Sometimes the best satire can come from an unlikely place. This clip from Sesame Street, Outrageous Makeover Home Addition, is one of the funnier reality-show spoofs I've seen. Grover enters the house of that poor man who always seems to be the whipping boy every time Grover arrives on the scene (clumsy waiter, anyone?). He then proceeds to install and remove multiple doors, turn to the camera and say, "Are you getting the crying?", all while shouting "OUTRAGEOUS" into a megaphone every 30 seconds. According to the note on YouTube, this is Frank Oz back on Grover duty. I know Frank (he lets me call him Frank – OK, no he doesn't) wants to direct feature films, and I say more power to him. But he really is the best Grover ever; possibly even the best muppeteer now that Jim Henson is gone.
And oh yeah, it's educational too, sort of. "I just want to read 'War & Peace' in peace," says Grover's poor put-upon victim. And the kids will definitely know what the word "outrageous" means. Good stuff.
You can have your Elmo. I'll take Grover any day.
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