Hazard Pay, Discovery Channel

The latest twist of reality television brings us Hazard Pay. Here, host Curt Doussett takes us on a weekly adventure to do dangerous jobs that don’t generally pay all that much. In short, he tries his hand at the type of employment that thankfully someone else will do, and makes our current job seem not that bad after all.

What types of jobs am I talking about? Some of them are animal based like a 'gator catcher, a killer bee remover, or a snake venom extractor. Others involve extreme heights like a window washer, or climbing a radio antenna. Still others involve their own dangers like a San Fran bike messenger, a deep sea welder, or a fireworks technician. Finally, some will likely get you bodily harmed such as a prison guard, hockey goalie, extreme fighter, or doing car repossessions.

Needless to say, most of us wouldn’t make it too long in any of these positions, and thankfully don’t have to. Each hour long episode focuses on two or three of these jobs. They go through the inherent dangers, and then Curt gets some minimal training. He then gets suited up, and does his best to get the job done. I will say that I’ve been impressed that just about every task he has been given he has accomplished. I would have run out of the snake warehouse far faster than he did, especially when the poisonous snake got loose and tried to bite! Just in case you’re thinking this is a job you’d like, after he’s done it, they show the reimbursement of the position which should convince you that it is simply not worth it (seriously, $55 for removing a killer bee’s nest sounds way too cheap!). In more than one episode, I was surprised that he wasn’t seriously hurt, and hope that the show doesn’t have to be canceled because the host suffered an untimely death.

In summary, Hazard Pay is an intriguing look at some jobs that need to get done, but we don’t hear much about. Whether for entertainment, or contemplating a career move, this is a good show that successfully combines imparting knowledge with some fun. Check it out on the Discovery Channel Wednesdays at 8 PM, EST.

Overall Grade: B