Monster House
Encyclopedia
Monster House is a Discovery Channel
television program
that documented the themed remodeling of a residence in a five-day time frame. In 2004, the episode "Zen House" was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
for its opening song by composer Dan Mackenzie
.
In early 2006, Discovery Channel announced the show had been canceled and the final episode, titled "Farewell House", aired in February.
, then recruits a team of five or six builders, who almost always do not know each other, to radically remodel any parts of a house (including yards) that the show's producers choose, although the home owner may declare some areas "off-limits". The builders win prize packages of tools, worth thousands of dollars, if the build is completed on time. The build starts on a Monday morning and must be finished by midnight on Friday. Often, the builders will have to get all of the constructing, fabrication, and furniture in place, and the in-show designer (who was not recruited) would finish hanging curtains, place pillows, make the bed, and small decorative touches.
Other than picking the theme, the owners have no say in the design process and only get to see the results, not the progress of the build. The owners live for the week in a recreational vehicle
parked in front of the house. If the owners are caught peeking at the construction, they are "penalized" by Watson in the form of a practical joke
. If the builders fail to meet the deadline, a separate group of "superstar" builders is brought in to complete the effort.
The show has two interesting facets: the outlandish designs and the interactions between the builders. The workers occasionally have personality conflicts. Toward the end of the week, fatigue increases tempers, especially if the build is not going well.
The show originally only remodeled residential houses, but in the third season, expanded to public buildings such as a teachers' lounge of a school, a fire station kitchen, and a police station break room. During the final season, the series regularly employed product placement
by including a bald actor portraying advertising mascot Mr. Clean
who would stand around during the last-minute cleanup jobs and nod approvingly.
Some examples of themes were "Outback House" which had projects like an Uluru
-shaped couch made in foam, and the "New York House" where a steel dining table was shaped like the main span of the Triboro Bridge.
, Monster House currently airs on the Seven Network
's free-to-air
digital channel 7mate
at approximately 11.30am Saturday mornings.
In China
, Monster House currently airs on the RTS's ICS at 7.00pm from Monday to Friday.
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that documented the themed remodeling of a residence in a five-day time frame. In 2004, the episode "Zen House" was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
This is a list of the winning and nominated programs of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
for its opening song by composer Dan Mackenzie
Dan Mackenzie
Dan Mackenzie is an American songwriter-producer.Dan Mackenzie was the composer for the Discovery Channel/Original Production’s Monster House , nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 2004...
.
In early 2006, Discovery Channel announced the show had been canceled and the final episode, titled "Farewell House", aired in February.
Premise
Home owners apply to Monster House to have their houses radically remodeled according to themes they specify, for example dinosaurs, Egypt and gangsters. The show's host, Steve WatsonSteve Watson (actor)
Steve Watson is an American actor. He is most notably known for his role as the host of Discovery Channel's reality program Monster House . He appeared on Ice Road Truckers during the "after" special and currently serves as host of HGTV's Don't Sweat It .-External links:*...
, then recruits a team of five or six builders, who almost always do not know each other, to radically remodel any parts of a house (including yards) that the show's producers choose, although the home owner may declare some areas "off-limits". The builders win prize packages of tools, worth thousands of dollars, if the build is completed on time. The build starts on a Monday morning and must be finished by midnight on Friday. Often, the builders will have to get all of the constructing, fabrication, and furniture in place, and the in-show designer (who was not recruited) would finish hanging curtains, place pillows, make the bed, and small decorative touches.
Other than picking the theme, the owners have no say in the design process and only get to see the results, not the progress of the build. The owners live for the week in a recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
parked in front of the house. If the owners are caught peeking at the construction, they are "penalized" by Watson in the form of a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
. If the builders fail to meet the deadline, a separate group of "superstar" builders is brought in to complete the effort.
The show has two interesting facets: the outlandish designs and the interactions between the builders. The workers occasionally have personality conflicts. Toward the end of the week, fatigue increases tempers, especially if the build is not going well.
The show originally only remodeled residential houses, but in the third season, expanded to public buildings such as a teachers' lounge of a school, a fire station kitchen, and a police station break room. During the final season, the series regularly employed product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
by including a bald actor portraying advertising mascot Mr. Clean
Mr. Clean
Mr. Clean is a brand name fully owned by Procter & Gamble. It is used for a cleaning solution and related products, and as "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser", for a melamine foam cleaner.-History:...
who would stand around during the last-minute cleanup jobs and nod approvingly.
Episodes
In all, sixty houses or other buildings were remodeled over 3 seasons. Six episodes have been produced under the "Monster House: Revisited" banner; these episodes were just re-runs of the original episode with an added interview of the homeowners some time after the build was completed. The first episode "Race Car House" premiered June 2, 2003, and the final episode "Farewell House" was aired on February 27, 2006.Some examples of themes were "Outback House" which had projects like an Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
-shaped couch made in foam, and the "New York House" where a steel dining table was shaped like the main span of the Triboro Bridge.
International Broadcasts
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Monster House currently airs on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
digital channel 7mate
7mate
7mate is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010.The network stated that 7mate would contain sport and regular programs aimed primarily at a male audience, with programming drawn from a combination of new...
at approximately 11.30am Saturday mornings.
In China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Monster House currently airs on the RTS's ICS at 7.00pm from Monday to Friday.