Discovery Channel has released 35 episodes on DVD and on iTunes.
| DVD Name | # Ep | Release |
|---|---|---|
| Dirty Jobs Season 1 DVD Set | 10 | 2006 |
| Dirty Jobs Season 2 DVD Set | 25 | January 28, 2008 |
| Dirty Jobs Season 3 DVD Set | 23 | 2008 |
| Dirty Jobs - Collection 1 | 9 | September 4, 2007 |
| Dirty Jobs - Collection 2 | 12 | February 5, 2008 |
| Dirty Jobs - Collection 3 | 12 | 2008 |
| Dirty Jobs - Collection 4 | 13 | 2009 |
Discovery Channel issued the following statement in its publicity of the program:
Since Mike Rowe began appearing in Ford pick-up truck commercials in 2006, the show has made tongue-in-cheek references to these ads. In the "Billboard Installer" episode, Mike jokingly quipped that he wasn't sophisticated in the ways of the advertising business, while standing in front of a Ford advertisement mounted on the billboard he had just helped to erect. At the end of the "Bridge Painter" episode set at the Mackinac Bridge, the rough cuts behind the credits show Mike as a traffic flagman ad-libbing pithy greetings to each vehicle as it passes. The final vehicle in the clip is a large Ford pickup (possibly an F-350) towing a large trailer, to which Mike says "nice Ford." Over the end credits of the "Wild Goose Chase" episode, Mike comments that as a Ford spokesman, the show is contractually obligated to mention Ford at least once in each episode.
The show's theme song was originally Faith No More's "We Care A Lot" which features the lyrics, "Oh, it's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it". In the first half of 2007, it was replaced with a generic theme song due to rights issues; older episodes aired at the time had their introductions reedited. Mike Rowe has said "Bottom line, the rights to 'We Care a Lot' were either not renewed on time, or not properly acquired in the first place". Although the network has not issued any statement clarifying the situation, "We Care A Lot" returned as the show's theme song beginning with the June 26, 2007 episode and has been retained on subsequent DVD releases of earlier episodes.
Season 2 commercials for the show feature the song "Dirty White Boy" by Foreigner. Season 3 commercials feature Rowe sharing the stage with a pig positioned on a rounded white pedestal, with nondescript formal-sounding light instrumental music in the background.
Rowe often sings on-camera during the segments as part of a sardonic hat-tip to his days as an opera singer. During the candy making segment in episode 34 ("Fuel Tank Cleaner"), Rowe discovers that one of the candy makers makes a confection called "opera fudge" and ask if she sings opera during the making of opera fudge, then belts out an unidentified segment of an opera in Italian. During the cow pots segment of episode 47 ("Poo Pot Maker"), Rowe imitates the singing gondoliers of Venice while paddling around the liquid holding lagoon on the Freund farm: "'O Sole Mio/Don't know the words/I've paddled for hours/In ponds of turds..." In a 2007 episode set at Prince George's Stadium with Mike spending the day doing the "dirty jobs" associated with groundskeeping and dugout maintenance for the Bowie Baysox minor league baseball team in Bowie, Maryland, Mike ended the segment singing the National Anthem prior to the game and throwing out the first pitch.
When Mike reads the very last piece of viewer mail in the viewer's choice episode, he was asked if he could sing the Dirty Jobs Theme Song because his online bio says that he used to be an opera singer. So he explained that one night, as they sat on "Foley" Creek (actually "Folly" Creek, but he has a tendency to pronounce it incorrectly), after a night of oysters and drinking (likely during the Oyster Harvester segment of the shrimper episode), he, Juke Joint Johnny and Sam (likely Silky Sam) jotted down some lyrics and the "official, unofficial Dirty Jobs Theme Song" was born. This shortest version of the song clocked in at just under a minute in length, and it varies a bit from later versions, but it is fun in that it was less planned than the later ones.
At the end of the pipe organ specialist segment of the geoduck farmer episode, Mike Rowe sang what he called the Dirty Jobs Anthem. Rowe reprised this moment in the "Leather Tanner" episode from the third season on an antique piano at the tannery.
At the conclusion of a two-hour special edition commemorating Mike's 100th dirty job, he and field producer Dave Barsky faked a guitar/banjo duet, featuring an extended version of this anthem which ran a little over two minutes in length (Rowe actually sang all the parts while Rowe's friend Matt played all the instruments). The extended song differs slightly from the shorter versions which aired previously, and even the words that are similar vary somewhat. Mike performed the song again with slightly different lyrics on the 150th Job Extravaganza with the Burning Embers.
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Bat Cave Scavenger" | November 7, 2003 |
| Bat biologist (Bat guano collector), bat rehabilitator, Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud, fish gutter | ||
| 02 | "Worm Dung Farmer" | November 14, 2003 |
| Catfish noodler, septic tank technician, worm castings rancher | ||
| 03 | "Roadkill Cleaner" | November 21, 2003 |
| Golf ball diver, horse breeder, roadkill collector | ||
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 04 | "Chinatown Garbage Collector" | July 26, 2005 |
| Garbage collector/recycling separator, shark catcher/tagger, car recycling | ||
| 05 | "Sewer Inspector" | August 2, 2005 |
| Sewer inspector, disaster cleanup crew member (basement sewer), demolition worker (office building interior) | ||
| 06 | "Pig Farmer" | August 9, 2005 |
| Pig farmer, removing chewing gum from sidewalks, pigeon droppings removal | ||
| 07 | "Chick Sexer" | August 16, 2005 |
| Baby chicken sexer, beer brewer, oyster harvester | ||
| 08 | "Vexcon" | August 23, 2005 |
| Exterminator Vexcon (Stars of A&E Channel "Exterminators" in 2009), crab fisherman, blacksmith/farrier | ||
| 09 | "Sludge Cleaner" | August 30, 2005 |
| Surfboard maker, beekeeper, sludge recycler | ||
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | "Hot Tar Roofer" | September 27, 2005 |
| Hot tar roofer, house movers | ||
| 11 | "Ostrich Farmer" | October 4, 2005 |
| Coffee plantation, marine mammal rescuer, ostrich wrangler | ||
| 12 | "Cheese Maker" | October 11, 2005 |
| Zoo keeper (San Francisco Zoo), cheese maker, volcanic ash mud bath mixer | ||
| 13 | "Shrimper" | October 18, 2005 |
| Shrimper, mudbug harvester (crawfish), tire recyclers | ||
| 14 | "Bio-Diesel Man" | October 25, 2005 |
| Cob home builder, beekeeper, biodiesel man | ||
| 15 | "Micro-Algae Man" | November 1, 2005 |
| Pet groomer, micro-algae man, charcoal maker (lump charcoal factory) | ||
| 16 | "Chimney Sweeper" | November 8, 2005 |
| Chimney sweeper, underwater logger, scrap metal recycler | ||
| 17 | "Dirtiest Animals" | December 13, 2005 |
| Revisit of dirty jobs involving animals: pig farmer ("Pig Farmer"), baby chicken sexer ("Chick Sexer"), pet groomer ("Micro-Algae Man"), horse breeder ("Roadkill Cleaner"), ostrich farmer ("Ostrich Farmer") | ||
| 18 | "Dirtiest Water Jobs" | December 20, 2005 |
| Revisit of dirty jobs involving water: shark catcher/tagger ("Chinatown Garbage Collector"), golf ball diver ("Roadkill Cleaner"), oyster harvester ("Chick Sexer"), crawfish catcher ("Shrimper"), catfish noodler ("Worm Dung Farmer"), shrimper ("Shrimper") | ||
| 19 | "Creepy Critters" | December 27, 2005 |
| Revisit of dirty jobs involving insects: exterminator ("Vexcon"), crab fisherman ("Vexcon"), honey harvester ("Sludge Cleaner"), bee exterminator ("Bio-Diesel Man"), worm rancher ("Worm Dung Farmer"), bat guano collector ("Bat Cave Scavenger") | ||
| 20 | "Dirtiest Tools & Machines" | January 3, 2006 |
| Revisit of dirty jobs involving machines: house mover ("Hot Tar Roofer"), tire recycler ("Shrimper"), demolition worker ("Sewer Inspector"), scrap metal recycler ("Chimney Sweeper"), golf ball diver ("Roadkill Cleaner"), hot tar roofer ("Hot Tar Roofer") | ||
| 21 | "Super Dirty" | January 3, 2006 |
| Revisit of dirtiest jobs: disaster cleanup crew member ("Sewer Inspector"), septic tank technician ("Worm Dung Farmer"), sewer inspector ("Sewer Inspector"), sludge recycler ("Sludge Cleaner"), fish gutter ("Bat Cave Scavenger"), charcoal maker ("Micro-Algae Man") | ||
| 22 | "Avian Vomitologist" | January 10, 2006 |
| Marble miner, owl vomit collector, cattle rancher (cow breeding) | ||
| 23 | "Turkey Farmer" | January 17, 2006 |
| Turkey farmer, potato farmer, waste water sewage plant | ||
| 24 | "Alligator Farmer" | January 24, 2006 |
| Sugarcane mill, firefighter (Fremont, CA), alligator farmer | ||
| 25 | "Viewer's Choice" | January 31, 2006 |
| Answering viewer mail, outtakes, cow feed mill | ||
| 26 | "Mushroom Farmer" | March 7, 2006 |
| Mushroom farmer, storm drain cleaner, drain cover foundry | ||
| 27 | "Plumber" | March 14, 2006 |
| Plumber, drilling mud, Rough necker (oil drilling) | ||
| 28 | "Termite Controller" | March 21, 2006 |
| Concrete spreader, termite exterminator, concrete truck cleaner | ||
| 29 | "Casino Food Recycler" | June 13, 2006 |
| Lance Burton animal handler, food recycler/pig farmer | ||
| 30 | "Rose Parade Float Dismantler" | June 20, 2006 |
| Coke manufacturing, oyster shucker, Rose Parade float dismantler | ||
| 31 | "Garbage Pit Technician" | June 27, 2006 |
| Lithographer, terra cotta facade maker, converting trash into electricity | ||
| 32 | "Skull Cleaner" | July 11, 2006 |
| Keeping trains on track (gandy dancer), cracklin and boudin sausage maker, cleaning animal skulls with Skulls Unlimited for display in educational facilities around the world. | ||
| 33 | "Geoduck Farmer" | July 18, 2006 |
| Malibu Bay preservation, pipe organ specialist, geoduck farmer | ||
| 34 | "Fuel Tank Cleaner" | July 25, 2006 |
| Candy maker, truck tire retreading, KC-135R Stratotanker fuel tank cleaner (22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell AFB) | ||
| 35 | "Jobs That Bite" | July 30, 2006 |
| 2-hour Shark Week special: Shark cage, tiger shark necropsy, shark tagging, shark repellent researcher, shark spotter | ||
| 36 | "Jobs That Bite... Harder" | August 4, 2006 |
| Shark Week special: Fish taxidermist, shark suit tester, outtakes | ||
| 37 | "Coal Miner" | August 8, 2006 |
| Salvage technician (Upsala College), coal miner | ||
| 38 | "Hoof Cleaner" | August 15, 2006 |
| Basalt quarry, hippopotamus keeper (Adventure Aquarium), cow hoof trimmer | ||
| 39 | "Alpaca Shearer" | August 22, 2006 |
| Mussel farmer, taro farmer, alpaca shearer | ||
| 40 | "Monkey Caretaker" | August 29, 2006 |
| Vervet monkey rehabilitator (Animal Protection & Environmental Sanctuary, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) | ||
| 41 | "100th Dirty Job Special" | September 5, 2006 |
| 2-hour special: U. S. Army mechanic (Wheel Vehicle Mechanic School, Bravo Company, 187th Ordnance Battalion, Fort Jackson), pig shaver, answering viewer mail, behind the scenes, outtakes, and world premiere of "Dirty Jobs Anthem". | ||
| 42 | "Snake Researcher" | November 28, 2006 |
| Bait and lobster fisherman, Lake Erie seaweed cleanup, Lake Erie water snake researcher (Stone Laboratory) | ||
| 43 | "Penguin Keeper" | December 5, 2006 |
| Concrete stamping, penguin keeper (Aquarium of the Americas), blood worm digger | ||
| 44 | "Bell Maker" | December 12, 2006 |
| Stamford hurricane barrier zinc anode changer (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), bell maker (McShane Bell Foundry) | ||
| 45 | "Mosquito Control Officer" | December 19, 2006 |
| New Orleans post-Katrina jobs: house demolition/gutting, rodent control, mosquito control and poison testing | ||
| 46 | "Bug Breeder" | January 9, 2007 |
| Tree trimmer and stump grinder, fainting goat farmer, exotic insect breeder (Audubon Insectarium) | ||
| 47 | "Poo Pot Maker" | January 16, 2007 |
| Surveying salmon spawning grounds (Feather River, California Department of Water Resources), viewer mail concerning income of the Lake Erie water snake researcher ("Snake Researcher"), manufacturing CowPots (a type of flower pot made from cow manure) | ||
| 48 | "Mule Logger" | January 23, 2007 |
| Wine barrel maker, logging with mules | ||
| 49 | "Well Digger" | January 30, 2007 |
| Bowie Baysox groundskeeper, placing boat moorings (Lake Winnipesaukee), geothermal well driller | ||
| 50 | "Cave Digger" | February 20, 2007 |
| Wine cave digger, baggage handler (Southwest Airlines, Kansas City International Airport), incinerator for trash from international flights (Kansas City International Airport) | ||
| 51 | "Salt Miner" | February 27, 2007 |
| Behind the scenes, salt miner (Hutchinson, KS) | ||
| 52 | "Wine Maker" | March 6, 2007 |
| Wine maker, cattle feed farmer (Partridge, Kansas) | ||
| 53 | "Steam Ship Cleaner" | March 13, 2007 |
| Hydroseeding, viewer mail on additional footage of a Malaysian walking leaf (Phyllium giganteum) from the Audubon Insectarium, cleaning the inside of the boilers of the steam yacht Medea. | ||
| 54 | "Really Dirty Animals" | March 20, 2007 |
| Revisit of dirty jobs involving animals: alpaca shearer, fainting goat farmer, vervet monkey rehabilitator, cattle rancher (cow breeding), penguin keeper, ostrich farmer, food recycler/pig farmer, logging with mules | ||
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | "Billboard Installer" | June 26, 2007 |
| Billboard installer | ||
| 56 | "Snake Wrangler" | July 10, 2007 |
| Reptile handler | ||
| 57 | "Leather Tanner" | July 17, 2007 |
| Clay jug potter specializing in faces on the jug, tannery | ||
| 58 | "Dirtiest Machines on the Planet" | July 24, 2007 |
| Revisit of jobs involving dirty machines: oil derrick ("Plumber"), coal mine mucker ("Coal Miner"), recycling center trommel ("Chinatown Garbage Collector"), sewage treatment plant lift pump ("Turkey Farmer"), wine cave roadheader ("Cave Digger"). Top 10 dirtiest rides: scrap metal recycler scissor tractor ("Chimney Sweeper"), Bowie Baysox tractor/lawnmower ("Well Digger"), turkey composter front loader ("Turkey Farmer"), roadkill pickup truck ("Roadkill Cleaner"), owl vomit collector bicycle ("Avian Vomitologist"), junkyard jalopy ("Chinatown Garbage Collector"), garbage truck ("Chinatown Garbage Collector"), Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck ("100th Dirty Job Special"), poo pulling tractor ("Poo Pot Maker"), pig farm slop truck ("Pig Farmer") | ||
| 59 | "Bridge Painter" | August 7, 2007 |
| Mackinac Bridge maintenance worker, NASA Crawler-transporter lubricator | ||
| 60 | "Vomit Island Workers" | August 14, 2007 |
| Fish farming hybrid striped bass, tilapia, and carp; bird conservation ("Vomit Island," Ohio) | ||
| 61 | "Alligator Egg Collector" | August 21, 2007 |
| Return visit to alligator farm from "Alligator Farmer" episode: egg collecting, West Nile virus testing, and release of alligators. While filming the release of the alligators, the air boat carrying the film crew flips. | ||
| 62 | "Wild Goose Chase" | August 28, 2007 |
| Mackinac Island horse manure and garbage removal/composting, H5N1 avian influenza testing and goose tagging (Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge) | ||
| 63 | "Crew's Cruise" | September 18, 2007 |
| The Dirty Jobs crew take a Royal Caribbean cruise and reflect on their dirtiest episodes while being pampered aboard the ship. | ||
| 64 | "150th Dirty Job Extravaganza" | October 23, 2007 |
| Yak and bison rancher (shown again in 2008 on Animal Barber episode), bloopers, celebration of 150 dirty jobs milestone at the San Francisco recycling center with top 10 viewer's choice dirty jobs: monkey caretaker ("Monkey Caretaker"), mudbug harvester ("Shrimper"), cattle rancher ("Avian Vomitologist"), Lake Erie water snake researcher ("Snake Researcher"), exterminator ("Vexcon" and "Termite Controller"), child of pig farmer ("Casino Food Recycler"), shrimper ("Shrimper"), charcoal maker ("Micro-Algae Man"), shark suit maker ("Jobs That Bite... Harder"), and cow hoof trimmer ("Hoof Cleaner") with appearances by airport incinerator operator ("Cave Digger"), reptile handlers ("Snake Wrangler"), candymakers ("Fuel Tank Cleaner"), and wine cave digger ("Cave Digger"). | ||
| 65 | "Special Effects Artist" | October 30, 2007 |
| Giant kelp harvesting for abalone farming, Mike gets sick (not job-related), special effects make-up artist | ||
| 66 | "Reef Ball Maker" | November 6, 2007 |
| Artificial reef maker, goat milk soap maker, frac tank refurbisher | ||
| 67 | "Exotic Animal Keeper" | November 13, 2007 |
| Working at "transfer station" at San Francisco dump, exotic species (gray wolf, cougar, pot-bellied pig, deer, bearcat, turkey, Royal Tibetan yak, camel, cow, goat) sanctuary | ||
| 68 | "Creepy, Slimy and Just Plain Weird" | November 20, 2007 |
| Revisit of dirty jobs involving animals hosted from East Bay Vivarium: alligator farmer ("Alligator Farmer"), blood worm digger ("Penguin Keeper"), exotic insect breeder ("Bug Breeder"), skull cleaner ("Skull Cleaner"), Lake Erie water snake researcher ("Snake Researcher"), and geoduck farmer ("Geoduck Farmer") | ||
| 69 | "Spray Insulation Technician" | November 27, 2007 |
| Cleaning airport runway paint striper (Kansas City International Airport), collecting diapers for odor analysis, spray installation of cellulose insulation | ||
| 70 | "Dirty Innovators" | December 4, 2007 |
| Revisit of dirty innovators and entrepreneurs: CowPots maker ("Poo Pot Maker"), cow hoof trimmer ("Hoof Cleaner"), owl vomit collector ("Avian Vomitologist"), food recycler/pig farmer ("Casino Food Recycler"), lobster fisherman ("Snake Researcher"), shark suit tester ("Jobs That Bite... Harder") | ||
| 71 | "Big Animal Vet" | January 8, 2008 |
| Cleaning barbecue smoker, large animal veterinarian, removing underground fuel oil storage tank | ||
| 72 | "Steel Mill Worker" | January 15, 2008 |
| Recycling Mississippi River barge, steel mill worker | ||
| 73 | "Cave Biologist" | January 22, 2008 |
| Cave biologist (Hidden River Cave, Kentucky), hagfish fisherman | ||
| 74 | "Buoy Cleaner" | January 29, 2008 |
| Cedar shake and shingle maker, buoy tender (USCGC Aspen) | ||
| 75 | "Cranberry Farmer" | February 5, 2008 |
| Handmade brick maker; cranberry harvesting; cranberry jam, jelly, and syrup maker. | ||
| 76 | "Mud Mineral Excavator" | February 12, 2008 |
| Mining and bird rehabilitation at Searles Lake, rice milling | ||
| 77 | "Tight Spaces" | February 19, 2008 |
| Revisit of jobs involving tight spaces: stripping and painting inside of Mackinac Bridge tower ("Bridge Painter"), replacing pipe underneath house ("Plumber"), KC-135R Stratotanker fuel tank cleaner and boom operator ("Fuel Tank Cleaner"), Stamford hurricane barrier zinc anode changer ("Bell Maker"), storm drain cleaner ("Mushroom Farmer"), cleaning the inside of the boilers of the steam yacht Medea ("Steam Ship Cleaner") | ||
| 78 | "Brown Plate Special" | February 26, 2008 |
| Revisit of jobs involving food: Coffee plantation ("Ostrich Farmer"); fish farmer ("Vomit Island Workers"); potato farmer ("Turkey Farmer"); oyster shucker ("Rose Parade Float Dismantler"); boudin sausage maker ("Skull Cleaner"); viewer mail asking about top 10 memorable tastes: ground crab shells ("Vexcon"), geoduck stomach ("Geoduck Farmer"), fish mash (marine mammal rescuer, "Ostrich Farmer"), termite insecticide ("Termite Controller"), tortilla chip from dirty kitchen ("Bio-Diesel Man"), mealworms ("Bat Cave Scavenger"), crawfish ("Shrimper"), cob ("Bio-Diesel Man"), mussels ("Alpaca Shearer"), animal bodily fluids ("Big Animal Vet"); candy maker ("Fuel Tank Cleaner") | ||
| 79 | "Dirty Jobs of the Big Apple" | April 14, 2008 |
| Dirty jobs in New York City: Building and installing rooftop water tower, cleaning elevator shaft in brownstone | ||
| 80 | "Floating Fish Factory" | April 21, 2008 |
| Fishing and processing of fish aboard the F/V Legacy, a trawl fishing vessel and at-sea fishprocessor in Alaska's Bering Sea; viewer mail | ||
| 81 | "Dairy Cow Midwife" | April 28, 2008 |
| Working on a dairy farm: milking, artificial insemination, cow midwife | ||
| 82 | "Aerial Tram Greaser" | May 5, 2008 |
| Erosion control technician, aerial tram maintenance (Palm Springs Aerial Tramway) | ||
| 83 | "Turkey Inseminator" | May 12, 2008 |
| Making a home energy efficient by improving insulation, turkey artificial insemination, viewer mail, car crusher | ||
| 84 | "Ice Salvage Crew" | May 19, 2008 |
| Cleaning up diesel spill in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, salvaging truck from bottom of lake | ||
| 85 | "Wind Farm Technician" | June 2, 2008 |
| Wind turbine generator technician, garbage removal from sinkhole, printing press operator | ||
| 86 | "Animal Barber" | June 9, 2008 |
| Making shampoo from mud, horse castration (additional footage from large animal veterinarian, "Big Animal Vet"), yak and bison rancher (additional footage from yak and bison ranch, "150th Dirty Job Extravaganza") | ||
| 87 | "Brown Before Green" | June 16, 2008 |
| Revisit of jobs that are "eco-friendly": geothermal well driller ("Well Digger"), underwater logger ("Chimney Sweeper"), cedar shake and shingle maker ("Buoy Cleaner"), tire recycler ("Shrimper"), truck tire retreading ("Fuel Tank Cleaner"), cob home builder ("Bio-Diesel Man"), Malibu Bay preservation ("Geoduck Farmer"), cave biologist ("Cave Biologist"), bee exterminator ("Bio-Diesel Man"), exotic insect breeder ("Bug Breeder") | ||
| 88 | "Greenland Shark Quest" | July 29, 2008 |
| Shark Week special: Researching the greenland shark | ||
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 89 | "Tar Rigger" | October 7, 2008 |
| Working on the windjammer merchant ship Star of India: polishing the binnacle spheres, caulking the deck, tarring the rigging, tallowing the mast, preserving the jibboom from termite damage, inspecting the inside of the bowsprit | ||
| 90 | "Dirty Chip Maker" | October 14, 2008 |
| Potato chip maker, effluent channel building cleaner at wastewater treatment plant | ||
| 91 | "Sheep Castrator" | October 21, 2008 |
| Cutting concrete wall, sheep shearing, docking and castrating lambs | ||
| 92 | "Leech Trapper" | October 28, 2008 |
| Leech trapping, making raw meat dog food out of green tripe | ||
| 93 | "Dirty Presidents" | November 4, 2008 |
| Revisit of jobs related to past Presidents of the United States: Calvin Coolidge, exotic species sanctuary ("Exotic Animal Keeper"); James K. Polk, turkey artificial insemination ("Turkey Inseminator"); Andrew Johnson, New Orleans rodent control ("Mosquito Control Officer"); Herbert Hoover, salt miner ("Salt Miner"); Lyndon B. Johnson, cleaning barbecue smoker ("Big Animal Vet"); Thomas Jefferson, wine barrel maker ("Mule Logger"); Ulysses S. Grant, tannery ("Leather Tanner") and logging with mules ("Mule Logger"); George Washington, fish farming ("Vomit Island Workers"); Andrew Jackson, goose tagging ("Wild Goose Chase"); John Quincy Adams, alligator egg collecting ("Alligator Egg Collector"); Harry S. Truman, pig shaver ("100th Dirty Job Special") | ||
| 94 | "Mannequin Factory" | November 11, 2008 |
| Demolishing a mobile home, making mannequins | ||
| 95 | "Egg Farm" | November 18, 2008 |
| Cleaning diesel fuel from dirt, chicken egg farm | ||
| 96 | "Vellum Maker" | November 25, 2008 |
| Harvesting hops, making vellum from goat skin | ||
| 97 | "Maggot Farmer" | December 2, 2008 |
| Transplanting a saguaro, maggot farmer | ||
| 98 | "Gourd Maker" | December 9, 2008 |
| Cleaning the bottom of Lake Waramaug, making and cross pollinating gourds | ||
| 99 | "Brown Before Green 2" | December 16, 2008 |
| Revisit of jobs that are "eco-friendly": Garbage collector ("Chinatown Garbage Collector"), incinerator for trash from international flights ("Cave Digger"), garbage removal from sinkhole ("Wind Farm Technician"), recycling Mississippi River barge ("Steel Mill Worker"), cleaning up diesel spill ("Ice Salvage Crew"), removing underground fuel oil storage tank ("Big Animal Vet"), demolishing a mobile home ("Mannequin Factory"), making a home energy efficient by improving insulation ("Turkey Inseminator"), making shampoo from mud ("Animal Barber"), wind turbine generator technician ("Wind Farm Technician"), roadkill collector ("Roadkill Cleaner"), Mackinac Island horse manure and garbage removal/composting ("Wild Goose Chase") | ||
| 100 | "Bologna Maker" | January 6, 2009 |
| Bologna maker, incinerating toilet cleaner | ||
| 101 | "Abandoned Mine Plugger" | January 13, 2009 |
| Bird ringing common terns and canadian geese (Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge), abandoned mineshaft plugger | ||
| 102 | "Animal Rendering" | January 20, 2009 |
| Excavator at the La Brea Tar Pits, dead cow renderer | ||
| 103 | "Goose Down Plucker" | January 27, 2009 |
| Walnut harvester, goose and duck feather plucker and dresser | ||
| 104 | "Diaper Cleaner" | February 3, 2009 |
| Olive oil presser, cloth diaper cleaner | ||
| 105 | "Spider Pharm" | February 10, 2009 |
| Suet bird food maker, spider collector and venom extractor | ||
| 106 | "Locomotive Builder" | February 17, 2009 |
| 200th dirty job building and refurbishing locomotives (MotivePower Industries): CNC plasma cutting, grit blasting, refurbishing engines | ||
| 107 | "200 Jobs Look-Back" | February 24, 2009 |
| Look back at the previous 200 jobs with additional footage from "Skull Cleaner" and "Turkey Inseminator" | ||
| 108 | "Mike's Day Off - Special" | March 3, 2009 |
| Mike takes the day off to get a physical examination, leaving Executive Producers Eddie Barbini and Craig Piligian to host the show: servicing porta-potties and making custom-fabricated alloy wheels for Boyd Coddington Wheels | ||
| 109 | "Sled Dog Breeder" | April 12, 2009 |
| Breeding and training Alaskan Huskies as sled dogs with Martin Buser; revisit of dirty jobs in Alaska: Bird ringing common terns and canadian geese ("Abandoned Mine Plugger"), fishing and processing of fish ("Floating Fish Factory"), cleaning up diesel spill in Dutch Harbor, Alaska ("Ice Salvage Crew"), incinerating toilet cleaner ("Bologna Maker"). The mail bag portion was taped at the Soo Locks on the floor of the MacArthur Lock in front of the upstream bulkheads. | ||
The show is a spin-off of a segment host Mike Rowe once did on a local San Francisco program called Somebody's Gotta Do It. After completing a graphic piece on cow artificial insemination, Rowe was inundated with letters expressing "shock, horror, fascination, disbelief, and wonder". Rowe then sent the tape to the Discovery Channel, who commissioned a series based on this concept. Dirty Jobs is now produced by Craig Piligian (executive producer) of Pilgrim Films & Television. The Discovery Channel executive producer is Gena McCarthy.
Mike has stated in recently aired promos (done alongside a large sow) that he originally wanted to honor his father, and grandfather, by bringing fame to the less-than-glorious careers.
A worker takes on Rowe as a fully-involved assistant during a typical work day, during which he works hard to complete every task as best he can despite discomfort, hazards or situations that are just plain disgusting. The "dirty job" often includes cameraman Doug Glover and field producer Dave Barsky getting just as dirty as Rowe does. Rowe frequently takes on-camera jabs at "Barsky" (as he's most often referred to in the show), regarding Barsky's penchant for setting up scenes where Rowe will encounter the most dangerous and/or dirty part of the "dirty job" as part of a great camera shot; when a safety officer finishes going over the rules and regulations for the "Billboard Installer" job in the third season and hands Mike a log to sign to acknowledge receiving instructions, Mike mutters the words "Dave...Barsky" as he signs his name.
Mike Rowe often makes jokes about his jobs and describes them as "dirty jokes". But he almost never makes fun of the workers themselves. Indeed, Rowe and the show consistently respect these people for taking on the jobs that average people would never touch, and the show always begins with the following quote from Mike Rowe, usually spoken while in the midst of a particularly dirty task:
Rowe frequently makes note of the cheerfulness of his hosts - the dirtier jobs are often filled by happy workers.
