47 replies to this topic

[Sandstar]

I didn't think much of this show when I first found it, but I've actually become a big fan. It's surprisingly watchable, and he comes off as knowledgeable about what he's doing. I recommend giving it a shot. He bought a dilapidated mansion that had been gutted by a former owner, and he's fixing it up so he can sell it. It doesn't sound like much there, but honest, it's an enjoyable 30 minutes.

[eon.girl]

I have three episodes on my DVR and just watched the one about the landscaping and found myself rewinding alot. It was very imformative and I learned alot about Palm trees.

I liked that episode. I recorded them as a lark when I saw the commercials. I love reading biographies and I was curious what he's been up to.

I'm going to keep watching.

[SoFlaChick]

What network? HGTV?

[CrazyinAlabama]

The show is on DIY network, and I really love it. I like Rob from seeing him on other shows, and I think this show is not only educational, but fun too. I can't wait to see what the house looks like in the end, and if it sells.

[whitepepper]

I'm a real big fan of this show, and like y'all have said, he comes across as very knowledgeable and experienced, and I like how he does a lot of repairs himself, and not just a host.

I was kinda wondering about why the former homeowner would take all the bathroom fixtures, but I guess if you're in financial trouble, you'll sell whatever you can -- even if it's a bathtub or shower head! I'm really excited to see what he does with the kitchen!

[rcampuzano]

I'm so happy I found this thread! I watched last week's episodes on HGTV as lark. Fully expecting to snark my way through it. Surprisingly I found that I actually learned a lot about remodeling. It was a complete "wow" moment for me when I came to the realization that he was actually explaining more or better what he was doing than most of the other experts on HGTV shows. It's a series recording on my DVR now.

[Sandstar]

I'm a real big fan of this show, and like y'all have said, he comes across as very knowledgeable and experienced, and I like how he does a lot of repairs himself, and not just a host.

That's what really surprised me. I thought he'd be kind of useless, but he's getting his hands dirty, and doing a lot of the work himself. That really raised my respect for him, and I think is part of what makes this show so interesting to watch.

BTW, that pool was NASTY.

Edited by Sandstar, Oct 24, 2010 @ 4:10 PM.

[AGFH]

Caught the landscaping and master bath shows last night.
Gotta say, I was SURPRISED! I actually loved it. I thought it would be hokey at best, but no, not at all.
He seems to really know what he's talking about and can do a good portion of it. He also comes across as a better host than most of the how-to-people.
Very entertaining and very informative all in one.
After seeing him on Rachel Ray's show, and then watching this show, I have to say that my opinion of him has risen significantly.

[selkie]

He comes across as far more professional than Jeff Lewis is.

[Holliday]

Caught the landscaping and master bath shows last night.
Gotta say, I was SURPRISED! I actually loved it. I thought it would be hokey at best, but no, not at all.
He seems to really know what he's talking about and can do a good portion of it. He also comes across as a better host than most of the how-to-people.
Very entertaining and very informative all in one.
After seeing him on Rachel Ray's show, and then watching this show, I have to say that my opinion of him has risen significantly.

Came here to say the same thing so word to your entire post except the last sentence. I have always loved Vanilla Ice and am so happy to see him working and showing another side to himself. Even Mr. Holliday, a self proclaimed handy man who didn't have a high opinion of him learned a couple of things from his show. I can't wait to see what he does next.

Edited by Holliday, Oct 25, 2010 @ 7:49 PM.

[stillshimpy]

Count me in as another person who was pleasantly surprised by this. I kept seeing the ads, so I plugged it into the DVR and caught two episodes (master bath and the pool). He seems surprisingly knowledgeable, normal, articulate and nice, so does the rest of the crew. There doesn't seem to be much scripted "drama" and when things go wrong he appears to keep his head. Plus, when the drainpipe crew had to come back for a repair, Rob took it in stride.

I thought this would be really hokey, and I recorded it just to have a laugh, but it was enjoyable. Even if it had been hokey, I'd still have wished the guy well, but it's even easier to do so when it turns out the show isn't just a gimmick. Plus, that time lapse on the pool cleaning showed a lot work, so he's not just there to add his name.

[Sandstar]

Another interesting episode. I dunno what the one guy's problem was. Saving 18k on custom all wood cabinets? Hell yeah, I'll figure out how to make it work.

[nicepebbles]

The first time I heard about this show I was listening to NPR. I knew it wasn't a joke since it was on the news. I just couldn't believe he was doing a home improvement show.

I've seen every episode. I like the show. Like yall have said he actually knows what he is doing and he sticks to his budget.

Mr. Nicepebbles have to laugh every time the commercial comes on and it mentions him being the only contractor with street cred.

[daniel82]

They've already ordered another season, so I guess DIY has gotten as much positive feedback as I'm reading here.

I was pleasantly surprised. I feared it would be a vanity piece for VI with the how-to's taking a back seat. It's obviously quite the opposite. And I like the format, where they take the whole project one room/area at a time, rather than trying to dazzle us with doing 35 projects at once and not giving sufficient airtime to each area. Like others here, I appreciate his being right in the middle of the work, and not just lending his image.

[Sandstar]

And I like the format, where they take the whole project one room/area at a time, rather than trying to dazzle us with doing 35 projects at once and not giving sufficient airtime to each area

I do too, but it's a little fun to watch them talk about stuff they haven't completed (the pool in the landscaping episode) or about stuff they have (the bathroom wallpaper in the kitchen episode)

[LennieB]

SO glad I found this! Watched a "marathon" today, and am quite impressed with Rob's knowledge, his work ethic, and the fact that he has no need to "go big" just to show off (those two advising dames on marble for the kitchen were pretentious).

[bizook]

I'm liking the V.I.P. as well as, apparently, everyone else who is commenting here. Mrs. biz is too. I have to say that as a rapper, Rob is a very good home renovator!

[jamaraz]

I am also surprised that this is such a good show. I think what makes it so good is the fact that Vanilla Ice is doing this more as a hobby than as a business. Vanilla Ice has already made his money so he doesn't need the income from the flip to support his lifestyle. That is why he doesn't stress when something has to be redone or repaired. Plus it's all his money so he doesn't have to deal with input from cash strapped partners. He clearly knows what he is doing and enjoys getting his hands dirty. Good for Vanilla Ice. I'm glad he turned out to have such a nice life.

[Sandstar]

Okay, in the opening, they have someone's foot coming through the ceiling in the dining room, and I would've thought that'd happen when they were working on the home theater. Maybe I missed it (I listen to the show in the background, and turn around to watch occasionally) but I saw it like 5 times, and didn't see anyone's foot go through. So....well, they do show things out of order. It might happen later, I guess.

[ParrotPerson]

Hey VIPers, just another visitor who was also very pleasantly surprised at how informative this show turned out to be. Sometimes they get a little silly, but at least they explain what they are doing and why.

[selkie]

We finally saw the foot through the ceiling in the last construction episode for house #1- they'd pulled the subfloor from the attic to deal with electrical issues, and a guy slipped when he was up there and that's when the foot happened.

Interesting to watch Rob shopping for house #2. We did the impact glass replacement he was talking about this summer for a much smaller home, and I can verify it would be really easy to spend five grand on a custom floor to ceiling three part window if you don't go with cheapest builder grade product (our stock-sized sliding glass door and a smaller than what was on the show three part window ran us about $3K each) and it really does have a different feel and sound when you thump it compared to standard window glass.

[Macthekat]

Just saw my first episode, with Handsome Dan's foot coming through the ceiling, and I love it! It's now in my DVR.

I echo all comments about Rob being well-spoken, knowledgeable, doing some of the work himself, etc. I was surprised at all the numbers he threw out regarding costs for fixes (of driveways, pools, cabinets, etc.). If he's been doing this for 15 years, I'm not thinking it's just a hobby of his and he makes good money with it.

I really liked seeing the real estate guy & Rob checking out potential properties and hearing them dissect necessary improvements and why. Don't get that a lot on other shows of this type. And him rolling around in his Rolls Royce . . . love! He certainly does have street cred.

[kalibean]

The shopping for a new place episode gave me hope that we'd get a round two on this...any updates on a renewal?

[selkie]

I seem to remember discussion that they were in talks for a second season, and that they're rebroadcasting the show on HGTV now seems to indicate Scripps was very happy with the eyeballs he was getting on DIY.

I assume it's in Rob's court in terms of renewal.

[Sandstar]

I would be surprised if Rob didn't want to do another season. It's great publicity for his concerts, he gets paid for doin' the shows, which helps offset the cost of flipping, as well as possibly some breaks because companies get advertising being on the show. Unless he was just miserable doing it, I don't think he'd say no.

[SparksFan59]

I absolutely love this show. I found it a few weeks ago on DIY, and was thrilled to see that HGTV picked it up too. Just saw the last two episodes last night, and the shopping for a new place to flip.

I really love Rob and his crew. I can see why HGTV chose Antonio for the Design Star winner, his show has the same vibe as Rob's, which was very different from anything on HGTV.

I hope Rob does do a season 2. I'm hoping that's why season 1 is being shown on HGTV as well as DIY, so as to build up a bigger audience for it. I'm so there if they do.

Edited by SparksFan59, Jan 17, 2011 @ 12:29 PM.

[Skittl1321]

So I gather from the thread that this show was already seen on DIY, but I don't get DIY so it's new to me on HGTV.

I LOVE it. I've seen kitchen and bathroom so far (have they aired others yet?) and I like seeing the process he uses, how he handles his budget (I liked the talk about "this is not a house for me" with the designers, who seemed to expect to bank on this job.)

And for the most part, I like his taste. It's like Sarah's House, but done by a man. And he's completely right about how the decision process (the wallpaper) for instance is so different when it's done by a man (or him at least. I suppose Tommy waffles as much as Sarah on that show).

I am so glad they changed the original wallpaper in the bathroom, and was skeptical about the new wallpaper (I don't think a bathroom should be dark, not bright, but serene, not dark) but in the end it looked really nice.

And I LOVED the kitchen. I wouldn't have changed anything there, unless the faucet didn't have a sprayer head. I need a sprayer head.

Can't wait for more episodes!

Edited by Skittl1321, Jan 21, 2011 @ 10:47 AM.

[Sandstar]

There was a show about landscaping, and one where they cleaned up the pool, before the kitchen and master suite episode. I assume they aired those first. They'll probably show them again. The pool episode is particularly nasty.

[SparksFan59]

There were several shows, Living room, master bedroom/bath,kitchen, media room, dining room, garage, pool/deck. The last 2 were dining room, where he was out scouting for another project, and then "punch list". Getting things done for the open house and the open house itself with him showing VIP's around the place after it was staged.

You can watch episodes on the official site;

Vanilla Ice Project-Full Episodes

Edited by SparksFan59, Jan 21, 2011 @ 3:19 PM.

[Skittl1321]

SparksFan59 are you saying all of those episodes already aired on HGTV?