Bitchy Review: The Vanilla Ice Project

I don't remember what I was reading a couple of days ago, but I remember reading that Vanilla Ice had his own show on the DIY Network and thinking, "What the hell?" Little did I know, the guy's been renovating homes for 20 years. Long way from VH1's Surreal Life: Fame Games, isn't it? But I caught two episodes of the show today and you know what, I like it. He actually knows what he's doing, and I was expecting something like an Xzibit/Pimp My Ride kind of thing where he stands around, cracking not-so-funny jokes as the real workers do their jobs. I was so wrong. He knows exactly what he's doing, what increases the value of a home, and furthermore, looks right at home <-- pardon the pun-- while doing it.

The concept for the show is far from new, taking something busted and making it awesome, but I like the crew's delivery. The show is like a Pimp My Home and specializes in renovating each room in a home that will later be sold on the market. The price tag for these renovations isn't cheap either; the first episode I saw was about renovating a garage and the doors alone were $45,000. Yes, I said $45,000. Why so expensive? Not only are the doors genuine wood, but they're also impact and hurricane resistant. For a location like Florida, this is a very sound investment to make on the home, which will also increase its value should the owner decide to sell it. So even though the price is a very hefty one, because of the location I believe it's worth it. That's something that I like about this show; in addition to renovating the room and making it much better than it was, throughout the show you see what features help increase the value of the home, such as the hurricane garage doors. The next episode was about renovating a room and turning it into a game room, then renovating the spiral staircase leading upstairs. Vanill--er, Rob--got the idea to get a mural of ships from back in the 1600s painted on the wall lining the staircase, with an old-style map painted at the bottom of the staircase. The guy came in and really did the damn thing; it looked amazing. They even brought in the crew from Mega Dens to help renovate the game room and the finished product was awesome, if I may say so myself.

I have to admit that I tuned in at first because I wasn't expecting him to know much. That's my fault. lol I think many people might have that opinion before watching the show, and after reading a review right before I started mine, a fellow blogger felt the same way. Except Rob does know what he's doing, and does it quite well. But while the other blogger felt that his experience will contribute to the cons of the show (ironically), I disagree. I think for those who expected one of the most ridiculed rappers of all time to be a complete waste on this show, actually seeing that this is probably his niche will be a welcome surprise. I can see where dude is coming from, but speaking from the viewpoint of one of those who tuned in for that exact reason, expecting Rob not to know anything, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I couldn't have been more wrong. And that just goes to show that assumptions are no bueno.

Bitchy Review: At 30 minutes long, a lot goes on in the renovating of the rooms in this short time and its interesting to see it all come together. You can tell these guys like what they do, and they enjoy working together on these rooms. It's a little more interesting than While You Were Out or Trading Spaces, think Pimp My Ride meets Cribs: Renovation Edition. lol On a more personal note, watching the show is good for me because I think Rob is cute. lol These guys do really interesting stuff for these rooms and I know it sounds weird, but I actually enjoy that they shell out the bucks to create quality amenities, which ultimately increases the home. It does teach you a bit about how to squeeze an extra dime out of your home should you ever sell it. Not to mention they do explain what they're doing, so if there's a bit of a DIY'er in you and you have some bucks to spare, go for it. I like the show, just came into it rather late lol (it debuted almost 2 years ago, the second season is out now) and if you enjoy watching shows like this, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Vanilla Ice Project.

Bitchy Rating: 3 (out of 5)