20080630 - Groomer Has It (Animal Planet)

Did anyone watch Animal Planet’s Groomer Has It? It was one of those reality competitions. I generally enjoy these programs. I feel like you get a glimpse into what those professionals think are the important skills for their profession. This one was to find the Groomer of the Year. I started watching hoping to get some tips on how to groom Max. They did give some tips but in the end that was not what kept me watching. The skills they valued, the competition and the competitors were interesting. But in the end the judging was the most interesting of all.
One of the challenges was to groom a dog in a center and get that dog adopted. The winner was going to be the groomer whose dog was adopted first and the loser (being sent home) was the groomer whose dog was adopted last. One of the dogs was in really bad shape. His coat was so matted that every move was painful for him. He really needed a groomers help. The first groomer to chose a dog was torn but decided that it was too risky in the competition to take that dog. The second groomer took that dog saying something like how could I pass, he needs me.
In that moment I think the competition was changed. It became What kind of image do groomers want for their profession? If it’s not about taking care of dogs, what is it? That dog had to be shaved and his skin was in bad enough shape that he ended the day wearing a Victorian collar. Groomer 1 was right, that dog was not going to be adopted that day. Later in that same challenge after Groomer 2 took some people to see his dog and they passed, he introduced them to another of the groomers, allowing him to become the winner of the challenge. Groomer 2's dog was not chosen making him the loser. The judges did not send anyone home after that competition.
So in the course of that one challenge that groomer displayed twice that dogs were more important than the competition. From my point of view the contest was his to lose from that point on. Having said that, I really did not expect him to win. He was not the most experienced nor the most skilled groomer. He was young and new to grooming but he learned fast and paid attention and most important of all his heart was right. And he did win. Go Artist! Go Groomer Has It! Go Animal Planet!