If you have some spare time, check out this new blog entry from Peggy Rowe, Mike’s mother.

Now, Woman’s Day is teaming up with Mike and the crew to give away 25 prize packs to some very lucky individuals. Twenty-five lucky winners will receive a Dirty Jobs™ Heavy-Duty cleaning products prize package that consists of one of each of the following Dirty Jobs™ Heavy-Duty products: De-greaser; Complete Stain Remover; All-Purpose Cleaner with Bleach; Laundry Spot & Stain Re-mover; Bathroom Cleaner with Bleach and a Bathroom Foaming Cleaner.

For more information on each product and how to enter the giveaway, check out Woman’s Day.com.

For more information on Dirty Jobs Complete, check out the official website at http://www.getdirtyjobs.com.

In a totally unscripted format, Dirty Jobs is a gauntlet of danger, fear, and humiliation, steadfastly endured by our intrepid host. Rowe assumes the duties of the job in question and works alongside Sewer Inspector, Zoo Poop Picker Uppers, Road Kill Collectors, Chinatown Garbage collector, Pig farmer… Average folks doing extraordinary work that simply must get done. Rowe is a tremendously good sport, and a perfect conduit between worker and viewer. His interactions are both earnest and ironic, and the results are enlightening, horrifying, hilarious, and very, very, real. In the end, viewers are left with an appreciation for hard working people, and a better understanding of what it takes to tackle tough jobs. No one will watch these segments and say, “That’s a job I’d like to try,” but everyone will be glad that somebody else is doing them.

Click the box-art for more info on the DVD and to pre-order it directly from Discovery Channel’s store.

Are there other shows that you know came from a Dirty Jobs idea? Do you guys get credit for that? – Anita L

Hi Anita,

I talked to a reporter the other day who observed that Dirty Jobs launched an entire genre of cable programming. That might be a bit grand, but it’s not crazy. Back in 2003, when I first pitched the idea, there was nothing like Dirty Jobs on the air. (Monster Garage however, had proven that a hit show could actually take place in a garage, but there was really not much in the way of workplace/reality.) Deadliest Catch evolved at about the same time as Jobs, and I would agree that those two shows were instrumental in getting networks and programmers to think differently about what was possible in this space. By 2006, every cable network was openly looking for “the next Dirty Jobs,” and the attempts to duplicate the show were everywhere. Today, we have Mudcats, Swamp Loggers, Swamp People, Swamp Brothers, Rajun Cajuns, Killer Shrimp, Lobster Wars, Gold Rush, Bering Sea Gold, Ax Men, Ice Road Truckers, Black Gold, and maybe fifty other shows that were motivated by a segment first seen on Dirty Jobs. I’ve also heard the executives from shows like Pawn Stars and American Pickers reference Jobs when asked about the evolution of those shows, and many others. Ultimately, I would agree that the cable landscape would look very different had Dirty Jobs not come about. However, I’ll happily forgo any “credit” for that, in exchange for accepting none of the blame…

Mike

Very true, but that last line was what made me laugh. Mike clearly takes a little swipe at the explosion of mediocre reality shows that have sprung up in recent years.

Recently Caterpillar and Mike did a little video (shown below) where they announced they are seeking Caterpillar equipment owners to submit a video of why and how Caterpillar makes their job easier and thus their community better.

Using words, photos or video, explain how the work you do makes your community a better place. If your story gets the most votes, Mike Rowe and the Caterpillar team will come to town to throw your whole crew a party.

You can learn more about this contest here.

It wasn’t long before Dirty Jobs producer Dave Barsky posted a comment assuring us the show would be back.

Today, Discovery announced several new shows and confirmed the return of Dirty Jobs, among others. Unfortunately, Discovery hasn’t set a specific date for the show’s return.

Here’s the full press release:

DISCOVERY UNVEILS 2012-13 UPFRONT SLATE

Landmark History Events, Epic Natural History Specials, Bold New Series and Returning Favorites

(New York, NY) – Taking audiences into unknown worlds, providing unprecedented access and igniting curiosity with a range of extraordinary people and places, Discovery Channel announced its 2012-2013 Upfront slate highlighted by landmark history event specials, epic natural history programming, bold new series and hit returning favorites.

“Last year was a record setting year for Discovery. In 2012 we have already delivered double digit audience increases and we focusing on an Upfront programming slate that is revealing, provocative and fearless,” said Eileen O’Neill, president of Discovery Channel and TLC Networks.

The highlights of Discovery Channel’s 2012-13 Upfront schedule include the following:

SPECIALS

NORTH AMERICA

Sweeping across some of the most diverse landscapes on the planet, NORTH AMERICA takes viewers from the silent grandeur of lofty snowcapped peaks to fertile forests and dramatic windswept coasts. The continent’s unique geography creates some of the most extreme weather on the planet. Wild animals living in these astonishing and sometimes brutal habitats must be fiercely resilient – sharing that human spirit the continent is known for. From jaguars to spinner sharks, wolves that fish to wolverines high in the mountains, this is NORTH AMERICA.

THE GATEKEEPERS

From the acclaimed filmmaking team of brothers Gedeon and Jules Naudet (9/11, In God’s Name), Peabody Award-winning news producer Chris Whipple (60 Minutes, ABC News) and Pulitzer Prize winning White House photographer David Hume Kennerly comes an unprecedented series looking at the key moments, the quiet conversations, back room bargains and heated debates that made history and have never been heard before until now. Called the world’s second toughest job – and also the world’s worst, the White House chiefs of staff translate the presidents’ policies into reality – or disaster. They are the inside eyewitnesses to history, and the confidants with whom the president, and the first lady, share their secrets. THE GATEKEEPERS spans nine administrations with interviews from former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush and former chiefs of staff including Rahm Emanuel, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, James A. Baker III, Ken Duberstein, John Sununu and Mack McLarty.

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN REVISITED

Discovery Channel and award-winning actor/director Robert Redford present a landmark television event looking back at Watergate – the original game changer of America politics. How has Watergate changed the Presidency? What effect has the scandal had on our political leaders? And has hope and optimism forever been replaced in our national dialogue by doubt and cynicism? 2013 marks 40 years since 1973 – Watergate’s most pivotal year. Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein doggedly investigated the scandal exposing the long, twisted trail of cover-ups and lies. In ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN REVISITED, Redford, who famously portrayed Woodward in the iconic 1976 film All the President’s Men, returns to the scandal that broke all the rules of press and politics, brought down a President and changed the country forever.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD

A global television event with spectacular images, compelling characters and gripping stories HISTORY OF THE WORLD brings the whole of human history to life. A breathtaking journey through time, re-visiting the major turning points of 20,000 years of history from the ancient China to the Aztec empire; from African tribes to European wars; from religious upheaval to the Industrial Revolution.

SHARK WEEK

Everybody loves SHARK WEEK. Every summer they return, slashing through a sea of competition to rack up new ratings successes. Grab your scuba gear and climb into the cage, because it’s time for SHARK WEEK! Great whites. Hammerheads. Whale sharks. This consistent audience pleaser never fails to reveal remarkable new insights into these magnificent and elusive creatures.

AMELIA EARHART

One of the last great mysteries of the 20th century … join the exclusive expedition to finally find out what happened to the fames aviator.

OSAMA: A HISTORY

From award-winning author Mark Bowden – the story of the man who would forever change geopolitics and the world we live in.

AREA 51

What was really going on within the secretive Roswell New Mexico sector known as Area 51 – a revealing history of aliens and alien cover-ups in America.

RETURNING SERIES

GOLD RUSH

Friday night’s number one show in all of television GOLD RUSH returns for a brand new season of risk and riches. Can someone still make it in America? Down-on-their-luck men, in the face of an economic meltdown, risk everything to strike it rich mining for gold in Alaska. Inspired by his father Jack, Todd Hoffman leads his team of miners hoping the mother lode awaits deep in the Klondike.

BERING SEA GOLD

Nome, Alaska: Every summer, as the glacial ice melts around this frozen and isolated port, a handful of fortune seekers hunt for gold in the most unlikely of places: the bottom of the Bering Sea. From the producers of the Emmy-winning DEADLIEST CATCH comes a new season of BERING SEA GOLD – Discovery’s breakout hit of 2011. Meet the salty and eccentric characters who spend hours on the rocky, frigid ocean floor, hunting gold from custom built, sometimes barely seaworthy rigs. From the desperate to the diabolical, the Nome gold fleet takes on all comers, the brutal Bering Sea does the rest.

DEADLIEST CATCH

Alaskan crab-wranglers fight the most dangerous working conditions, including 40-foot waves and 80-mile-per-hour winds, in the gripping 10-part series DEADLIEST CATCH. Far in the Bering Sea’s frigid waters, 250 boats tempt fate and nature in “The Last Rodeo” season trying to bring in a season’s catch of the highly coveted and lucrative Alaskan king crab.

FLYING WILD ALASKA

In the wildest regions of Northern Alaska, the only way in — and the only way out — is by bush plane. It’s a world of dangerous weather, harsh conditions and small communities bonded by native customs, whose very survival depends on air travel. Here, the Tweto family operates Alaska’s largest regional airline, Era Alaska. The Twetos – husband Jim, wife Ferno and their daughters Ariel and Ayla — return for the second season of FLYING WILD ALASKA.

AMERICAN CHOPPER

What was once a family business is now a family feud. All bets are off for what new fireworks await in AMERICAN CHOPPER: SENIOR VS. JUNIOR. Paul Senior builds world famous custom bikes at Orange County Choopers while Paul Junior operates his competing shop, Paul Jr. Designs, just a stone’s throw down the road, with brother Mikey and former OCC employees firmly by his side. Will the family be made whole again? And what new out of this world build assignments will they take on to stretch their teams creatively and mechanically?

ALASKA: THE FINAL FRONTIER

Welcome to the Kilcher family and their isolated community outside Homer, Alaska. The Kilchers, led by patriarch Atz Kilcher, have cultivated and lived on their homestead for four generations. These men and women of the wild live off the land, spending the limited months of summer and fall gardening, hunting and fishing for food, gathering supplies from the land and preparing their animals’ safety in preparation for surviving the harsh Alaskan winters. Most live completely off the grid, with no running water and no electricity – and are proud of it.

DIRTY JOBS

Host and everyman Mike Rowe gets the grimy scoop on downright nasty, but vital, occupations in DIRTY JOBS. Rowe could be processing smelly seafood in a fish factory, collecting bat guano for prized fertilizer or cleaning septic tanks to maintain a fresh-smelling environment. His apprenticeship never ends as he learns from those who keep our world running smoothly.

MOONSHINERS

The monster hit of 2011 is back for a brand new season – MOONSHINERS. Think the days of bootleggers, backwoods stills and “white lightning” are over? Not a chance! It’s a multi-million dollar industry. But perhaps more importantly to the moonshiners, it’s a tradition dating back hundreds of years, passed down to them from their forefathers. It’s part of their history and culture. While this practice is surprisingly alive and well, it’s not always legal. Meet those who brew their shine – often in the woods near their homes using camouflaged equipment – and the local authorities who try to keep them honest.

MYTHBUSTERS

Back and better than ever, MYTHBUSTERS continues its mad scientific quest to discover the truth behind popular myths and urban legends. Hosted by quirky special effects experts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, this mentally tantalizing series takes on the myths and uses modern-day science to show what’s real and what’s fiction.

CURIOSITY

From the visionary mind of Discovery’s iconic founder John Hendricks comes season two of this unprecedented special series. CURIOSITY brings the ‘I wonder?’ moment to television with a unique array of provocative subjects. From the future of robots to the science of plane crashes to unlocking the secrets of Yellowstone’s natural power to the unsolved mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.

DUAL SURVIVAL

The Odd Couple of the Survival! DUAL SURVIVAL takes two survivalists into the most forbidding terrains in the world where they must overcome all obstacles in order to survive using intuitive tactics and finely tuned skills. Finding food, water and shelter are nothing compare their toughest challenge of all: getting along with one another.

AUCTION KINGS

From vampire killing kits and T-Rex fossil teeth, to pink Cadillacs and hot air balloons, each half-hour episode of AUCTION KINGS follows Atlanta auction house owner Paul Brown and his team as they hunt for and sell some of the most unusual items in America. Get to know the sellers, then watch their rarities hit the auction block as Paul and his intrepid crew dazzle bidders for top dollar. AUCTION KINGS is a roller coaster ride filled with thrills and disappointments, where one person’s trash becomes another’s treasure and you never know if it’s buyer or seller who will get the deal.

NEW SERIES

TOP ENGINEER

Who has the right stuff? Discovery takes audiences into the fun and far reaches of science and technology with this world premiere competition series. TOP ENGINEER searches for America’s brightest, boldest, out-of-the-box thinkers and pits them against one another. With innovative solution to the challenges they are tasked with, competing teams are sure to blow minds as well as a few other things along the way.

ONE CAR TOO FAR

It’s all about the drive to survive. What happens when you ‘MacGyver-ize’ a car? In ONE CAR TOO FAR former British Special Forces operative and an American car junkie are dropped into incredible landscapes and forced to work together to survive and ultimately escape to safety. The twist – they will have to take a small red car with them. It’s the perfect combination as one knows how to drive and the other knows how to survive. With no proper roads and no real supplies, the two must rely on instinct and expertise alone to make it out. From the treacherous slopes and near-freezing temperatures of a mountain top, to the wet, dense vegetation of the rainforest, they use whatever supplies they can find to turn a regular car into an all-purpose vehicle to get them over, under and through just about any obstacle in their way.

MARK BURNETT’S ALASKA

From television maestro of reality storytelling, the colorful people, amazing history and unforgettable places that make Alaska a world apart.

FAST AND LOUD

These guys cruise for the classics. Meet self-described “petrol-sexual” motorhead Richard Rawlings and mechanical prodigy Aaron Kaufmann as they search far-flung corners of the country for forgotten and derelict classic cars to restore at their Gas Monkey Garage. Heaps of rust are transformed into gleaming road warriors and sold to the top bidder.

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.4 million U.S. homes, can be seen in over 180 countries, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISAD, DISBD, DISCK) is the world’s number one nonfiction media company, reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
Read more at http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/04/05/discovery-unveils-2012-13-upfront-slate-796500/20120405discovery01/#15ZHBH2pfTQ2tDsv.99

Even Mike’s mother, Peggy, wrote a terrific little article for the special occasion. Like all of her family-related postings, there are some sentimental moments mixed in with some very funny jokes. Peggy’s a terrific writer and I can tell she’s very proud of her boy.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Here’s the full statement:

Amazon.com, Inc. and Discovery Communications today announced a licensing agreement that will allow Amazon Prime members to stream prior seasons of hit series and specials from Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Science and Military Channel, as well as content from the company’s rich, 25-year programming library. Among the programs included in the agreement are Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress and Animal Planet’s Whale Wars, in addition to other titles. Since the 2011 launch of Prime Instant Video, a subscription service of Amazon Instant Video, Amazon has added more than 12,000 titles to bring the total title count to more than 17,000.

“Discovery Communications has always been a leader in creating entertaining and enlightening programming for the entire family,” said Brad Beale, director of video content acquisition for Amazon. “With the addition of this great content from Discovery Communications, Prime customers now have more than 17,000 titles to choose from when watching Prime Instant Video-that’s in addition to the more than 120,000 titles that are offered to all customers for purchase or rent on Amazon Instant Video.”

“Discovery Communications is committed to delighting audiences on all platforms supported by the right business model, and we are pleased to work with Amazon to help satisfy our existing viewers’ curiosity and introduce new audiences to our engaging content,” said Rebecca Glashow, Senior Vice President, Digital Distribution and Partnerships, Discovery Communications. “This library offering will be a wonderful complement to our current array of multi-channel video services and most importantly, a win for viewers.”