That's Clever Update (Or Lack Thereof)
Back when I taped my segment for That's Clever, they told me I could email them in Spring 2008 to find out my air date. I immediately assumed that meant my segment would air in Spring 2008. I figured it was just a matter of finding out the specific day, planning the watch party, etc.
No such luck.
I was going to be good, by the way, and actually wait til the first day of spring to send the email. But external forces (i.e., family members) urged me to take action. Mind you, my daffodils did bloom last weekend AND Sunday marked our first tornado warning of the year. Those seem like pretty clear indicators of spring to me!
So I sent the email, and today the friendly gal at the production company wrote back. (She didn't mention that it's not technically spring.) She gave me an episode number (HCLVR-517), but she said that the 500 series hasn't been scheduled yet. Not only that, but the 400 series hasn't started airing. In fact, I now need to wait til Fall to email again and find out whether my show's been scheduled.
Guess that watch party's going to have to wait a bit longer...
Update 2/6/2009: After a long wait, it looks like HGTV has started airing That's Clever again. The 400 series shows are airing now, with the last of that season scheduled for March 27th. (With any luck, the 500 series will be aired sometime too!)
I received a nice email from the segment producer I worked with way back when. While she's no longer with the show (and therefore doesn't have any additional air date info), she did have a few suggestions:
- If the website/contact info for your segment has changed, you can contact HGTV through their contact form. Tell them your show number, and they should be able to make the changes to their website for you.
- If you miss your show, look for it in re-runs. She says HGTV typically starts replaying episodes at the end of the season (so after March 27th). Some episodes are online now, too.
Thanks to all you fellow That's-Cleverians for the comments — may all your shows air and may they all be wonderful!
Comments
Holy Cow!!! Who knew they were that backlogged.
Posted by: April | March 9, 2008 12:45 PM
Oh, wow, I think I'd go nuts waiting that long! It seems crazy that they do these things so far in advance.
Posted by: Lisa Clarke | March 9, 2008 8:33 PM
Yep, the huge lead time really makes me appreciate the internet. I like getting to do something and immediately click publish!
Posted by: Angela Mabray | March 11, 2008 8:34 AM
I hosted a Christmas special about 12 years ago for a public television station up here in Canada, called 'The Sophisticated Scrounge'. (Recycled Crafts, hence the name Scrounge.)
Because it was a special and didn't have a specific time slot, they didn't really know when it would air very far in advance. It aired about 20 times, at all different times of the day over a couple of weeks. I never did see it air live. Had to get them to send us a copy on tape. It would have driven me crazy to have to wait as long as you have!
Posted by: Cindy Lietz | March 21, 2008 6:21 PM
That's one of my fears -- that I'll have forgotten all about it by the time they actually air it & will miss the whole thing!
Actually, I'm surprisingly okay with the wait. I think it's partly because I learned a lot in the process & used the experience to get over my fears of doing my own videos.
But I also think it's partly because I'm nervous about how the final edited version will turn out (& whether I'll end up looking like a complete idiot). The more time that passes between the taping & the airing, the more justified I am in saying, "Oh, wasn't I silly all those years ago?" :-)
Posted by: Angela Mabray | March 22, 2008 6:54 PM
So good to have found your blog via Google. I have been trying to find out an airdate for my That's Clever episode and you have actually answered my questions. Good grief, they still have to air the 400 series? Yoicks!
Posted by: mamarox | May 12, 2008 12:24 PM
Glad I could help, mamarox. I noticed you put "Spring 2008" on your "That's Clever" blog post too -- so at least I wasn't the only one thinking these things would have aired by now! Good luck with your show, whenever it finally comes out... :-)
Posted by: Angela Mabray | May 12, 2008 10:22 PM
I was taped November 1 2006. My segment still has not aired.
Posted by: sonny | August 27, 2008 3:55 PM
So glad I found your blog and really enjoyed reading about your experiences with the show. I was taped in May 2007 and enjoyed the whole process too. Mine were holiday designs so I'm hopeful they will air this year sometime before Christmas, but who knows?! I emailed the show's people with whom I had contact, but no one is answering and it seems some of the email addys are no longer working. eek... I sure hope we'll all finally get our six minutes of fame! I can't imagine the network will let all that work go to waste... they must plan to bring the show back sometime?
Posted by: Ann | September 6, 2008 11:58 AM
Ann, My husband keeps saying the same thing as you: that since the network has paid for the shows, surely they'll use them... even if it's in place of middle-of-the-night infomercials! Who knows, though. I hope to see yours air this holiday season!
Posted by: Angela Mabray | September 7, 2008 12:48 AM
The exact same thing happened to me! I was also taped for the 500 series of "That's Clever". The woman told me to contact her again in the fall to get my air date, but the e-mail bounced back to me. Have you heard anything new about our season lately? I haven't even seen the 400 season on the air yet. Very frustrating.
Posted by: Nicole | September 12, 2008 9:04 AM
Ok... so it's fall (or almost)...any new updates?? Dying to see you on TV!
Posted by: jenny | September 15, 2008 6:12 PM
Sorry, Nicole and Jenny, but it looks like I'm in the same boat as everyone else. When I tried emailing my primary air date contact, the email bounced back. I also tried the general info email address they gave us. That's been about a week ago now, and I haven't received a response. I'm afraid it's not looking good...
Posted by: Angela Mabray | September 23, 2008 1:38 PM
I was filmed somewhere around October 2006 for the 400 series. Two years later I haven't heard a thing, and like you I've had a recent email bounce back. Yikes.
Posted by: Adelle | October 7, 2008 7:39 PM
Well, I may have found out a tiny bit of new info... when I didn't get email responses from the people at HGTV who had produced my segment, I called the one phone number I had been given. The phone was answered with the words "Weller Grossman". I asked whether the person had any info about That's Clever and was told WG is no longer the producer of the show and that they had no further info. I also have asked here: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/about_us/text/0,1783,HGTV_3080_4964,00.html about whether the show will be returning, but so far no response.
Posted by: Ann | October 14, 2008 5:50 PM
Thanks for the update, Ann. I'd love to hear if you find out something from HGTV. Doesn't sound good, though, does it?
Posted by: Angela Mabray | October 15, 2008 2:14 PM
Just spreading the word. That's clever is back on the schedule on HGTV - the 400 series is starting in january.
Posted by: diane | December 11, 2008 3:31 PM
That's exciting to hear, Diane! Thanks for the heads up.
Posted by: Angela Mabray | December 11, 2008 5:20 PM
Dear Angela,
I, too was taped for the "That's Clever" Show - back in December of 2006. The segment just aired on January 12, 2009! Despite dozens of e-mails and phone messages, I NEVER received a reply from HGTV. I only found out that my segment aired because someone recognized me at the grocery store and told me they had seen me on TV. HGTV STILL WILL NOT REPLY TO MY E-MAILS! I have not seen the show and will have to check the schedule and pray for a rerun. I am TERRIBLY disappointed with HGTV and their unprofessional conduct. I hope your experience with them was better than mine.
Keep up the beautiful craft work, Joe.
www.LostArtWorkshops.com
Posted by: Joe Brien | January 27, 2009 2:05 PM
Sorry to hear you missed your episode, Joe. You may have already thought of this, but I'd recommend contacting the other people who were on the 1/12 show (contact info listed here) to see if one of them happened to record it. If so, they might be able to get you a copy of the episode. If not, I'm sure you're right that it'll be on re-runs sometime. Good luck!
Posted by: Angela Mabray | January 29, 2009 1:13 PM
Woo-hoo! The 500 season is now airing. I'm eagerly watching for my episode to be listed on this page. At the current rate, I'm guessing mid-July for my air date. Looks like this thing may happen after all!
Posted by: Angela Mabray | April 2, 2009 5:30 PM
I have not been able to track down my show yet. Any news?
Posted by: andy | May 13, 2009 11:03 AM
Nothing yet, though I think I've checked their Episode Finder page just about every day this past month!
My husband, who's been eerily accurate at predicting this thing so far, is now guessing they're gonna just show reruns for the summer. Since they haven't posted anything new past May 25th, that's seeming more & more likely. But I don't know... does HGTV take breaks over the summer on their shows?
Posted by: Angela Mabray | May 21, 2009 2:32 PM
I was filmed back in May 2006 for the 500 series.
Havent been able to get any info on when it will air.
Posted by: janet | June 10, 2009 6:59 AM
Thanks for the comment, Janet. Sounds like we're all in the same boat! At least right now, HGTV appears to be airing a new episode each Monday -- though they've been slacking on updating their site (several shows have aired before their info was added to the site). If you know the episode number, that may help. Today's show is 512, next Monday's should be 513... and so on until you figure out when yours will air.
Also, I just realized this weekend that my TiVo's episode listing is more up-to-date than the HGTV site. It only lists 2 weeks out, but at least it's something. If you have a DVR, check its upcoming listings. All that data probably comes from TV Guide, so you could check there too.
Posted by: Angela Mabray | June 15, 2009 10:08 AM
Thanks Angela. I dont know my episode number yet. Just that it is season 5.
Posted by: janet | June 15, 2009 10:27 AM
That'll definitely make it harder. My best advice would still be to watch the TV Guide or similar listings. I'm sure you'll recognize your project's description once they list it. Good luck!
Posted by: Angela Mabray | June 15, 2009 6:48 PM
I think if I do a search on HGTV for my name periodically, it should show up when it finally gets scheduled.
Posted by: janet | June 15, 2009 6:53 PM
Yep. Just keep in mind that HGTV hasn't been very quick to update their site. For example, episode 512 aired this morning but isn't listed on their site yet. So I wouldn't recommend relying solely on their site!
Posted by: Angela Mabray | June 15, 2009 7:00 PM