Best of Backyard Habitat (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)***THIS REVIEW IS OF THE ACTUAL PROGRAM AND NOT THE DVD ITSELF***
The Animal Planet's "Backyard Habitat" is a welcome wealth of invaluable information regarding the animals, insects, and plants used to attract them. A make-over show, its hosts visit a family and amend their backyard so that it can officially be regarded as a (what else?) Backyard Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Hosted by Molly Pesce, who is listed as "a TV personality", and David Mizejewski, a member of the NWF, each episode concerns the couple's, or family's, desire to attract a certain type of insect and/or animals to their yard or garden. This is where the hosts come in, offering their ideas, tips, warnings, etc., on just how to do this. The information provided on the flora and fauna is absolutely fascinating and will provide much opportunity for viewers to jump-start their own attempts at creating a welcoming garden atmosphere. HOWEVER...amongst this fascinating information one must endure its female host, Molly Pesce, whose raspy voice, rapid-fire speech, pushy demeanor, and grating forced laughs, will have some viewers (like us) ready to hit the fast-forward button on the TiVo! She completely overpowers her baby-faced co-host, David Mizejewski, who is much more laidback and a bit soft-spoken; however, just like Molly, he speaks far too quickly. It's almost as if they have a fire to get to sometimes! This is probably as much to do with where they come from as it does with trying to jam-pack as much information as possible within its half-hour time frame. (And, while I can make no certain declarations as to his sexuality, as gay men it's refreshing to see "our own" seemingly represented on-screen, though at no time is there anything overt about him; it's one of those "if it looks like a duck..." things.) It's hard to tell, really, if there's chemistry between he and Pesce, for EVERY SINGLE MOMENT is scripted to death! Unlike, say, BBC's "Ground Force", there isn't a trace of spontaneity, right down to the reactions and questions from those whom our hosts visit (this is especially where Molly's forced laughs come roaring in, and they stick out like that proverbial sore thumb). Also, to be quite frank, Pesce comes off not just pushy but often downright LAZY: we have yet to see the woman do ANYTHING other than work her jaws! Adding insult to injury is a rather disturbing but undeniable feeling of sexism working within the show: when it comes time to do the digging, planting, etc., Molly and the females will go off and chitchat with plant or animal experts while David and the adult male are left to do the grunt work. Why, exactly, is that? Just as bothersome is that the families they visit don't really need much help in their gardens, save for a few plants and a proper breeding house; other than this, this show's hosts, especially Molly, haven't much to do, making Molly seem even LAZIER than she already does! Even more so than Molly Pesce's abrasiveness, laziness, and the show's inherent sexism, is that the producers center SOLELY on people who won't soon be in line for their government cheese; when you're working with, say, a former astronaut who has what appears to be ACRES of land AND a sizable body of water as his "garden", it's hard to get too excited about these "amazing" changes its hosts have supposedly worked. My suggestions for the producers? Find some people who ACTUALLY NEED THE HELP (i.e., those of us in the world not blessed with a half-million dollar home), can the incessant scripted banter (and, if the hosts can't handle it, get different hosts), which leads me to...get rid of Molly Pesce, this so-called "TV personality". She's an irritant, almost enough to make us turn the channel. Appreciate the show for all that you can learn; grit your teeth through much of the rest.

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Backyard Habitat is a half-hour program that shows people how simple it is to attract regional wildlife to their backyard. And now, for the first time on DVD, you can see the BEST of this unique series, all on one disc! Traveling across the country, viewers see through homeowner's eyes the impact one backyard can have on a neighborhood by adding certain indigenous plants, the right water feature and doing simple build projects. Hosts Molly Pesce and National Wildlife Federation s David Mizejewski demonstrate that by welcoming wildlife to your backyard, you are welcoming nature into your life. The show aims to make the planet a better place for animals, one backyard at a time...

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