Good point, disportus. Phil and his wife really are good people. And so are the Skinners and the Schapiros.

In fact, the one thing that bothered me about the show is how much guff the Schapiros got from the host! Matt and Marni are a nice, cute couple and I hope they didn't take the loss personally. They're good neighbors too.

seriously, it was a fun show about fun people. What kind of craziness is it to attack them? seriously, the Rivos are good people. If you knew what you were saying wasn't cool or even had a point, why post?

Bill 643,

Judging from the content and timing of your three posts, it would appear that you did nothing during this beautiful Memorial Day weekend except watch HGTV and write hateful flaming comments on JCList. Did you happen to read that Hamilton Park opened? If you had ventured out of your lonely, dark apartment you might not be in such a foul mood Bill.

(And if you absolutely refuse to go outside or do anything to improve your attitude, can you please run spell check before posting? You twice wrote "ashame," which is not a word. A introductory course to English grammar at the NYU Annex would do you some good).

A little about television: it's meant to entertain. As a layman, Phil Rivo did a tremendous job. You yourself watched the entire episode. That is the hallmark of successful reality TV - it keeps the viewers glued through all the ads. The fact that the show annoyed you is a function of the phenomenon that is reality TV. Phil Rivo was funny as hell, which is why out of the six contestants, he was in damned near every scene.

In the truest sense, his job as a contestant was to be entertaining, and he hit the mark. If you saw him on Fox NY's "Shame on You" report regarding the free cars and gas that Council members get, you would have been impressed with how well he did as a community activist. He's funny when he's supposed to be, serious when that's called for, and a hard worker and a lover of Jersey City through it all. I say he should be Council President!

Yeah I sort of knew when I made my initial post that these would be the types of responses that would be received - typical of JC list. Yet still I'm just stating my opinion here. And I've not met Mr. Rivo in person. Someone also mentions another topic of 'community leaders'. I tend to be a tad circumspect of such general titles that are handed out to people so freely these days. I've also met such marvelous self-proclaimed 'leaders' in the past few years - folks that gather so many accolades without doing the really hard work. But this certainly is a topic for another conversation. Mr. Rivos' accomplishments, which were stated earlier, certainly make him an asset to our community. Just wish that he took a different path on the show other than coming off as a total buffoon.

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Forced and Fake? Obviously you either have a bone to pick with him or just jealous. Your comments are like a hole in water.

Congrats, to all involved. The houses look great.

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once you put yourself into a reality producer's hands, how you're portrayed is entirely out of your control.

a show like this, with what I imagine is a small budget/staff and quick turnaround, is not going to portray anyone with a whole lot of nuance or subtlety. they'll go for the obvious personality quirks and keep hammering them home. no pun intended.

Oh lighten up Bill.
This show brought some welcome, favorable, noteriety to our our city. All
of the contestants are major community "givers" whose contributions make
a big difference in our quality of life. That is who they are. They were
not going for an Emmy here.
The Rivo's are my neighbors. You couldn,t ask for better folks to be in
your backyard.

PS: What have you done for our community lately?

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It's wonderful that you are so worried about the impression others in the country will have of him. You must really care. Or you may be a little passive-aggressive. Actually -- I'm a little worried about the negative impression that others on this forum might be getting from these posts.

Also just to keep it real -- Mr. Rivos ain't got no Masters, though Iris deservedly does.

Yeah I'm afraid I did not find anything funny in his behavior on the show. I found the 'humor' to be forced and fake. It is certainly good to know that the man is not this way in real life. I'm just surprised that such an intelligent & accomplished neighbor would allow himself to be portrayed as a total buffoon. I suppose it's good that some folks here in Jersey City know 'the real person' - it is ashame that the rest of the country that has never met him may come away with a negative impression of him from viewing this show.

I've never been one to mince words on the Rivo. The man is truly unbelievable.

But earlier episodes of that show were boring and Rivo probably gave the editors much more to work with than previous families. The way they painted him is not necessarily indicative of the whole of what was going on.

Even still -- the farcical character they showed was pretty funny, intentional or not.

First of all I am happy that this show came to Jersey City and see my local neighbors and my neighborhood.

Of course, reality shows edit personalities that may not necessarily reflect people's true natures. One shouldn't take the portrayal so seriously.

I have to run to the Rivo's defense. Perhaps, Phil's comedic side is an acquired taste, but he is one of our dear community activists that just did a Shame on You report on exposing City Council abuses. With a Masters in Political Science, he is always at City Council meetings and community events. He recently helped raise over $5,000 to restore a historical temple that desperately needs restoration in Jersey City. If you can't take Rivo's assertive and passionate talks about his comedy or Jersey City, you can certainly enjoy Iris calming nature that inspires us all to be cohesive as a neighborhood. She has taught over 20 years in NYC public schools and as her Masters in Fine Arts. She actively pursues her craft here, in Jersey City.

Again, all three families bring so much good to Jersey City that I would hate to see any of them portrayed in a negative light.

I love to watch House Hunters on HGTV but found this show to be a bore. Halfway through this show I felt like I had been watching like for two hours. Mr. & Mrs. Rivo really rubbed me the wrong way - Mr. Rivo really came across like a buffoon ( I suppose this was what he was going for - I wish him luck in his reality tv career hunt as stated in the news article). And it was ashame that most of the show was filmed in a store located in Hoboken!! On a positive note it was cool to see the streets of our neighborhood on tv - and I'm glad that the best couple won. But I gotta say - to be honest - I was thankful when the show ended.

I got the heads up for the article in Saturday's JJ. I hadn't read it very carefully, and didn't realize until the three couples were introduced that I know one of the contestants.

i was only able to catch the end part. if i had known about it earlier i'd watch the show. since i only saw this thread last night and 10 minutes left for the show i tuned in at the end.

I really like the couple who won. They did their place so well and fitting with the way their apt was built like a railroad style. they put the right furniture with the right space. awesome. The Skinner deserved it. congrats!

Ha.....my wife and I walked by a few times while the show was being filmed. Man did the home owners looked stressed. One was covered in plaster dust from head to foot. I can't imagine trying to work on a 3 day deadline with camera's and a film crew in the way!

We watched it last night, and played name the block for a while. I guessed Pavonia and was right for 2 out of 3 houses. I don't think I've watched that show before, and don't think I'll watch it again -- but it was fun to know the area and some of the stores -- and one of the contestants.

it's on right now if you're still up.

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to compete, each couple got $5k in cash, $10k in shopping credit and a free contractor. the $10k prize money could be used for anything (vacation, etc).

Gosh only 10K? Networks are getting cheap theses days.

10K won't get you much of a paint job, let alone a new kitchen or other REAL renovation.

FG

Why didn't you publicise this earlier Phil, I could have missed it!

We'll be glued to our TV set tonight.

Robin.

3 Jersey City couples have fun battling each other for $10,000 renovations prize on HGTV show airing tonight

Saturday, May 29, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

After multiple attempts, Jersey City resident Phil Rivo finally convinced his wife Iris to star on a reality television show, and they took their friends along for the ride.

Three Hamilton Park families will appear on HGTV Network's new show "Battle on the Block" tonight at 10. Expect drama, pranks, tears and lots of hard work.

The Rivos and the Skinners, on Pavonia Avenue, compete against the Schapiros, on Ninth Street, for a $10,000 prize.

Each couple was given $5,000, access to a general contractor, credits at local shops, and 72 hours to redesign a room in their brownstones.

Phil Rivo, who has pitched about 20 different reality shows to his wife, convinced her the show was a good excuse to renovate a room that had been filled with their children's toys over the years.

Iris Rivo, an artist, found her inspiration in Turkey and India. She and her husband filed the room with rich reds and gold textiles. They bought a fake fireplace, rugs, a television and accessories. They installed a window bench and had a local upholstery shop in Union City make the cushion. They covered some of the exposed brick walls and hung Iris Rivo's artwork.

Phil Rivo, a realtor who sold the Skinners and Schapiros their homes, convinced his neighbors to go on the show.

Shelley Skinner said she and her husband had talked for about five years about ripping down a wall between their living and dining rooms. So they finally did. "It was sort of an interesting way to get the work done and get it done really fast," she said.

They knocked down the wall, ripped down sheetrock to expose brick walls and uncovered and refinished their home's original hardwood floors.

"It was a lot to try and bite off in three days," she said. The end result was a loft-like room. "I love the room," she said.

Matt and Marni Schapiro entered the competition a week after moving into their home. "It was stressful," he said. "It was horrible."

Having just moved, they used their funds to buy a couch, coffee table, chairs, television stand, shelves and lighting, including a vintage lamp.

Their original vision for the room was to knock down an entire wall and construct a built-in bookshelf on one of the remaining walls, but it proved too laborious for the contractor.

So they knocked out 10 feet of a 16-foot wall and bought some shelves. They also pulled up a layer of flooring to reveal hard wood and refinished the original floor.

They were happy with the final product.

In addition to featuring Jersey City residents, the episode includes stops at Smith & Chang General Goods in Hamilton Park and Zin Home, Tribal Home and Battaglia's in Hoboken.

And Jersey City designer Kristen Scalia, owner of Kanibal Home on Montgomery Street, is one of the judges.

So who won bragging rights and $10,000? Tune in tonight to find out.

http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/jerse ... 75114330187730.xml&coll=3