Clean House/Niecy Nash appreciation thread

Cafe Society
1

I actually started this as a way of saying “DAMN WHAT UNGRATEFUL BIATCHES THE SHE-BAGLIENS WERE!” in the “Messiest Home in America” episode, but decided that may be a little too limited interest to get any hits, so I’ll broaden it to the show in general.

Any other CLEAN HOUSE fans? It’s one of the few “Style” shows I can endure. I like most of the people and find the makeovers way less obnoxious than on many shows. (They’re not always to my taste, but then they’re not supposed to be.)

The cast revolves a bit, but the constants are Niecy Nash (bk4 Reno 911), designer Marc Brunetz, “Yard Sale Diva” Trish Suhr, and “fix it” guy Matt Iseman. Brunetz is a real designer (though he has a background in video production as well, perhaps most notably Jane Fonda’s workout videos), the rest are “show-biz” folks, though Iseman has a little M.D. to fall back on.

Niecy Nash: This is a woman I would totally love to have on my speed dial. She’s funny, obviously intelligent, very quick witted (some of her obvious ad libs are way funnier than most of the scripted dialogue), and just seems the kind of person who could lift you out of a funk, kick a bully’s ass, and sit down for some great Greek spaghetti and deep dish gossip, or talk politics. (Of course appearances can be deceiving and it’s possible she’s in fact an out of control diva with occasional lapses into cannibalism, but her on screen persona is super cool.)

Marc Brunetz- he’s strangely cute- I can’t quite figure out why since he’s not my usual type at all. He doesn’t have Thom Filicia’s talent, but he also doesn’t have his budget. It’d be interesting to see what he can really do.

Trish Suhr- love the accent, seems like she’d be a really cute person off the air, though at the same time she’s the one that could most easily be replaced by a trained seal without harming the show. My understanding is she’s mainly an aspiring comedienne/actress anyway- not that “yard sale diva” is an actual calling- so hopefully she’ll get some nice exposure before the seal completes the training.

Matt Iseman- I know several women and gay guys who have crushes on him. To me he’s the weak link- even though he’s a medical doctor he seems somehow vacuous and "dumb jock"ish. But nice enough I suppose; to me Niecy and Brunetz are the show.

So anyway, feel free to comment on any aspect of the show or the people.

And I’ll say "DAMN THE BAGLIENS ARE BITCHES!"Did anybody catch that show? It’s about a mother daughter who could be played in the movie by Sally Struthers and Janice who both stormed off the show at different moments. Neither would agree to participate in publicity afterwards. They received between $75K and $100K of home renovations but seem to feel it’s
1- owed them
2- an imposition

They were on par with Toni Dragon(the professional mediator [and Penny Marshall impersonator] who had such a meltdown) in horror stories, though at least Dragon has an excuse (she’s batshit crazy). The Bagliens, while obviously compulsive hoarders which is a pathological condition, are mainly just bitches. (I’ve known compulsive hoarders on a first name basis and their personalities are completely separate from the ‘condition’- some are nice, some not; the Bagliens are bitches first and c.h.s second.) Also, unlike Dragon, they contacted Clean House (in Dragon’s case a friend of her daughter’s contacted them- she only agreed to get free stuff).
So anyway, I won’t be surprised if this sinks below the horizon, but thought I’d give a depth charge to see if anyone else is watching.

2

I haven’t seen or heard of this show, but have you seen the show “How Clean Is Your House?” typically carried in the US by the BBC America channel? If so, how do you compare the two?

If not - This show has two women, one English and one Scottish (the Scottish lady, Aggie, is adorable), who pinch their noses and squeal in horror during walkthroughs of filthy homes, show the residents what horrid germs they could be cultivating, then get them to clean up, plus haul out the trash and spruce the place up afterwards. Typically they go back a few weeks later to check up and give more advice. It’s a new house every episode, and they’ve had everyone from slovenly bachelors, to a woman so embarrassed by the house’s condition that she’s gone without a working water heater for a couple years because she won’t have a repairman in.

Anyway, Clean House sounds like something I should check out.

3

I love Niecy Nash for her work on Reno 911, but I’ll also watch Clean House if I run across it. She’s hilarious.

4

I’m one of the gay guys who would please please please like about an hour and a half with Matt Iseman in one of the to-be-renovated bedrooms before they take the bed out and burn it, please…

5

Niecy Nash is witty and sarcastic. What’s not to like? I’m not a fan when she tries to counsel the homeowners but overall it’s a guilty pleasure.

6

And I have to admit, I like Niecy. But I like the eps with Laura Winslow a leeetle bit better.

7

I watch both shows a lot, and I don’t think they compare too much, besides the obvious basic premise. Yes, they are both about getting homes whipped into shape, but the approaches are different. For starters, let’s face it, Aggie and Kim clearly love getting into the muck and take a strange sort of pleasure out of smelling disgusting things. But their focus is very much cleaning and tips on how to clean and getting the dust and grime out of people’s house. We never learn what happens to all their belongings (trash it? Storage? Something else) and we rarely see people have breakdowns because all their stuff is gone. Clean House takes a different approach. Cleaning is important, but the real focus, I think, is teaching people that things are just things. That it’s okay to get rid of it and move on. That their good memories don’t reside in the objects they collect.

Isn’t “Cash in the Attic” the BBC show where they sell off belongings and use the procedes to buy more stuff? I think that “Clean House” is a combination of that and “How Clean Is Your House.” Once they clean the place out, they sell all the stuff (donate the rest of charity) and then use the money they earned to redecorate the home. Thus it’s not just a time to get rid of the disgusting grime, but also to get a facelift and have a new sense ofpride in ownership.

On preview, I see I’ve talked more about both shows than I ever intended to do in my whole life…

8

I’ve watched How Clean Is Your House a few times, but I’m always grossed out by the closeups of mold, mildew, and filthy toilets, so I turn it off and forget to go back at the end to see the results.

I love Niecy and her crew but I’m sick of the formula, particularly the phony bit where Tricia or Marc beg someone to give an item up for the yard sale, they refuse, there’s more begging, and eventually the juke box/rocking horse/romance paperbacks/whatever ends up at the sale and brings a whopping $5. I’m also sick of the suspense about whether the yard sale brought in enough money for the renovation. Even if they didn’t make a dime, getting the crap out of the houses is a huge improvement.

Was Mama Baeglin the woman with all the housecoats? She was a right bitch.

9

Oh man, I just watched those two clips with the Dragon lady. I agree that the green paint in the living room was unfortunate (especially with the bright orange couch) but dang – crying and saying it’s horrible and that it makes you want to puke? Suck it up, say thanks, and repaint the damn room after Niecy and the crew have gone.

Actually, I thought it was ugly too, and the furniture rearrangement didn’t work either. I wonder if Marc just wanted to push her buttons, make some good TV. He didn’t seem all that upset about her reaction.

10

I’m a fairly regular watcher of Clean House but the last “Messiest House in the Country” sent me over the edge. That mother/daughter combo were really horrible. As soon as the mother said “I grew up poor and didn’t have any toys” I knew it was going to be 2 hours of denial and ungratefulness. And that’s what I got.

I was pretty amazed when Niecy started crying and thinking they weren’t going to be able to help. I was hoping she would pack up the crew and leave the big rodent nest (pardon me, 30 years of clutter).

I do miss Allen Lee Haff (the original garage sale dude). Matt is a bunch of useless. Marc has the potential to be a good designer but he’s only done a few standout rooms.

11

I enjoy Clean House if it happens to be on as I’m flipping channels, although Trish gives me a bit of a headache. Perky people bug me.

My daughter *loves *How Clean is Your House, and I agree that the women who host it are fabulous, but the houses are so disgusting that I’ve had minor anxiety attacks watching that show, and I am NOT a germophobe.

12

My family and I love this show. Especially Niecy. It makes me feel much better those times when we pit our house a little bit. :smiley:

I liked that both Niecy and Trish have been busted for their own “mayhem and foolishness” on the show. Niecy at her Mom’s house and Trish who had stuff stashed at her friend’s house.

13

I don’t have cable TV, but it seems like every time I am by my parents’ house or house-sitting, it is on. And I have been known to watch hours and hours of it at a time!

I looooove Niecy. I think she’s beautiful and I can’t stop staring at her. I want her skin so bad…it’s so flawless. And her eye makeup always makes me so jealous! (for the record, I am a straight white woman)

I think sometimes the acting on the show is a bit too much, and so much of it seems over-staged. But I have a weird fetish for watching people get smacked down on television so this show rocks.

14

I like the show, and of course Niecy is fabulous.

Although, like others, I find the manufactured crises tiresome, I really enjoy seeing the way the families react to having a less cluttered environment. It inspires me to get rid of stuff, and I sure need that inspiration!

Yes, this is the best part. I like it when they point out that a person doesn’t have to keep granny’s actual piano to keep the memories, and that a picture of granny playing the piano can be an excellent alternative. And that although granny would appreciate that they want to keep her piano, she really wouldn’t want them to suffer because of it.

It’s a good lesson.

15

No, that was the mom from the first Messiest Home in the Country. I can’t remember their name right off. But yeah, she was a right bitch. I only caught a few minutes at the tail end of this version, but Mama Baglien stormed off the set halfway through the reveal because she couldn’t find some old purses that belonged to her grandmother.

16

Assuming it’s genuine, I’m always baffled by how uncooperative and surly the people on the show sometimes are. I mean, I’m pretty sure the Clean House crew doesn’t just randomly show up at your door. You did CALL these people, right?

17

DianaG, yeah, that bugs me too. It’s gotta be scripted. Sometimes a friend or family member does the contacting, but the homeowner can always say no. Assuming they’ve seen the show, they must know what it’s about, that they’ll be asked to get rid of their favorite junk.

Has Niecy lost weight? She looked thin in the clips Sampiro posted. Maybe I’ve just been watching repeats.

18

I love this show. My husband thinks I’m crazy. I thought Niecy was way too over the top at first, but she’s really grown on me. I just love her and her fake flowers. “Oooooh, Miss Niecy! How about me?!”

I like when Niecy talks to the homeowners about their problems. My favorite recently was the married couple Jiffy and Jim, where poor Jiffy still lived in her own house because Jim wouldn’t make room for her (or get rid of all of his ex-wife’s fake flower crap). Niecy says to him something like, “You’re either afraid of change, or you’re selfish and inconsiderate.” Go Niecy! I also love those incredulous looks she gives the camera. “Mayhem and foolishness,” and “a hot mess” are some of my favorite phrases now.

19

I love this show, too! Niecy rocks. I wonder who the new go-to guy is on the “Messiest” shows. I saw Matt Iseman hosting a show on ESPN recently. Has he left Clean House?

I couldn’t believe that bitch of a mom who just drove off. She shoould have stuck around to see that basement! It was fabulous. Much better than the rats they had before. :smiley:

20

Yeah, but that’s neither here nor there. :stuck_out_tongue: