“Garret”—a family is sent to live in an unheated attic in Paris, after being exposed to consumption and hooked for at least six months on absinthe and/or morphium. The women have to earn their living making silk flowers and selling themselves outside the Opera House, while the father must sell bad poetry to newspapers.
“1970s House”—The family is given bad haircuts and triple-knit polyester clothes, and sent to live in a fake-wood-paneled split level. They must exist listening only to 8-tracks and playing Pong. The women will be forced to do without bras, and everyone must go to Consciousness-Raising sessions.
“1660s House”—Three families are exposed to bubonic plague and left to die by the side of the road.
“Cave House” where the family must live a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, not use any meaningful verbal language, only use Stone Age tools and must be wary of sabertooth tigers that hunt at night.
Upper West Side Penthouse Apartment 1920s: The men must wear slicked back hair, little moustaches, and resemble William Powell. The ability to mix a batch of martinis will be emphasized. The women will be required to have platinum hair and wear stunning gowns. No children will be permitted.
De-institutionalized Family - 1980: A family is taken to any urban area in the United States and put on the streets with no money, skills, and after first being given a lobotomy.
Hahaha! I would most definitely tune every week to watch this show. Perhaps you should swing by a few of the networks in midtown Manhattan and pitch this idea?
1789 House: a family is set up as Louis XVI sympathizers in an 18th century chateau from which all the peasant servants have run off. The women have to handle all the chores while wearing corsets and extremely tall wigs; the men must deal with the rabble (played by people who didn’t make the “family” cut during auditions) who are gathering in the courtyard building a guillotine. Week 6 is a Very Special Episode in which the family is hauled out of their luxurious featherbeds at 3:00 AM and taken by horsecart to the Bastille for questioning.
Lighthouse a family must live and operate a lighthouse.
Not very excting till you add in the fact that lighthouse is haunted by a randy cigarrette girl.
Cult house (dosen’t house look funny typed?)
A family must join a cult and live in the cult for two months till they are snatched back and deprogrammed.
Halfway house A family lives in a house that is only half built.
three fifths house A family lives in a house that is 3/5s complete.
Opera house A guy must live secretly in an opera house and stalk the young singer. (ideal applicants will be good a singer/instructor with a knowledge of hypnosis. good looks optional)
Convent three sisters become sisters in this reality show.
Museum two siblings must re-create the mixed files of Mrs. what-her-face and live undiscoverd in a museum.
Doll House
A family lives in a scale replica of the Fisher-Price Little People House. The only furnishings are scale replicas of Fisher-Price Little People Furniture. Additional furniture, appliances, etc. are painted on the walls. Neighboring family lives in the Fisher-Price Little People A-Frame House.
Monkey House
A family lives in a gorilla habitat at a major urban zoo. Visiting children poke them with sticks and tease them with forbidden people food.
House of Usher
Family moves in with an eccentric, homicidal maniac and his lovely yet haunted sister. Family members must take on the roles of the servants of the manor – cooking, cleaning, dusting the crypt and hiding bodies.
I think even a 1950’s House should be done to help my kids realize how tough it was for us growing up.
Only 3 channels available on a black and white tv. If you wanted to change channels or adjust the volume (not to mention the horizontal) you had to get up and walk across the room. Maybe have dad go up on the roof to adjust the antenna while mom shouts, "No…no… there! Wait, go back… you had it! No… no…)
The whole family has to watch the same thing as you only had 1 tv. The Garry Moore show being a highlight of your parents’ choices.
Finally something exciting comes on… Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges exploring the fascinating gray undersea world.
Watching test patterns come on for the night around 10 or 11pm.
Running the laundry through the wringer before taking it out to the yard to hang up on the line. Then running out to take it all down in a hurry when it starts to rain.
Perhaps, forgetting to leave a note for the milk man on Friday to leave extra milk on Saturday. Then on Sunday you realize you don’t have enough, but no stores are open because of Blue Laws.
Waiting for an important call on the telephone while one of the neighbors is tying up the party line.
Playing records… the only ones being your parents 78’s, until they finally tell you they’ve heard enough Spike Jones. You already know every song in Oklahoma by heart.
Reading “Dick And Jane” for your homework.
Getting excited about September when the new car models come out. And they did look different year to year.
The interactive toys being Tinkertoys and Erector sets.
Mad magazine did a spoof last year called “2000 House” – a family must live the same way a family in the year 200 would have lived, with dot com investments and other vanished ways of life.
Other possibilities:
House Atreides – family must live in a desert and train relentlessly against assasination while indulging in resource politics. Companion show to House Harkonnen House of Pancakes – Family must run a breakfast franchise for a month. Kids get to keep tips. House of the Rising Sun – Adults only. Noble House – family must run a financial and importing institution in Hong Kong. This show spans several generations. Broken coins included.
Frat House
Family moves into house and must live off of nothing but pizza and cheap beer, they must have a big party by the end of every month with a different theme.
Ghetto House
Upscale family moves into a rundown house in a very bad neighborhood, must find someway to survive. No money allowed. No jobs allowed. No cable TV allowed.
Damn, “Mad” stole my idea for “SO Last Year House.” A family is forced to wear pashminas and capri pants, talk about the election and watch Season Three of “Sex and the City.”
“Teletubbie House”—a family of four is put into TeleTubbie outfits, eatsnothing but Tubbie Custard and Tubbie Toast, and spends their days frolicking insanely around a bright-lit meadow. I give 'em two days before they snap.
An average family must co-habit with a Mad Scientist, a Demented Hunchbacked Assistant, Count Dracula, Lawrence Talbot, and Frankenstein’s Monster House of the Seven Gables
