Shark Bytes

See the comment below me, he said exactly what I was going to say, and probably at least as well as I could have!

I enjoyed the show. Then they moved to America and changed hosts and everybody had to be bigger than life and have a lot of ATTITUDE(!) Everything - and everybody - must be OVER THE TOP (!) Well, they all had lots of attitude and they lost me. Changed from folks who were likeable (even if they were not the life of the party) building interesting stuff out of scrounged parts to folks trying hard to become celebrities building stuff obviously prescribed by the producers out of stuff supplied to them. When they tried to change from plain people building interesting stuff to interesting people building boring stuff I knew the show had reached the point where it was irretrievably headed for the dumper, but I kept watching. When they came up with the megawars and the contrived conflicts between team members I could not stand to watch it anymore. Another interesting British program ruined by the 'Poochie' syndrome.

Can hardly wait for the "Mega Mega Mega Junkyard Mega Wars" version. They'll probably pay some LA Advertising firm a 100 grand to come up with that name and I just gave it to them for free. Go figure. How about this. If you've never heard the word 'bodger', in fact if you think the word 'bodger' isn't even a word, you're not allowed on the show, as a contestant, announcer, producer or dishwasher? Might just make the show worth watching again. All right contestants, you have 10 hours to make a vehicle that will jump this life-sized shark, and then they go out and find a jeep body, stick a V8 in it and jump the shark with it. Jump the cliff while you're at it.

Junkyard Wars jumped the shark when it shifted to the Mega-Wars setup. The original concept was very entertaining with different teams that stayed together; the Mega-Wars concept has removed this in favor of two permanent team captains and rotating teams similar to Monster Garage. This takes the entertainment of seeing teams come up with off-the-wall means of building the gadget from the parts available and junks it.

I mean this show is all right, the airplane episode was cool, but did anyone ever notice that some of the things they need are easily found? the captain says "okay guys, we need a forklift", and the team goes out into the junkyard and not only finds a forklift, but a working forklift with the keys still in it. why is a working forklift in a junkyard in the first place, don't people know how much these things cost???

Cathy was so cool, it seemed like she was carrying the show at times even though she was just the host. A slight (but recoverable) cheapening of the concept occurred with the move to the U.S. and the replacement of Robert L. but the final straw was Cathy moving to some moronic robot-competition type show with Henry Rollins at a later timeslot.

when they replaced robert L. w/george gray and went from UK to US. I am glad they kept Cathy rogers. However the second jump & biggest in my book is the build a car crusher episode & they find friggin' BIGFOOT monster truck tires in the scrapheap. who the hell throws out 3000 dollar tires? plus they weigh 1 ton a piece. stopped watching after that episode. RIP JW You not only jumped the shark, you jumped the whole damn species.

When Cathy Rogers left, that was the signature shark jumping moment. It's been a downhill slide from there. When the U.S version went "MEGA"-sized, someone must have let out the chum. The British version seems to be aging a bit better. Perhaps, another year before the sharks finish off the old girl.

OK - we survived the move to America, George Gray, the departure of Cathy, and the "Mylar Moment" - but now Junkyard Wars has finally jumped the shark. The new "Megawars" format effectively destroyed an essential part of the show. Instead of having teams with interesting backgrounds and personalities compete (bikers, cops, rocket scientists, farm boys), now we are stuck with the same captains all season, and different randomly selected participants that don't know each other. Since the new teams have no personality (and how could they, picked from a lineup like schoolkids at the playground) we now have helpful graphics to tell us what we are supposed to think: "he's a lone wolf", or "he always breaks the rules". It's the reality show equivalent of a sitcom laugh track, and a sure sign the show has jumped. We loved Junkyard Wars for what it was - a unique concept, quirky teams, fun hosts, and strange challenges - but now it is trying too hard to be a Survivor clone with staged conflicts and plastic personalities. I was shocked to see Cathy Rogers listed as Executive Producer. I thought the only way the show could have fallen so far was if she had been pushed out the door.

Bah! It was one of my favorite shows! I just started watching the new season and right off the bat I knew something was wrong. They must have changed cinematographers or editors because it was full of panning and fast cuts and cheesy special effects. It's just too flashy now and tries too hard to get your attention. Also, the focus seems to have shifted from education and ingenuity to what the team members think of each other. The show hasn't been the same since its creator and host Kathy left. The old Junkyard Mega Wars were good. Three teams, harder challenges, more time. The aircraft challenge was really great. But the first three episodes this season are all Junkyard Mega Wars! Let me tell you, there's nothing "mega" about them! I really hate saying a show has jumped the shark (especially this one) and I will continue to watch in the hopes that it will jump back or the British version is the same but if this new style is the future of the show, then my future does not include me watching it.

I am a proud native of Tioga County, New York, and while I appreciate the other postings, all I can say is that what you guys consider entertainment, WE consider reality TV. Took apart your Chevelle's brakes and got sidetracked, now its 730AM and you're hung over and there's a blonde girl who's name you can't remember having coffee with your mom? Let's see - broken screwdriver, cigarette butt, welding torch and a couple of quarters.....now you're good to go. Its what makes America great, people (and no offense to the Brits - you guys know your stuff too).

The show never jumped. In fact, when the show moved to the US, made it even better. The Americans are clearly better buiders. The machines are faster, stronger and better built. Whoever said that Cathy Rogers was hot, needs to have their head examined. Only to a fellow brit, she is hot. She is too skinny, has crooked teeth, and generally not that attractive.

I've been a big fan of this show since the start. I've even said one nice comment, posted a few comments prior to this one, but in season nine (U.K.), episode two (hovercrafts), in walks this episode's expert/judge, hovercraft racer/afficionado, ANNE SCRIMSHAW! Who? that face--she's cute and distinct. I've seen her before. Yeah, SHE WAS A FRIGGING CONTESTANT on one of the first two seasons, shot in England. Now she's an expert? HUH? Are there only 10 people in England to choose from? This action goes beyond mylar, George Gray, snowmobiles, or even Karyn Bryant, or whatever her name is. When the quirky bodgers return a few years later as world-class experts, you can't trust anything that they air- maybe the whole damn show is rigged. THIS SHOW BUILT ITS OWN SKIS AND JUMPED THE SHARK.

When the roll of Mylar "appeared" in the trunk, I realized that the whole junkyard was pretty much planted with specific materials. That made me wonder about other aspects of the show. Have you ever wondered why some of the simplest ideas have such different executions? Is it because they want to have different designs no matter what? So if that's also rigged, what else? The time limit? The actual completion time? The winners? How far does this go? I have a hard time rooting for a team that seems to be given handicaps throughout the shoot, and a harder time respecting a competition that has such a disregard for its own rules!

This show jumped back like James Brown live in concert. For its ninth season, shot in the U.K., it's back to "bodging" british vehicles that ran poorly before being scrapped with cockeyed engineering and imagination. It's fun again! Now BOTH contraptions presumably may not finish the final competitions. Robert Llewellyn is back hosting (He's the best), and there's a new co-host, LISA Rogers! Cathy's sister? I don't know, but she's even more eye candy. Meow! (By the way, James brown Jumps back with a "heh", or whatever word he pronounces)