THE STORY BEHIND THE SHOW: MONSTER TEACHER’S LOUNGE
Here’s the inside scoop from Director/Writer: Wendy Calhoun, and Producer: Jeanne Dresp

How was “monsterizing” a school different from “monsterizing” a house?

Wendy: It was completely different.  The moment I saw the campus I was immediately taken back to my elementary school days.  The school was rich with familiar supplies and settings that everyone can relate to: chalkboards, clocks, classrooms, the cafeteria, etc.  Instead of having to transform a home space into a themed space, I could see the theme was already present, and the “monsterization” was really going to give the teachers a more vibrant place to work.  Just being on a school campus and knowing you’re doing something special for the teachers was inspiring for us.

Jeanne: It was more difficult than a typical house. Every design idea we came up with had to be approved by the school district. Once we had our final designs, every single material used in the lounge had to have a spec sheet for the district to approve.  They also had to have their inspectors go through to make sure the areas we were working in were all abated and free of asbestos and lead. Usually this process takes months. We were fortunate enough to have the Principal and the school district on our side to help expedite the process. There was also the issue of shutting down part of the campus for us to use while summer camp and office employees were still trying to work in the building.

How were the teachers?

Wendy: The teachers at Sherman Oaks Elementary are a great group of people who believe in what they do and truly love their work.  They knew exactly what they wanted for the lounge.  It was really cool to see how excited they were when we revealed the new lounge to them for the first time.  We heard lots of laughter, saw tears, and shared plenty of gratitude.  My mother was a teacher and public elementary school principal for thirty years.  Most of her friends are teachers, many of our neighbors in Texas and family members are teachers – let’s just say, I know teachers.  They are exceptionally articulate, patient, and professional people.   They are unsung heroes with the power to shape young minds. 

Jeanne: The entire staff of Sherman Oaks Elementary School was extremely accommodating to our needs. The teachers were more than understanding when we told them they would have to relocate their mailboxes and eating areas. Even the janitors helped out. One of them started calling other schools to see if they needed any of the cabinets we tore out of the lounge. Their enthusiasm was contagious to my crew, the build team, and myself.  The reveal day was definitely my highlight for the week. The teachers were all so excited about the new lounge. I’ve never seen so many teachers crying. It was a hugely rewarding experience for myself.

How were the builders?

Wendy:  The builders were really interesting people to me.  Individually, they were all very likable, but as a group, they were a strange mix of competing personalities.  Watching them was like watching a case study on team dynamics: what works and what doesn’t work.  The thing I liked about watching the builders was that they all stayed true to their personalities and point of view from beginning to end.  I felt like they were always being themselves, and not playing a persona for a reality TV show.

Jeanne: As a team I thought the builders did a horrible job. They didn’t communicate with each other or work together as a team. Individually, they all had some strong building skills, unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to give them a winning build. 

What did you tell them in advance?

Wendy:  I always say the same thing: I’m looking for the truth.  We don’t set out to make anybody a “bad” guy or a “good” guy or anything like that.  The camera doesn’t lie, and neither should they.  They’re on the show to do something fun, build something exciting, and keep it real.

Jeanne: I always tell the builders the build week will be the hardest they’ve ever worked in a week. The hours and the stress can be overwhelming. However, it will also be one of the most amazing experiences they’ve ever had. I would say 90% of all the builders I’ve worked with have said they would do it again in a heartbeat and would love to do another episode.

Was any of the drama “staged” or set up in any way?

Wendy: That old saying “truth is stranger than fiction,” applies here.  We don’t set up scenes, but we do watch and listen very carefully to what’s happening.  I like to spend as much time, if not more time, talking to the builders off-camera and encouraging them to do what they want to do.  The perfect example of this was working with Mike, the cabinetmaker from Texas.  Mike is one of the most incredible craftsmen I’ve ever met.  When Stretch and Bianca started taking over the puzzle wall, I went for a walk with Mike alone, with no cameras.  I told Mike I didn’t like what was happening and offered to shoot him alone to give his side of the story.  He thanked me and said it wasn’t necessary.  Then, he went back to the build and confronted Stretch and Bianca in his own way.  It took courage for him to do that, and we shot it.  Was it set up?  Absolutely not.  I can’t force people to play a “role.”  They’re builders, not actors.  But, I can and do encourage them to feel comfortable and be themselves. 

Jeanne: We didn’t stage anything but the opening on the school bus. Usually, by day two of the build week a story is emerging on it’s own. Our job is to watch the interactions of the builders with each other and with the designs and find the story there.

Was it supposed to be a two-part episode from the start?

Wendy:  No, definitely not.  We knew we had plenty of good scenes, a big build, some odd personalities, and an exciting reveal…  but to sustain two-hours?  Not sure.  Then, as we began to edit the footage, we realized we were having too much fun watching it all. Why to try to cram everything into one hour?   Part One takes a while to set up, but once it gets going, it’s worth the wait.  Then, for me, Part Two is a blast from start to finish.  I love the range of emotions – from frustration to anger to exhaustion to laughter to joy – it’s all there.

Jeanne: We never do two-part episodes. The only other time we have done this was when we did the Dog House show. That one became a two-parter because there was so much drama between the builders. We weren’t expecting this to be longer than an hour, but we had so much great footage, Discovery agreed it should be a two-hour episode.