- 6 months ago
see more on:
https://realtv.mytvchannel.org/index.html
https://realtv.mytvchannel.org/index.html
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:01My name's Mike Rowe, and this is my job.
00:07I explore the country looking for people who aren't afraid to get dirty.
00:11Does it have to be pigs? What about a school play?
00:14Hard-working men and women who earn an honest living.
00:17You just shot your load. First time that's ever happened.
00:20Doing the kinds of jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us.
00:24Now get ready to get dirty.
00:27What? Coming up on Dirty Jobs.
00:31If you think your job is a pain in the you-know-what, just be glad you don't work at the Morales Ranch.
00:36Is it cactuses or cacti? Technically cacti.
00:39We're getting into thorny situations. Look at this. There's a growing in solid granite rock.
00:44Is the whole point. Just be careful not to prick your finger.
00:48Or finger any spines. If it falls on you, we're just gonna bury you out here.
00:53And later, maggots breed naturally on dead tissue.
00:56But they don't leave it to nature at the Fork Tree Ranch.
00:59Oh, it smells differently than many farms.
01:02It does.
01:03Where filthy fly larvae are a way of life.
01:05They raise millions of maggots here.
01:07And for creatures whose taste runs to decomposing flesh...
01:10These were salmon at one point. The maggots love that.
01:14Fine dining is a relative concept.
01:17With all that protein, they've probably got the squirts.
01:19This isn't sawdust. It's toilet paper.
01:21Yeah, that'd be a good way to put it.
01:24Oh, God.
01:25Where are we?
01:26Congress, Arizona.
01:27Am I following someone?
01:28No, you're leading.
01:29Where are we going?
01:30Uh, that way.
01:31I'm glad we're spending a lot of money on big cars.
01:32We're supposed to have four.
01:33Oh, God.
01:34four wheel drive for this
01:47but no one ever told me that.
01:48Great.
01:49This is silly.
01:51We have this little, tiny car.
01:53As a big, giant crab jet jet ride.
01:55And this is a pipepeople for this.
01:57I'm not an infinite body weight ridling or making up his Formula 3.
02:00We have this little tiny car, this big giant man jammed in it, this is our budget.
02:06When they give you lemons, you make lemonade.
02:09This desert used to be filled with gold.
02:11Now landowners are prospecting their own property for a new kind of treasure.
02:15One that's been hiding right in plain sight.
02:19We're looking for a cactus.
02:23Do you think people will see this and assume that this is actually how TV gets made?
02:30Too small.
02:32Like, you know, kids are watching and going, you know what, this TV thing is the thing for me.
02:37Too pointy.
02:41This is a lot of fun, but this is not how TV usually works.
02:45We may be lost.
02:49Whatever you're seeing here right now, don't think for a moment that that's what's waiting for you.
02:53It isn't.
02:54No, no, no, it's too fruity.
02:56It's too bushy.
02:57It's too skinny.
02:58You're going to be in a horrible studio somewhere.
03:01Working for way less than you ever imagined.
03:04Getting closer.
03:05For people that have half your talent and none of your ability.
03:09I don't want to go on about it.
03:12Because I'm not bitter about the industry that I serve.
03:14I'm just saying.
03:15Mike, can you try to hit that mark where you are?
03:19Sure, I think I'm already on it.
03:20Well, the road will only bring you so far.
03:30The quest for a cactus continues, maybe with a device more suited for it.
03:35This is Dave.
03:36This is DJ.
03:37And you're Dan?
03:38Yep.
03:39And you all are the Moraleses.
03:41Yes.
03:42How big is your ranch?
03:43It's about 15 sections.
03:4515 square miles.
03:46Good grief.
03:47How many acres is that?
03:48Don't know.
03:49You'll have to figure that out.
03:50I'm pretty sure I just drove over all of them.
03:54I mean, everywhere I look I see, is it cactuses or cacti?
03:58Technically, cacti.
04:00Cacti.
04:01But this is not like a cacti ranch.
04:04This is just your property and you just happen to have a bunch of cacti on it.
04:07Yeah, it's a working cattle ranch.
04:09It's been in my family for over a hundred years.
04:11Yeah?
04:12And the cactus subsidized the cow business.
04:14So is the cactus business better than the dairy business right now?
04:17Got to be.
04:20Okay.
04:21So you're selling cactus to local residents for landscaping stuff?
04:26Yeah, and to nurseries for landscaping or we'll sell it to individuals.
04:30I saw a lot of different cacti coming in.
04:33Big ones, short ones, fat ones, skinny ones.
04:35We're looking for the big grown-up ones today.
04:38Yeah, the older ones.
04:39The mature ones.
04:40Which one do you have in mind?
04:41A big saguaro cactus with four arms about 19 feet tall.
04:46Can we go take a look at it so I can just actually get my head around it?
04:49So we can line you out, right?
04:50Yeah, yeah, you got it.
04:51I'm going to follow you.
04:52Actually, I'm going to follow DJ.
04:53No, you know what?
04:54I'm going to follow Dan.
04:55This way we'll have a line.
04:57A line in the desert.
05:04Young saguaros.
05:05This one's probably 80 years old, 80 to 90.
05:08Really?
05:09They have to be at least 10 feet tall before they'll get an arm.
05:12Or very seldom you find one shorter than that with an arm.
05:15Alright, well now I'm starting to get it.
05:16If you want a cactus in your front yard, you can't just plant one.
05:18You'll be dead and gone before the thing grows.
05:20Yeah.
05:21Yeah.
05:22So you've got to find somebody with a ranch and a couple of boys who are willing to take orders and yank them out of the ground.
05:25Yeah.
05:26Sometimes they take orders.
05:27Not so much.
05:28Not always.
05:29Is this the one we're looking at?
05:30The second one on the right.
05:31How old would you say it is?
05:33This one's about 150, 160 years old.
05:37Wow.
05:40160.
05:42So before the Civil War, this is growing here.
05:45Yeah.
05:46That's amazing.
05:47How long will it live?
05:48I don't know.
05:49There's some that are over 200.
05:51It weighs roughly how much?
05:52At least a minimum of 100 pounds a foot.
05:54If it falls on you, we're just going to bury you out here.
05:57We're not going to take you to the hospital or anything.
05:59No, it's just over.
06:00What would kill me, DJ?
06:02Just the pure weight or the pain of having these punji sticks slide through me?
06:08Probably both.
06:09Would you like to show them?
06:10No.
06:11Show me one.
06:12He had a seven foot saguaro on a truck.
06:14The guy backed up when the saguaro was laying on the forks and it rolled onto his back.
06:18No, no.
06:19And down his back and off.
06:21You got cactus scars?
06:22Well, most of them went in real deep and they got skin over them.
06:25Now you can't see them, but I can feel them.
06:26There's a few of you.
06:27He looks like he had the chicken pox real bad.
06:28I hate to ask, but can I look at your back?
06:30There's some there.
06:31Some there.
06:32Everything.
06:33Right, right, right.
06:34All these little bumps are all wear stickers.
06:36There's one in the middle here that hurts.
06:38She just got one two nights ago there.
06:40So how long?
06:41When was this like a year and a half ago?
06:42Yeah.
06:43Saguaro stickers don't soften like other stickers.
06:45They stay hard forever.
06:47I had a nickel for every time.
06:48Well, it doesn't matter.
06:49The point is you got stickers in your back.
06:52Got drilled.
06:53Free acupuncture.
06:54Yeah.
06:55So the truck's going to come up the road, back in.
06:57We're going to dig this up and hopefully just lay it straight down.
07:00Yeah.
07:01Ready?
07:03You don't want to go any faster than the camera crew can run.
07:06Come back in the road.
07:08The Cigaros are taken out by truck and because these giants are fragile, especially their arms, a road of sorts has to be cut to allow a smoother ride.
07:20We're here.
07:21Man, I'm sorry you couldn't feel that, but coming up that road, smooth.
07:38Coming up.
07:39This is custom.
07:40Homemade.
07:41The lift gate pump out of a two ton truck.
07:45The rest of this is scrap steel from one of steel places in Phoenix.
07:48If you want to get into the cactus business, you're going to have to find your own cactus.
07:52Then, invent your own truck to move it with.
07:54Why don't you patent this thing?
07:55Because then everybody would have one.
07:57Cut into my business.
07:58Oh, that's a good point.
07:59And later.
08:00Pink maggots.
08:01Fishermen want pink maggots?
08:02Right.
08:03Is that why there's a little pink in your beard right there?
08:06Pink is the new black.
08:07It's also slimy, disgusting, and eats rotting flesh.
08:10Dennis is a very cosmopolitan maggot farmer.
08:21They say that comedy is when unfortunate things happen to somebody else.
08:25Our crew proves that on almost every job.
08:32Oh, jeez.
08:37Where the hell did that come from?
08:38For it to watch?
08:44It was a pirouette, I think it was.
08:49All right, this is custom.
08:51Homemade.
08:53The lift-gate pump out of a two-ton truck.
08:54out of a two-ton truck.
08:55The rest of this is scrap steel
08:57from one of the steel places in Phoenix.
08:59And I just went and bought leftovers and stuff.
09:02Why don't you patent this thing?
09:03Because then everybody would have one.
09:05Cut into my business.
09:06Oh, that's a good point.
09:07All that dirt's got to be moved.
09:09And then dig down and cut the roots on this side
09:12before we can attach the rig.
09:14So we have a shovel with your name on it.
09:17Great.
09:17How many have we got?
09:19One.
09:19Just the one?
09:20We're feeling sorry for you, Mike,
09:24so we're going to help you a little bit.
09:26Never, ever underestimate the power of pity.
09:30Oh, and look at this.
09:33It's growing in solid granite rock.
09:35That root is in the rock?
09:37Yep.
09:38It'll go right through, crack, split the rock.
09:40Root in the rock.
09:42Rats.
09:43You can see how soft the roots are there, see?
09:46Yeah.
09:46Now, how important is it to preserve the roots you have,
09:49or does it matter?
09:50Are these things like worms?
09:51Can you cut them in half and they'll grow?
09:52You can cut a sguaro in half, plant it, and it'll grow.
09:57The sguaro is the largest cactus in the United States.
10:00If you want to buy one, it'll run you about $100 a foot,
10:03including the length of the arms.
10:06So this is kind of like a family bonding thing for you guys, huh?
10:09How many guys get to work with their dad and their sons all the time?
10:13It's a real treat.
10:14He says.
10:15Yeah, if my grandfather knew, he was born in 1878, he died in 1976, he was 98.
10:23If he knew that we were selling rocks and cactus and stuff, he wouldn't believe it.
10:27Oh, it's moving.
10:31Hey.
10:32Moving?
10:32Yeah, that's it.
10:33Okay, we'll stand the rig up.
10:35If we're on a slope and we want it to be straight to match the sguaro,
10:47that's why I built this thing to move either way.
10:49Right.
10:50Yeah.
10:50Come on, Buck.
10:56Oh, there it is.
10:57Right there is good.
10:58Right now, you guys are going to put the carpet real thick so it doesn't break the skin.
11:02Yeah, he'll kill the slack his way.
11:04I got you.
11:06Yeah.
11:06You can really see how fragile they are.
11:08Okay.
11:09I'm going to just like...
11:09All right.
11:12There we go.
11:12See, we're pulling the top part into the cradle.
11:14Right there, good.
11:15Now we're ready to start digging down at the bottom.
11:17Now the whole thing can be dug up.
11:19Chip's flying.
11:20I like that.
11:21I can't swing that that hard.
11:23Dad's got a lot of rage built up in him, doesn't he?
11:26There's one that goes straight down right there.
11:27Chip's Morales teamwork.
11:31He goes in with the extreme anger.
11:34Deej comes in with some finesse.
11:36Dan assumes supervisory posture.
11:39I'm the smartest.
11:40And I come in for the glory.
11:43With a once sharp axe.
11:47This goes under the roots.
11:48That's a brand new band.
11:49That's like, yeah, look at that.
11:51Take it right underneath the roots there.
11:53That's where we need to hit it.
11:57Hey, you might want to tighten your straps.
12:00Okay, that's it.
12:01I'd say it's free.
12:03Ain't nothing free in this world, Dave.
12:05That's what I've learned.
12:11Let's stop there.
12:12This arm's starting to want to hang down a little bit,
12:16so let's figure out what we're going to do.
12:20Saguaros may be hardy enough to grow in rock,
12:22but their arms can snap off very easily.
12:25Each one has to be braced so they don't break off in transit.
12:35See, all the digging you do and work you do and everything,
12:37but if you don't do this part,
12:39you break an arm and then you can't sell it.
12:40I've never seen that one before.
12:50That's right.
12:50Take notes, boys.
12:52There's a new sheriff in town.
12:55Wow.
12:56Good.
12:56Guys, I think that we're all bracing and ready to go.
13:00Now it's time for a drive down to, where are we going?
13:03Hickman?
13:03Wickenburg.
13:04Wickenburg.
13:07They did a good job on the road, too.
13:09It's pretty good on my side.
13:18How about yours, son?
13:19It's all right.
13:20That arm's moving, but...
13:21It's moving with the cactus, all right?
13:23Yeah.
13:24Yeah, okay.
13:25As long as it moves with the trunk.
13:27I mean, it's moving a little more than the cactus.
13:29Okay.
13:30That's the most critical part.
13:32Nobody wants one with a hole in it.
13:34A broken arm?
13:36Coming up.
13:36We can go ahead and dig the hole now.
13:38Yeah.
13:38We only got one shovel,
13:39so you're the designated hole digger.
13:41How many people does it take to dig a hole?
13:43The hole has to be about four inches bigger.
13:46Well, it depends on how many shovels you have.
13:49Strange.
13:49You guys only have the one shovel, huh?
13:51Yeah.
13:51It just so happened we forgot the other one.
13:54And later.
13:54Would you say use soft hands?
13:56Soft hands or you kill them.
13:57You'll see dead ones in here.
13:59Soft hands.
14:00Don't want to stress out the maggots.
14:02Getting touchy-feely with things no one wants to touch.
14:05Go, spank it.
14:06Spank it.
14:07Spank that thing.
14:07You gotta turn it over.
14:08There you go.
14:09Okay, that's it.
14:10Bad maggot.
14:17There's something about having a big hose that makes walking...
14:20How you doing, Mike?
14:21Not good.
14:22...and working...
14:23Very difficult.
14:26You're supposed to spray the ground.
14:28It's got an air pocket.
14:29It's got an air pocket?
14:30And falling down is almost inevitable when your hose is delivering a gassy payload.
14:35Looking good, Mike.
14:36Looking good.
14:36No, you're lying.
14:37The thing is, I...
14:39I think it's going pretty well.
14:48Because the saguaro is only found in the Sonoran Desert,
14:51in southern Arizona and northern Mexico,
14:54its sale and transport is tightly controlled by the Arizona Department of Agriculture.
14:59Moving or selling a cactus without a permit is punishable by a $10,000 fine and six months in jail.
15:05There you go.
15:12Now you can cut it around.
15:14Yeah, have him cut it.
15:14He's going to wipe out the tree.
15:15Hold on.
15:18You can at least dig the hole right there and figure out what we're going to do or whatever.
15:21Hey, Zach?
15:25We can bring that excavator back here.
15:27We can put a rope around it and pull it with the excavator.
15:30Where's this thing ultimately go?
15:31This thing's going to go right here and this is a little right there.
15:34We're close, huh?
15:35We're close.
15:36We're close.
15:37We're about a foot and a half too far that way.
15:40I'm just going to drag the whole back of the truck over.
15:43Whatever it takes to get this out.
15:46The excavator's got a lot of power.
15:48I'll just pull the truck for you.
15:49Yeah, you can pull it.
15:54That's good.
15:55I think we can pull it.
15:59Right there's in line where our shoreline needs to be.
16:01We can go ahead and dig the hole now.
16:02Yeah.
16:03We only got one shovel, so.
16:04Where's it at?
16:05You're the designated hole digger.
16:07Yes.
16:08And the hole has to be about four inches bigger than the base.
16:13Around, yeah.
16:14Bigger around.
16:15That way we have room to tamp and compact the dirt around.
16:17Right.
16:17The way it stands up.
16:19It's strange.
16:19You guys only have the one shovel, huh?
16:21Yeah.
16:22It just happened.
16:22We forgot the other one.
16:23It can't be that easy.
16:24Sure.
16:25We just rained.
16:26We're lucky.
16:28Got to be three and a half feet deep at least.
16:30You get tired of what you do, you can come help us.
16:33Take that under advisement.
16:34Okay, you got two feet, four.
16:37What I'd hate to do is dig too far.
16:40Three foot, three.
16:41Clean it out if it's deep enough.
16:41Let me clean it out.
16:42That'd be three six.
16:45Let's call it good.
16:47Good.
16:47Let me see if we can back this up a little more, guys.
16:49It's obliged.
16:52Right there.
16:53Right there.
16:54Okay.
16:55Light it up.
16:55Let's stand it up a little more.
17:07It's heavy.
17:11Right there.
17:12That's it.
17:12That's all the way down.
17:13All right.
17:14Let's shove some dirt down in there without any of these pieces up.
17:17We're getting close now, guys.
17:19I had a lady that I planted one, and she told me where and marked the spot.
17:23I planted it by her pool.
17:25She came out.
17:26I moved it over that far this way.
17:28And we did.
17:29That's why I always say I want the wife to come out because she's the one that has to
17:33be happy, right?
17:35I can go on the back of the truck.
17:38And more rain coming, looks like.
17:40We're getting close.
17:42I've been saying that since lunch.
17:45It's got to go that way a little bit.
17:47You got to push the same direction as him.
17:49We're rocking it straight that way.
17:51Okay.
17:52Ready?
17:53Yeah.
17:53Now it's got to go towards the house.
17:55Okay.
17:55So fold this carpet up and put it back here.
17:57It's good here, Mike.
17:58All right.
18:00Make sure this is double.
18:01I don't want to get stickers.
18:06Pretty close to plump.
18:07All directions.
18:09Well, come on over here, guys.
18:10I want to say goodbye to you officially because we're out of light.
18:14And this was a lot of, what's the word?
18:17I want to say fun.
18:18All right.
18:19It was kind of fun.
18:20Kind of fun.
18:21Thanks a lot.
18:21We really enjoyed it.
18:23Good fun.
18:23And you ain't a bad worker for a city guy.
18:25Thanks, Mike.
18:25It all hurts.
18:26I appreciate it.
18:27Thanks, Mike.
18:28All right.
18:28You still watching?
18:29Show's over.
18:30We said goodbye like 10 seconds ago.
18:32Go.
18:33Thanks, fellas.
18:35Thanks, Mike.
18:37Those are the Selkirk Mountains back there.
18:40If you look real close, you can see a little slit running up there through the trees.
18:43That's actually the border between the United States and Canada.
18:46It doesn't get much prettier than northern Idaho.
18:48And if I had more time, I'd take a leisurely stroll up in those hills, surround myself with
18:54the splendor of nature's unmitigated majesty.
18:58But instead, go to a maggot farm.
19:07The Fork Tree Ranch has been raising maggots for over 20 years and is now one of the largest
19:12producers of fresh-bait maggots in the U.S.
19:14Now, you've heard the term dress for success.
19:16Well, when you're working around maggots with a stink so bad it cuts through to your underwear,
19:22success is not a coat and tie.
19:24Well, after a couple hundred dirty jobs, you start to get tuned into the signs early
19:28on as to what kind of day it's going to be.
19:30As a rule, you know, it's going to be a bad day.
19:33When the crew starts changing, immediately, it seems a little blousy.
19:38It seems, you know, it's just so less.
19:42These are summer colors.
19:44Did you tell them I was a fall?
19:45What is, what does it mean?
19:48It's just like pinstripes on a car.
19:52On a fine automobile.
19:54They are slipping.
19:55Okay, good.
20:04Hi.
20:06Hello.
20:06Hello.
20:07Hi.
20:08You're Amber.
20:09Yeah.
20:09You're Pam.
20:10I am.
20:11You're Dennis.
20:12I am.
20:12You're April.
20:13Yes.
20:14You're all the pondsnesses.
20:16Right.
20:17And you're the neighbor.
20:18Yeah.
20:19Are you an employee here?
20:20Mm-hmm.
20:20Okay, good.
20:21Great.
20:22Dennis, this is your, is it a farm?
20:25Yes.
20:26It smells differently than many farms I've been on.
20:30It does.
20:30It does.
20:31Yeah.
20:31Pam, do you still smell it?
20:33I do.
20:33Do you?
20:34Amber, you can still smell it?
20:35Yeah.
20:35Good.
20:35And April?
20:36Yes.
20:37Good.
20:37All right.
20:38So it's not just me.
20:39My crew, they're all dressed up like they're for surgery here.
20:42But why maggots, Dennis?
20:45It was by accident.
20:46My dad wanted to raise some fishing bait, and then he wanted to sell it years ago, and so
20:52we just brought them out here.
20:54You're happy with the maggot choice, the cards you got?
20:56Makes a living.
20:58We're doing okay with the maggots?
20:59Yeah.
20:59When we started maggots, she was selling Mary Kay.
21:02Now, that would have been a real added bonus to pull out of your little pink suitcase there.
21:08The maggot line.
21:10And how many maggots would you say are on the premises?
21:12Five to ten million.
21:13Five to ten million?
21:15We have pink maggots to take out to ship today.
21:17What?
21:18Pink maggots.
21:19Fishermen want pink maggots?
21:21Right.
21:21Is that why there's a little pink in your beard right there?
21:24Yeah.
21:24Exactly.
21:25I was going to, I didn't want to say anything, but look, he's got, it's just a little,
21:29he's got like a touch of grease in your beard.
21:31I'm like, Dennis is a very cosmopolitan maggot farmer.
21:37Coming up.
21:38This is one of those existential moments.
21:40A live maggot who looked like he was on his way through, but.
21:43A maggot that can't make up its mind is not on the fence, it's on the screen.
21:46Well, if you feel sorry for him, you can hang him over the belt.
21:49Because if I feel sorry for him, I can reward him by sending him across the country
21:52where a fisherman will put a hook through his bottom.
21:55And later, we make an omelette for one.
21:57No, we're making fly food.
21:58Special recipe.
21:59Breaking eggs to make eggs.
22:01Those are eggs?
22:02These are eggs.
22:03That's what's going to hatch into our maggots.
22:04And the twist on an age-old question.
22:06Well, what comes first, the egg or the blue bottle fly?
22:10There's a fine line between falling and not falling.
22:20That's great.
22:21You're Captain Comedy.
22:22On board the good ship Anguish.
22:24Hurry up!
22:24The key preventatives are intelligence.
22:27The crap.
22:28Self-preservation.
22:29Don't slip.
22:30Don't slip.
22:31A keen sense of balance.
22:32Oh, yeah.
22:35Respect for animals.
22:37Don't.
22:37And fear of falling into a lake of poop.
22:40Oh, no.
22:45Right now, 200,000 pink maggots are waiting to be shipped out.
22:49Immediately.
22:50This is the last step in the farming process.
22:52And once these guys are ready, we have to produce thousands of new maggots.
22:56Oh!
22:56I think I'll put mine on.
23:01Why are my eyes about to start running down my face?
23:04Ammonia.
23:05Ammonia.
23:06Okay.
23:06Probably could turn the fan back on.
23:08Whatever you think's best in terms of us not perishing.
23:12That's ammonia.
23:13There's no bacteria in here.
23:15Oh!
23:15The ammonia kills the bacteria.
23:17A fly's life cycle is about 30 days.
23:20Flies lay eggs that develop into larvae, also known as maggots.
23:23These become pupae and then become a fly.
23:27To get the maggots ready to be shipped,
23:29they must be separated from the sawdust and leftover food.
23:46The Ponson's family raise 5 million maggots a week for bait.
23:51They have to ship them within 7 days, before they turn in the flies.
23:56Now we're going to get ready to screen them all.
23:59How do you screen maggots?
24:01Oh, you mean literally put them through screens?
24:03Right.
24:04Right.
24:04It's not like a Q&A.
24:06No.
24:06No.
24:08You're going to take this,
24:09and you're going to shake them out all along the screen like that.
24:15Would you say use soft hands?
24:16Soft hands or you kill them.
24:18You'll see dead ones in here.
24:21Soft hands.
24:23Soft hands.
24:25Don't want to stress out the maggots.
24:27That's good.
24:28They're hot,
24:29and we need to get them in the cooler as soon as possible.
24:31Okay.
24:33Chop, chop, in other words.
24:37You can see the maggots dropping through one,
24:40all the way down to the conveyor belt.
24:41When they get to the conveyor belt,
24:43they're pushed pretty quickly in this direction.
24:45Oh, just a second.
24:48Put that down.
24:49Yes.
24:49Yep.
24:51This is what we have to do.
24:53You've got to get those out in here as fast as you can.
24:55You're a maggot parade.
24:58Ah.
24:59Careful.
24:59You don't want to lose any.
25:00No, I don't.
25:01And I want everyone to like me.
25:03So now we go to the third screen.
25:05Finer screen?
25:06Yep.
25:06We need all we can get because we have lots of orders.
25:09So we try to get these off as soon as possible.
25:11All right.
25:11So a lot of things happen very quickly.
25:13I don't need the unnecessary death of maggots weighing on my conscience.
25:20This is one of those existential moments.
25:22You can't make up his mind.
25:23You got a live maggot who looked like he was on his way through,
25:27but I'm just watching to see.
25:29See, he didn't want it bad enough.
25:30He was confused.
25:31Right.
25:31So he gets rejected, and he goes in the bad barrel.
25:34Well, what about this guy up here?
25:35Well, if you feel sorry for him, you can hang him over the belt.
25:39Maybe he'll get through.
25:40Because if I feel sorry for him, I can reward him by sending him across the country
25:44where a fisherman will put a hook through his bottom.
25:46Well, that's much more exciting than going into the dump pile, don't you think?
25:50I like the way.
25:51It's all about adventure, you know?
25:53I like the way you think, April.
25:55Want to go fishing sometime?
25:57Actually, I hate fishing.
25:59I guess you do.
26:01Okay, so it's time for these to go into the cooler
26:03because if they don't get into the cooler soon enough,
26:07then they start, they get too hot, and they turn into pupae,
26:10and we can't have that because these are debate maggots.
26:13Okay, that'll work.
26:13Yeah, yeah, yeah.
26:16I like that.
26:16You get a little twitchy there when it gets close, man.
26:19It makes me nervous.
26:20I know.
26:20Oh, God!
26:23Man, it's a good thing I'm here to help you.
26:25It's a good day for me and the maggots, April.
26:28Okay, now turn this way.
26:29Uh-huh.
26:30All right, all right.
26:32Now turn it over and pat it on the corner there.
26:34Go on, spank it, spank it.
26:36Spank that thing.
26:36Oh, you got to turn it over.
26:38Great.
26:38Okay, that's it.
26:39Bad maggot.
26:40To the left, you'll see the pink.
26:43Left, there's the pink.
26:45All right, I'm guessing we do that.
26:49Uh-oh.
26:49What happened here?
26:51Did Amber mess up again?
26:52That was my fault.
26:53I didn't put the thing down.
26:58Dennis, that's awkward.
26:59I don't know what to say.
27:02Actually, it was my fault.
27:04I like April.
27:04It took the fall for me.
27:06I appreciate that.
27:09Now the maggots are safely in the cooler, we can start from the beginning.
27:13Pam.
27:15Hi, Mike.
27:16We making omelets or what?
27:17No, we're making fly food.
27:18Special recipe for our flies.
27:20I need you to crack the eggs.
27:22Fill it to the line up here.
27:24Where do you get your blue flies from?
27:27We raise them.
27:29Well, what comes first?
27:30The egg or the blue bottle fly?
27:33We bought our first larva 10 years ago.
27:38Sounds like it's going to be a romantic story.
27:40You're cruising along and all of a sudden, oh, larva.
27:43I'll take it.
27:45You got it?
27:47Got it.
27:48Okay.
27:48All right.
27:48Now, pour it in here.
27:50Oh, no, no, no, no, in here.
27:51In here.
27:52Just testing.
27:52Okay.
27:53Let me see if you're paying attention.
27:54I'm paying attention.
27:54And this again is what?
27:55It's concrete.
27:56It's proprietary.
27:58Come on.
27:58Nope.
27:59Okay, pour the eggs in, and you're going to mix it.
28:01You don't even want me to hint at discussing what this is.
28:04No.
28:04Because this is ultimately the food that causes the flies to give forth, which eventually...
28:11They're eggs.
28:12Right.
28:13Which hatch into the larva.
28:14This is really, if you think about it, where the whole operation,
28:17begins, right here in your bowl.
28:18Mm-hmm.
28:19Your proprietary bowl.
28:20My proprietary bowl.
28:22Can I do this?
28:22Yes, you may.
28:23It makes me feel vital.
28:23Yes.
28:24I'm showing you how.
28:25Good, because I don't know how I ever would have figured this out, Pam.
28:28This takes muscle.
28:29And perseverance.
28:33Speaking of which, how long have you been with Dennis?
28:3621 years in August.
28:37Is that right?
28:38Mm-hmm.
28:38Congratulations.
28:39Now, would I have married him if I would have known this?
28:42Yes, there's a question.
28:43Mm, that's debatable.
28:45No, it's quite a dowry.
28:47Yeah.
28:47Do you think I...
28:47Yes.
28:48Think about what our inheritance will be.
28:50All this can be yours.
28:52The maggots.
28:53How much do you...
28:54How much is this fly worth?
28:55We figure a maggot's worth a penny apiece.
28:58Is that right?
28:59He said you might have 10 million maggots in there.
29:02So what's a penny times 10 million?
29:03Oh, I don't know.
29:04Are you going to do this or are you going to talk?
29:06I think there's a fair amount of evidence to suggest that I'm going to talk.
29:09Okay.
29:10We'll let you talk.
29:11You want to wash your hands?
29:15I don't care.
29:15You don't care?
29:16Should I be Dewey?
29:17Do we do that at this point?
29:18We're feeding flies, right?
29:19Well, I want to wash my hands.
29:20All right, well, we're feeding flies, so let's make sure.
29:23A bucket of this proprietary fly food is enough to feed 35,000 flies.
29:29Look at it as their last supper, since they die shortly after laying their eggs.
29:33It's off to the fly house.
29:36Coming up.
29:37Can I tell you a secret?
29:38Yeah, sure.
29:39I hate flies.
29:40Fly, the slang word for something good.
29:43I'm taking all the picnics these guys have ruined over the years.
29:46The fly house, not fly.
29:48I've killed a lot of flies, I can be honest with you.
29:50Maybe that's your problem.
29:51Maybe it is.
29:53And later.
29:54Dump it on top there and I'll give you a few of these bones to mix with it.
29:58Nouvelle cuisine in northern Idaho.
30:01Salmon a la grinder.
30:02We want them to have a balanced diet.
30:04Sure, you don't want to spoil the maggot with much sugar.
30:10Animals don't fall very often.
30:17Unless, of course, they're fainting goats.
30:19He's up.
30:19No, he's down.
30:20But they can make people fall when we harness them.
30:23Troy, heads up.
30:23Holy smokes.
30:25Whoa, whoa, whoa.
30:26Chase them.
30:27Oh, crap.
30:28Or wrangle them.
30:30Try and put little sacks over their heads.
30:32No, no, no.
30:33Oh, God, he's a powerful son of a gun.
30:35They don't like that.
30:37It's about the weirdest thing I've done all day, to be honest with you.
30:43Hi, Amber.
30:44Hi.
30:46I brought some food for your flies.
30:48Oh, great.
30:49Just put it over there.
30:50Anywhere's fine.
30:51Okay, so we're unsetting the blows right now.
30:54We just want to try and get all the flies off of them.
30:57And this is what they lay the eggs on.
30:59Those are eggs?
31:00These are eggs.
31:01They're tiny little eggs in there.
31:02That's what's going to hatch into our maggots.
31:05Okay, just so we're crystal clear on that.
31:08Yeah.
31:08Because that just looks like dirt.
31:14Dirty job, Amber.
31:16No doubt about it.
31:23How long have you been doing this?
31:24I've been doing this for about six months, I think.
31:29What, you're like 19?
31:30I'm 18.
31:30You're 18?
31:3118, yeah.
31:32So.
31:3318, work at a maggot farm.
31:34Yeah.
31:35Hey, I love it.
31:37Other than the smell, it's actually pretty nice.
31:38Oh, you missed some.
31:39You really got to get all of them because.
31:42Because this is the whole point.
31:43Yeah, I mean, they're so small.
31:44There's like, there's probably 200 maggots right there.
31:48So.
31:48All right.
31:49Can I tell you a secret?
31:50Yeah, sure.
31:51I hate flies.
31:52I hate flies.
31:52You hate flies.
31:53I do.
31:54I hate them.
31:54I'm thinking all the picnics these guys have ruined over the years.
31:57I've killed a lot of flies, I gotta be honest with you.
32:01Maybe that's your problem.
32:02Maybe it is.
32:03Maybe I'm just waiting for word to get around there.
32:05I'm going to gang up on me and settle up the hard way.
32:10Hey, they're just another one of God's creatures, right?
32:12Well, how about ticks?
32:14Should we be nice to them?
32:15Oh, yeah.
32:16Hmm, leashes?
32:17Oh, yeah.
32:18Sure?
32:19Parasites, the kind that live in your bowel.
32:21Should we be nice to them?
32:22I'm sure there's some reason they exist.
32:25Yeah, we eat bad chicken.
32:27That's why.
32:29Okay, good enough.
32:30And then that's pretty much ready to vacuum out.
32:33Well, fire that thing up.
32:34I say we suck them all into oblivion.
32:42I caught a big one, Amber.
32:48All right.
32:49And dinner is about to be served.
32:51It looks like ice cream, actually.
32:54A little bit more.
32:55Oh, dear.
32:56That's why.
32:57Yeah, okay.
32:57Do you have any emotional attachment at all to the flies and the maggots?
33:01Not really.
33:03I do call them cute little maggies sometimes.
33:06My mom's name's Maggie.
33:08That's kind of, I don't know.
33:09Term of endearment.
33:11I think you'll be able to hang on this.
33:12Yep.
33:13Ready to take over the business.
33:15I won't go that far.
33:17You're okay, Amber.
33:19You made me nervous at first, I'll be honest with you.
33:21Oh, really?
33:22Yeah, really.
33:23You came out of your shell like a larva.
33:27I love this flypaper.
33:29It really is just a, it's a green reminder for those who might be contemplating escape.
33:33Next stop for the eggs is the growing room, where with proper nourishment, they'll hatch into maggots.
33:38In this place, though, proper means pretty much the same thing as disgusting.
33:43This is the grinding room.
33:45She's a beaut.
33:46Isn't it good?
33:47These were salmon at one point?
33:49Those are chum salmon.
33:51These, basically, were probably done for salmon roe for the egg market for Japan.
33:57Maggots love that.
33:58That's all protein.
34:07Dump it on top there, and I'll give you a few of these bones to mix with it.
34:11All right.
34:11We want them to have a balanced diet.
34:14Well, sure.
34:14You don't want to spoil the maggot early on with too much sugar.
34:27I think you got the hang of it.
34:29Thanks.
34:30You got a name for the grinder?
34:32No.
34:32Well, sometimes, you know, in a bout of affection, a proprietor will name his most necessary tools.
34:42I'd call this one Chuck.
34:44Huh?
34:44Chuck.
34:45That'd work.
34:46That'd work.
34:49We're coming in here to feed that to the maggots.
34:52There's probably, I'd say, 500,000 larvae.
34:56500,000 maggots eat about 700 pounds of fish guts in a week.
35:00With all that protein, they've probably got the squirts.
35:03I would think so.
35:04This isn't sawdust.
35:05It's toilet paper.
35:06Yeah, that'd be a good way to put it.
35:08We're hoping that that's going to be about 200,000 larvae.
35:11Good.
35:13They're happy.
35:14They look happy.
35:16Yeah, they are.
35:16They're happy.
35:18So, do they all need to be pink?
35:19No.
35:20No.
35:20We just do probably about 10% of them pink for bait.
35:25It goes on the food, not the maggots themselves.
35:27No, on the food.
35:28They'll eat it.
35:29And then that'll turn them red.
35:30That'll turn them red.
35:31I gotta say, this...
35:32A little lighter, probably.
35:34This red dye looks green.
35:35Yeah, it'll turn red right away.
35:38Now, that'll work.
35:38That's enough.
35:39That is okay.
35:40That's plenty.
35:41Yep.
35:42These youngsters will be ready in a couple of days.
35:44But right now, we have 200,000 waiting to go out.
35:48I understand that the maggots that we put in the freezer...
35:52Cooler?
35:54Cooler.
35:55Couldn't hear you.
35:55You just mouthed it.
35:56You went...
35:57Is it bad to say cooler out loud?
35:59No, I was trying to tell you it wasn't a freezer.
36:01It was a cooler.
36:02But that's so cute.
36:03You didn't want to correct me.
36:04You just wanted me to know that I was wrong.
36:06But you didn't want anyone else to know.
36:07Yeah.
36:08But now, of course, everyone knows that I don't know the difference between a cooler and a freezer.
36:12Coming up...
36:13Yeah, you're actually at 15.
36:15I'm just checking, okay?
36:16What kind of idiot do you take me for?
36:18I'm checking my work.
36:20When thousands of lives depend on your job...
36:22Why are you laughing?
36:23You said go very slowly.
36:25It's enough to make anyone a little test of what.
36:27Are they done yet?
36:28I'll let you know when it's done, Mom.
36:30All right.
36:30All right.
36:30When it comes to falling...
36:40Nothing beats slippery things.
36:47Gooey things.
36:52Killer mud.
36:53And that old favorite.
36:55Garbage.
36:56But no matter how you fall, always remember...
37:01Safety first.
37:07We'll get it.
37:09Be careful.
37:10Hi, April.
37:11Hi.
37:11Don't let him dump him.
37:14Okay, there we go.
37:17What?
37:18What?
37:19What?
37:20You have no confidence in me at all?
37:21Oh, my.
37:22What happened?
37:24They almost fell.
37:25No, that wasn't even close.
37:27You've got to pick that up and just scoot it forward.
37:29Oh, okay.
37:30With your foot.
37:31Be careful.
37:32Oh, come on.
37:32There we go.
37:33She makes me nervous.
37:34Does she make you nervous?
37:35Sometimes.
37:36Man.
37:37She's intense, you know?
37:38She really is.
37:39I've been it.
37:42Okay, so take two at a time.
37:48Okay.
37:48All right, Pam, be careful now for crying out loud.
37:51Oh, so close, Pam.
37:56So close.
37:57You know what?
37:57It's like you just stopped caring.
37:59It's just like you don't care anymore.
38:01Nobody cares about the maggots.
38:04The term of affection is Maggie's.
38:06Yeah, that's what Ashley was saying, except that's my mom's name.
38:09It's Amber.
38:10Whatever.
38:10The important thing is she's not here now.
38:12No, she's not.
38:13She's gone.
38:13Oh, there she is.
38:14There she goes.
38:15That's awkward.
38:16You all showered up?
38:18You smell pretty?
38:18Great.
38:29So this is the packing department.
38:30It is.
38:31It is.
38:32Yep.
38:33This is the container we measure them in.
38:35So we want 25,000.
38:36So we want to fill it up to the top here.
38:39All right.
38:42Why are you laughing?
38:44You said go very slowly.
38:46Don't spill it on the table.
38:47You're doing great.
38:48I laugh a lot.
38:49I laugh a lot.
38:49You're sold, remember?
38:50Mm-hmm.
38:50He's already sold.
38:52They're all sold.
38:52Mm-hmm.
38:53Oh, yeah, you're actually at 15.
38:56I'm just joking, okay?
38:58I'm kind of an idiot.
39:01Do you take me for it?
39:02I'm rejecting my work.
39:04Okay.
39:05You're doing awesome.
39:07You're just a little slow.
39:08See, what I like is the way you pepper the positive feedback with that kind of soul-deadening
39:14and criticism.
39:15It's really fantastic.
39:18You're shy.
39:20Actually, I prefer bashful.
39:24Perfect.
39:25Perfect.
39:25Really?
39:26Yeah.
39:26Perfect.
39:27You have to kind of fit this pair of folds.
39:29What?
39:30Go ahead.
39:30What?
39:31What?
39:31Well, you have to be careful because it's not a real good fit.
39:33Look at me.
39:33I got this thing.
39:34I got this thing.
39:35You know what?
39:35If something goes wrong now, I got two people to blame.
39:38There's a lot of unauthorized touching going on.
39:40That's why we were standing back here.
39:42Okay.
39:42That's why we were standing back here.
39:43Somewhere we can split the difference.
39:44You can stand close enough to talk, but not so close that you got to get all grabby.
39:48Are they done yet?
39:49I'll let you know when it's done, Mom.
39:51All right?
39:53I'll give you a sign.
39:55It'll be along the lines of, it's done.
39:59It's done.
39:59It's done.
40:01This is the crimper.
40:03Ah!
40:07Good job.
40:09We've learned a lot today.
40:10We've learned how to turn white maggots pink.
40:13Turn how to the flies and the pupae and the larvae and the thing.
40:19And the heat and smell.
40:21They're very instructive.
40:22We're glad to have you.
40:23It's great to be had.
40:26Good luck with this.
40:27And goodbye.
40:29Goodbye.
40:29Goodbye.
40:32Dennis.
40:32Yes?
40:33That's some kind of team you got going in there.
40:35Those girls.
40:36They are the best.
40:38Man, oh man.
40:39I don't know how your business could possibly do anything other than succeed like crazy.
40:44April and Pam at the helm.
40:46That's right.
40:47We have a certificate for you.
40:51A master of maggotology.
40:53Right.
40:54Presented to Mike Rowe for completing thoughtful, thinking, and stinking.
40:58Fork the tree ranch.
40:59Signed by you and your wife.
41:02Right.
41:03This is going to be framed.
41:04And I understand that you guys are always looking for something to snack on, right?
41:10No, we're desperate for food.
41:12We'll eat anything, yeah.
41:13So I thought that I would give you this bucket of salmon roe.
41:18It's caviar.
41:19It's salted.
41:20It's ready to go.
41:21All you need is your crackers.
41:22And that goes along with the certificate.
41:24I'm pretty sure we don't need crackers.
41:26We've got Barsky.
41:28What do you say?
41:28A little caviar, Chief?
41:31Come on.
41:31I'm on a diet.
41:32You're on a diet?
41:33Treat yourself.
41:38That's good.
41:39How much time does he have now?
41:44Not long.
41:45Where's the nearest hospital?
41:46That's rotten.
41:47Tastes fresh, actually.
41:48Yeah, it does.
41:49Just like you had a sushi bar.
41:50Dave, I'm going to leave you with the salmon roe.
41:53I'm going to leave you with my eternal thanks.
41:55You're welcome.
41:56I'm going to take my certificate, go home, put it over the mantel.
41:58Well, you take care.
41:59I only had a fireplace.
42:00Okay.
42:01Thanks, Dennis.
42:01You're welcome.
42:02You know, I'm very proud of this program.
42:05But I realize over the years I've shown you some scenes, some things.
42:09You would have maybe preferred not to have seen.
42:12Some things that you might not be able to forget.
42:16Here's another.
42:17It's Dave Barsky eating 52 inches of sweet bologna.
42:23One bite at a time.
42:24He's vowed to consume the entire tube of meat.
42:28Unless you go to discovery.com forward slash dirty jobs and suggest my next dirty adventure.
42:35I don't think he's bluffing.
42:36I've never known him to bluff before.
42:38And if you know the show, you know the boy will eat just about anything and everything in virtually any quantity.
42:45But 52 inches of sweet bologna, roughly nine inches in diameter.
42:52I'm pretty sure it'll kill him.
42:54Discovery.com forward slash dirty jobs.
42:59The whole ornament from hell.
43:00Madison is a huge fan, not just of dirty jobs, but of me.
43:07Isn't that right?
43:09Earlier Madison was saying, my gosh, if I could only have a few moments with Mike Rowe, my whole day, my whole life, my whole existence up to this point would just blossom into a flower of gratitude.
43:22Isn't that how you put it?
43:23That's how I recall it.
43:25I'm grateful for fans like Madison.
43:27Sincerely grateful.
43:28And the nice thing is, is she knows that, don't you?
43:30She does.
Comments