Dirty Jobs[1][2] is a program on the Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television, in which host Mike Rowe is shown performing difficult, strange, disgusting, or messy occupational duties alongside the typical employees. The show premiered with three pilot episodes in November 2003. It returned as a series on July 26, 2005, and ended on September 12, 2012, with a total of 169 episodes spanning eight seasons. The series returned on July 7, 2020, with a spin-off titled Dirty Jobs: Rowe'd Trip.
The original series returned on January 2, 2022.[3]
Revisit of dirty jobs involving insects: exterminator ("Vexcon"), crab fisherman ("Vexcon"), honey harvester ("Sludge Cleaner"), bee exterminator ("Bio-Diesel Man"), worm rancher ("Worm Dung Farmer"), bat guano collector ("Bat Cave Scavenger"), bat rehabilitator ("Bat Cave Scavenger")
20
11
"Dirtiest Tools & Machines"
January 3, 2006 (2006-01-03)
Revisit of dirty jobs involving machines: house mover ("Hot Tar Roofer"), tire recycler ("Shrimper"), demolition worker ("Sewer Inspector"), scrap metal recycler ("Chimney Sweeper"), golf ball diver ("Roadkill Cleaner"), hot tar roofer ("Hot Tar Roofer")
21
12
"Super Dirty"
January 3, 2006 (2006-01-03)
Revisit of dirtiest jobs: disaster cleanup crew member ("Sewer Inspector"), septic tank technician ("Worm Dung Farmer"), sewer inspector ("Sewer Inspector"), sludge recycler ("Sludge Cleaner"), fish gutter ("Bat Cave Scavenger"), charcoal maker ("Micro-Algae Man")
2-hour special: U. S. Army mechanic (Wheel Vehicle Mechanic School, Bravo Company, 187th Ordnance Battalion, Fort Jackson), pig shaver, answering viewer mail, behind-the-scenes, outtakes, montage: Mike and animals, and world premiere of "Dirty Jobs Anthem".
Return visit to alligator farm from "Alligator Farmer" episode: egg collecting, West Nile virus testing, and release of alligators. While filming the release of the alligators, the air boat carrying the film crew flips.
The Dirty Jobs crew take a Royal Caribbean cruise and reflect on their dirtiest episodes while being pampered aboard the ship.
64
10
"150th Dirty Job Extravaganza"
October 23, 2007 (2007-10-23)
2-hour special: Yak and bison rancher (shown again in 2008 on Animal Barber episode), outtakes, celebration of 150 dirty jobs milestone at the San Francisco recycling center with top 10 viewer's choice dirty jobs: monkey caretaker ("Monkey Caretaker"), mudbug harvester ("Shrimper"), cattle rancher ("Avian Vomitologist"), Lake Erie water snake researcher ("Snake Researcher"), exterminator ("Vexcon" and "Termite Controller"), child of pig farmer ("Casino Food Recycler"), shrimper ("Shrimper"), charcoal maker ("Micro-Algae Man"), shark suit maker ("Jobs That Bite... Harder"), and cow hoof trimmer ("Hoof Cleaner") with appearances by airport incinerator operator ("Cave Digger"), reptile handlers ("Snake Wrangler"), candymakers ("Fuel Tank Cleaner"), and wine cave digger ("Cave Digger").
Revisit of jobs involving tight spaces: stripping and painting inside of Mackinac Bridge tower ("Bridge Painter"), replacing pipe underneath house ("Plumber"), KC-135R Stratotanker fuel tank cleaner and boom operator ("Fuel Tank Cleaner"), Stamford hurricane barrier zinc anode changer ("Bell Maker"), storm drain cleaner ("Mushroom Farmer"), cleaning the inside of the boilers of the steam yacht Medea ("Steam Ship Cleaner")
78
24
"Brown Plate Special"
February 26, 2008 (2008-02-26)
Revisit of jobs involving food: Coffee plantation ("Ostrich Farmer"); fish farmer ("Vomit Island Workers"); potato farmer ("Turkey Farmer"); oyster shucker ("Rose Parade Float Dismantler"); boudin sausage maker ("Skull Cleaner"); viewer mail asking about top 10 memorable tastes: ground crab shells ("Vexcon"), geoduck stomach ("Geoduck Farmer"), fish mash (marine mammal rescuer, "Ostrich Farmer"), termite insecticide ("Termite Controller"), tortilla chip from dirty kitchen ("Bio-Diesel Man"), mealworms ("Bat Cave Scavenger"), crawfish ("Shrimper"), cob ("Bio-Diesel Man"), mussels ("Alpaca Shearer"), animal bodily fluids ("Big Animal Vet"); candy maker ("Fuel Tank Cleaner")
Making shampoo from mud, horsecastration (additional footage from large animal veterinarian, "Big Animal Vet"), yak and bison rancher (additional footage from yak and bison ranch, "150th Dirty Job Extravaganza")
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33
"Brown Before Green"
June 16, 2008 (2008-06-16)
Revisit of jobs that are "eco-friendly": geothermal well driller ("Well Digger"), underwater logger ("Chimney Sweeper"), cedar shake and shingle maker ("Buoy Cleaner"), tire recycler ("Shrimper"), truck tire retreading ("Fuel Tank Cleaner"), cob home builder ("Bio-Diesel Man"), Malibu Bay preservation – dam demolition ("Geoduck Farmer"), cave biologist ("Cave Biologist"), bee exterminator ("Bio-Diesel Man"), exotic insect breeder ("Bug Breeder")
Revisit of jobs that are "eco-friendly": Garbage collector ("Chinatown Garbage Collector"), incinerator for trash from international flights ("Cave Digger"), garbage removal from sinkhole ("Wind Farm Technician"), recycling Mississippi River barge ("Steel Mill Worker"), cleaning up diesel spill ("Ice Salvage Crew"), removing underground fuel oil storage tank ("Big Animal Vet"), demolishing a mobile home ("Mannequin Factory"), making a home energy efficient by improving insulation ("Turkey Inseminator"), making shampoo from mud ("Animal Barber"), wind turbine generator technician ("Wind Farm Technician"), roadkill collector ("Roadkill Cleaner"), Mackinac Island horse manure and garbage removal/composting ("Wild Goose Chase")
Breeding and training Alaskan Huskies as sled dogs with Martin Buser; revisit of dirty jobs in Alaska: Bird ringing common terns and Canada geese ("Abandoned Mine Plugger"), fishing and processing of fish ("Floating Fish Factory"), cleaning up diesel spill in Dutch Harbor, Alaska ("Ice Salvage Crew"), incinerating toilet cleaner ("Bologna Maker"). The mail bag portion was taped at the Soo Locks on the floor of the MacArthur Lock in front of the upstream bulkheads.
Revisit and additional footage of jobs involving safety situations: sewer inspector ("Sewer Inspector"), NASA Crawler-transporter lubricator ("Bridge Painter"), billboard installer ("Billboard Installer"), tarring the rigging of Star of India ("Tar Rigger"), reptile handler ("Snake Wrangler"), shark suit tester ("Jobs That Bite... Harder"), U. S. Army mechanic ("100th Dirty Job Special"), job stopped by concerns of United States Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Safety on board a ship clearing debris from waterways, building and installing rooftop water tower ("Dirty Jobs of the Big Apple"), cave biologist ("Cave Biologist"), Mackinac Bridge maintenance worker ("Bridge Painter")
Bone black manufacturer; (Maedel) twin sister fan's dirtiest jobs list: charcoal maker ("Micro-Algae Man"), coal miner ("Coal Miner"), disaster cleanup crew member ("Sewer Inspector"), cleaning the inside of the boilers of the steam yacht Medea ("Steam Ship Cleaner"), waste water sewage plant ("Turkey Farmer")
129
20
"Tight Spaces 2"
February 16, 2010 (2010-02-16)
Second revisit of jobs involving tight spaces: inspecting abandoned mineshaft ("Abandoned Mine Plugger"), concrete truck cleaner ("Termite Controller"), cleaning a buoy ("Buoy Cleaner"), cleaning grinder sump pump on fish processing ship ("Floating Fish Factory"), cleaning elevator shaft ("Dirty Jobs of the Big Apple"), aerial tram maintenance ("Aerial Tram Greaser"), inspecting the inside of a bowsprit ("Tar Rigger"), welding inside a rotary kiln ("Egg Farm"), cleaning inside of lauter tun ("Chick Sexers"), cleaning walnut cleaner ("Goose Down Plucker"), cleaning inside guar gum holding tank ("Aerial Tram Greaser"), changing main shaft packing on water turbine ("Rocky Reach Dam")
130
21
"Crew Unemployment"
February 23, 2010 (2010-02-23)
Behind the scenes focusing on the crew of Dirty Jobs
131
22
"The Dirty Truth"
June 14, 2010 (2010-06-14)
Discovery Channel 25th Anniversary special, revisit of 25 jobs with respect to lessons learned about jobs: potato farmer ("Turkey Farmer"), CowPots maker ("Poo Pot Maker"), salvaging truck from bottom of lake ("Ice Salvage Crew"), making a home energy efficient by improving insulation ("Turkey Inseminator"), blood worm digger ("Penguin Keeper"), removing chewing gum from sidewalks ("Pig Farmer"), breeding mosquitoes ("Mosquito Control Officer"), owl vomit collector ("Avian Vomitologist"), oyster shucker ("Rose Parade Float Dismantler"), boxing potato chips ("Dirty Chip Maker"), stacking bricks ("Cranberry Farmer"), sorting cloth diapers ("Diaper Cleaner"), baseball rubbing mud ("Bat Cave Scavenger"), large animal veterinarian ("Big Animal Vet"), crawfish trapper ("Shrimper"), fireworks maker ("Fireworks Technician"), logging with mules ("Mule Logger"), wine barrel maker ("Mule Logger"), shelling blue crab ("Vexcon"), catching feral chickens ("Chicken Busters"), castrating lambs with additional footage ("Sheep Castrator"), working on a dairy farm ("Dairy Cow Midwife"), cleaning up diesel spill ("Ice Salvage Crew"), transplanting a saguaro ("Maggot Farmer"), exterminator ("Vexcon")
Revisit of jobs related to the holidays: baggage handler ("Cave Digger"), winemaker ("Wine Maker"), gourd maker ("Gourd Maker"), cranberry harvesting ("Cranberry Farmer"), turkey artificial insemination ("Turkey Inseminator"), turkey farmer ("Turkey Farmer"), goose tagging ("Wild Goose Chase"), reindeer farmer ("Reindeer Farm"), pipe organ specialist ("Geoduck Farmer"), camel ride ("Camel Rancher"), fireworks maker ("Fireworks Technician"), Rose Parade float dismantler ("Rose Parade Float Dismantler")
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12
"Dirty Conversations"
December 21, 2010 (2010-12-21)
Revisit and additional footage of dirty conversations with guests, Carolyn and Marilyn Maedel,[14] the twin sisters from Mackinac Island ("Bone Black"): cranberry jam maker ("Cranberry Farmer"), exterminators ("Vexcon"), mud shampoo maker ("Animal Barber"), bird food maker ("Spider Pharm"), alpaca spinner ("Alpaca Shearer"), goose down plucker ("Goose Down Plucker"), U. S. Army mechanic ("100th Dirty Job Special"), penguin keeper ("Penguin Keeper"), special effects artist ("Special Effects Artist"), bird wrangler ("Casino Food Recycler"), decorating designer ("Glass Maker"), cheese maker ("Cheese Maker"), toilet recycler ("Toilet Crusher"), barbecue chef ("Big Animal Vet"), avian vomitologist ("Avian Vomitologist"), slime eel separator ("Cave Biologist")
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13
"Date Palm Pollinator"
December 28, 2010 (2010-12-28)
Viewer mail about Mike shooting guns, additional footage from Père David's deer capture ("Animal Relocator"); pollinatingdate palms; viewer mail about Mike's most frustrating moment, granite cutting
Revisit and additional footage of dirty conversations hosted at the home of Bob Comes ("Pig Farmer"): jelly bean maker ("Blueberry Connoisseur"), handmade blueberry pie ("Blueberry Connoisseur"), shoeshiner ("Scrapple Maker"), treating head lice ("Hair Fairy"), dyeing shirts with red dirt from Kauai ("Marble Maker"), bird ringing common terns and Canada geese ("Abandoned Mine Plugger"), bird conservation ("Vomit Island Workers"), changing main shaft packing and oil on water turbine ("Rocky Reach Dam"), Mackinac Island horse manure and garbage removal/composting ("Wild Goose Chase"), twins Carolyn and Marilyn Maedel ("Dirty Conversations"), capturing two Père David's deer for transport ("Animal Relocator"), rum distiller ("Rum Distiller"), making vellum from goat skin ("Vellum Maker"), animal acupuncture ("Fish Squeezer"), barbershop ("Barber's Assistant"), crew member and guest quizzes ("Bug Detective", "Scrapple Maker", "Horse Tester", "Barber's Assistant")
Mike Rowe and the crew tour the California coast in a recreational vehicle reminiscing about previous infrastructure related Dirty Jobs episodes. Mike interviews Kevin Reski, owner of Great Plains Towers in North Dakota who was in the 2012 episode titled "Tower Top Hand" and Lawrence Jackson III who is a sanitation worker in the San Francisco Chinatown district and was in the 2005 episode titled "Chinatown Garbage Collector".
Mike works his hardest construction job yet. He helps a team of rodbusters, who carry 2 tons of reinforced steel each for overpass construction. Next, Mike combats the ruination of rust by galvanizing infrastructural steel in an 850-degree zinc bath.
Mike Rowe joins a fourth-generation fisherman's crew in Georgia as they harvest cannonball Jellyfish for food, a trade known as "Jellyballing." Then Mike helps a father-son team install epoxy flooring at a restaurant in time for the dinner rush.
Mike visits a ship-building community in Coden, Alabama, to learn the ins-and-outs of building a tugboat, from tight spaces to complex algebra. Then he makes a long climb to the top of a dirty water tower in Magee, Mississippi, to clean inside the tank.
Mike sucks rocks off an industrial roof with a massive vacuum. He then travels to the Black Hills to carve the largest monument in the world: Crazy Horse. Both stories involve several generations working together to pass on their life's ambitions.
Mike Rowe crams into a hockey arena's escalator where he scrapes and cleans a special kind of shmutz from the bottom. Then, he and a zoo keeper venture into the hot, treacherous Arizona desert at night to round up neurotoxic stinging scorpions.
Mike Rowe trains as a trauma surgeon using hyper-realistic scenarios and specialized equipment to learn under simulated battlefield conditions. He then controls an invasive mess of iguanas which are posing health risks to humans on the Florida coast.
Season 10 (2022–23)
No. in series
No. in season
Title
Original air date
U.S. viewers
180
1
"Pool Fixer / Hotel Soap Recycler"
December 11, 2022 (2022-12-11)
N/A
Mike heads to West Palm Beach, Florida to join a family business while they replace the vinyl liner in a swimming pool that has not been cleaned in 15 years. Then, Mike drives inland to Orlando, Florida, where he helps Clean The World recycle secondhand hotel soap that is distributed to people in need.
181
2
"Feral Cat Fixer / Reaper Keeper"
December 18, 2022 (2022-12-18)
N/A
Mike Rowe helps cat ladies of northern Texas to fix a clowder of feral cats at a spay/neuter facility. Mike feels the burn as he processes peppers with the mad scientist inventor of the Carolina Reaper, the hottest pepper in the world.
182
3
"Pile Jacketer / Concrete Cleaner"
January 1, 2023 (2023-01-01)
N/A
In an episode full of broken promises, Mike performs two jobs he has sworn off forever: diving and concrete. For his first gig, Mike finds a dilapidated bridge near Pensacola, Florida. Meeting a group of divers who find solutions to such problems, he hops waist-deep into the mucky river with them to reinforce the crumbling infrastructure. The day's work should add another 40 years onto the bridge's life. On his second job, Mike meets a crew of concrete fanatics in Charlotte, North Carolina. These guys willingly jump into a pit full of concrete washout. Their work - separating the solids and revitalizing the water.
183
4
"Caviar Harvester / Spice Maker"
January 8, 2023 (2023-01-08)
N/A
Mike goes for the waterways of America. First he heads to Clarksville, Missouri where he lends a hand onboard the Hillbilly Deluxe at catching shovelhead sturgeon to harvest Show-Me caviar. Part two of the episode has Mike at J.O. Spice Co. in Mike's hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. Here Mike rectifies an OLD mistake as he blends Maryland's most popular crab seasoning.
184
5
"Baghouse Cleaner / Biochar Maker"
January 15, 2023 (2023-01-15)
N/A
Mike finds himself in Charlotte, North Carolina, where there is a unique job at an asphalt plant. Mike joins the plant's crew for a Baghouse Party: cleaning out the massive filtration system (baghouse) keeping employees and the environment safe. Mike then helps an entrepreneur in Berthoud, Colorado turn useless, beetle-eaten timber into a resource with an intensely high carbon count and many beneficial uses.
185
6
"Deer Urine Farmer / Necropsy"
January 22, 2023 (2023-01-22)
N/A
In Anna, Illinois, Mike discovers feces from a new species as he collects and bottles the freshest farm-raised deer urine on the market sold to hunters looking to bag a buck. Near his hometown of Baltimore, in Oxford, Maryland, Mike dives elbow-deep into a recently deceased bottlenose dolphin as he assists in performing a necropsy to determine the cause of the creature's misfortune.
186
7
"Manhole Rehab / Clock Caretaker"
January 29, 2023 (2023-01-29)
N/A
Traveling below Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Mike descends into an aging manhole, stops the sewage, and sprays a life extending coating on the walls. Then, just down the street from The Capitol, Mike repairs one of the oldest working clocks in the country at a prep school in the nation's capital.
187
8
"Beaver Relocator / Slime Master"
February 5, 2023 (2023-02-05)
N/A
Mike saves municipal infrastructure and positively affects the local ecosystems as he traps, treats and relocates urban nuisance beavers back into the mountains of Utah. In Santa Fey Springs, California, Mike meets the folks behind the slime, yes THAT slime, and gets gooey with glue as he enters the world behind Hollywood's special effects.