Ep 23. Dirty Presidents

In the 23rd episode of the fourth season of Dirty Jobs, the show's host Mike Rowe embarks on a unique journey to uncover the secrets behind the job of the president of the United States. The episode, aptly named Dirty Presidents, takes the viewers behind the scenes to show them how tough, dirty, and demanding the job of the commander-in-chief really is.

The episode begins with Mike Rowe meeting with Joe Wiegand, a renowned Theodore Roosevelt impersonator, who gives him a brief history of the presidency. Joe takes Mike through the various responsibilities and challenges that come with being the president of the United States. Through his portrayal, Joe puts light on the significance of the office of the president and how it has changed over time.

The next segment of the episode sees Mike visiting a factory in Pennsylvania where they make the seals that go on the presidential podium. Mike gets to see firsthand how these seals are made and how each individual seal is hand-crafted to perfection. The team working on these seals is highly skilled and takes pride in ensuring that every piece is flawless.

In the following section of the episode, Mike visits the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. to see how they preserve and catalog all the presidential papers and documents. He meets with the librarians working on these documents, who show him how they use various techniques to maintain the quality of these papers, some of which are centuries old. The librarians explain how they digitally archive each document so that they can be accessed by researchers and historians across the globe.

Mike then travels to the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to meet with the presidential helicopter pilots and the mechanics who work on the presidential fleet. He gets to see how the pilots undergo rigorous training to ensure that they are prepared to fly the president safely to any location in the world. Mike also spends time with the mechanics and ground crews who maintain the helicopters and ensure that they are always ready to take off on a moment's notice.

For the next part of the episode, Mike goes to the White House kitchen where he meets with the executive chef, Cristeta Comerford, and her team. Cristeta shows Mike how they prepare meals for the president, the first family, and their guests. Mike is fascinated with the level of detail and precision that goes into each dish, and he gets to sample some of the delicacies prepared by the team.

In the final segment of the episode, Mike travels to Virginia to visit Mount Vernon, the home of the first president of the United States, George Washington. He joins the team that maintains the estate and learns about the various chores and tasks that the first family had to take care of for themselves. He also learns about the agricultural practices that were used back in the day and how they have evolved over time. Mike gets to see how the team uses traditional farming techniques to maintain the same crops that were grown in George Washington's time.

Dirty Presidents is a unique episode of Dirty Jobs that gives viewers an insight into the world of the presidency. It shows the various aspects of the position that are often overlooked and highlights the hard work and dedication that goes into maintaining the dignity of the office. Whether it's crafting seals, maintaining aircraft, cooking gourmet meals, preserving documents, or tending to a historic estate, the presidential job is one of the toughest, and Dirty Jobs explores it beautifully.