Treehouse Masters, in my opinion, is one of the more original shows out there. It follows Pete Nelson who owns Nelson Treehouse and Supplies which obviously builds tree houses for their clients which can range from families, zoos, museums etc. The show bears a striking resemblance to the old Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in where it follows the construction of these beautiful structures and then at the end reveals it to the family. The difference between the two is that Treehouse Masters does it for paying clients, where the Extreme Makeover did it for free for families in need.
A lot of people seem to complain about the show being another case of the reality TV syndrome where things are scripted and unnatural. I don't see this at all. While certain parts may be scripted, they certainly don't distract from the show at all and I feel that these moments are kept to a minimum. Pete's quirkiness is really the driving factor and I think a lot of the humor you see on the show really does come from his personality, not a script writer. His inherent likableness is very refreshing, and he has a very innocent and childish (childish in a good way) sort of personality that really is one of the main attractions of the show.
The only thing I find slightly annoying about the show is that during every episode, Pete just "happens" to get a call from someone needing tree house repair while he's in the middle of building one. He then goes on an excursion to repair this other tree house while the rest of his crew continues with the current project. The show tries to lie to you and say that these little side tracks are spontaneous and unscripted, but the fact remains that it happens every. Single. Episode. You can expect this to happen every single time you watch the show, and it's blatantly obvious that it was preplanned for the client to call him (or Pete to pretend he's receiving a phone call) during the filming of the show. I mean it's nice to watch Pete go to these other tree houses and do repair work, but it's slightly insulting to me when the show tries to pass it off as "chance" that he receives these calls for help (I also forgot to mention that these other tree houses sometimes just "happen" to be very close to where they're building. It's just an indication that it was planned ahead of time). Overall, I don't mind these excursions but I really hate that the show tries to lie to me that they didn't plan it ahead of time.
So bottom line, this is one of the more original shows I've seen in a while and I feel it has a lot to offer. The lack of crude humor and sexual innuendos present in many reality shows (mainly to appeal to the lowest common denominator) is very refreshing, although I feel that this lack of it is expected with this kind of TV show. It's heartwarming to see the families' reaction and to gaze upon the beautiful creations that Pete makes. The people who give this show 1 or 2 stars for it seemingly being too scripted are likely just sour individuals who were dropped on their heads as a child. There's no reason to really hate this show and even if the scriptiness (is that a word?) puts you off, it certainly doesn't warrant giving this excellent show 1 star. I mean seriously? You need to chill out. I recommend it to everyone.
