Following the success of the three pilots, Dirty Jobs was greenlit for a first season. The episodes from season one are listed below.
1 - Chinatown Garbage Collector | Originally Aired on July 26, 2005
Learn how some of your discarded scraps are turned into fine wine.
2 - Sewer Inspector | Originally Aired on August 2, 2005
Mike braves the cockroach- and rat-infested sewers of San Francisco as part of his latest gig.
3 - Pig Farmer | Originally Aired on August 9, 2005
Things get really messy in Iowa as Mike learns the fine art of pig insemination.
4 - Chick Sexer | Originally Aired on August 16, 2005
Mike takes an “egg-cellent” vacation to the Murray McMurray Hatchery for a little chicken sex ed.
5 - Vexcon | Originally Aired on August 23, 2005
Mike joins forces with the Vexcon Pest Control group for an all-out assault on a home ruled by cockroaches.
6 - Sludge Cleaner | Originally Aired on August 30, 2005
Mike wades into a greasy pit of sludge to help an environmental company recycle some gunky grime.
7 - Hot Tar Roofer | Originally Aired on September 27, 2005
Mike lands on a church rooftop and learns how to melt down chunks of black tar for roof repair.
8 - Ostrich Farmer | Originally Aired on October 4, 2005
On an ostrich farm, Mike learns to feed, water and collect eggs from these dirty, prehistoric-looking beasts – all while trying to protect himself from their vicious kicks! Plus, learn how the messy process of harvesting coffee beans yields great-tasting java.
9 - Cheese Maker | Originally Aired on October 11, 2005
In Cheese Maker, watch as Mike teams up with some Vermont cheese-lovers to turn 4,000 gallons of milk into world famous cheese. Then, discover how to cook up an authentic spa mud bath – using volcanic ash.
10 - Shrimper | Originally Aired on October 18, 2005
Mike climbs aboard a shrimp boat in South Carolina to help the department of natural resources determine when this year’s shrimping season will begin. After getting a quick lesson in the tricks of the trade, it’s on to the messy business of actually catching the little critters. Then, in North America’s largest swamp, Mike learns how to catch crawfish – but soon finds himself wading through the muck when his boat gets stranded.
11 - Bio-Diesel Man | Originally Aired on October 25, 2005
Mike finds himself in the kitchen of a Mexican restaurant, cleaning out the deep fryer. His greasy goal? To turn the used cooking oil from a thousand tacos into viable fuel. Along the way, he learns how to make his car run on the disgusting gunk.
12 - Micro-Algae Man | Originally Aired on November 1, 2005
Mike Rowe goes to Hawaii to work at a pharmaceutical plant that specializes in growing green algae for the purpose of harvesting an antioxidant known as astaxanthin.
13 - Chimney Sweeper | Originally Aired on November 8, 2005
Mike Rowe learns the tricks of the trade at the Chimney Sweeping Safety Institute. He travels to Canada to dive into the frigid water for sunken logs which will be made into expensive furniture. Mike’s hired by a scrap metal recycling plant to sort cans.
14 - Dirtiest Animals | Originally Aired on December 13, 2005
Mike revisits some of his old jobs: pig farmer, baby chicken sexer, pet groomer, horse breeder, ostrich farmer.
15 - Dirtiest Water Jobs | Originally Aired on December 20, 2005
Mike revisits some of his old jobs: shark catcher/tagger, golf ball diver, oyster harvester, crawfish catcher, catfish noodler, shrimper.
16 - Creepy Critters | Originally Aired on December 27, 2005
Mike revisits some of his old jobs: exterminator, crab fisherman, honey harvester, bee exterminator, worm rancher, bat guano collector.
