the loud bassoon guide to television television: we trashed your place, a-hole

We Trashed Your Place, A-Hole (syndicated)
2004-present

It's hard to tell what the participants on this bizarre home-makeover show think of the transformations effected in their living spaces, seeing as the premise of the show entails a crew of motley hooligans going in and breaking everything (in one episode, even defecating on an expensive rug). At first, everyone seems to think it's a Candid Camera-style joke, until the hosts belligerently berate them to the point of anger, and then usually use that as an excuse to beat the poor souls within an inch of their lives.

Initially I, too, thought this must be a Punk'd-esque parody of Trading Spaces or Queer Eye, but the sheer brutality of the show defies any such belief. It's bad enough that they actually fuck up everyone's homes and destroy prized possessions, but when they actually fist-fight with the angry homeowners, it all reaches a new level of incredible horror. One couple who appeared on the show even sued because the pregnant wife miscarried as a result of her injuries.

While my moral compass tells me to hate this show, from a gawker's perspective, it is undeniably fascinating, like watching a car crash (or, indeed, a person's house being trashed). Whether this amounts to a new low point or high point in reality TV is truly in the eye of the beholder.

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