Texas Ranch House

This arguably may have been the catalyst that ended the PBS "House" series but it did sure end with a bang, Texas Ranch House in my opinion was one of the most dramatic and interesting of the whole series. Second being the Regency House party but it is clear those who were on this had a hard time adapting to the setting they consented too, along with all their 21st century sensibilities getting in the way and with Mr. Cooke basically letting his wife run the show. There was just no surprise this would have ended upside down. While some reviewers probably believe there was no one you could cheer on in this yet.. My favor is to the cowboys (also Howie the dog) who saw this through till the end even with a bully of a foreman, a lazy and unhygienic cook, pussy whipped ranch owner and his tyrant of a wife. Oh and the naive maid of all work..

After watching a few episodes I really began to see the guys turn into real cowboys. Now the Cooke family, what a mistake in casting. They feed each others ego so they will never believe in constructive criticism. Lisa Cooke was so self righteous, you wanted to gag. The meaner her husband was to the cowboys the more turned on she became. The Cooke girls were boring because they were on their way to becoming little replicas of Lisa Cooke. Mr. Cooke started out being very pleasant but gradually became absorbed with the power and praise he received from his wife. I think at one time he could have been liked by other people but after the master manipulator told him what to do, he was doomed.

TEXAS RANCH HOUSE is an 8-episode television program in which 21st century people are challenged to live for 2 ½ months on a Texas ranch in 1867. Bill Cooke, a hospital administrator from California, becomes the ranch owner, along with his wife Lisa (a homemaker and amateur genealogist) and their three teenage daughters. Nine men, ranging in age from 20-year-old Sean to 57-year-old Stan, become the cowboys, who live in the bunkhouse and do the physical labor of running the ranch. Maura (26), a Stanford PhD student, becomes the "girl of all work," who will be expected to pitch in wherever needed as the family's only servant.Many reviewers here on Amazon have criticized TEXAS RANCH HOUSE for sensationalizing the "House" franchise, and complain that the participants (especially the Cooke family members) never really get into their 19th century characters. Admittedly, some of the participants (Lisa Cooke is the most obvious example) have trouble putting aside their 21st century sensibilities to truly experience living in the past. But having watched all of the previous "House" programs, I can say that this is a common problem with the series. It's not easy to spend an extended time living in a way that goes against your personal views (whether about religion in COLONIAL HOUSE or class structure in MANOR HOUSE or lifestyle in FRONTIER HOUSE). In TEXAS RANCH HOUSE the conflicts are about women's roles. How much influence should a wife have on her husband's decisions? How much freedom should women have to express opinions and do a "man's job"?I found TEXAS RANCH HOUSE fascinating. Bill Cooke comes into the project as a businessman expecting to have no problem at all managing the ranch and turning a profit. What he discovers is that it's not as easy as he thinks to keep his cowboys in line while also satisfying his wife's need to be an active part of the leadership. Lisa Cooke wants to be present at all meetings between her husband and the cowboys - this causes no end of problems for everyone involved. When she insists that Maura (the "girl of all work") be given a chance to join the cowboys and ride on the cattle drive, the problems intensify. Whether this particular conflict was set up by the producers is unclear - Maura wants to do more than housework, and Lisa supports her in this.The cowboys, too, have trouble making the transition to the 19th century. Stan comes in as Foreman expecting things to be like his 32 years in the military - he wants to run his men like a military unit, but they are resistant. Nacho (Ignacio Quiles), a student at the Culinary Institute in NYC, is the cook for the cowboys, but he has a very hard time adjusting to the living and cooking conditions. The other ranch hands are initially resistant to the hard work, the oppressive heat, and the lack of food and entertainment they face on a daily basis. None of them have an easy time.Ultimately, the cowboys rise to the occasion and conduct a very successful cattle drive. Bill Cooke never quite manages to stand up to either his ranch hands or his wife, and he comes across as a weak and ineffectual manager. Lisa Cooke wants so much to prove that women can be valuable players that she ignores her true 1867 role and comes across in a very negative light. The same can be said for Maura, whose dream of being a cowboy rather than a maid gets in the way of a true experience for her.But I can't condemn TEXAS RANCH HOUSE. Part of the fascination of these programs is seeing how difficult it can be for 21st century people to transition back to an earlier era. Lisa Cooke believed she could bring something important to her role as the wife of an 1867 rancher - but in trying to do that, she negatively impacted the entire experience for all of the participants. That doesn't mean the project was a failure. It highlighted the differences between 1867 and 2005 very successfully.I do recommend this program as an interesting and revealing study in human behavior.

I loved it. I saw the series on PBS and was happy to know I could purchase the dvd. I think this should be used in schools as a learning tool; not only to experience a real life situation in an entertaining format, but to see how people today have changed, not necessarily for the better. How frightening to think these 21st century volunteers were so incredibly ignorant of life in our historical past, though I compliment the ranch hands for trying their best for modern young gents. The ranch family? Well, let the viewers decide.

Wow, this must be seen for the final episode alone. The tension between the cowboys and Cooke family finally comes to a head in the final episode when Slim and Mr. Cooke get into an argument over the sale of a horse. The Cookes were horrible people but they make such great villains and make you root for the good and honorable cowboys that much more.

Our history and how hard life was 150 years ago and how we have changed

The Cookes are a terrible family, Nacho is an awful cook, but the cowboys are enjoyable and it is a fun show to watch and learn a touch of history in an approachable fashion.