Fans of TLC's Extreme Cheapskates know the show features some seriously eccentric people
who take frugality to a whole new level. These people aren't just stingy, they would do literally
anything to save a penny. But despite its popularity, here's what even the most loyal
viewers don't know about the show.
"Couponing to me is like breathing."
After experiencing success in early 2011 with its reality show Extreme Couponing, TLC decided
to shine the spotlight on even thriftier people later that same year, testing the waters with
a special called Extreme Cheapskates. According to the network, the show focused on four people
who took their passion for penny-pinching to bizarre lengths, including a Vermont local
named Roy who…
"Unabashedly takes home other people's leftovers at his local restaurant, and goes dumpster
diving to find an anniversary gift for his wife."
"Red flags."
Also profiled on the special, was a Maryland couple who took a quote "fiscal fast" five
times a year, refusing to spend any money during a one-week period, and a Michigan man
whose talent for low-ball bartering led him to save $20,000 on his hugely discounted wedding.
"The total cost of our wedding, after we had everything taken care of, was about $1,825."
The special proved to be a smash hit with viewers, leading TLC to order an eight-episode
first season. The show would ultimately run for three seasons thanks to such participants
as a mother who served her family actual roadkill, a guy who washed his clothing in the dishwasher,
and a flight attendant who cut costs on her wedding by holding the event in an airport
unclaimed baggage center.
"Jimmy and I said I do at the unclaimed baggage center. It was just a bargain that was too
good to pass up."
In a network announcement, TLC was reportedly looking for people who do whatever it takes
to save money, leading to the discovery of the likes of a guy who basically shrink-wrapped
his entire house to keep its resale value intact. Time columnist Brad Tuttle jokingly
wrote of a supposed casting call for the show:
"Do you go dumpster-diving for your wife's anniversary gift? Do you dine on cow's hearts
and goat's heads, so long as the price is right? When you hear the words 'reusable toilet
paper,' do you think 'Brilliant!' rather than 'Yuck!?'"
"I just saved thirty cents."
Tuttle also shared a legitimate Craigslist ad seeking applicants, which actually read:
"We aired a special that featured a man who washed and reused his paper towels…all in
the interest of saving a few dollars. Now, we're excited to say that we'll be making
the topic an eight-episode series, and we're looking for folks who have unique and smart
ways to cut corners and pinch pennies."
"That is not going in our house."
In 2014, The Tennessean writer Mary Hance, who shares money-saving advice in her "Ms.
Cheap" column, revealed that she'd been contacted about appearing on Extreme Cheapskates after
producers came across her Facebook page. According to Hance, casting director Brooklyn Bagwell
told her that the people selected to appear on the show don't have to pay for airfare
and lodging, adding,
"We fly to them and film the episode in their home."
"Why not used t-shirts to make reusable cloth diapers?"
Bagwell also confirmed that folks are actually paid for their participation. However, she
reportedly declined to share exactly how much the paycheck was, indicating it probably wasn't
a lot. She said,
"We discuss money privately. [It's] a little bit of money."
"I told you I would treat you to dinner. Well I've got something special here."
"Oh my God."
"Salmon carcass."
When it came to Extreme Cheapskates, TV critics could all agree on one thing: The show definitely
lived up to its name. But why anyone would actually want to watch three seasons of it,
that was another matter entirely. In a review of the show, Entertainment Weekly shared a
sneak-peek video along with a warning directed at viewers, joking that the promo was…
"NSFWPWGGOE [Not Safe For Working People Who Get Grossed Out Easily]."
"Don't try this at home."
The Hollywood Reporter declared that the show would likely appeal to viewers who enjoyed
Hoarders, which featured the most shockingly cluttered homes in America, and was guaranteed
to trigger a little queasiness, stating the show would…
"Bring all of the uncomfortable cringing one could hope for. Queasy viewers, on the other
hand, might want to keep it at an extreme arm's length."
"I don't even think that that's really legal. I don't know."
The publication dutifully pointed out that the thrifty folk profiled on the show are…
"People who eat roadkill, never replace clothes and pay for almost nothing, in other words,
people who make Scrooge seem like a reckless spender."
"Girl, what are you doing with that damn coffee?"
If there were ever such a thing as a professional cheapskate, Jamie Jay would be that. After
appearing on an episode of the show, she described the experience with a local newspaper, The
Daily Item. Explaining that she was pretty much destined to be a TLC cheapskate, in life,
she said,
"[I have] a higher standard of living than [my] less-than-average income would normally
allow."
"My family loves my cheap ways because it's just fun."
But as Jay pointed out, she had a bit of an edge when it came to being cast, given that
she was already the author of the penny-pinching book Living Big on a Small Income: The Classy
Cheapskate Way. But what really sealed the deal were her outlandish money-saving efforts.
As Jay told the newspaper, this included tricks like planting fake plastic flowers on her
property to save on gardening costs, along with repurposing the clay in cat litter by
baking it in a kiln and then using the material to make coasters and candle-holders, as well
as her own head stone. She said,
"I never, ever worry about money."
"I own three pairs of pants. These black ones, these black ones, and these black ones."
Oklahoma resident Melody Rose Gravitt appeared on the show in 2013. And she was surprised
by how long it took to film what ended up being a relatively brief segment in her episode.
She admitted to a local outlet, Enid News & Eagle,
"They came here and we didn't know what to expect."
"My family and I are so cheap that we share one tub of water a day."
She went on to reveal that the whole production took three days of filming, shooting for 15
hours on the first day and 13 on the second. Interestingly Gravitt's appearance on the
show amounted to a mere 12 minutes of screen time.
"If I have a cavity, I just take a little chisel and a hammer, and I sit there and chip
it and chip it and chip it until I can knock it out."
Melody told the newspaper,
"It's amazing how long it took to do anything. It took 27 takes of spinning a quarter and
slamming it down with my hand. They just kept shooting it over and over. We had to do a
lot of different angles."
Gravitt also revealed to the outlet that she discovered how much reality TV is actually
real when she filmed for the show. And she claimed that quote "90 percent" of what was
depicted on the show simply wasn't true. One example she pointed to was a scene on her
episode in which she and her family substituted newspaper for toilet paper, which is something
she insisted they don't actually do.
"I don't buy toilet paper. I use newspapers that we get free in town."
But she did divulge what Extreme Cheapskates-approved money-saving strategies she has done, adding,
"Everything we get from the garden is what we live on. We're a family of four, and we
live on $1,400 a month. We make our own bread, crackers and tortilla, and we can everything."
She noted that her family typically burns through about 40 pounds of flour every month
to bake biscuits and the like, saying,
"We don't buy anything in a box."
Victoria Hunt was one of the first people profiled on Extreme Cheapskates, and faithful
viewers of the show may remember the self-made millionaire for, what she called, quote, "peeing
in a jar."
"This is where I deposit my urine."
In an interview with Columbus Alive, Hunt explained the method behind that particular
bit of madness, sharing,
"I love the art and science of making compost, and putting urine in there makes it work much
better. But I don't have to flush as much. I did the math: Here in Columbus, where our
water bills have gone up 35 percent the last three years, it saves a couple dollars a month."
"I hear money going down the drain."
At the end of the day, Hunt feels her efforts not only save money, but also serve to recycle
stuff that would otherwise wind up in a landfill. She says,
"If we don't want something but don't want to throw it away, we set it by the garbage
can or at the end of the street. They'll put out a stereo or a vacuum cleaner. Instead
of buying a new one and burning the oil to make that stuff, I take it home, clean it
and use it."
Mother of eight Jordan Page showed off her extreme frugality on Season 2 of the show.
And she came to the attention of the producers by sharing those same skills on her website-turned
YouTube channel, Fun, Cheap, or Free. On her blog, Page shares the cash-saving secrets
that allow her and her family to live comfortably on her husband's income of about $31,000 a
year.
"Just gotta make it another 45 minutes and then freedom at last."
"Cheers."
Jordan told Babble that it was her blog that led her to TV, which has become something
of a cottage industry for her. In addition to being featured on an episode of Extreme
Cheapskates, she's also appeared on Good Morning America, Rachel Ray, and Inside Edition.
Writing in the comments section of one blog post about her Extreme Cheapskates experience,
Page admitted,
"[Producers] did want me to do some pretty nutty stuff that I wouldn't do. But I compromised."
"I want bacon."
"Bacon's for Christmas."
As she revealed, some of the things she did on the show, such as counting her children's
Cheerios and knocking on her neighbors' doors to beg for leftovers, were highly exaggerated.
She insisted, quote, "I don't do that."
"Every penny counts, and I count every penny."
Extreme Cheapskates ran for three seasons until its cancellation in 2014. During that
time, it landed the dubious distinction of featuring one of 2012's quote "dumbest reality
show moments," as selected by Fox News. That particularly dumb moment involved Kate Hashimoto,
who claimed to never use toilet paper. Hashimoto, who lost her job during the dot-com crash,
says she discovered:
"The best way to live is to be very frugal."
"I got these shorts on sale, I think in 1999, for I think it was $15."
In an interview with the New York Post, Hashimoto, who cut her own hair in her episode, also
explained how her cheapskate lifestyle translates to dating. Turns out that, as much as she
loves free stuff, she's learned it's not enough to keep her tied to a bad relationship. She
says,
"I've been in a relationship where I stayed because I was getting freebies and gifts,
but I got out of it. It's better to be single and Dumpster-diving than to be with someone
you can't stand."
Mark Parisi appeared on the show in 2013 and wound up becoming one of the show's most memorable
and outrageous characters when he declared his intention to sell one of his testicles
for medical testing. And according to Parisi, he was expecting to land some big bucks for
the extra part. He said on the show,
"What you do is you go in and you donate one of your testicles, they replace it with an
artificial one and when you check out after 14 days you get a check for $35,000."
"You're going to have your testicles replaced?"
"One of my testicles, not both."
"Don't you think you need it?"
"Well they give you an artificial one, so I'd still have two working parts."
Parisi later appeared on the daytime series The Doctors, and revealed he had even bigger
ideas for his testicle: He was planning to use the money to buy a new car. According
to Parisi, he wasn't talking about just any old car, instead, he had a specific one in
mind: a Nissan 370Z. As one of the hosts of The Doctors joked,
"It's a Nissan for your left one."
Of course, it's definitely worth noting that selling body parts is illegal.
"We are really competitive when it comes to being cheap."
Husband and wife Karissa and Rick Parran appeared on the second season of the show, and they
shared how they saved money by cutting corners on their personal hygiene. Among their budget-shaving
tricks were taking brief two-minute showers together, limiting toilet flushes, and sharing
toiletries such as toothbrushes and razors. Rick even said on the show,
"We're so cheap that we share our tooth floss."
But, while sharing dental floss may indeed save a few cents, is it really worth it? Not
according to an actual dentist, Dr. Joseph Banker, who told Good Housekeeping,
"If you have a virus, you could transfer it by saliva or blood between one person to the
other. If someone has herpes or the flu, for example, those viruses can be easily transmitted
by sharing floss."
"Can I have one?"
"Mmm, I guess, but that means that you owe me 15 cents."
The takeaway: shell out for your own piece of floss, people.
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