Atari on Discovery Channel

[Dolt]

Whenever I turn on Discovery Channel, it's always showing another bald-headed, tattooed dude building a motorcycle, but they also have a reality show [name omitted for reasons that will be clear in a second] where a guy breaks into someone's house while they watch on closed-circuit TV. He steals their stuff, they freak out, then he brings it back and admonishes them. The next day, they install a badass security system for free. So basically it's another 'home makeover' show. Well, I know that they're going to have an Atari collection get stolen in an upcoming show--'cause it's gonna be mine.

 

I found out last week that our house had been chosen (we applied and went through interviews), and when tv staff came to look over the house, they were real interested in the Atari collection. We haven't taped our episode yet, but I just know it will be something they take in some form or another.

 

So, I turn to you my Atari bretheren--other than "Holy sh*t, get that boxed Waterworld out of the house before they tape" or "only leave them R1s to steal as an inside joke," any ideas on what I should do to prep for the robber? Give me some good ideas!

[danwinslow]

Put cocked mousetraps in the boxes?

 

Replace them with Commodore/TI99 stuff?

 

Or maybe like 60 copies of the TS1000 tape software "The Accountant"?

Edited April 18, 2005 by danwinslow

[kevin242]

just some advice.. like you say I would take the real valuable carts/systems

and put them somewhere else. other then that I cant wait to see your house

and what they do!

 

Do they do anything with your stuff like upgrade it? I mean you dont want to

come home and find out they installed a PS2 in your Heavy sixer!!! But I might

be thinking of a diff show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

kevin

[danwinslow]

Haha 'While you were out' we replaced your crusty old sixer with a BRAND NEW PSP! yay!

[Dolt]

They replace everything they break. We have a fair number of irreplaceable antiques, and those are going to the in-law's house for a few days. We had a lot of questions along those lines, but the bottom line is that they want us to be happy with the results. At the end of each episode, they come back anywhere from a week to a month later and check to see if the homeowners have learned their lesson and are using the system properly. If we're POed at them, I'm sure that segment wouldn't go very well.

[Dolt]

Haha 'While you were out' we replaced your crusty old sixer with a BRAND NEW PSP! yay!

839412[/snapback]

 

I dunno about the Sixer, but they could take a 4-peg and replace it with a PSP, no problem!

[Cupcakus]

I've seen this show, it's really really lame... Allthough I was really amused at how poorly big mean guard dogs actually guard a home... But congrats on a new free kickass security system!!!

 

The robber guy is rough as hell with stuff... he basically takes whatever he can as fast as he can and that usually involves just grabbing things and throwing them.

 

Take anything you don't want damaged (They'll replace it if it's broken, but if they dent a mint box or something I bet you're hosed)...

 

Then fill up three or four whole dresser drawers with sex toys and lube, and a horse's saddle, just cause that'll make the show much more entertaining to watch when he rips open the drawers and starts throwing crap.

 

Or even better, install those child resistant latches on every drawer, so the drawers only come out a couple inches and you have to push the latch down to open it all the day... mwah ha ha ha ha, that would be hilarious...

 

Congrats again...

Edited April 18, 2005 by Cupcakus

[Albert]

I've seen several epsiodes of this show. I've always wondered about the "trawling the neighberhood" aspect of the show, now I know that's all faked. They basically drive around looking for good prospects to break into and then go and ask the homeowners if they want to be involved.. obviously that's all BS! The show's even more produced than I imagined it to be, but that's not too surprising.

 

Please let us know when the issue airs so we can catch it, and congratulations on being chosen! Just make damn sure to keep all the windows and doors locked before they come back for their encore appearance.

 

..Al

[keilbaca]

Make all the carts combat, then bitch that you can't sell them on ebay to get rich

 

I like the child locks on every drawer, so he has to fumble with every one.

 

You can always leave the atari on, so when he runs in, the audience gets a blast from the past

[funtaday]

Use a Heavy Sixer. If you don't have one I'll loan you one.

[+Random Terrain]

Why would you sign up to have your stuff screwed with? I don't care what I got for free after it was over, I don't want people breaking or touching my stuff.

 

I know, get a bunch of posters of yourself made where you are totally nude and raping a goat. Hang those posters wall-to-wall in every room. It will cost them a ton of money to fuzz out all of that stuff.

[Dolt]

I know, get a bunch of posters of yourself made where you are totally nude and raping a goat. Hang those posters wall-to-wall in every room. It will cost them a ton of money to fuzz out all of that stuff.

839708[/snapback]

 

Tell you what; how about YOU pose raping the goat...

[Trade-N-Games]

Have some fun and make the house easy to get into but make your atari stuff the hardest to take since it the best stuff in the house.

[Albert]

One thing I'm curious about is how much advance knowledge the guy breaking in has of your house and the stuff inside. They try to make it look like he doesn't know anything, such as where the important valuables are, but I have my doubts. I would not be surprised if the entire thing is staged, such as exactly where to break in, a list of items top make sure to steal (and what rooms they are in), a list of things he has permission to break (looks good for the camera), and so forth. Kind of takes the "reality" out of it.

 

I expect a full report from Dolt after they've filmed.

 

..Al

[video game addict]

Who knows maybe they dress the owner up as the thief! Give Dolt the ski mask & make it exciting!

[AtariDude]

I would create an "Atari" room, lock up everything inside it, and then tell them that it is off-limits. I would also set up security like the character "E" from the movie "Incredibles".

[bicostp]

Haha 'While you were out' we replaced your crusty old sixer with a BRAND NEW PSP! yay!

839412[/snapback]

 

I dunno about the Sixer, but they could take a 4-peg and replace it with a PSP, no problem!

839414[/snapback]

 

I'd rather have the four-switch. Build a VCSp. Play River Raid whenever....

[mister_pal]

I know how much childern's workshop games do you have? You could replace those so when they get stolen it's all big birds egg catch and grover's music maker.

[tyranthraxus]

I've seen several epsiodes of this show.  I've always wondered about the "trawling the neighberhood" aspect of the show, now I know that's all faked.  They basically drive around looking for good prospects to break into and then go and ask the homeowners if they want to be involved.. obviously that's all BS!  The show's even more produced than I imagined it to be, but that's not too surprising. 

 

839462[/snapback]

 

LOL apart from having amateur actors, those reality shows are as slickly produced

as any drama. Every notice how in Survivor you never ever see another camera man

in a shot. They will cut to a big crane shot and then back to a close up and you never

see a camera in sight. Nor do you see a sound boom, if it was really a shoot from the

hip documentary you'd see mistakes like that all the time.

[Albert]

LOL apart from having amateur actors, those reality shows are as slickly produced

as any drama. Every notice how in Survivor you never ever see another camera man

in a shot. They will cut to a big crane shot and then back to a close up and you never

see a camera in sight. Nor do you see a sound boom, if it was really a shoot from the

hip documentary you'd see mistakes like that all the time.

843012[/snapback]

I have never watched an episode of Survivor or any of the other 50,000 spinoff "reality" shows that have appeared since then. That they are slickly produced doesn't surprise me one bit, and I've pretty much come to expect that. I do watch a fair number of "reality" shows on TLC and Discover, but these are more along the lines of Monster House, Monster Garage, American Chopper, American Casino, and so forth. You do often see cameras in Monster House and Monster Garage, but very rarely in American Chopper or American Casino. I don't really consider these shows in the same vein as Survivor, though.

 

..Al

[Dolt]

Here's some stuff you WON'T see on "It Takes A Thief" when they steal my Atari. The show is taping tomorrow (Monday) here in my house, and I took the liberty of removing a few special boxes and storing them in a neighbor's place. However, the games themselves are staying, albeit taped up safe in baggies, so that they can be 'stolen.' Wish me luck with it!

[Albert]

Awesome, can't wait to hear how it goes! And of course, I look forward to watching the episode once it airs (please let us know when you find out!)

 

..Al

[Clock]

Now that's a TV show that I would never agree to do, as I have genuinely been burgled and it is a very unsettling experience which lasts a very long time.

[Xebec's Demise]

Temporarly take the address number off your house and switch it with that neighbor next door who keeps being a pain in the butt.

[Dolt]

Well, my episode finally aired yesterday--sorry that I didn't spread the word here on the forums, but I didn't know either! :!:

 

I came home to find a bunch of phone messages from friends who'd seen the episode. Adding insult to injury, I was at Discovery Channel's website yesterday morning to look at its programming schedule and the page listing when ITAT airs hasn't been updated in 2 weeks. Arrrgh!

 

So I called Discovery this morning, and they said that the show (Episode 30, "unlocking the past") airs next November 17 at 5pm. I also called the production company and they're sending me a screener video of it. I'll probably discover that I come off as a complete a**hole, and will regret telling y'all when it airs, but whatever. While I was at it, I asked about the handfull of things that STILL aren't fixed from the shoot yet.

 

Well, when people finally get to see it, just remember that it's 'reality TV' and the reality of what we went through and experienced wasn't quite what you'll see on the tube.