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Heli-Loggers (TLC)

common sense media says

"Dangerous job" show is interesting but lacks depth.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this reality show is about a rough-and-tumble job that attracts rough-and-tumble men who are proud of their "extreme" job. They trash-talk each other, swear up a storm (the strongest words are bleeped), and one even bares his backside -- it's blurred, but it's still obviously a naked bottom. There's also some social drinking, and the job itself always has the potential for danger.

Positive messages: The loggers' specialized job exists as a way to harvest lumber in a way that does less damage to the environment than traditional logging. Gender roles are reinforced -- the men go out to work, and the women stay home with the kids. A lot of (good-natured) trash talking goes on.
Violence: Lots of talk about the job's dangerous nature; in at least one scene, a logger is shown with his scalp stitched up after an accident.
Sex: In at least one scene, a logger bares his backside -- but the image is blurred for broadcast.
Language: Audible lanugage includes words like "ass" and "nipples"; also lots of bleeped language -- and a few times it's pretty obvious that someone said "f--k." Much of the swearing happens during very frustrating cirumstances (such as when a logger is climbing a tree and his rope keeps getting stuck).
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Some scenes of social drinking.

More on Heli-Loggers

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the appeal of the many "dangerous job" shows on TV. What's so fascinating about getting a glimpse of these dangerous jobs? Do you think these shows are more or less realistic than other reality series? Families can also dicuss whether the danger described in the show is as immediate as the show makes it sound. Ask your kids if they think the work is less perilous than described -- or could the opposite be true, and the narration is softening things up? If so, why would the producers choose to do that?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Getting big trees out of old forests takes precise work by people who aren't afraid of heights -- or helicopters. In HELI-LOGGERS, specialist logging experts climb huge trees, cut the tops off, and then cut the bottoms so that another, bigger helicopter can come in and haul the trees away.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

The show is competently made, and the loggers themselves get in on the action, taking shots from the tops of trees. They're clearly conscious of the fact that their method is a more environmentally friendly way to harvest wood -- but they also swear a lot and give each other tree-sized grief as they go.

Overall, while the show is impressive looking, you don't get to know the loggers very well. And without "characters" to care about, dramatic landscapes and potential danger doesn't really make for much of a show beyond one or two episodes.

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-14
Network: TLC
Cast: Gord Closson
Genre: Reality TV
Where to watch: TLC

This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
 
 

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
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