Watching Infomercials for Fun

Discussion in As Seen on TV started by AugustGreig • Aug 14, 2014.

  1. AugustGreig

    AugustGreigMember

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    Does anyone else actually enjoy watching infomercials? I don't watch them as much as I used, because I don't think they are as entertaining as they used to be in the 90's. But when I was a kid, I used to watch them all of the time. I even had some memorized! I was always an insomniac, and back then, that's about all that there was on cable a 4:00 in the morning. I remember watching Duralube, and all of the Ron Popeil infomercials. And some of the late night shopping channel type shows were hilarious! Am I crazy, or is there anyone else out there like me?
     
  2. Colebra

    ColebraActive Member

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    Sure... Coming in drunk at 4 a.m., there's nothing better than watching a dude do flips on a mattress without spilling his glass of wine.
    Plus, here in Portugal all the voices are dubbed, so it's extra funny.
    I can't remember any other one... But seriously, when are going to need a mattress so strong that an elephant can stand on top of it?
     
  3. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    Some of the informercials are more entertaining than the show that is on tv. There have been a few that I liked and would not mine sitting thru the commerical to the end. Most of the time I will leave the room go get some thing to eat or drink and come back about the time I think the commercial is over. Some informercials are so long you think your are looking at a show. Recently there was one on about a product for diabetes to help regulate the blood sugar levels, I watched that a few times, very informative.
     
  4. Bright7

    Bright7Active Member

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    I love watching infomercials. There is even a cable channel called Celebrity Shopping Network that is nothing but infomercials 24/7. I agree that they are not as entertaining now as they were in the 1990s, but they are still better than some of the shows currently on TV. My favorite infomercials have always been the ones for fitness gadgets/exercise dvds and the ones for skincare and cosmetics.
     
  5. forextraspecialstuff

    forextraspecialstuffActive Member

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    I'm not too big on watching infomercials. I think it is a combination of having a very short attention span and also not caring too much about the products or services being discussed. I would rather amuse myself with something else, even if it's mindless.The only time I ever really watched infomercials for an extended period of time was when I was younger. I would come home around 4am after a long night out, probably pretty drunk and make some waffles and flip on the TV for a bit.
     
  6. eppie

    eppieActive Member

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    Lol :D ..

    I use to love infomercials when I was still a kid but now I'd rather work on my computer than to watch it. Though my kids are all in awe with the infomercials. Once they told me to buy this water hose because it's like magic that it elongates from this long to this loooooong. :D And a cleaning mop that does every type of cleaning you can think of. Funny thing is that my kids don't really like cleaning AT ALL. :(
     
  7. mythman

    mythmanActive Member

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    I remember (back before I had cable, when there were maybe-seven channels to choose from) after Saturday-morning TV, there would be a block of infomercials. Sure, there was "Amazing Discoveries," which had the same attraction to me as James Bond 007 and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and MacGuyver did: ingenious use of gadgets.

    But I also enjoyed the hot bodies of female fitness-instructors selling exercise-videos!
     
  8. BoomSchroasted

    BoomSchroastedNew Member

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    I don't necessarily enjoy watching them, but boy, do they reel you in... I will find myself flipping through the channels, and stop for a second on an infomercial. The next thing you know, I have been sitting there for 15 minutes, watching some guy talk about a blender. I have never bought something off of an infomercial, but I will be the first to admit that they definitely do a good job of appeal-marketing.
     
  9. Mayvin

    MayvinActive Member

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    There are some infomercials that I really do enjoy watching, mainly the cooking ones. They make some of the products look so easy to use and and the food so tasty that your tempted to seriously buy it. I try to control my impulse to do that though until its been out on the market for a while and I can get some reviews for it from real people who have used it.
     
  10. Colebra

    ColebraActive Member

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    I remeber that hose!!! It's this right:

    Log In


    It's actually a pretty nice product if you use a hose everyday...
    Infomercials can be ridicule, but if you are into entrepreneurship, it's really cool to see some of the products people come up with, to try and solve people's problems...
     
  11. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    I also enjoy the cooking informericals. I have seen the one for the nuwave cooking that cooks a turkey in half the time as the oven. I have often wondered it it really worked. But I am not willing to spend a few hundred dollars to find out. The ninja bullet does work as advertised, a great little machine to have in the kitchen.
     
  12. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I love watching these for fun too, much more so back then when there weren't that many options yet. Nowadays I don't watch them as much anymore since I have so many more other online videos or shows I could watch instead, but from time to time I'll stop channel surfing on a home shopping channel if the product I see is interesting enough. I never bought anything from these shows though.
     
  13. jneanz

    jneanzActive Member

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    The lady with the helmet hair cracks me up because she is so serious about the many things that can be made in a countertop grill that is not a George Foreman. She speeds from side to side making desserts, leftovers, or whatever in a matter of minutes (or so it seems). I never bought one nor do I know anybody that has any of her gadgets but she knows how to promote.
    [video=youtube;OfhNqPXbCVg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfhNqPXbCVg[/video]
     
  14. AugustGreig

    AugustGreigMember

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    Well, I sure am glad to see that I am not alone when it comes to being entertained by these things. Some just have these truly hilarious moments. Especially when they spit out a line like, "Are you tired of [blank]," and then they proceed to show someone failing hardcore at using a normal version of their product. One that stands out in my memory was of a woman attempting to get the meat out of a grapefruit, only to be squirted in the eye by the citric juice, at which point she put her hand over her eye and shook her head repeatedly in defeat. I love that stuff.
     
  15. daimashin

    daimashinActive Member

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    I was an infomercial enthusiast last time. I remember the TV used to have this SmartShop informercial that showcased a lot of their products. Each time will be a 30 minute presentation about one of their products like the Ab Rocker, or some kitchen ware. I remember the ab machine used to have celebrities in it like Chuck Norris. I don't know when these infomercials started to disappear, nowadays I don't see them on TV anymore.
     
  16. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I sometimes watch the ridiculous infomercials like the Slap Chop one for fun. I find the weight loss and exercise ones incredibly boring. I've noticed that infomercials are shown at a higher volume to make you take notice. I'll be watching a TV show at normal volume and then the infomercial that comes on next is much louder. It's annoying.
     
  17. JessiFox

    JessiFoxActive Member

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    Lol I can't say I've ever really enjoyed them overall, but I do agree that the 90s ones tended to be a lot more amusing. My grandma watches them just for entertainment value, though, and it looks like you've both got some company here ;).
     
  18. Esperahol

    EsperaholActive Member

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    "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!" Seriously though, there are a lot weird and hilariously inappropriate infomericals I do enjoy watching. That said I don't watch a lot of television anyway. With the moving of Legend of Korra to the Internet I basically only look at TV on Thursday and Saturday.
     
  19. AugustGreig

    AugustGreigMember

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    Yeah, infomercials are shown at a higher volume. They also do this with regular commercials in general, and it is really annoying. From what I understand, this practice is supposed to be disallowed by the FCC. I believe that certain states like New York enforce it a lot more strictly than others, though. But I notice it all of the time. I sleep with my TV on sometimes, and the commercials can be so much louder than the regular programming that they have actually startled me to waking.
     
  20. Zikkled

    ZikkledNew Member

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    Heh, I used to watch infomercials all the time too when I was little. There were always a bunch playing back when we still had cable television, but after we switched to satellite it seemed like the amount greatly lowered.

    Most of what I watched used to be made by Billy Mays, and the most memorable to me are Orange Clean / Oxy Clean. They got annoying after a while, naturally, but they were pretty funny.

    These days the only infomercials I watch are the notoriously ridiculous ones, which I sometimes get really good laughs from.