Dirty Jobs

Americas infrastructure average grade is a D according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. As of 2009, the breakdown falls like this: Aviation: D Bridges: C Dams: D Drinking Water: D- Energy: D+ Hazardous Waste: D Inland Waterways: D- Levees: D- Public Parks and Recreation: C- Rail: C- Roads: D- Schools: D Solid Waste: C+ Transit: D Wastewater: D- America's Infrastructure GPA: D

In this episode Mike wears a vintage Woodsy the Owl jersey that reads: Give a hoot! Don't pollute!

Crew member Chris Whiteneck is shown in the sinkhole segment, but he is not listed in the end credits.

Mike celebrated his 46th birthday in Fargo, ND the night before filming the ice salvage segment.

At the beginning of the ice segment, that actually was Mike driving the truck doing donuts on the ice. Gary Thompson's son-in-law let Rowe borrow his truck.

Photos of Mike working with the erosion control crew can be found at www.selbysoil.com.

In this episode, Mike is concerned about a blow torch being used so close to a cow's flatulence. However, contrary to popular belief, the high amounts of methane emitted from cows (and being blamed for global warming) does not come from a massive amount of flatulence. Rather, it comes from the burping of a cow. All ruminating animals (cows, sheep) burp high amounts of methane. One cow can burp 400 quarts of methane gas per day.

For more information on Fair Oaks Farms and their Dairy Adventure tours, check out their website at www.fofarms.com.

They said that the rice segment came about because they were initially supposed to tape a cotton harvest, but arrived too late. According to a story on www.scnow.com, executive producer Eddie Barbini is quoted as saying the crew actually had been there to film repaving at Darlington Raceway. That dirty job didn't make it to air.

Learn more about Misty Meadows Jams at www.oregonjam.com.

According to The World Link news from Coos Bay, Oregon, Mike worked at Winter Lake Lumber Co. from 9AM until 6PM. Afterward he went to the Gardner's home to sign autographs for their five kids.

New cameraman Dawson Childers claims to have vomited 35 times while filming the slime eel segment.

Mike describes hagfish ("slime eels") as eels that make slime. This is incorrect, as eels are fish. Hagfish are more primitive than fish; they have no jaws.

According to a relative of an employee of Alton Steel, the Dirty Jobs crew actually ruined a camera because they put it too close to the furnace and they had to get a new one shipped in which was a $75,000 accident.

At the end credits, Mike and field producer Dave Barsky argue about the pronunciation of "Cerberus", the three-headed Greek hell hound. Mike asks how Barsky knows the pronunciation and is given the answer, "Because I took 2 years of Latin." This is irrelevant because Cerberus is Greek, not to mention it is pronounced "Kerberos".

Learn more about the East Bay Vivarium at http://www.eastbayvivarium.com/.

Mike says, "That's a tough truck," referring to a Ford pickup. The show is actually sponsored by Ford and Mike Rowe had been in various Ford commercials.

Spring Brook Ranch's website is at http://www.springbrook.com/.

This episode was originally titled Alaska Bird Swabber.

In this episode, Mike is wearing a Dutch Harbor t-shirt. Dutch Harbor, Alaska is the fishing port where the show Deadliest Catch is filmed. Mike is the narrator for that show.