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If you’re looking for a reality competition series that highlights creativity while shifting away from tropes of intense competition and needless drama, look no further than NBC’s Making It (2018-present). Hosted by beloved Parks and Recreation actors Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, the show is a refreshing watch for countless reasons. For anyone unfamiliar with Making It, the show follows a lovable cast of creative contestants (known as makers) as their creativity is challenged week after week during each episode’s set of themed challenges. For instance, a holiday-themed episode began with the makers constructing Halloween costumes out of household items. Later in the episode, these makers designed an imaginative front door display dedicated to the holiday of their choice.
However, the fun does not stop here. Rather than stick to casting makers with limited diversity in terms of artistic expression, Making It effortlessly does something previously unimaginable: cast makers with incredibly different yet complementary creative talents. In the show’s third season, for instance, the makers’ talents include (but are not limited to) taxidermy, sculpting, woodworking, and display artistry. This choice not only caters to a wider audience by inspiring viewers to craft in their own spare time but also lets Making It stand apart from its more conventional counterparts. If you are still not convinced that Making It is for you, here are a few more of its captivating and charming qualities that may change your mind.
The Overall Wholesome Vibe of Making It
One of the main aspects of Making It that separates it from other reality competition shows and simultaneously makes casual viewers become weekly fans of the series is the wholesome air that envelops it. Unlike other competition-based shows that heighten the oftentimes minute drama of any given scenario to herd viewers into watching, Making It does the exact opposite. Whether through ridiculous craft-centric pun battles (yes, there are several) or by consistently challenging makers to channel their inner child, Making It masterfully evokes an authentic sense of joy and whimsy that is truly its own.
Similarly, something else that sets Making It above and beyond its contemporaries is the refreshing and familiar dynamic between Nick and Amy and between the hosts and the makers. While the makers are under a lot of stress since they only have a limited amount of time to create something spectacular and there is $100,000 on the line, this does not negate the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of interacting with the show’s beloved hosts. In the sixth episode of the current season, for instance, Nick and Amy seek out the maker widely considered the best dancer of the cast by his fellow makers. (( Saloni Gajjar, “Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman have fun with TikTok dances in this Making It exclusive clip,” The A.V. Club, August 11, 2021. )).
During this amusing exchange, Nick and Amy momentarily halt the maker’s creative process so he can show off his dancing talents, and, after he does so, the two hosts join him with an array of dances (some from TikTok and others from their own repertoire). Needless to say, the very joy that emanates not only from the hosts during these exchanges but from the contestants as they receive recognition and praise for something that they are truly passionate about is deeply rewarding and satisfying to watch.
The Sense of Community Among The Makers
Another aspect of Making It that puts it above and beyond reality competition shows that stick to more conventional tropes of backstabbing and neverending drama is the true bond that forms between the makers of any given season, as previously mentioned. In an interview with Craft Industry Alliance, Robert Mahar (a maker from the show’s first season) was able to speak on just how appreciative he was of not only his own experience on Making It but the collective experience he shared with his fellow makers as well: “Once the show ended filming, I wrote a letter to the producers thanking them for the thoughtfulness and care they put into vetting the other contestants…Since we’ve finished, we’ve had a text chain going amongst the eight of us, with almost daily communication. Win or lose, that has been such a cool thing.” (( Erin Dollar, “Interview with ‘Making It’ Contestant Robert Mahar,” Craft Industry Alliance, August 27, 2018. ))
Another maker who has made sure to voice her gratitude for the experience she had on Making It is Amber Kemp-Gerstel. Amber, a craft blogger from season one, quickly became a fan favorite due to her bubbly sense of style and just as bright demeanor. She shares that she made lifelong bonds with fellow makers during the show’s production. In a blog post published on her website, Amber (much like her castmate, Robert) puts the loving bond between the makers into words. They would celebrate one another’s challenge wins, despite being competitors: “We [makers] were genuinely happy for each other. Of course, we all wanted to win, but we were also a family and supported each other’s success. It was a good feeling!” (( Amber Kemp-Gerstel, “Eight Fun Facts about NBC Making It,” Damask Love, August 27, 2018. )).
These interviews and countless others show that the show’s contestants are simply true gems of human beings. For these makers, the creative process of making only comprises part of their overall appreciation of the craft. So much of this appreciation stems from being able to share their talents with like-minded creative types that can appreciate all the hard work and thought they put into anything made with their own two hands. Why else would the makers be truly happy for someone else’s win? This is practically unheard of on any other reality competition show, so it can be a real breath of fresh air when it does happen on wholesome competition shows like Making It.
Making It Features Judges That Are Actually Talented Creatives Themselves
Unlike shows that notoriously have inconsistent, clearly biased judging due to their judging panel being made up of celebrities who know little to nothing about what exactly they are judging, Making It proudly hosts judges who are noteworthy creatives themselves. While Nick and Amy are the show’s hosts, the show’s producers (and even Nick and Amy themselves) recognize that the two know less about the art of making than Making It‘s actual judges, Dayna Isom Johnson and Simon Doonan.
While Isom Johnson may not be as much of a household name as Doonan, she has made a name for herself as Etsy’s in-house trend expert for the past eight years. Identifying trends just before they go viral and interacting with the makers that conceived them is literally her job. Initially drawn to fashion and marketing, Isom Johnson always wanted to expand her career in a more creative direction, thus her position at Etsy. Because of this creative inclination, Isom Johnson is a perfect addition to Making It‘s judging panel since, although she does not identify as a maker herself, she knows the immense effort and thought that goes into making it firsthand.
The show’s second judge, Simon Doonan, has similarly had an extensive creative career. A lauded window dresser at the New York location of the esteemed clothing store Barneys for roughly thirty-five years, it is an understatement to say that Doonan has a creative eye. You may also recognize Doonan from his cameos on reality shows like America’s Next Top Model and Fashion Hunters, where he shared valuable insight and advice from his own expertise in the fashion industry. While it can be difficult to judge a show like Making It since comparing its makers’ talents is like comparing apples to oranges, Doonan can judge fairly due to his abounding experience as a creative himself.
While Making It‘s hosts have considerably less creative experience and expertise than Isom Johnson and Doonan, this does not mean that they have no creativity running through their veins whatsoever. Besides being recognized for his amusingly droll portrayal of Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation, Nick Offerman has made an entire business out of his woodworking skills — an asset of Swanson’s character that was clearly inspired by Offerman’s own passion for the craft. On the other hand, Amy Poehler is creative in an entirely different sense; she is a noted director and producer in addition to being a wonderful actress. In addition to working behind-the-scenes on highly-acclaimed projects like Netflix Original series Russian Doll as a creative executive producer, she is also the founding producer of Paper Kite Productions, a film and television production company owned by Universal Television.
How Making It Lightheartedly Eliminates Makers
Although there is no such thing as a reality competition show that does not eliminate its contestants, the way Making It eliminates its makers comes awfully close. While the show arguably had the potential to do this successfully, Making It still has a rather charming, unique way of eliminating its contestants regardless. This ideal was featured in the show’s third season, as Nick and Amy played with the idea of not sending makers home all season. At first, it seemed highly plausible that this was the route that the new season was taking.
Instead of eliminating a maker at the end of the first episode, two new makers entered the Making It barn — something that would never happen on more high-stakes competition shows like Survivor or Project Runway. While this former decision was only temporary since a maker was sent packing in the very next episode, the fact that two additional makers were given a chance to show off their talents and creativity speaks to the show’s kind-hearted nature.
Making It — The First Goodbye. YouTube, uploaded by Making It. July 2018.
The clip above also embodies this idea perfectly (spoilers ahead pertaining to the first eliminated maker of season one). Even after being eliminated, the maker is rendered speechless, not because of the disappointment of being the first out but due to her immense gratitude for being cast on the show and the great (albeit short-lived) experience that ensued. However, the unique qualities of this elimination format don’t stop here. Throughout the show’s three seasons, Nick and Amy amiably interact with the recently eliminated maker at the very end of each episode.
While the topic of these interactions varies slightly across seasons, from simply enjoying the maker’s company in earlier seasons (like in the clip above) to tasking the recently eliminated maker with a “job” on the Making It farm tailored to their making expertise in the most recent season, a light-hearted tone is present throughout. Therefore, even though only one maker can be declared the winner and Master Maker at the end of each season, it truly feels as if every single maker is walking away as a winner in their own right, regardless of whether they were eliminated “too soon.”
