Dirty Jobs has been out of production for two years now, but not a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask me, “How did such a disgusting show ever get on the air?”
Until now, that’s a question I’ve traditionally deflected. Partly because the answer involves a sewer, a rat, countless condoms, several million roaches, many hundreds of tampons, vomit, urine, and a slow moving river of crap that very nearly swallowed me up. It’s also mildly redemptive, as such stories go. And completely true.
If you’re interested in the truth about the precise circumstances that led to Dirty Jobs, and the destruction of my prior career, please see my one-page book, Profoundly Disconnected, A True Confession by Mike Rowe. Specifically, look to the Preface. There, I answer this very question with a level of detail that many readers have already called “excessive.” But since so many have also requested an oral version of this relatively brief tale, I’ve recorded an audio version for your edification.
If you have ten minutes to kill, check it out. It’s free. Unless of course, you listen during your next scheduled meal. In which case, the price will be very steep indeed.
Afterwards, should you feel compelled to make a donation to mikeroweWORKS, just look for the Impossible-To-Miss DONATE NOW Button. It’s large, red, and impossible to miss.
Or better yet, buy the book. All proceeds go to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation. Sales to date have raised nearly $100,000 for work-ethic scholarships.
Which is nothing to vomit at…
Mike