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Parents' Guide to

Dukes of Haggle

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Southern barter reality show teaches history; some cursing.

TV Discovery Channel Reality TV 2013
Dukes of Haggle Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

DUKES OF HAGGLE is a reality series that follows trading teams from an underground barter community on the back roads of Appalachia. It stars veteran barterer Gene Roberts and his novice sidekick Robert Price, friends Fred Ford and Andy King, traders Jimmy Sandzik and Nicki Rhodes. Picker Ron Boudreaux, a city guy from New Orleans, is also featured. The teams scour junk yards, flea markets, and other locations for big ticket items they can fix up, trade, or auction off at the Neal Auction house every Friday night. Throughout it all, they discuss the history and value of the items they uncover. From a unique Civil War sword and a Prohibition-era keg-erator, to a 10-foot wooden corn cob, these folks show how it is possible to get what you want and need if you can recognize a diamond in the rough, and if you know how to wheel and deal.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Dukes of Haggle offers an interesting look at how old barter-and-trade traditions are being revived in order to survive the cash-strapped economy. It shows how minor details of a seemingly worthless item can potentially reveal its historic (and therefore monetary) value. It also highlights some of the negotiating techniques individual barterers will use to make a trade, and the occasional mistakes they make when trying to restore items.

The barterers' colorful personalities, combined with the mild excitement generated by the Friday night bidding wars, create some entertaining moments. Some of the weird things they try to trade might also get you chuckling. But in the end, it reminds us that sometimes taking an educated risk pays off, and that doing things the old-fashioned way can lead to surprisingly positive results.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the popularity of shows that feature people buying and selling old, used, or just plain weird stuff. What is it about them that make them appealing? Do they teach people how to recognize valuable goods? Are the negotiations that take place on camera real, or are they just being played up for the cameras?

  • Are stereotypes ever appropriate to use when describing a person or group of people? Even if a person is using it to describe him/herself?

TV Details

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