COLUMN: The duck show is done

OFF THE MARK COLUMN
By: 
Mark Spensley
Express Co-Publisher

     I always make fun of reality television, especially shows like Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor. I am not a big fan of Survivor either. But I do have my favorites.

     One of those shows is about ready to come to an end, Duck Dynasty. I have been a big fan of the bearded family for quite some time. One of the things that has drawn me into watching Duck Dynasty is the family members seem relatable.

     It’s almost like many of their family dramas could easily be my family dramas. They entertain each other much the same way I see my family doing so as well. The hunting aspect of the show is appealing too, but over the last few seasons there has been less hunting.

     We have watched their kids grow up, head off to college and get married. Over the years I have often wondered about certain aspects of the show. Two cast members that work for the family, Martin and Goblin, are the only non-relatives to appear on a frequent basis. Why or how did they become part of the filming aspect? I am sure many others work for the duck call business.

     The slow talking guy, know as Mountain Man, has a radio show. Is it for real or made up?

     How come the family patriarch, Phil Robertson, has been absent from most episodes the last two or three seasons?

     I am curious about the brother without the beard, Alan. He just recently started showing up in the last couple of seasons.

     Why doesn’t Uncle Si’s wife or kids ever appear in the show? Is Uncle Si really that crazy?

     Two of the families have adopted kids besides having their own. What led to making that decision? Why do some of the kids appear in more episodes than the others? The kids seem to marry at a young age. Is that a religious thing or a product of the south?

     Maybe the most intriguing item I wonder about is why the beards? Whose idea was it to start growing out their facial hair? Was that done for the show only?

     This past week they had a look back at previous seasons and discussed quite a few things about the show and some behind the scene information. The show included old photos of everyone before the beards. It explained some of the stuff I just wrote about. After watching last week I think I am going to miss the bearded Robinson clan more than I thought. There are currently two spinoff shows, Jepp and Jessica, Growing the Dynasty and Uncle Si’s Going Si-Ral. Who knows, maybe there will be more.

 

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