• Additional Details
• Format: DVD
• Number of Discs: 6
• Run Time: 17 hours 12 minutes
• Region: 1

An unflinching look at the unsung American worker, and the unusual but vital vocations that must be done. There's a lot to learn as host Mike Rowe introduces us to an elite assortment of men and women who make their living doing the most unthinkable jobs.

STEEL MILL WORKER - Mike rolls up his sleeves at a scrap metal yard that recycles giant river barges. The sparks fly when he gets hold of a blow torch. He also follows the steel to a St. Louis plant that turns the small pieces into hot molten metal. In this episode: Barge Demolition.

CAVE BIOLOGIST - Mike teams with a cave biologist for a descent into a labyrinth of Kentucky caves, testing the water and soil for contaminants from a toxic sewer leak. He also boards a hagfish boat in Maine to fish for slime eels – quickly learning that these creatures have earned their name. In this episode: Slime Eels

BUOY CLEANER - Mike enlists in the U.S. Coast Guard to clean buoys covered in sea barnacles, rust and decay. Then he rolls up his sleeves to learn the art of shingle-making in Oregon. He splits wood using a turn-of-the-century device – and faces the teeth of a colossal saw. In this episode: Shingle Maker

CRANBERRY FARMER - It's just as hard as it sounds to round up millions of cranberries, Oregon's ''red gold,'' which Mike discovers as a cranberry farm apprentice. Then, Mike finds out just how dirty brick-making really is. In this episode: Brick Maker

MUD MINERAL EXCAVATOR - Mike heads to a California desert mine to blast minerals from the ground – and blows up more than he should. Then he moves south to discover the messy process of milling rice. When he forklifts a 2,000-pound bag to the packing room, every bump means a huge mess. In this episode: Rice Plant Worker

DIRTY JOBS OF THE BIG APPLE - Mike rolls up his sleeves in the Big Apple to replace water supply tanks for some of the city's biggest buildings. He learns quickly that this is a filthy and dangerous job. Mike joins with an elevator repairman who has the grimy job of keeping New York's elevators running. In this episode: Water Tank Cooper and Elevator Repair

FLOATING FISH FACTORY - Mike travels to Alaska for an epic adventure aboard a floating fish processing ship, braving freezing weather and treacherous seas. After netting and hauling the catch, Mike gets a smelly lesson in the fine art of bleeding and gutting.

DAIRY COW MIDWIFE - Mike peeks at the inner workings of dairy farming in Indiana. He gets a quick lesson in bull and cow ''match making,'' taking on the messy job of insemination by sticking his arm completely inside the cow. He also helps deliver two calves for another ''hands in'' process.

AERIAL TRAM WORKER - After dangling from a cable 60 feet above ground, he tempts fate when he crawls to the edge of a tower to change a wind sock. Then, Mike rolls up his sleeves for a new homes project in California, where he learns there's more to erosion control than he thinks. In this episode: Erosion Control Technician

TURKEY INSEMINATOR - Mike crawls through rat droppings, falling insulation and debris to make a house more energy efficient. Then, he visits a turkey farm where he's tasked with fertilizing turkey eggs by artificial insemination. Mike also ventures into a salvage yard where he helps smash cars into cubes of scrap metal. In this episode: Mastic Slinger and Car Crusher

ICE SALVAGE CREW - Braving bone-chilling Minnesota temperatures, Mike joins a team that recovers sunken cars from the bottom of a lake. In Alaska, he helps hazardous waste experts clean a diesel oil spill that threatens to pollute local water supplies. In this episode: Snow Oil Separator

WIND FARM TECHNICIAN - Mike heads to an Oklahoma wind farm and learns that going green sometimes means getting brown first. Then he heads to Kentucky to clean out a sink hole that has unfortunately turned into a garbage dump. In this episode: Cave Cleanup and Printing Pressman

GREENLAND SHARK QUEST - Mike and his crew head to the edge of the Arctic Circle in search of the mysterious Greenland shark. They join scientists who track these elusive predators to understand how they are affected by a rapidly changing Arctic. Mike and his crew also learn about the sharks' impact on the food chain. But their first challenge is to not fall through cracked ice and freeze.

TAR RIGGER - Mike heads to San Diego to get dirty with the tar-rigging crew of the Star of India, the oldest active merchant ship in the world. Mike is hoisted 130 feet to the top of the ship's main mast, dang- ling with one hand on the rigging rope and the other on his tar bucket. In this episode: Tools of the Past

DIRTY CHIP MAKER - Mike heads to the Dirty Potato Chips factory in Oxnard, California to learn the greasy mechanics behind chip-making. He learns to load mounds of potatoes onto a conveyor belt and drain the massive cooking kettles of oil. He also accidentally covers one of his crew members in sanitizing foam. In this episode: Fluid Cleaner and ''Muffin Maker'' Wrangler

SHEEP CASTRATOR - Mike heads to the Villard Ranch in Colorado to learn the chaotic business of sheep farming. First, he finds out that shearing is a lot harder than it looks. Then, he helps round up the younger sheep for tagging, worming and castrating the males— an eye-opening introduction to America's wool industry. In this episode: Concrete Wall Demolisher

LEECH TRAPPER - Mike teams up with the boys from Bartos Bait & Fish in Minnesota to catch leeches that will later be sold for fish bait. After pulling up the leech traps and emptying the catch, he separates out the bloodworms and other unwanted critters. He also puts good taste aside and tries one for himself. In this episode: Dog Food Maker

MANNEQUIN FACTORY - Mike learns that making mannequins is not just a dirty job but an art form. Using a clay sculpture as a template, Mike gets grimy making the molds and casts. He brings a mannequin to life by sanding it and adding makeup. But his first makeup attempt turns the mannequin more freakish than fabulous. In this episode: Mobile Home Wrecker

EGG FARM - Mike visits Hickman Family Farm in Arizona where he absorbs lessons about the chicken and the egg. Specifically, he finds out that 1.4 million chickens produce a lot of waste, which he gets to clean up. After cleaning and egg sorting, Mike discovers that the lesser quality eggs become a high-quality fertilizer. In this episode: Soil Sterilizer

VELLUM MAKER - Mike journeys to the Hudson Valley region of New York to make a unique type of paper from animal hides—which he discovers involves trimming ears, soaking skins and removing grease pockets. He also tries his hand at washing, drying and stretching the newly hairless skins. In this episode: Hops Harvester

MAGGOT FARMER - Mike is up to his elbows in insects at a maggot farm in northern Idaho. He starts in the pink maggot room for the smelly job of separating maggots from their containers. Then he dives in for the dirty work of harvesting eggs, spread- ing larvae and mixing up a yummy meal for the flies in the fly house. In this episode: Cactus Remover

GOURD MAKER - Mike travels to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to sink his teeth into gourd farming – where he quickly learns that washing one without losing his grip is a tall order. After grinding the excess skin and chiseling holes in the gourds, he moves on to decorating one. He ends his day by heading to the field for a lesson on gourd reproduction. In this episode: Lake Cleaner

BOLOGNA MAKER - Mike visits Palmyra, Pennsylvania to learn what it takes to become the world's largest smokehouse bologna producer. He transports the meat to the fat removal station before loading it into the mixer and tries his hand at throwing, catching and hanging the meat. He also finds that keeping up with the slicer is nerve-racking work.

ABANDONED MINE PLUGGER - Mike journeys to Northern California to see how abandoned mines are plugged. He prepares the base area by laying down plastic and pouring a foam that bakes in the sun, but he loses his footing and almost falls into the mineshaft. After securing the area, he descends 50 feet to explore. But returning to safe ground proves to be a tricky job.