Originally Posted by MS Fowler

I find the family "tension" in shows of this sort a little put up. Remember the biker-building family where the guys were always on the verge of a fight? How about the Boyington Hot Rod show where you could always count on some sort of manufactured crisis? Then there is Ice Road Trucker, now Pawn Wars.
I like many of the shows' content, but the trumped up emotionalism doesn't contribute to the appeal--at least for me. ( If the arguments are not manufactured then History Channel finds the most dysfunctional families on the planet. I prefer a little more emotional maturity for my TV viewing.)