Pooch Perfect: A Pawsome Success?

On Tuesday night ABC premiered the first episode of Pooch Perfect. This makeover competition show, hosted by Rebel Wilson, pits teams of professional groomers against each other in “paw-some” themed challenges. Over the next eight weeks, 10 award-winning groomers and their assistants will face each other in challenges that lead to grooming transformations.

The first challenge the groomers face is the Immunity Puppertunity. This challenge gives one of the teams the chance to earn immunity from elimination. The dogs and their groomers then move on to the Ultimate Challenge Showdown.

After completion of the challenges, the contestants will face elimination from the contest and the three judges, Lisa Vanderpump (of Vanderpump Dogs and World’s Most Amazing Dog), Jorge Bendersky, and Dr. Collie Harris will choose which team to send to the Dog House and ultimately elimination from the contest.

At the end of the eight weeks, there will be three teams left to compete in the season finale transformation challenge, They will face off for a  $100,00 cash prize and the coveted Pooch Perfect First Place trophy.

How was the Pooch Perfect Series Premiere?

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this show. It didn’t give me the “must-see tv” vibes, however, I had to check it out and see what it was all about. Wilson opened the show promising Pooch Perfect is where “Every dog’s dreams come true.” However, I’m not too sure about that.  I was put off prior to the show that these animals were being exploited for entertainment purposes, but I did learn the products they use are non-toxic and safe for animals. That made me feel a little bit of relief, but I still question if the dogs can really be comfortable going through all they go through to get to the magical transformation.

The first Immunity Puppertunity challenge tasked the teams with transforming the dogs they were assigned into their “Heart Dog”. A Heart Dog as defined by DogMomDays:

"“The term “heart dog” has become increasingly widespread over the last decade or so. Often referring to a special canine-human bond, a heart dog is that pup in your life who you’ve created a one-of-a-kind relationship with.”"

The contestants had two hours to complete the challenge in which Deb and Jordan won the first Immunity Puppertunity of the season. The third member of this team was a schnauzer, transforming him into Maco, Deb’s Heart Dog.

Next up for the teams was the inaugural Ulti-Mutt Challenge Showdown. In this portion of the contest, the teams were tasked with the job of turning their dogs into another animal. The winner of this challenge not only advances to the next round, but they also win the “Best in Show” for that episode.

There was some stiff competition in this challenge as some of the teams did an amazing job of turning their canine team member into a tiger, skunk, and a flamingo. Gabrielle and his dog easily beat out the competition by turning his pup into a goldfish. If I were one of the judges, he would have received my vote too.

It wasn’t all fun and games though, and unfortunately, Jayne and Donovan were the first of the teams to go to the Dog House, ending their journey on the show. I also agreed with this decision, as she was pretty eccentric and had a hard time staying on point with the challenges.

Is Pooch Perfect a pawsome success or tail between the legs fail?

After watching just one episode I can’t definitively decide if it is either. It is an entertaining show, it was my alternative to watching Anderson Cooper on CNN, so this show definitely lifted my spirits instead of raising my stress level over the current events of the world.

If you can get past what the dogs go through for the sake of entertainment, it is a fun show. Rebel Wilson is an edgy host and the panel of judges gives a little of everything, medical knowledge, grooming knowledge, and animal altruism. I will watch it for at least two more weeks before I answer this question. So, having said that, let’s see what episode two brings to the table.

What did you think of the first episode of Pooch Perfect? Will you be tuning in for another episode? Tell us in the comments below.