Why So Blu?

Billy The Exterminator – Season 3 (DVD Review)

I am terrified of bugs and all things of the creepy crawly variety.  In addition I have a completely irrational fear of flying things (especially bees), particularly those small enough to fly into my ear canal.  A quick google search reveals that my abnormal and persistent fear of insects is called entomophobia. As a life long entomophobe, the fact that I am a loyal viewer of Billy the Exterminator just goes to show you how entertaining Billy Bretherton and family can be.  I watch every single episode – event the ones with spiders and cockroaches confident in the knowledge that those scurrying little devils will soon meet their maker when Vexcon is called.

Film

My only disappointment is that Season 3 of Billy the Exterminator begins with the same opening credits as the previous two seasons.  By now I would have thought that Billy would have earned himself a new set of titles or something different. In all honesty Season 3 is not all that different from Seasons 1 and 2, but I’m okay with that.  More awesome exterminations is still awesome!

For those of you who aren’t yet fans, Billy the Exterminator centers around a former Air Force Sergeant Billy Bretherton, and his family run Louisiana pest management business Vexcon.  Billy works with his mother Donnie, father Bill Sr., and brother Ricky.  In previous seasons his wife Mary worked in the office but that arrangement did not work very well for the Bretherton family as a whole.  Mary stepped aside from the business last season, but still remains in the opening credits, which means a lot less drama this season.  With episode titles like “Hole of Horror,”“Coffin of Deadly Reptiles” and “Hogs Gone Wild” I honestly don’t know how anyone could resist.  I love the fact that Ricky is severely allergic to bee stings and still gets sent on so many bee calls.  This show would also make a good drinking game – take a shot every time Billy says “eugenol oil”.  You probably won’t make it through a single disc before you pass out!

When out on a job, I like the fact that Billy provides a lot of information about the creatures he is after.  He’s not just out there spraying raid at everything that moves.  He really knows what he’s doing and cares about the people that need his assistance. I’m always touched when Billy drops everything to remove the cockroaches from an old man’s trailer and oxygen tank.  Billy was obviously emotional about the case of the three young children who had roaches crawling on the picture of their recently deceased mom.  He refused to charge them and gladly offered the requested autographs.

In addition to the viewing pleasure of watching a red neck fight with his white trash family (red neck and white trash are terms used with nothing but love), Billy the Exterminator also provides all kinds of interesting facts.  This season I learned that 8,000 people a year are bitten by venomous snakes, rats can chew through metal, roaches are nocturnal, some roaches can go 45 minutes without air and only female wasps have stingers. This show is borderline educational.

Billy the Exterminator Season 3 contains the following seventeen episodes across three discs:

Disc One

1.  Coffin of Deadly Reptiles – Billy and Ricky are sent out to remove a gator from a duck blind at the Wing Nut Rod, Gun & BBQ Club.  In addition to the gator, they find multiple poisonous snakes and Billy has a very close call when a gator rips the crotch out of his pants.

2.  Donnie’s Snake Attack – A family friend has a snake problem and Billy is unavailable to take the job.  Dressed in their church clothes Donnie and Bill, Sr. take the job.  Donnie is very proud of herself for being involved as she has a terrible fear of snakes.

3.  Invasion of the Giant Rats – Billy is called out to a home and studio of a musician with a giant rat problem.  The rats threaten his property and many small dogs.  When the problem is solved, Billy is invited back to a hippie jam session in the music studio the rats have been evicted from.

4.  Fox Fight! – A fox is seen near a house threatening the safety of a toddler and a small dog.  Billy goes to work setting his trap, de-scenting it, adding fox urine and chicken bait and in no time he has caught the culprit.

5.  Snakes in a Pool – A family has just moved into a house with an almost empty pool filled with mirky water and a snake.   The pool guys drain as much water as they can and Billy sorts through what is left.  It’s particularly amusing to watch him catch the snake and then not be able to climb back out of the slippery pool.

6.  Bees from Hell – The fact that Ricky is allergic to bee stings makes it so much more amusing that he is assisting Billy with a yellow jacket problem in the bathroom of a house.  The homeowner had the bathroom fill with bees while getting ready to take a shower.  Billy is stationed in the house killing bees and causing others to escape through the side of the house where Ricky is on patrol.

Disc Two

7.  Donnie Gets Dirty – A woman Donnie met in the hospital has roach problems.  The infections from roach bites  are delaying surgery and Donnie assists Ricky with the cleanup.  Billy helps an injured hawk who has been struck by a car.

8.  Wolf Attack – Actor wolves seen in Twilight and True Blood have a raccoon problem.  The staff at Animal Actors Worldwide decided to let Billy “take a hit” from a wolf, promising he won’t be injured – just knocked down.  Billy also handles a rat and snake problem threatening livestock.

9.  Five Alarm Hive – The Shreveport Police and Fire Training Center is taken over by bees.  Billy and Ricky drill through the structure and use the fire truck’s ladder to tackle this 25 year problem.  Big Bill and another Vexcon employee rescue an armadillo from an empty pool

10.  Gator Bait – Billy and Ricky go to a Gator Farm where fire ants are killing newly hatched gators and a protective mama gator is very aggressive when they try to help her young. Billy heads to help his friends at the Cypress Zoo to assist with a roach problem.

11.  Raccoon Rampage – A petting zoo has a raccoon problem and Billy and Ricky are on the case.  Donnie complains about the messy conditions at the office and Billy heads to a roach job.  At the roach job, Billy finds that three young children have lost their mom to a drunk driving accident and roaches are crawling on her picture hanging in their room.

12.  Snake Bite! – Billy is called by the mayor to come to Stonewall City Hall and assist with a bee problem.  Before he can head out on that job, Big Bill takes a call about a poisonous snake that has bitten a dog.  Without alterting Donnie, Billy and Big Bill rush to the emergency call, and later Billy fixes the problem at City Hall.  In this episode Billy explains his look (dressed in black, skull and crossbones) to the mayor and it turns out to be more than just a fashion statement.

Disc Three

13.  Battle of the Bees – Ricky and Donnie tackle a bee job at a house and have to call in Big Bill with bee suits.

14.  Monster Mice – Billy has another wasp job, and uses a high tech camera to find the nests.  After being stung he stars squishing bees by hand.  Billy and Ricky head to the home of a single mom with mice.  Billy and Ricky argue over who made the baby cry and Billy intentionally snaps his finger in a mouse trap because it’s been a while.

15.  Hogs Gone Wild! – A pack of hogs is destroying property.  Big Bill and professional hog hunters help out in the most dangerous job Vexcon has ever handled.  Donnie lost a rabbit in her house and Billy and Ricky find it injured and come to the little guys rescue.

16.  Hole of Horror – Wasps are in a hole in the ground bear a family’s home.  Big Bill tried to take the job himself, but Billy arrived at the office in time.  Billy ends up needing the assistance of the production crew as the wasps are angry when Billy tries to drown them with a chemical solution.  Billy and Ricky use electrified tennis rackets on wasps at another job where the children have a rare disease and cannot be exposed to chemicals of any kind.

17.  Best of Billy (one-hour) –  Go behind the scenes on the craziest and most dangerous jobs Vexcon has taken.

Video 

There is nothing spectacular to report about the video quality on Billy the Exterminator Season 3.  The DVD  is full frame (1.33:1) and the quality is comparable to that of the TV show as aired on A&E.  I keep waiting for the Billy the Exterminator Blu-Ray set to see some high definition cockroaches.

Audio

As with the video quality, audio quality (Dolby Digital 2.0)  is identical to the previous two seasons.  With all the snakes rattling, gators hissing and wasps swarming some good surround sound could really do a lot for this show.

Special Features

I wish A&E would beef up the special features category a little bit. What there is I did like, but I want more.  If anyone is listening, I suggest a helmet cam for Billy in future seasons.

Billy the Exterminator Season 3 contains the following special features:

About Billy – Billy’s Clothing (black, leather, spikes) is explained – it’s functional and it looks good.  Billy and Ricky appear at the mudbug festival and compete in a crawfish eating contest.

Billy’s Crew –

• Venom Spray – a cameraman in sprayed in the eyes with venom when he gets too close because Billy has already captured the snake.
• Wolf Attack – the Executive Producer has promised that he won’t ask Billy to do anything he wouldn’t do himself.  Billy makes him sorry he said that when it’s time to do the wolf stunt.
• In the Line of Fire – Even with bee suits on, the crew gets stung.
• Big jobs small camera – special POV cameras allow the viewer to get up close to the various “critters” Vexcon plans to exterminate and/or relocate.

Behind-the-Scenes –

• Ricky and the Bee Suit – Bee suits are not as easy as you’d think to get into – watch Ricky fumble with one.
• Help a Snake! – Billy is on a roach job, when a next door neighbor finds a snake.  Billy rushes over and improvises to catch the snake when his tongs are broken.
• The Maze – A Vexcon maze is created and a phot presented to Billy in recognition of a previous skunk job.

Final Thoughts

My overall rating was brought down by the audio and video categories.  Based on the episodes and special features – it’ would be a solid 4 out of 5.   The best part about Billy the Exterminator is that every episode is a win-win situation.  If Billy gets the critter he’s after it’s a highly entertaining half hour.  If the critter in question happens to bite or superficially injure Billy or Ricky, well that’s good entertainment too.  Billy is quite a unique character.  His look is part rocker, part biker, and definitely not what you’d expect from your local exterminator.  His family is a little nuts and they all seem to work together to make Louisiana a little less dangerous.

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