DIY Network’s “Man Caves” follows a simple format: give one lucky guy an amazing place for all things manly right in his own home. Each episode focuses on the transformation of a dull room into a glorious man cave. This process can involve something simple, like the addition of a LCD HDTV, or something more complex, such as a web-connected sound stage. Hosts Jason Cameron and Tony “The Goose” Siragusa use their expertise to tailor each room to the personality of the room’s recipient. Cameron is the contractor, meaning he does most of the building and physical labor, while Siragusa (of NFL fame) provides the entertainment and comic relief.
The episodes are generally part informational, and part entertainment. Cameron provides the do-it-yourself information, such as walking the viewer through how best to veneer a new shelf or how to best secure a LCD HDTV to a wall. Some of the information he provides is imitable, as he provides easy to follow instructions to the audience. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with all of the information he provides. Sometimes the information given is unclear, incomplete, or is given too quickly to be followed successfully at home. In general, it seems that much of the building he does goes on “behind-the-scenes” and usually only a small portion of his process is shown. This is unfortunate, as many of the projects are incredible, leaving one to wonder how it was accomplished.
While Siragusa doesn’t typically do much of the building, he does provide the show with some much-needed charm. While Cameron is off building, Siragusa is usually out entertaining the recipient of the man cave. This can mean anything, from racing the man cave recipient, to taking him out to a special event such as the Pro Bowl. He also provides the humor to the show, cracking jokes about what it means to be a man, and pulling the occasional prank. In fact, most episodes seem to focus more on Siragusa’s antics than the project itself. To those looking purely for entertainment, this is likely a good thing. To those looking for useful information for building their own man cave, Siragusa’s presence is likely distracting.
This leads to the biggest problem with “Man Caves” as a whole: while it is entertaining and informational, it’s rarely both at the same time. Jason Cameron is very knowledgeable, but not very entertaining, and Tony Siragusa is funny but seems barely capable of installing a LCD HDTV. This constant separation makes the show feel disjointed, making it likely to only appeal to a portion of its audience at a time. This isn’t to say the show is bad, but it definitely feels as though it could be reworked so that it is entertaining and informational at the same time.
Final Grade: B –
EM Review by Sally Marshall