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I like that it is set up like Antiques Roadshow, with lots of brief, yet pithy stories. I loved the stories!
Okay, I'll be watching as long as it's on.
The only thing I didn't like was the creepy host guy with the disturbing hairline.
I also liked that they give us a "pee break" like Antiques Roadshow does. Since they don't have commercial breaks, they always have a boring section on something local, in this case, the building/venue in Nashville. Yawn. But like I said, I got to run to the bathroom, re-fill my wine and put the dogs out!
I like that it is set up like Antiques Roadshow, with lots of brief, yet pithy stories. I loved the stories!
Okay, I'll be watching as long as it's on.
The only thing I didn't like was the creepy host guy with the disturbing hairline.
I also liked that they give us a "pee break" like Antiques Roadshow does. Since they don't have commercial breaks, they always have a boring section on something local, in this case, the building/venue in Nashville. Yawn. But like I said, I got to run to the bathroom, re-fill my wine and put the dogs out!
LOL, I also like the "pee breaks." No telling what I am doing at that time.
But I like the format though I was not expecting it. They covered at least 6-8 people here.
It was pretty good. I liked the last part where they found that girl's family but it does go really fast. I guess they think that's what people want but I would actually prefer to see just a few people and really delve into their backgrounds and take them way back.
Since the people chosen for the show were chosen in advance so they could do the research, what were all the other people doing there? Do they have other researchers helping them off-camera?
I didn't realize there are only 4 episodes of Genealogy Roadshow. The final will be aired on October 14. That's too bad. I hope they come back again next year.
It does go pretty fast -- I found some of the connections hard to follow. But I did enjoy the variety of people who were researched, and that it wasn't just one line of ancestors back to the time of Charlemagne.
There were also a few odd moments -- one genealogy expert said that the ancestor who only went to 8th grade was probably illiterate. What???? 1st or 2nd grade, maybe, but 8 years of education was the norm back then, and many, many people went on to become successful businessmen.
And the last segment -- the Polish name "Boleslaw" may have been uncommon in America, but is actually the Polish version of "William" -- VERY common name. Surprised that they didn't mention that.
I was okay with the number of people profiled and the speed, because I watch Antiques Roadshow. I compare this show to Antiques Roadshow and not to Who Do You Think You Are. I'm used to people lining up to learn from experts about their antique item and its history. A few minutes on each one is a nice little history lesson. similarly, the people on this new show are lining up to have experts answer an ancestry-related question or mystery, and again, a few minutes on each is a nice little history lesson. they aren't trying to be WDYTYA which lately spend a whole episode on one ancestor while the subject flies back & forth all over the world.
Although I don't quite understand the crowds, since it's clear the people chosen as subjects were chosen well ahead of time. Maybe the rest of the people in the crowds are getting questions answered on the spot, with researchers doing quick lookups, but they just don't get onto the show. A few of the subjects were quick like this, like the young man & his mom who had done DNA testing. They could have just walked in with their 23andme results and asked the woman what they meant. So they could have been walk-ins.
I didn't need the whole background story on the Hatfields & McCoys (that was another pee break for me). Most of us watching are history buffs, and saw the miniseries on History channel last year.
I didn't need the whole background story on the Hatfields & McCoys (that was another pee break for me). Most of us watching are history buffs, and saw the miniseries on History channel last year.
My wife was thrilled with that section because Devil Anse and his brother Wall are her 2nd cousins, three times removed, and her 3-great grand aunt was shown in their tree.
Liked the pacing overall, liked that this episode featured several African-Americans. It's often harder for African-Americans to get a good handle on their family backgrounds. Loved the picture of Uncle Fate and the little boy! Also the young man who turned out to be the illegitimate son of the TN governor. He (the son) lived a colorful life.
The final story - young woman connecting with her family - was nicely done.
What I didn't like: way too many folks looking for connections to famous people. Yeah, I know this is reflective of real world genealogy because that's what so many are seeking. But it was just trite and the connections that did turn out to be legit were cousins several times removed in long ago generations. I'm pretty sure most genealogy hobbyists could turn up equally remote connections to all kinds of famous people, if we were motivated. It's much more interesting to discover the everyday folks and their stories - re the stories I mentioned above.
Also too much time spent covering Jesse James, Hatfields, and Davy Crockett. blah.
Yeah, the focus on being related to someone famous got on my nerves. I'm not much into celebrities in general. I find my non-famous ancestors interesting enough; I don't need some connection to someone famous to validate my existence.
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