Blog Post 1 - It Takes a Thief

If it wasn't for my avid TV watching friends, I would've never stumbled upon the most interesting show on television. “It Takes a Thief” is a reality TV show on the Discovery Channel that plays off of an everyday fear of home burglary. This intriguing series showcases the vulnerabilities of security (or lack thereof) in typical homes across America. The show is hosted by two ex-cons (burglary) Matt Johnston and Jon Douglas Rainey, and they use each episode to exploit common home security flaws by videotaping the burglaries from different hidden cameras in each house.

The structure of the show is quite simple, yet effective. The main host, Johnston, sits in a van with security monitors while the participating naive homeowners sit next to him, as they watch their valuables get taken from them. Rainey is the thief who does all the work, mainly by himself. Rainey goes around the outside of a house looking for any entrance. Often times, he will find a break-in point within the first minute of the approach, whether it be a negligent screen door or a second story window. If there is a way to get into the house, Rainey will find it. Upon the actual break in, our devious host ransacks the house, looking for any type of valuable while creating a path of destruction along the way.

The loot, as it is referred to, consists of an array of items that range from small to medium sized electronics (laptops, jump drives, etc…) to fine art in precarious “hiding” spots within the house. One episode had Rainey stumbling on a hidden trap door in someone’s closet that held an original Picasso sketch worth thousands of dollars. All of the priceless heirlooms and personal data that are stolen from the homeowner are usually gone within ten minutes.

Having one’s life taken from them in the course of ten minutes is hard to fathom, yet the show’s intent is to open peoples' eyes to the cruel reality of negligence. The show is split into sections of the homeowner’s reactions to Rainey’s thievery while Johnston sits right next to them, provoking their reactions with his sly comments and then cuts back to shots from the hidden cameras inside the house. Once Rainey is finished, the homeowner/s come out to greet him, and they tally up the value of the stolen loot. After they showcase the damage, the ravaged home is given a thorough security renovation. Finally, Rainey goes for round two and tries breaking into the house once more, after the renovation. Often times, he doesn’t make it back in, but there are episodes where he still bypasses all security precautions, as a result of no one locking the front door.

Analysis: As mentioned before, the show plays off an everyday fear that our house is vulnerable to break-ins. This fear is often clouded by being too busy to recognize the issue or relishing in a notion of false security by saying, “it will never happen to us, we live in a good neighborhood.” This show resonates with me as I can relate to the homeowner/s when I witness their laptop getting snatched up, along with all the security codes and information that could change their life/lives forever.

Another thing that I appreciated is how the show uses common sense mixed with security technology to provide simple solutions to the show’s audience. I’ve learned a lot about home security by watching the show, and it is very well structured in a way that is both educational and highly entertaining.

Here is a direct link to a preview for the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDSPyXmM_jo