Doomsday Preppers
Years ago I watched the pilot episode of Doomsday Preppers, Up until recently, yesterday, I had not bothered to watch another episode. I got to thinking that maybe I was judging the show unfairly and decided to watch a few episodes and make an informed decision. I watched most of two episodes, most because I lost interest in one and saw too much crazy on the other one. I’ll break down what I don’t like about the show and why it’s bad for us as a community.
Being too Specific
When people ask me why I prep I usually respond with I like to be prepared. Prepared for what? Anything and everything I can be. The people in the show are all preparing for a very specific singular event. Being that specific leads to a lot of holes in your preps. If all your preps are built towards one specific disaster it leaves you wide open to everything else. While you can’t be prepared for everything by generalizing your preps you maximize your preparedness for a wider range of disasters. For example food storage, money, med supplies etc will help you in any situation. You always have to eat. You do not always need a chem suit, a bunker and what not.
Too Extreme
The people on these shows are way too extreme. They solve simple problems with extreme solutions. In one episode the family was running out of room in their home for all the preps they had. The solution they came up with is to have a bunker built into their suburban backyard. A yard I saw more grass in than garden or any garden for that matter. To pay for that bunker they had to make serious life sacrifices. A simple solution would have been build a shed in the backyard. It cost only a few hundred bucks, would solve the space issue and would look completely normal in backyard.
Just Crazy
One couple I saw was worried about civil unrest and violence. They were worried about the government taking their guns away so instead of arming up with gun they decided to make home made throwing stars to fight off mobs of looters. Really that’s the solution they came up with, because the government might take something. Relaying on homemade throwing stars to protect your family is more than crazy it’s plain stupid.
These people come off as scared to me. They let their fear get out of control and rule their lives. I don’t let fear control me. I take comfort in my preps, they are my insurance to let me live my life to the fullest. I don’t walk around paranoid and scared. I know the producers of the show look for the most extreme, crazy people and use creative editing and prompts to get them to sound worse than they are. I also know that these people are the minority. I’ve met a lot of preppers and survivalists and they are some of the most down to earth practical and sane people I’ve met. Now that I’ve given the show a chance I will go back to not watching it, now with reasons to no watch it. I’ve written that show off and any similar ones. I get a few casting emails to be on shows, documentaries and ignore every one of them.
Do you watch Doomsday Preppers? Do you watch another Survivalist show? What do you like/ hate about the shows? Let me know in the comments!
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I saw someplace that when you apply to be on Doomsday Preppers you have to specify exactly what you are prepping for. I am sure the producers screen applicants very carefully in order to get the wackiest ones they can find, as in someone who is willing to make a fool of themselves on national tv. After all, they are trying to entertain not educate.
Thank you for that critique of this TV show… I can proudly say I have NOT seen one episode.
Nor have i ever watched even one episode of ‘Survivor’ for much the same reason.
these reality shows have not much to do with reality at all.
HA! Me neither! I don’t watch TV shows at all. Well, okay, when we had Netflix for a few months I did enjoy and learn from Dual Survival (mostly from Cody Lundin). That lead me to Lundin’s book 98 Degrees which was WAY better than any other short-term survival situation book that I have read. I did enjoy Jericho a few years back when we had Netflix (again just for a few months in the winter) but I kept saying “oh that is so unrealistic” to ever scenario that they presented and played out. But it was still a good show (but in a superficial way). But back to Doomsday Preppers — when I saw the promo’s I was irritated and rolled my eyes about the producers and the people that would actually be filmed for the show.
I’ve watched about 3 seasons worth, hoping it would somehow get better. (rolleyes)I don’t like “DP” because to me. the whole point is to make “all” preppers look ridiculous. No matter what these folks have/or don’t, no matter what they prepping for for and after “PracticalPreppers” gets done tearing them down – theyALWAYS fall back on “experts say the possibility of “x” happening is very remote”. So the sheeple that “may” be watching this train wreck are not so subliminally being talked out of doing any preparing at all. “Oh God no, I don’t want to be one of “them”!!!
Like you, I attempted to watch Doomsday Preppers when it first aired. Needless to say, I didn’t agree with the way the show presented preppers. It seems to me that this is intentionally done to discredit the prepper lifestyle and to make preppers look like a bunch of crazy, tinfoil hat wearing loons. This, of course, only reinforces dependency on government assistance in times of need or disaster, which in turn effectively eliminates people’s ability or desire to remain self-reliant. In short, I see Doomsday Preppers as a vehicle to broadcast misinformation regarding preppers and the prepper mindset/lifestyle designed solely to keep people dependent on government assistance. This show should be avoided at all costs if one wishes to absorb credible information.
I do watch all the survival shows. The Domesday Preppers are very extreme and they do make all preppers look like nuts. I have learned things I can do better and I, also, learn what I don’t want to do. I know I never want to can a meat loaf, got to be the uglest thing on earth, looked like a tumor.
I think to go on TV and share your preps with the world is just dangerous…whether the enemy is the government or the crazy neighbors down the street.
Good point on Doomsday preppers making us all out to look crazy. Also showing your preps on Tv could be dangerous for a variety of reasons. I am pretty public about things but not international tv public and my neighbors don’t know for sure.
I’ve never been happier to not have cable…
Maybe you should consider going on one of those shows so people can see how reasonable people handle things. Your site here informs people. And filming on a seperate location would solve the neighbor issue.
I think Brian hit the nail squarely; I believe the underlying agenda is to marginalize and demonize people who are preparedness minded. One must bear in mind that many of the National Geographic photogs are actually collecting foreign intelligence for one of our more recognizable alphabet agencies so it stands to reason that said agency has some pull with the operation.
I have never watched an episode of “Doomsday Preppers.” It just never really appealed to me, to be honest. I’ve watched “Survivorman” and a bit of “Man vs. Wild” but those, admittedly, are not “prepper” shows. They do offer good advice when in extreme survival situations, however, which is why I tolerate them. “Survivorman” is definitely the more realistic and better of the two.
Personally, I’m an Eagle Scout and I prep because being prepared has been ingrained into me since 2nd grade, when I joined the Cub Scouts. I’m 35 now and understand and appreciate the power and beauty of being properly prepared for any situation. As most of us with common sense, knowledge, and wisdom know, prepping is less about the gear and more about equipping your mind and having a general set of “attack plans” for any number of scenarios that may unfold at any given time. Gear is good, but gear, stockpiles of food, and weapons is not the be-all-end-all of being prepared. Knowing what plants in your area are edible, being able to set traps and snares, and having the skill to build a sturdy shelter, of any size, are just a few of the basic skills necessary.
In short, I think shows like “Doomsday Preppers” are ridiculous and cause more harm than good; if they even have any good qualities about them in the first place.
I think being prepared is wise, but I hate the show DP!
What a bunch of losers, get a life. The sad part is what they are doing to their kids. Just MY take on the show.
Joe
I recall Jack over at http://www.TheSurvivalPodcast.com talking about a conversation he had with the producer at National Geographic who said that the folks on the show might say ‘I’m prepping for general preparedness’ or whatever, and they reply “no, you’re prepping for an EMP”. Also, that the producer directly said ‘I have no integrity, I can’t afford to’.
That said, I watch it because a) I have a morbid curiosity to what kind of freaks they get next and b) you might get some kind of useful info. Few and far between, but a nugget here and there. Of course I already knew how to make homemade throwing stars! 🙂
Mick
I couldn’t agree with this more. I was excited at first about this show until I saw how sickly extreme it was. Most of the people portrayed don’t look like they could survive a 5 mile hike without cardiac arrest. Yet, they think they can out-manouver government troops. The most important prep is yourself. That is just ONE thing that bothers me about the show.
They make you state what you are prepping for…or make you choose. Check out Christopher Nyerges post show interview on YouTube after his show. So pretty much even if you are “sane” they edit and direct the show so that the subjects look insane. They do this not to cast preppers in a bad light but for ratings. Plus too a lot of these people just want to be on TV so they don’t care what is said about them. That being said, I do enjoy the show but take it with a grain of a salt.
My son in law watched a couple of episodes of the Preppers and now considers me to be insane as I am interested in preparedness. I think the producers of that show attempt to portray preppers as strange, loony, and isolated people who are way out of the norm of society. Being prepared is a very intelligent way to live. The goveernment is not going to be there holding your hand in an emergency.
No, but the government will be there right AFTER to ‘save’ all the people who listened to their TV telling them they would always be OK.
And all it will cost is their liberty…
For many doomsday has arrived has their high-valued jobs have disappeared forever for them and their kids. So it’s doomsday–for them. I don’t think in terms of Mad Max time but of an inevitable economic collapse. Investing in gold and silver, building container houses and tiny homes, growing food, going off the energy grid, using nature all good.
Not sure how this Wifi signal maded it thru 100 feet of earth and thru the copper lining of my bunker????
well surprise there’s now an bill that was passed if you have guns the feds will come to your house to confiscate the gun and if u refuse there aloud to shoot you