Destroy Build Destroy

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Engineering + explosions = fun reality show for tweens.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this engineering-themed reality show is heavy on demolition. Two teams of young people are encouraged to destroy large objects (like cars) and use the wreckage to build a machine of their own. With help from adult experts, the winners get to destroy the losers' creation using TNT, plastic explosives, military-grade weaponry, and other devices capable of inflicting heavy-duty damage. The "build" phase of the show requires some creative thinking and design sense, though the competition and the destruction segments take up much more of the show and present much less of a mental challenge. Expect some trash-talking between the teams, sometimes more good-natured than others.

  • The show merges some educational lessons about engineering with some age-appropriate thrills of explosions. Teens always have adult supervision and use safety precautions.
  • There's a good bit of trash-talking between the teams, and it's not always good-natured. A team of skateboarders, for example, is openly contemptuous of their rivals -- self-described math geeks whom they call "dorks." The adults are good mentors.
  • No fighting, but destruction is a fundamental part of the show. Kids are encouraged to destroy various vehicles or large machines, sometimes using explosives (with help from adult experts).
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

In DESTROY BUILD DESTROY, two teams of young people go head-to-head in an engineering-themed competition -- with a healthy dose of destruction thrown in for fun. The show's title describes the three stages of the contest. Host Andrew W.K. starts the action by asking each team to pick a method to destroy something big -- like a car or other major machine -- using high explosives, a team of burly guys armed with heavy tools, dropping it off a cliff, or another equally effective demolition technique. Using the wreckage, the teens must then construct something new that they can use in a contest (think along the lines of a tennis ball air cannon mounted on a movable platform). At the end of the show, the winning team gets to destroy the losing group's creation using even more impressive tools of destruction, including military-grade weaponry or plastic explosives.


Is it any good?

 

What's not to like about blowing stuff up? And the explosions on this show are seriously big -- which means they're certain to appeal to teen and tween viewers, especially boys. Perhaps not surprisingly, then, even though the point of the show is ostensibly engineering, it's the smallest part. Two-thirds of each episode is about destroying things, and only the building phase requires thinking and creativity. Still, at least the teenage participants aren't handling the explosives (or the power tools, for that matter). They serve more as directors, telling adults what to do and watching the results. Only during the actual contest do the kids really take a hands-on role, though they certainly seem to be having fun through the entire process.

Andrew W.K. and the producers encourage a fair bit of rivalry, and a few of the comments occasionally go a bit too far. A team of skaters, for example, crows that their skills at building skateboard ramps will help them design a superior vehicle and is openly contemptuous of their rivals, a group of self-defined math team geeks whom the skaters deride as "dorks." And in the end, the contest stage seems kind of random -- and the results don't depend all that much on either group's engineering prowess. But at least the explosions are fun to watch.


Explore, discuss, enjoy

Families can talk about which part of the show is more fun to watch -- the building or the destroying. Why? If you were on the show, which part would be more fun to actually be involved with? Do you think it's OK for a TV show to encourage young people to blow up stuff, using real (and really powerful) explosives? Families can also discuss mechanical engineering. What do you think of the teams' designs? Would you have built something differently? How could you improve on their creations?


This review of Destroy Build Destroy was written by
Adult
June 24, 2011
 
Not even worth broadcasting, watched.
I did not want to even want to give it a star. This show does not worth even half a star. At this age (around 8) that's when kids start to be bratty, rebellious, and they would want to destroy maybe their TV at home just to think its cool. Although it is to enhance children's imagination to design and build their machines, it is actually causing more burden to the environment. Seeing the clips on TV about this show when destroying the large objects that creates fire & smoke makes me think that isn't all this wasting materials? If it is not wasting materials, then at least it is releasing unnecessary carbon dioxide & heat into the atmosphere. Global warming is being a huge problem for Earth. We should care for the Earth instead, unless this show can actually educate kids about being eco-friendly and such, or create objects or whatever that will help. I know nothing about this show & maybe I'm being dumb here, but I am just worry about our planet. I really don't want 12/21/2012 to be true..
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Adult
June 29, 2011
 
Stupid
Another live-action show that shouldn't be on CARTOON network....

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Kid, 12 years old
August 5, 2010
 
Cool show
I love this show. And to all those parents who think that this show will influence there kids, that is not right. Think about, do you really think that after seeing this show your child will go and blow up your Honda(Ok, maybe your Toyota)! I think this show is creative and awsome!

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Teen, 16 years old
September 11, 2010
 
Pointless destruction,worse than Brainiac. They should make school and science fun since not many kids want to go to school and stuff.And they use explosive and guns.And parents blame video games for violence.Really pointless.
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Parent of 9 year old
June 22, 2010
 
Skip it
This show is terrible. The host is obnoxious and the whole thing is just pointless. I hate reality shows and I hate reality shows aimed at kids even more.

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Kid, 10 years old
February 24, 2010
 
AWESOME
this show is really awesome! i mean, what kind of kid wouldn't want to see explosions and destroying?
What other families should know:

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Kid, 9 years old
August 17, 2011
 
DESTROY, BUILD, DESTROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYY!!!!!
This is a great kids' reality show. Yeah, destruction is the theme but who cares? An epic show for almost anyone to enjoy. The only downside is it shouldent be on CARTOON Network...
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Kid, 12 years old
September 1, 2010
 
Destroy Destroy!
This is possibly the worst show on Cartoon Network. It's just a bunch of combustion and explosions thrown together for amusement. It's so unsophisticated and pointless that I have no pity for it. It's pointless and stupid.
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Teen, 15 years old
August 21, 2010
 
Waste of your time
This show is about kids building and destroying things to get money. That's it, it stinks
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Kid, 10 years old
September 10, 2011
 
Awesome show!
Destroy Build Destroy is so cool! I like how they go 3,2,1 Destroy!!!! I encourage your kids to watch this show but violence could be an issue but seriously if your kids are 9 or older it shouldn't be an issue to them

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This review of Destroy Build Destroy was written by
Topics:science and nature
TV rating:TV-PG
Network:Cartoon Network
Cast:Andrew W.K.
Genre:Reality TV

This review of Destroy Build Destroy was written by
 

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