Man vs. Wild. I mean, come on, that guy ate piranhas. PIRANHAS!
Also, I gave "Ice Road Truckers" one more chance and watched another episode the other night, but no... I damned near fell asleep. That show is full of FAIL.
The Squatch (Guest) on 07/23/2007 12:10 pm
I'm going to with with Man vs. Wild. I was hooked when I saw him pick up a rabbit snap its back, and then just to make sure it was dead, karate chop it in the neck
Herratik (Guest) on 07/24/2007 11:31 am
Ice Road Trucker sis worth watching, if for no other reason than the vicarious pleasure I take cranking up the AC and watching in shorts.
nilus (Guest) on 07/24/2007 11:43 am
Man vs Wild. Survivor man is a little too touchy, feely nature guy for me. Bear is much more of a hard nosed realist, with all that special forces training. Plus he eats just about anything. That and Dirty Jobs are my two favorite shows. Deadliest Catch is good too.
Les pwns (Guest) on 07/24/2007 11:05 pm
Man.. read wwtdd or just google for your boy Bear Grylls.. he just got outed this week for being fake as hell. He stayed in hotels while filming.. the raft he built he had other people build for him, then he re-built it. At least Survivorman is 100% legit about survival sucking, Bear makes it seem great, because staying at a hotel is a pretty nice survival spot.
SEA-BISCUIT (Guest) on 08/18/2007 11:51 pm
I LIKE IT. IT WOULD BE A WHOLE LOT BETTER IF I WERE ON IT THOUGH.ANYONE KNOW HOW I CAN BE AN ICE ROAD TRUCKER???????
Pipkin (Guest) on 08/25/2007 3:06 pm
Three words...
BEST SHOW EVER!!!!!!
Jen (Guest) on 08/30/2007 5:48 pm
I hate the deadliest catch. Don't any of you know that during the off season, those are the guys that are out there killing baby seals? YES that's right. They kill baby seals when they aren't out there catching snow crabs. It takes a real pussy of a man to go out on the ice and club a innocent helpless baby seal right in front of the baby's mother in the head just for it's fur. Yeah, that has made me NEVER EVER EVER want to lay my eyes on that show.
Ruby Stingray (Guest) on 09/04/2007 3:52 am
Hey! Another 'Deadliest Catch' fan! I've been to Alaska in the summer time and it was still cold wet and miserable. The reason I like 'DC' so much is now I live in Bangkok, Thailand and watched it sitting in my underwear in 90 degree weather and it was February-aaahhh, waaarmth. The only cold thing was the beer and I would sit and watch those fuckers freezing thei ass off on those boats and laugh and say "I'm glad I'm not THEM!"
lisa (Guest) on 10/20/2007 8:28 am
you say normal trucking is boring enough Misty but youwould be the first one to complain if a truck was responsible for your ordered item was late, boring or not rucking is responsible for keeping this country going. Truck drivers work more hours than a physician or any other profession to meet the deadlines of this countries demands for goods. Ice trucking is very dangerous you people who say it is not interesting probably watch survivor and love it, that show contains nothing but complaining. I applaud those people for risking their life to make a good living for their families. How many of you would risk your life day after day at work?
Teen (Guest) on 10/29/2007 5:41 pm
Ice Road Truckers is interesting and a dangerous job at that - Deadliest catch has the same concept for those saying that it's better,those men get wet hardly any sleep wait for the king crab blah blah - Truckers risk their lives, get cold and risk the truck and load falling through the ice,they are more brave then Deadliest catch, they're on their own - no team mate/s beside them -no immediate help - i give my hat off to those guys to get supplies through to those remote areas for the people stationed there,look at the whole picture - i like both shows - but the truckers more
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