Any one going to watch COLONIAL HOUSE tonight?

As i watched all 8 hours of this series, and thought more about it, my attitude towards it changed. I am disappointed that they tried to compete with other 'reality' shows by giving us 8 hours of conflict, whining, and emotional upheaval just to try to get ratings. With them being there 4 months, you'd think we'd have more info on how they built the extra house, the fences, where they came up with the ideas and designs, planting the gardens, etc. Those things which we would find interesting and informative dont get ratings, conflict gets ratings. So out of (4 months, 30 days in a month, 24 hours in a day = 2880 hours) we got the 8 hours of conflict.. pretty good for being there that amount of time. Another thing i have to remind myself of is these people are all city folk, with no clue how to homestead or forage, or raise livestock, considering this, they did pretty good. I think the 'passing' grade they got was appropriate, considering the 'company' would expect not to show a profit in the first couple of years. Any company that starts a new venture expects to not show a profit for a while until they are established. They would know that the colonists would need to build houses, plant gardens and get livestock settled in order to be able to sustain themselves so they may begin working to send products back to make money for their investors.

I think we got our answer to the question 'did they have soap'. i'd say the answer was 'no' considering the part of the last episode showing them all showering and how dirty they were!

Overall i enjoyed the show and it gave me a lot to think about, and about how a happy medium between the colonial life and 'modern' life is needed. Showing them going from colonial life back to 'reality' really displayed how modern society is so removed from the natural world.

Was not sleeping the past week & stumbled upon perhaps 4 hours of this show on the local PBS station in the wee hours.

Sure reminded me of 'Survivor'. I enjoyed watching CH, but sure wasn't what I was expecting of PBS. Had little to do with settling, and a lot to do with rather liberal people who obviously come from plush lifestyles & no clue to physical labor (who else gets 1/2 a year off from work to play?) and tried to adjust the 1600 lifestyle to their 21st century liking, rather than trying to fit into the 1600 lifestyle which I _thought_ the point was? I _sure_ would have been unhappy to be a part of that cast, I would not have fit into the whining & lack of physical work....

The first episode I happened to see was when the gay guy came out, & I thought, "Richard Hatch (Survivor reference...), I sure hope they don't all start running around nude now!!!!"

Overall, I just kept wondering why these individuals were here, and why they were trying to change the 1600's into the 2000's, instead of trying to fit into the 1600's - which I assumed was the point?

Enjoyable to watch, but basically pointless...... I agree with the personalty reviews others have made here, what a bunch!

--->Paul

Now that the Colonial House series is over, I’m left wondering why this series was so much less satisfying than Frontier House was. Frontier House certainly had conflict. The control driven Karen Glen was a thorn in everyone’s side including her own but, irritating and short-sighted as she was, the woman worked herself as hard as she expected others to work. There was plenty of whining from Gordon Clune but when he was reassured that his health was not in danger, he pretty much shut up. During the course of the summer, you could see all of the FH group becoming independent and resourceful. Flaws were magnified, as were virtues. We were shown their daily struggles and their ingenuity. Once Gordon settled in, he became creative about developing his homestead. His canal from the stream to their garden saved them a huge amount of labor and resulted in a lush vegetable garden. Adrienne Clune deserves a metal for her constant care for her family and even temper throughout the project. I think everyone loved Nate and Kristen, the honeymooners on the frontier. You could see the children begin to grow as individuals as the summer wore on. Even as a viewer, the experience of the Frontier House project drew you in.

Colonial House left you feeling cheated. The people worked but you never got a sense of any accomplishment. They went hungry but you couldn’t help but think it was their own fault. It looks like PBS made a calculated attempt to achieve the same success they had with Frontier House, but they failed badly. The producers wanted to create the interest of conflict between different personalities but apparently didn’t realize the people have to be interesting to begin with. What we ended up seeing was a group of people who became captives to the selfishness and egomania of two women, Carolyn Heinz and Michelle Voorhees. Neither woman seems capable of relating to others in a meaningful way and both seem to perceive their husbands as tools for getting what they want. Don Heinz… zzz … zzz, well, what you see is what you get with this guy. John Voorhees has many admirable qualities but radiates an overwhelming sadness.

There were some good people in this group but they received too little attention. Some of them would have been able to succeed if allowed to grow in their community. The graders at the end were overly kind in their assessment. I taped the series and, if I can work up enough interest, will watch it again in a few weeks to see if I get a different feel for this show. I’d like to see PBS completely scrap this series and create a new one out of the four months of video they have. If what we saw was the most interesting part of the Colonial House project, what a waste of time and money.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cabin Fever
So in last night's episode, did Carolyn Heinz remind anyone else, besides me, of Hillary Clinton?

Have to agree with you on that one Cabin! Mr. Heinz was suppose to be the governor, but we know who the real governor was in that colony--Caroline Heinz! I think that she thought that because her husband was the governor, everyone was supose to put her on a pedistol. :haha: I thought it was hilarious at the end when they more or less fired him as governor and all she could do was stand there and roll her eyes. I think that brought her down a notch or two from her high horse. She was too stuck up to earn my respect. And he was way to whimpy for me to take seriously. :no:

And Mrs. Voorhees should have been more considerate of her husbands feelings. I would think women back then would have worshipped the ground their husbands walked on. Afterall they were their protectors and they would not have survived without the strength of the men. No matter how she feels about religion now, if she had lived then I think she would have been more of a believer. I think their faith was a huge part of their survival. Judging from the way she acted, I don't think she actually learned a thing from playing the part.

I also think that they wasted alot of time building that new house. I would think that people back then they would have been grateful for the extra help instead of whining about who was going to sleep where. Instead of being grateful for one another and pulling together and doing the work, they were like a bunch of kids fighting over who was going to sleep on which side of the bed.

I was really disappointed in most of the characters because they wanted to continue to live in their modern day world too much instead of really putting themselves in the time period of the colonials. If they had actually done that, I believe there would have been alot less whining. I don't think they learnt anything about real colonial life.

__________________
"The kindest word is the unkind one not spoken."

When talking to the camera away from the settlers the inspectors expressed surprise at what HADN"T been accomplished in the last 4 months - 4 spring/summer months! And then went ahead and watered it all down into a favorable report for no other reason than to avoid damaging anyone's self esteem!

Now, they should have said "since you passed the test, we're going to allow you to continue on through the winter...see you in June!!"

Not sure about the coast of Maine but I lived 10 years in Northern New Hampshire and I don't think these people would have made it through the winter.

Pigeon Lady

I assumed that the Greek lessons were aimed more at getting out of work than making a symbolic gesture, but maybe I'm being too hard on the governor.

Did anyone else see that dude at the end who in real life was working as a bartender? He thought life was hard during the project because he got excited over having a couple of beers a week then, and now he's having like ten a NIGHT! Glad he gained something from the experience...

__________________
Deb ><((({"> ><((({">
http://whitepines.blogspot.com

I think if they had all been raised the way they would have been back then it would have been more interesting.I know with the Mennonites around here,some are still learning and make mistakes.Even though they only have Church every other week they all attened,and they still observe the Sabbath.

The Women have no say as far as where they go or finances.I know we made the mistake of giving a neighbor girl that had just moved here from Pennsylvania,a ride from the store,we was going right by her house,her Husband jumped her big time.

What I'm getting at no matter where the Mennonites move they will live the same and go by the Church rules.

big rockpile

__________________
I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

my local pbs ran it up to current the other day, all day.

this is my view;
the governor is a wussy. Use the stocks and pillory, whip thise sinners into shape!

and the homosexual? time to have a cookoput governor!
(I dont have anthing against homos but they did in this time piriod lets be authentic)

the governor really bugs me, he isnt tyanical enough. He needs puritan lessons.

I think the thing to top off the series would be a good old fashioned witch trial.

they have no ducking-stool, no real stocks, no pillory no items of anykind to make punishment worth avoiding.
it is really interesting anyway.

the ship spars they are making are to short.

Hi All,

I watched this series and was amused. I know what we as homesteaders look for and I supected it would not be on this show. I was right. Here's my take on it.

Gov #1 Good guy but no Indian trader. needs more backbone.
Gov #1 Wife Seemed to follow his orders and worked well with others

Gov #2 Slacker, academic, No real authority.
Gov #2 Wife, A real Pain in the arse, nuff said

Gay Guy WHY was he even there? Should have been booted after coming out.

Michelle Voorhees, Should have been booted after 3rd Church offense.
John Voorhees, Should have been offered choice return to England with wife and be put in Debtors prison OR remain here with son and continue on.

FREEMEN, We really got no sense of their place in the Colony.

Indian Tribe #1, What were they thinking, need to review tribal past trades.

Indian Tribe #2, Lived up to TV type casting (chickenthief)

I got out my history book that I studied way back in high school, I read of the Colony life. I noticed that a blacksmith with forge, carpenters, and often men from the Fens (excellent hunter/fishermen) were included in the rosters of those early settlers. Expert traders took cloth, beads, and cooking pots and made remarkable trades. Shame this wasn't shown in Colonial House PBS adventure in 1628.

Still as remarked above sure beats the crap (ouch I'll get a P letter) out of regular TV.

---Jean

Now that Colonial House is over.....nearly everyone is in agreement that Frontier House was a far better show.

From the very first episode of Colonial House.....I realized that it would fall very short of Frontier House.

The characters of Colonial House had nothing to do with it.

With Frontier House.....we were given a scenairio that has been romanticized ad nauseum. It is part of America's collective thought. Western movies further feed the process. The idea of leaving ones (often less than satisfying) life to start a new life and have what people have craved for ages.......LAND.....has a universal appeal.
The families weren't stacked on top of each other.......they were allowed plenty of elbow room.

The Colonial period has never been romanticized.....and while the actions are nearly the same .......the Colonials had to deal with a bunch of BS rules (religious & otherwise). The homesteaders in the West had to deal with survival.....not rules.
Colonial House had people huddled together like some scuzzy trailer park. While 100% of the people in Frontier House were "free", the same situation did not exist for those in Colonial House. The results were as expected.....send 21st century egalitarian people......back nearly 400 years......to function as the precursers to slaves......and notably......friction took place. Just as it did 400 years ago.

Still.....a very interesting show that makes all of us realize how fortunate we are to live in our current age.......with indoor plumbing, electrical appliances, heat at the touch of a dial, a wide variety of fresh foods available 24/7, freedom from forced religion, and economic opportunities.

They could take the stuff from the edit room floor and make a dozen shows that I think would be far more valueable than what they have shown. A show on trying to manage food and drink: cooking, fetching water ... How far away was the fresh water anyway? Was it a creek? Did they boil the water? Why did they build so far away from the water?

Did they ever harvest a pig?

What did they feed the pigs?

They kept the goats penned up all the time, did they carry hay in?

Best of all, let's hear more from the people that are not whining. Let's hear from the people that are having a good time and are getting along with everybody.

After everybody struggles for a couple of months, let's bring in a real homesteader and see how things change. Run the chickens in with the goats so that the chickens can help control the flies. Stake the goats on some pasture so they can get some good food and fertilize some pasture. Harvest some of the wild local produce. Grow a decent garden.

__________________
.

[raising chickens] [diatomaceous earth] [permaculture] [rocket mass heater] [lawn care]

.

The thought just occurred to me that the white men are blamed for introducing booze to the Indians. Maybe a drink or two would have lubricated the trading situation a little more? Just a thought.... :haha:

And yes lots of chokecherries to do as the Clunes on FH did!

I agree with Paul. It was obviously produced by people that don't have much of a clue about real life ---for the same kind of people to watch. They probably think everybody out in "TV Land" is only interested in soap operas. Some of us arent that shallow. TV is barely worth watching anymore. I thought this might be different...but,no, just more of the same old stuff.
Maybe PBS will see these "reviews" & take a hint.

I've been searching for discussion about Colonial House on other forums and, the few I've found, all have the same tone as this one. I have yet to find anyone who thought it was well done and the overwhelming opinion is that the Heinz's are hypocritical, obnoxious and lazy.

I think it says a lot about a person on what their opinions are about other people and other things.

Some people see the best in others. Some people see the worst.

Some people see the best in a message. Some people see the worst.

Some people seem to be perpetually surrounded by idiots and jerks.

Some people seem to be perpetually surrounded by wonderful souls, smart people, and good wit.

And it's the same crowd.

It's true that some people are better than others. And it's certainly fun to make guesses in this department ...

I think that we were shown an incomplete picture of all of these people. Out of the huge amount of time that was covered, we saw no more than a half hour of any one person. And probably the worst 20 moments and the best 5 moments of their time there. All in the name of what a producer thought was "good tv".

I hope y'all are surrounded by at least 95% decent folks.

__________________
.

[raising chickens] [diatomaceous earth] [permaculture] [rocket mass heater] [lawn care]

.

I haven't read all the replies on this thread but did read a few.

Don't assume "city folks" don't know how to forage and such. I know lots of "country folk" who can't forage or kill a chicken.

I find it interesting that the kids seem to adjust quicker than the adults.

I taped the show and haven't watched it all on video. I can only take so much of the bickering at a time. Mr. and Mrs. Heinz got on my nerves in a hurry. Must they be so pompous and condescending? I can't believe she came up with the idea that women shouldnt' have to cook everyday. Have these people NEVER read a history book?

I would think the Vorhees would have been executed as witches.

The Wyers seem like a nice family. I found this article online today from The Baptist Press about the Wyers. It is a long article but answered many questions I had about their reaction to things such as the man coming out of the closet.

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=18336

Reading more of the posts....many people keep asking why they don't pick people who work on the land. Because you are the minority! Most Americans don't do that type of work. The point is to show "average" Americans.

If I remember correctly from reading about Frontier House, PBS made sure these people had the same income while filming the show. Most of these people are not independently wealthy and they are not slackers.

As Alan (A.T.) pointed out early on, you need to read about what the producers were trying to do. If you go to www.pbs.org you can find that out. The producers of Frontier House did not expect all the psychological changes that happened. So they focused on that with Colonial House.
Yes, I wish they would have shown more of the How-to stuff but that's not what they choose to do.

A lot of colonists didn't know how to do that type of hard work. Many colonies did NOT survive. Many of the colonies were originally settled by men only. Business men -- that did not know how to farm, cut firewood, hunt, etc.