Dirty Jobs: Season 5
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Dirty Jobs Season 4.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
Bologna Maker
Jan 6, 2009
Mike heads to Pennsylvania and tries his hand at making bologna and then goes to Alaska to repair a very special toilet.
Abandoned Mine Plugger
Jan 13, 2009
Mike travels to Ohio to check on the Common Tern population and then he finds himself in Northern California plugging an abandoned mineshaft.
Animal Rendering
Jan 20, 2009
Mike takes a trip to the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles to find out about the important work being done in Pit 91. Then Mike travels north where he learns about rendering and disc
Goose Down Plucker
Jan 27, 2009
Mike heads to Meridian, California to find out what it takes to harvest walnuts. Then he spends some time in Tulelake where he learns how to make goose down pillows and comforters.
Diaper Cleaner
Feb 3, 2009
Mike journeys to Queen Creek, Arizona to press olives into oil and then heads to Sacramento, California to clean dirty diapers.
Spider Pharm
Feb 10, 2009
Mike ventures to Payette, Idaho to learn how to make high quality bird food. Then he heads to Yarnell, Arizona to collect spiders from the desert to milk them for their venom.
Locomotive Builder
Feb 17, 2009
Mike heads to MotivePower in Boise, Idaho to build and restore locomotives for his 200th dirty job.
200 Jobs Look-Back
Feb 24, 2009
Mike takes a look back at his previous jobs, toughest co-workers, and his ongoing encounters with dirt and poo. With additional footage from "Skull Cleaner" and "Turkey Inseminator
Mike's Day Off
Mar 3, 2009
Mike takes the day off to get a physical examination, leaving Executive Producers Eddie Barbini and Craig Piligian to host the show: servicing porta-potties and making custom-fabri
Sled Dog Breeder
Apr 12, 2009
Breeding and training Alaskan Huskies as sled dogs with Martin Buser; revisit of dirty jobs in Alaska: Bird ringing common terns and Canadian geese ("Abandoned Mine Plugger"), fish
Mattress Recycler
Oct 6, 2009
Mike finds out what happens to old mattresses after people throw them out.
High-Rise Window Washer
Oct 13, 2009
High-rise window washer, viewer mail: brine tank cleaner (Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay)
Glass Maker
Nov 10, 2009
Mike goes to Jonesboro, Arkansas to perform dung beetle research. Then he heads to Williamstown, West Virginia to try his hand at making glass art.
Rocky Reach Dam
Nov 17, 2009
Mike journeys to Wenatchee, Washington to help maintain a hydroelectric dam. Then he explores a fish bypass system where he catches and tags fish and winds up wading through a pool
Safety Third
Nov 24, 2009
Mike reflects back on his more hazardous apprenticeships and makes a case for safety.
Reindeer Farm
Dec 1, 2009
Mike goes to Kentucky to try his hand at shrink-wrapping a houseboat. Then he heads off to Palmer, Alaska to spend a day working at a reindeer farm.
Marble Maker
Dec 8, 2009
Mike goes to Hawaii to learn how to make dirt shirts at The Original Dirt Shirt Company. Then he heads off to Reno, Ohio to learn how to make marbles.
Fireworks Technician
Dec 15, 2009
Mike becomes a specialty fireworks technician in Addison, Pa. and then helps examine a cow with a hole in its stomach at Arkansas State University.
Worm Grunter
Dec 22, 2009
Mike goes to Florida to harvest clams at the Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve and later attempt to worm-grunt in the Apalachicola National Forest.
Maple Syrup Maker
Dec 29, 2009
Mike travels to San Francisco to participate in the messy process of paint bulking. Then he heads to Wagner's Sugar Camp in Pennsylvania to spend the day making delicious maple syr