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Don't touch that dial: Test Pattern tunes into television, entertainment and pop culture links, gossip and idle chat from around the Web. Our annual commercial contest, held every summer, recognizes the best and worst in TV advertising. Multi-link Monday offers up five fast, fun links to fill in those workday boredom breaks. Other topics range from movie mistakes to canceled shows we're still mourning. ("My So-Called Life," anyone?)

MSNBC.com Television Editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper started Test Pattern in 2003. She also operates her own pop-culture Weblog, Pop Culture Junk Mail, which began in 1999 and has earned praise from Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times. You'll occasionally see her on MSNBC cable or hear her on radio discussing the ABCs of TV.



Rediscovering the Discovery Channel (and its sister, the History Channel)

Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 12:13 PM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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Is it just me, or are some of the best programs on TV running on The Discovery and History Channels?

I've always liked those channels, but while I was on my leave, I started to really get into the extreme job/freezing in Alaska/wow-I-could-never-do THAT genre of programming.

You know what I mean: "Deadliest Catch." "Ice Road Truckers." "Ax Men." "The Alaska Experiment." I like to think that someone in programming got sick to death of hearing Paris Hilton and the "Real World" kids whine about their lives and decided to show them what it's like to really have to work for a living. And those of us who have tame office jobs may complain about Michael Scott-esque bosses and Dwight Schrute-like colleagues, but we know we have it easy compared to these guys.

"Deadliest Catch" remains my favorite. I haven't seen "After the Catch," the show in which the "Deadliest Catch" captains get together and swap stories, but the bar it's filmed at, the Lockspot, is in my Seattle neighborhood. (And now sells T-shirts proclaiming itself The Deadliest Bar".)

"The Alaska Experiment" is somewhat reminiscent of "Survivor," but these contestants aren't models and bartenders looking to backstab the others -- they're real people trying to challenge the elements, for reasons of their own. Andy Dehnart and I have been writing MSNBC.com's Ask the Reality Experts column for years now, and readers are always asking us why "Survivor" always takes place in a warm-weather location. I've always figured that "Survivor" contestants were too wimpy, and the CBS insurance mavens too wary, to risk frostbite in this way. (Although the topic has been raised.) On "Alaska Experiment," frostbite is a real danger, as is bear attack and plain old hunger. And according to this story about one of the families, they weren't doing it for any big money reward -- because there isn't one.

And to tie this all in to the upcoming TV commercial contest, I'd like to say right now that the Discovery Channel ad now running ("I love Egyptian kings!") has to be in the running for one of the best new commercials of the year. Yes, technically I suppose it's a promo spot and not a commercial, but it makes me happy to watch it.

 

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Comments

My television basically never leaves the Discovery channel, and "The Deadliest Catch" is probably one of my favorite programs. It's amazing to watch men risk their lives and work so hard.
I love that commercial you brought up also, it's a very catchy song!

Dani, Salt Lake City, Utah (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 6:52 PM)

I'm so glad I'm not the only one one who LOVES that "boom-de-ah-dah" spot! At first I couldn't figure out why my TV was singing Girl Scouts songs and then I listened to the lyrics and loved it veen more!

Missy, White Plains, NY (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 9:24 AM)

No lie.  Whenever I'm channel surfing and I run across a Deadliest Catch rerun, I always have to stop and watch.

Jackie, Fairborn, Ohio (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 9:52 AM)

Hi Gael, so happy to see Test Pattern is back!  I have to admit, I am loving those shows, too.  My 3 yr old daughter sings the entire "I Love..." song every time it comes on, and often rewinds the TiVo to watch it over and over.

Heather, Wilmington, MA (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 10:29 AM)

I'm glad I'm not the only one that watches these channels when they are completely out of my demographic. I love the ad and even better, you can download the mp3 at discovery.com. Now it makes me happy anytime I want!

Allison, Birmingham, AL (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 10:43 AM)

"Ax Men" is great. We record it every week and watch it with my parents on Wednesday nights when we join them for dinner. It's a lot of fun to watch, mostly because these guys are crazy for what they do.

Cori. Dallas, TX (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 10:48 AM)

Hawking! How cool! Thumbs up on that spot!

Deanna, Atlanta, Georgia (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 12:37 PM)

I love that Test Pattern is back! And I love the Discovery Channel. Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs are two shows my husband and I always watch. And that mp3 will be on my iPod shortly.

Tracie, Jackson, TN (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 7:07 PM)



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