"Hillbilly Blood: A Hardscrabble Life

[555]

I haven't watched the show as I don't watch tv other than The Walking Dead, but, I'm pretty familiar with the mountains of NC, since I have lived here all my life (except during college), and there is nowhere in this fine area that's 2 days walk from any sort of civilization! Must be some sort of geographical oddity or something...


Oh, and 555, my mom, who's 73 picked up 17 buckets of black walnuts over monday & tuesday, so that should get me at least 2 Umnums!

Are we counting, being lost and walking in circles? Odds are, the camera crew are outsiders.

 

[Bowman1911]

Are we counting, being lost and walking in circles? Odds are, the camera crew are outsiders.

Yeah, guess ya got a point.

 

[mbwood]

I don't mean to minimize anything those guys do in real life, but as far as the TV show goes, I agree with you.

I backpack a LOT in Shining Rock and surrounding area, and while even at that, I wouldn't consider myself any expert on the area, but I'm pretty familliar with a lot of it. My family is from the Balsam Grove area (the other side of the Pkwy on 215 towards Rosman.)
I told my wife that their "mine" (on one episode) was obviously on Flat Laurel Creek, and I truly hope nobody else recognizes it and thinks it's full of $10,000 Sapphires, that'll be the end of the area as we know it.
And, when they were on their "25 mile journey", you could plainly see in one scene, the twin peaks of Sam Knob and the grove of fir trees indicating to me they were standing right AT the Black Balsam parking lot gazing across the valley (of Flat Laurel headwaters) toward Silvermine Bald and Mt. Hardy...less than a half mile from the Parkway...and probably 25 yards from that parking lot.
I'm sure anybody who's been up there a few times and saw the show noticed the same thing.
The notion, though, makes for good TV I reckon'.
And say, doesn't that other fella' (the older one) seems to enunciate in somewhat of a "Northern persuasion" to you?
Just sayin'.

 

[baliblaster]

When Dual Survival filmed their show in KY. some guy by brother works with said he knows every single place they filmed the show at.He said they probably weren't more than a 1/4 mile from the highway at any one time.But oh well it all makes for good tv.It sure beats Doctor Phil!Oh yeah who trades a decent looking motorcycle for a worn out,Stihl chainsaw that could be bought at any pawn shop in this country for 150 to 200 bucks?

 

[Loosearrow]

I like the nice watch band on the bloody hand. He must have been going to church.

 

[other memory]

I don't mean to minimize anything those guys do in real life, but as far as the TV show goes, I agree with you.

I backpack a LOT in Shining Rock and surrounding area, and while even at that, I wouldn't consider myself any expert on the area, but I'm pretty familliar with a lot of it. My family is from the Balsam Grove area (the other side of the Pkwy on 215 towards Rosman.)
I told my wife that their "mine" (on one episode) was obviously on Flat Laurel Creek, and I truly hope nobody else recognizes it and thinks it's full of $10,000 Sapphires, that'll be the end of the area as we know it.
And, when they were on their "25 mile journey", you could plainly see in one scene, the twin peaks of Sam Knob and the grove of fir trees indicating to me they were standing right AT the Black Balsam parking lot gazing across the valley (of Flat Laurel headwaters) toward Silvermine Bald and Mt. Hardy...less than a half mile from the Parkway...and probably 25 yards from that parking lot.
I'm sure anybody who's been up there a few times and saw the show noticed the same thing.
The notion, though, makes for good TV I reckon'.
And say, doesn't that other fella' (the older one) seems to enunciate in somewhat of a "Northern persuasion" to you?
Just sayin'.

If there ever was a character, it would be mbwood. Next time post at least a few dozen times before you start sock puppet cinema.

 

[other memory]

Doesn't the one dress a little Trendy to be a real Hillbilly?

Keep in mind the hipsters copy this ^^^, not the other way around. They seek an "authentic" look.

 

[heresthedeal]

Keep in mind the hipsters copy this ^^^, not the other way around. They seek an "authentic" look.

of all the words i could think of to describe those 2 huge #** hats, "authentic" wouldn't be one of them.

 

[Bufford]

I don't know where they live but paying/trading $650 for an old used chainsaw doesn't add up.

 

[Murphnuge]

At the end of the day it's all "entertainment". I've been watching it. It's pretty good as far as I'm concerned. Just as "The Grey" isn't a wildlife documentary on wolves, the hillbilly show shouldn't be viewed as a guide to life.

 

[heresthedeal]

"The Grey" wasn't being passed off as documentary film making, or reality TV/film.

the hillbilly show is.

 

[other memory]

"The Grey" wasn't being passed off as documentary film making, or reality TV/film.

the hillbilly show is.

A marketing brand, nothing more.

 

[heresthedeal]

A marketing brand, nothing more.

not sure what "marketing brand" means exactly, but if "hillbilly blood, a hardscrabble life" is supposed to be reality TV then "gilligan's island" could have been as well.

was also wondering what " sock puppet theatre" was supposed to mean, mbwood had a valid point and seemed to know the area he was talking about, so?

 

[doc trinidad]

if i am correct a sock puppet usually refers for someone using an a fake handle to post anonymously

 

[heresthedeal]

if i am correct a sock puppet usually refers for someone using an a fake handle to post anonymously

thats kinda what i figured, considering the context it was used in.
except it would seem that mbwood would have had to have been defending the show, instead he was pointing out how they had exaggerated/lied about the entire thing, but on the other hand mcdougal seems to be defending the show.

that's why i was wondering about the "sock puppet theatre" comment.

doesn't really matter, its not gonna change my mind about the show or the guys in it, just thought it was an odd comment.

 

[Codger_64]

Swamp people is the real deal!

 

[ncgunguy]

I honestly hope that no one in their right mind believes anything is real on this show! I watched it for the first time tonight and it's completely a JOKE.
Let's start with the "known facts". How about this for a news flash, not everyone in NC is running around in the mountains traveling for days at a time to make 4 quarts of moonshine.......... Duh..... How about working 4 days and buying all the liquor from an ABC store you can carry??? Once again.... Duh....
Let me guess those of you who are non believers, it's a tradition? Do you honestly think I haven't heard that crap line before?? Duh.... How about this, be a real moonshine maker and make a few hundred gallons of moonshine and make some real money instead of the gallon you spent 4 days in the wilderness making. I wouldn't have spent one night in the wilderness for a single gallon. Double Duh.....
The guy wearing his "buckskin" coat is a joke. I'm a deer hunter, fisherman, turkey slayer, gun nut that has a good time doing anything I want (from NC) and don't own a buckskin jacket.... Everything I harvest is eaten and none goes to waste but I surely don't make toys out of the carcass.
And let's address something that maybe no one else knew. TRAPPING A DEER IS ILLEGAL..... Triple Duh network guys!!! Read the freakin' game rules of NC! Plus the simple truth is that when the guys dressed the deer there were 2 bullet holes through the carcass. EXPLAIN that.... Oh yeah, let's look a little deeper into the entire skinning process. Who in the hell cuts a deer in half?? Quarter the animal and divide the meat, using a saw to split the deer is a complete overkill..... ever heard this before, duh....
I can't tell anyone what they can or should watch because the choice is all yours, I can however promise you this, unless I'm at a friends house again where he's watching the show and I can't turn the channel I won't be watching it again.
One last item.. How many of yal would stay a week in the woods to make 4 quarts of white liquor only to trade one for a box of $35 bullets?? I sell guns and ammo part time and understand that bullets aren't always easy to find but seriously??? A week in the woods for a box of bullets and 3 quarts of moonshine that you have to split with Daniel Boone? Am I missing something here?? Brokeback Mountain part 2? Is the cast and crew running around in Peter Pan tights sprinkling pixie dust throughout the woods while no one is watching? GET REAL GUYS.. NC deserves a better presentation than this show. Much better. I've been here for 40 years or more and this state is one of the greatest states in the USA. This show on the other hand... not so much.

 

[Bowman1911]

I honestly hope that no one in their right mind believes anything is real on this show! I watched it for the first time tonight and it's completely a JOKE.
Let's start with the "known facts". How about this for a news flash, not everyone in NC is running around in the mountains traveling for days at a time to make 4 quarts of moonshine.......... Duh..... How about working 4 days and buying all the liquor from an ABC store you can carry??? Once again.... Duh....
Let me guess those of you who are non believers, it's a tradition? Do you honestly think I haven't heard that crap line before?? Duh.... How about this, be a real moonshine maker and make a few hundred gallons of moonshine and make some real money instead of the gallon you spent 4 days in the wilderness making. I wouldn't have spent one night in the wilderness for a single gallon. Double Duh.....
The guy wearing his "buckskin" coat is a joke. I'm a deer hunter, fisherman, turkey slayer, gun nut that has a good time doing anything I want (from NC) and don't own a buckskin jacket.... Everything I harvest is eaten and none goes to waste but I surely don't make toys out of the carcass.
And let's address something that maybe no one else knew. TRAPPING A DEER IS ILLEGAL..... Triple Duh network guys!!! Read the freakin' game rules of NC! Plus the simple truth is that when the guys dressed the deer there were 2 bullet holes through the carcass. EXPLAIN that.... Oh yeah, let's look a little deeper into the entire skinning process. Who in the hell cuts a deer in half?? Quarter the animal and divide the meat, using a saw to split the deer is a complete overkill..... ever heard this before, duh....
I can't tell anyone what they can or should watch because the choice is all yours, I can however promise you this, unless I'm at a friends house again where he's watching the show and I can't turn the channel I won't be watching it again.
One last item.. How many of yal would stay a week in the woods to make 4 quarts of white liquor only to trade one for a box of $35 bullets?? I sell guns and ammo part time and understand that bullets aren't always easy to find but seriously??? A week in the woods for a box of bullets and 3 quarts of moonshine that you have to split with Daniel Boone? Am I missing something here?? Brokeback Mountain part 2? Is the cast and crew running around in Peter Pan tights sprinkling pixie dust throughout the woods while no one is watching? GET REAL GUYS.. NC deserves a better presentation than this show. Much better. I've been here for 40 years or more and this state is one of the greatest states in the USA. This show on the other hand... not so much.

Yeah, I actually watched several of this show one night at work on 3rd shift & I agree, it's piss poor. Also a NC resident, raised on a farm, from a dirt poor family, I've spent plenty of time in the woods, and I've never seen anybody like these guys in the woods. Well, the little grey haired feller reminds me of some meth heads up off Dysartsville road, but the bearded feller with the propper dialect and the buckskin coat definitely ain't from around these parts!

 

[22-rimfire]

I have watched more than a couple episodes. If I see it on, I'll flip over to that channel as I am not a big TV watcher other than movies and the news.... I do like the History and Discovery channels.

That one guy sure drives a nice truck for being such a poor folk in the mountains.

I think most of it is contrived and much made of what some people do to survive in the mountains on nearly nothing. But of course these days, all of these same people are on welfare and food stamps and if one leg is shorter than the other, probably disability.

I love the Appalachian Mountains and the traditions. I got a birds eye view when I lived in SE KY for a good portion of my adult working life. The area certainly grows on you and ultimately, I dind't want to leave, but work is work and one has to survive as best they can. That doesn't include moonshining or boot legging liquor.

 

[Angus McGunnigl]

I honestly hope that no one in their right mind believes anything is real on this show! I watched it for the first time tonight and it's completely a JOKE.
Let's start with the "known facts". How about this for a news flash, not everyone in NC is running around in the mountains traveling for days at a time to make 4 quarts of moonshine.......... Duh..... How about working 4 days and buying all the liquor from an ABC store you can carry??? Once again.... Duh....
Let me guess those of you who are non believers, it's a tradition? Do you honestly think I haven't heard that crap line before?? Duh.... How about this, be a real moonshine maker and make a few hundred gallons of moonshine and make some real money instead of the gallon you spent 4 days in the wilderness making. I wouldn't have spent one night in the wilderness for a single gallon. Double Duh.....
The guy wearing his "buckskin" coat is a joke. I'm a deer hunter, fisherman, turkey slayer, gun nut that has a good time doing anything I want (from NC) and don't own a buckskin jacket.... Everything I harvest is eaten and none goes to waste but I surely don't make toys out of the carcass.
And let's address something that maybe no one else knew. TRAPPING A DEER IS ILLEGAL..... Triple Duh network guys!!! Read the freakin' game rules of NC! Plus the simple truth is that when the guys dressed the deer there were 2 bullet holes through the carcass. EXPLAIN that.... Oh yeah, let's look a little deeper into the entire skinning process. Who in the hell cuts a deer in half?? Quarter the animal and divide the meat, using a saw to split the deer is a complete overkill..... ever heard this before, duh....
I can't tell anyone what they can or should watch because the choice is all yours, I can however promise you this, unless I'm at a friends house again where he's watching the show and I can't turn the channel I won't be watching it again.
One last item.. How many of yal would stay a week in the woods to make 4 quarts of white liquor only to trade one for a box of $35 bullets?? I sell guns and ammo part time and understand that bullets aren't always easy to find but seriously??? A week in the woods for a box of bullets and 3 quarts of moonshine that you have to split with Daniel Boone? Am I missing something here?? Brokeback Mountain part 2? Is the cast and crew running around in Peter Pan tights sprinkling pixie dust throughout the woods while no one is watching? GET REAL GUYS.. NC deserves a better presentation than this show. Much better. I've been here for 40 years or more and this state is one of the greatest states in the USA. This show on the other hand... not so much.

I also was stumped by these things you brought up. I have some pals that are "hillbillies" and in my experience, although cash poor, they make do and are pretty good at planning out thier "adventures". Much of the cash problem is becasue the guys I know just don't want to get a "real job" and be forced to comply with the daily grind of answering to a boss, getting up early, work during hunting season.....stuff like that. They make enough to pay thier property taxes and purchase the things they need, They trade work for goods. They trade venison for propane. They make do becasue of thier connection to family and friendships, and the loyalty to and from those groups, and a extremely tough work ethic. When there is work that does need to get done, it gets done. Shows like this are just plain stupid.