Frontier House

I have just revisited this show in 2020 after watching when it first aired.

The first thing that struck me was that the show has been edited since the original broadcast. The whole ridiculous scene with Oprah has been removed and I'm pretty certain that other embarrassing moments were as well.

But this is still a useful study in human behavior and worth a re watching. Some of the behavior of the participants is just as disappointing as it was back then.

So living like 1883 is not so important. The real story here is isolating three families, depriving them of all comforts and watching them duke it out.

This would make a great term paper.

This show is what reality television is all about. You take a real family and place them in a "real" situation to work in and out of. This show is nothing like the reality competitions you see on prime time television. This show isn't about winning or losing it's about interaction and life--what people are REALLY like. This is a wonderful show especially for families. To me, this is much more entertaining than "Survivor", "Fear Factor", or the "Bachelor". These shows are just exploitive in nature. Frontier House is wholesome and real. PBS has also come out with a line of several other shows such as 1940's house, which are worth checking out.

None of the three stocked enough firewood for one winter . Wood gathering is a daily chore . You need wood to cure, a covered area for storage, kindling. Every evening gathering, chopping, storing. Comical to see the "rounds". None of them , nor the animals, would make it through a Montana winter. First things you do on a property , fences, trees, put in your potatoes. Felt bad for the Karen lady, she is a perfect frontier wife, she was in her element, chastised for being good at her job. The Clune man, a simp. The children, all lovely and learnt what life is really about. Wonder where they are now?

It goes without saying that if you want quality programming, you have to tune into PBS, and the "House" series beats anything network television has to offer hands down. Best of the series? "Frontier House".

So many of us grew up reading the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The television show based upon her works took great liberties with the stories over the years and ultimately disappointed.

Interested in a taste of what her life was REALLY like? Check out "Frontier House"! Mrs. Wilder's books might be viewed as simplistic or idealized in comparison to what you'll view in this show, but it should be remembered that she was raised a pragmatic frontier's woman whereas the participants in this PBS mini, for the most part, had no real conception of exactly how tough 1880's pioneer life could be. She took the difficulties of her life in stride, just the facts of life, and was therefore later able to share with us her story without dwelling on the unpleasant daily realities of her life.

Contemporary Americans on the other hand, can only stare in wonder at three families willing to do without, for Four & 1/2 months, niceties such as baths or showers, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste & floss and perhaps most importantly, toilet paper.

And that's not even mentioning near starvation, sickness, fickle weather and feuding neighbors.

These three families have been plopped down in some of the most beautiful country on earth. The contrast between the beauty and romance of the locale with the harshness of the living conditions is a real eye opener for viewers, accustomed as we are to filmed period pieces where issues like B.O., poor dental hygiene, and lack of toilet and bathing facilities are largely glossed over.

It's wonderful to have an opportunity to live out this adventure with these families, and PBS has outdone itself, but you'll find yourself grateful that you can sit in your clean, comfortable home eating a bowl of popcorn or ice cream while you do so.

Our ancestors were indeed made of stronger stuff than we today.

What's more dangerous than Survivor? More intimate than Big Brother? It's `Frontier House'! PBS offers a quality reality show in the vein of those previous hits. This is a must see show. This is totally different than any of the shows on today. If you want a true reality show that is also different, then Frontier House is the show to watch. I loved every minute of the show and wished it could have been longer. This show focuses on the complexity and depth of human nature as it faces new challenge everyday.

The show depicts what life was like for the early American's of the frontier. Three families are given a chance to relive this amazing experience. The virtual frontier was recreated using period experts to show an accurate representation of the west.

There are no challenges for food or gifts, no alliances to backstab each other or any ratings booster. The show does show how the families lived, worked, played and interacted with each other over the five months on the frontier. We are treated to real emotions that show that life wasn't always easy on the range. Can three families coexist with each other being their only neighbors? The ultimate goal is to see who can survive and thrive on the range.