ABC seeks homesteading families! $20,000

Yeah, but I wish you luck!

I'm with Chuck, I think it would be neat to have one of "our" families participate. I've seen the show a few times and though a couple have been pretty stupid, and a couple of the participants really deserved to have their pointy little heads blessed, overall I find it more entertaining than a lot of things on TV these days!

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A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool because he has to say something. - Plato

I would like to nominate 'Sancraft'. (although I don't believe many city women would be able to do
what she does/has accomplished) If she has to have a live-in husband, I'll volunteer.



(ps, I know she could use the money)

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Be self-reliant, noboby will do it for you!

When I was young, the Dead Sea was only sick!

I tried figuring out if the person was legit, not that i would want to try it out considering i dont have much of a homestead but I just oogled the rdfusa.com and all i got was a white page that said

For information, please contact RDF USA on
contactus@rdfusa.com or call (310) 496 4386.


Wouldn't a real ABC type person with a high paying job have a really nice email account? Seems fishy! I hope no one gives out personal information without verifying with ABC about this contact person first.

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Farmer Manda
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Today is yesterdays tomorrow

i googled the name and number and they look for people all over. Still seems fishy to me lol... but I still hope people are careful when giving out info

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Farmer Manda
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Today is yesterdays tomorrow

I whoised rdfusa.com and discovered it is owned by RDF Media Group which is a television production company.

So it appears to be legit.

But you're right, people should confirm it before they give out personal info.

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I'm with you.. Sancraft could use the money and would probably be awesome. Plus we'd get to see her!

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Icelandic Sheep and German Angora Rabbits

Ahh thanks. Google.com wouldn't give up the goods lol..

I need to use a better search engine :P

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Farmer Manda
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Today is yesterdays tomorrow

Whois isn't a search engine, it's a tool used by us webmasters to find out things about websites and servers.

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I nominate Melissa from the Countryside Families site! She would be one who is level headed and wouldn't make homesteading look like hippies from the 60's!!!!!! However, I'm not sure Melissa would agree to be away from her family for a week. And of course, I'm not sure if Cale and Melissa's children would agree to have another women trade places with their wife/mother for a week either!!!

But I've seen pictures of their house, and to have it seen on tv would be a good thing!!

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Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania

"Everything happens for a reason."

These shows troll online communities regularly for their programs - I've seen it a handful of times. They are legit.

That said, I have also read the first person accounts of post production. The participants talk about how things are staged (the crew tells their friends to come over at certain times), how certain statements are taken completely out of context and reapplied to different video shots, and how events are left to intimate things that never actually took place. All of these false impressions are edited in a way to add as much shock value as possible.

The people highlighted in these episodes have to deal with the wreckage afterward. They have had to deal with the malcontent of their friends, family, and community.

The security of my relationships is worth a great deal more than $20,000.

Seeing Melissa's house on TV would be great but it's so "perfect" there'd not be much of a challenge for the tempoarary visitor.

I'd like to see someone who needs to slop the hogs and milk the goat and butcher a few chickens---after a night of some varment raising heck in the chicken coop--------and up until midnight helping to pull a breech calf.

Then picking 30 quarts of blackberries---making a batch of jam, and canning 20 quarts of tomatoes and 10 of green beans.

It made local news here when a local family signed up to participate in a "honey we're Killing the kids" reality show.

The mom tearfully told the paper that she was mislead. She claimed that when she asked about the title of the show the producer said "Don't worry about that... we just made it sound that way to help the ratings"

The mom complained that her children are very active in sports but that the producers never showed them playng sports just snacking in front of the TV.

I sort of felt bad for her but then again I didn't because that sort of out of context stuff is probably necessary to "help the ratings"

While aI agree that it would be difficult for anyone to take away your dignity, I believe it would be pretty easy for your privacy and local friendships to be jepordized if you were portrayed misleadingly.

Our family has spent the last 2 years without TV/Cable although we do watch movie DVD's weekly. Glad to be without "reality" shows of any sort.

Hello everyone,

Glad to see my post has sparked some interest. I'd just like to clarify a couple of points.

First, everyone is entitled to your opinions about the show or reality television in general. We realize that this opportunity isn't for everyone and I'm not under the impression that every single one of you here would be interested in applying. I would, however, just like to say that we're not out to mislead anyone about the homesteading lifestyle or to portray you in a negative or false light. We can only air what really happens - we can't make you say something you don't want to say. Same goes with activities. For example: If you have friends that come over every Friday we may help you call them to let them know what time, but we'd never do it if you didn't normally do it on Friday.

One also can't take things that happen on another show and apply them to "Wife Swap" - every production is different, just as every family is different. If anyone has any confusion over what "Wife Swap" is about you're more than welcome to e-mail or call me for info. As Chuck mentioned in his post, the times that we have filmed with farming families have turned out to be really touching and heartfelt episodes - with countless calls and e-mails of support coming in from the viewers.

Second, the welfare of children and animals during filming is of #1 importance. The dads are home for a reason - to help make sure that things are being done appropriately and up to standard in those areas. It would not benefit these families - or ABC for that matter - to harm anyone in any way during the experience. It's just not going to happen.

Third, ABC contracts RDF Media to produce "Wife Swap." You can go to www.rdfmedia.com to get more information. You can also go to ABC's main website, search "Wife Swap" under shows, and e-mail our general mailbox (families@rdfusa.com) and ask about the authenticity of this post. They will confirm my position here.

If any of you would like more info on the show - or would like to refer a family - please contact me directly. I am always available for questions!

Best to you all,

Heather Teta
212-404-1428
Heather.Teta@rdfusa.com

The participants who have written about their experiences have said that Wife Swap has done exactly that. They called their friends and told them to come over during times they normally wouldn't. They took the words they did say, but applied them to footage, out of context, in order to portray them in a negative light.

These folks started out in similar fashion to many here, believing that if someone was going to represent their community, it might as well be someone sane and grounded. It's been a while, and there is still turmoil in their lives, and in the community.

I know you have a job to do, and that you need to recruit more people for future episodes. I just think that the nice folks here should have the benefit from the experience of those that have gone before them. Caveat Emptor.

What I want to know is why they are offering $20, 000 to the homesteaders when they normally pay $50,000?? It seem they think we are not worth the $ others are paid.

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Ehh, whatever.

There are two different shows - Trading Spouses and Wife Swap. The two shows offer different amounts of money, and attach different strings to them.

I fully endorse Melissa but agree Sancraft would be every bit as agreeable. I can't imagine either accepting their dignity had been compromised by a TV show. They would outshine all past and future comers, bar none. Now if ABC wants to make a show about survival with what you can carry in to the sticks on your back, then I'm in. 12 months with no hope for rescue, ye-haw bring it on!

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Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup........

Umm, yeah. Would anyone here really be caught dead on something called "Wife-Swap?"

And what's wrong with being a Luddite? I'm one. Among other things, it spares me knowing about stuff like wife-swap.

Sharon

Thanks for coming back and clarifying a few things, Heather. Being a producer myself, it often surprises me how suspicious people get around video cameras. I was in Kuwait last year and the men there were telling me that they believe that with our high-tech cameras we are able to remove their women's clothing in post production and post them on porn sites.

Needless to say, they weren't crazy about us filming around their wives.

A Luddite with internet service? Is that wireless or do you stick with dialup?