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ROB: Deep in the heart of the Ohio countryside,
miles from the nearest shopping mall
is the largest Amish settlement in the US.
It's a highly secretive God-fearing community
known the world over for their handcrafted masterpieces
and attention to detail.
But they shun the modern world and live a simple life
filled with hard work and worship.
I'm here to bring our cultures together
by sharing our common passion, building.
I will live, work, and play here in Holmes County, Ohio.
You like that?
Can our two worlds coexist?
Well, you're about to find out.
I'm Vanilla Ice and I'm going Amish, baby.
All right.
( gunshot )
Gunshot?
It's been four weeks since I first arrived here in Amish country.
How are you doing?
ROB: And this experience has been
one of the best I've ever had in my whole life.
( indistinct ) baby.
But one thing I won't miss
is being woke up at the crack of dawn.
I thought I heard gunfire.
I found Robert and John out there
having a little morning target practice.
The original Amish settlers became hunters by necessity.
Other than their crops, it was a source of food.
These days John says they hunt deer for sport
and groundhogs because they tear up the farm.
I didn't know city slickers wanted to shoot.
Oh, you're putting me to the test?
Do you want to take a couple of shots?
Absolutely. I wouldn't pass on that.
Well, have a seat.
We shot all the big cans.
We left the little ones for the city slicker.
You think he'll be able to hit it?
He'll be fine, he'll be fine.
Oh, I'm just concerned a little.
We ought to get a little bet going, shouldn't we?
We should put a major wager on this.
Why don't take one shot, Rob,
before you get too cocky.
What if I hit it on my first shot, what do I get?
What do you want?
Had my eye on that buggy.
How about the buggy and a steak
if you hit it the first shot?
You got a tofu steak?
If I win, I'm taking that buggy
back to cruise it down A1A Beachfront Avenue.
Unbelievable that one.
( speaking in foreign language )
There went my buggy.
Well, I took them by surprise
because this city boy can shoot a gun.
How am I gonna get that thing to Florida?
Shooting with John and Robert was awesome,
but winning a buggy, even better.
But it's time to get back to reality
'cause there's definitely some work to get done.
Hey, Melvin.
Hey, Rob, how's it going?
Pretty good. How are you, bud?
I'm doing good.
Today John sent me to meet with Melvin
to come up with the design plan
for the exterior of Melvin's house.
Well, this is a beautiful property you got here.
My first impression of the property
when I pulled up was, wow, it's beautiful.
Rolling hills and vistas, but then I saw the house...
and I was like whoa!
The house that he's living in desperately needs a face lift.
It's got like the old siding on the front,
windows are falling out a little bit.
I started it, then I pushed it off to the side
Yeah.
Got back to it.
My wife and I decided it simply cannot be put off any longer.
So we contacted John about it
and now it's finally gonna happen.
So what kind of plans we got here?
Some new windows, and a new door,
really could use some new siding.
Well, I think John sent me over here to work with Melvin
because, you know, he sees that I got
a little bit of design sense.
Melvin is great at carpentry work and building things
but sometimes two heads are better than one.
You got three doors here.
Maybe shut this one here in the front,
this one kind of tucks in nicely into the porch there.
What about this porch?
You want to make it a little bigger?
Yeah, actually I do.
Maybe get rid of that rubber mat,
put some kind of a new finish on it.
I would bring it out another 10, 12 feet even.
Make a roof over the top and then maybe bring
some windows across there.
Melvin has incredible unobstructed views on his land.
I want to create a bright airy space,
so his family can soak up that view
and enjoy the surroundings.
I'm thinking cultured stone all the way across the front,
add some nice landscaping in here.
I like to keep it kind of minimal.
Okay.
To me landscaping means more work, more maintenance.
I like your style, brother.
I have a little daughter, little son,
three years old, one year old.
I don't have a lot of spare time.
I say we come back in a couple of days
and tackle this thing and get right at it.
That sounds good to me.
Giddy up.
Well, I'm pretty excited because John told me
to meet him at the buggy shop.
I'm not sure why but I got a feeling I'm gonna like this.
Wow.
JOHN: Morning, Ivan.
I want you to meet Rob.
Hey, Ivan.
Rob, your buggy that you won in a bet is over here.
And he's already has and he's gonna customize it.
Wow, John is amazing.
Not only was he cool about losing his buggy
but he also hired the best in the business
to help me *** it out.
That's a fancy sewing machine you got there.
IVAN: Yeah, made in 1904.
IVAN: Yeah.
And still working today.
It still works today.
John walks in with this guy
with a lot of tattoos on his arms and legs.
Of course, in my 30 years I've seen all kinds.
Does that all day long.
Rob, I need to go back to the job site.
And I'll see you a little bit later.
ROB: Sounds good, John.
This place is amazing, Ivan.
Thank you.
Can I have a look around?
Yeah.
Wow, look at these buggies.
He's got buggies right here in his little showroom
that go back over 200 years.
My God, what is this?
They call it the spring wagon.
Spring wagon.
It's like a limo, you can put a lot of people in it.
Yeah, at 1,900 you can have it.
Well, I got one already.
Well.
Well, okay.
We're gonna *** it out.
Looks a little dirty, you might have to clean it up a little bit.
Yeah.
I wanted to put in like a *** carpet, like a white,
all white in here.
And then I wanted to put while leather seats
with a black piping.
And then all the sides and the top,
everything all like that real plush.
White.
Like a white Cadillac.
Like a white Cadillac, I love it.
I've seen some buggies with different windows on it, why is that?
Some groups belong to a certain church
that are not allowed to have stone front.
So basically what I'm doing to my buggy is,
I wouldn't belong to any church like that, would I?
They wouldn't allow me in there.
You know what I would like?
If we could paint the whole wheel white.
White?
Yeah, it is a bit different but he looks different too.
The wheels are a big statement
because there are gigantic wheels on these things.
So I'm gonna paint the wheels white
and put a custom handcrafted pin striping around it in black.
This is gonna be choice.
That's how we roll, baby.
ROB: Is that milk good to drink like that?
Taste for yourself.
It actually tastes pretty good.
Hey, Eli.
Hey.
Well, I was told to come out here
and help you with the chores.
This morning I had to send Rob
out to help one of the neighbors milk their cow.
You never ask questions if a neighbor needs help.
You just do it.
Just get that flow going, huh.
Where I come from, you may help
a neighbor by walking their dog
or feeding their cat but milking a cow?
This is new for me.
Is that milk good to drink like that or is it--
do you have to pasteurize it or something?
Well, have a taste for yourself.
Oh.
It actually tastes pretty good.
Just when you think the Amish don't like to have fun,
then bam, they spray milk right in your face.
Look at that, I got it.
Yep.
Wow, there's a lot coming out.
We're gonna have a gallon of milk in no time.
That's the best milk there is.
We're gonna make some homemade vanilla ice cream.
Oh, come on.
Look at that.
Eli, how am I doing?
( speaking in foreign language )
Less talk, more work. I got that one.
Who needs a grocery store when you got free milk?
Today I'm eager to get started on Melvin's house
'cause I know he's been waiting for a long time.
Hey, guys.
Howdy, Rob.
How's everybody?
Really good to see you.
Same to you, Rob.
Nice to see you, Rob.
That's my son David.
Hey, David, pleasure to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
I've got the looks, he's got the skill.
I like your style.
With Roy being the jack of all trades, so to speak,
with David, he is a mason, he'll know what he's doing.
With me being a framer,
and Rob having an eye for design,
I think we have our A team on this project.
So what's the game plan?
Today is demo day and we're gonna be
taking off the siding, taking off the old windows
and the drain gutter.
Hit it.
There it goes.
Whoo!
Rob enjoys the demo part of a job.
Let's get it on.
His first thought about removing the windows
was picking up a block
and throwing it through the window.
Yeah, baby.
Yo.
You know what this is?
It's one of the best tools on a construction site.
It's called a ninja stick.
Okay?
Ninja stick will take down walls.
Why do you have a coffee maker if you don't have electricity?
I could tell you but then I might have to kill you.
Well, I thought we were gonna do some demo today
but before we get started, it looks like we got to do
a little bit of spring cleaning.
Hey, look what I found.
Little bit of a cornhole here.
I thought this was a college drinking game.
Oh!
Hey, you got it.
I think Rob and Roy, they're like two peas in a pod.
Except one's Amish and the other is not.
So how did you come about
to choose these specific windows, Rob?
When you're making a Florida room,
you want to have as much view as possible.
The windows I chose for Melvin's house are seamless.
All glass and no cross beams.
I know they're a little modern for Amish country
but when you got views like this,
you don't want that view being obstructed by anything.
ROY: Okay, here we go.
Melvin, there's your window, what do you think?
It's awesome.
With that black trim around the windows,
with the earth tone stone that will be hung on there.
Be a nice contrast.
That's the Feng Shui that you're always talking about.
I love it.
You're bringing the funk out here.
Well, it looks like we got three more to go.
We got a beautiful day
so let's keep rocking and rolling, man.
Wow.
An Amish buggy with a disco ball?
ROB: Melvin's house is already looking better.
The new windows are in and the siding is prepped and ready for stone.
Even the old patio floor has been broken up and removed.
ROB: You lifted that by yourself?
ROY: Yeah, man.
First we're gonna start with the cultured stone.
I did my homework and I tried to find
darker colors that were more in tune
with the Amish style and tradition.
Yeah, let's start low so we could stack
and then meet down at the end.
I usually start at the top.
And what holds it?
Uh, the mortar.
Feel the weight of that rock.
You think that's gonna go up there and stay?
I've put up bigger ones.
Let me see you put one up there.
Usually I start from the bottom on all of mine.
I just, you know, it holds the weight.
We always start our stone
from the top and work our way down.
So then you don't have to worry about
those splatters of mud falling down
and messing up your stone below.
How long are you gonna sit there and hold it?
Right like that.
See the bead that I made all the way around?
Yeah.
That causes suction.
I like you style, brother.
So why don't we start from the top like I was saying?
I see you're a believer.
David our stone mason
is the perfect Amish crew member.
He works slow and steady like a machine.
And he pays a lot of attention to detail,
details that I didn't know existed.
David, you married?
Yes, I am.
You know how I knew?
How?
Beard?
A full beard generally means you're married.
There's no mustache.
Back in the early 1800s,
the mustache was shaved off because it signified military.
What happens if a guy can't grow a full beard
and he's married?
Then you can't be Amish.
You can't grow a beard, you can't be Amish.
Do you know who Elvis Presley is?
You do know Elvis?
DAVID: That's the guy who went to the moon, wasn't it?
I grew up on a 124 acre farm
and I just got to know the sounds of the birds,
the frogs, the spring peepers.
Nature was my TV and I never missed it.
Wait a minute.
Are you serious?
We need more help than that.
All right.
The way they do in the Amish barn raisings,
they take a piece of wood.
One guy goes on this side,
another guy goes on that side,
and they just pick it up, go for it.
Yes.
Just so the ninja sticks don't break.
So this is how they build those barns.
You got her.
With ninja sticks.
With ninja sticks and they didn't even know they had them.
The reason why I went with the big beams
is because they just have a better look to them.
You know, that big beefy post out there just looks amazing.
Up.
Oh, oh, we got it upside-down.
Here, give me a marker and I'll reverse the arrows
then we have the right side up.
The new extended porch roof follows the old roofline.
And that's important 'cause when Melvin's family's sitting on the porch,
the roofline won't obstruct the view.
If the Feng Shui is not there,
I'll hang a sign out, "Rob did this."
I'm gonna change my name to Melvin.
ROY: It looks like we have some dark clouds rolling in.
Yeah.
ROY: It could just rain on us for a bit.
Just when we were finding our groove,
Mother Nature had other plans.
In Ohio I've learned not to count on the weather
because it changes every 15 minutes.
Hey, boys, let's go.
( rooster crowing )
ROB: Well, we were supposed to finish
Melvin's house yesterday but we got rained out.
So today we're back bright and early to finish this thing off.
The faster the better for me,
because today I'm going to pick up my buggy.
Now the next step is covering up that roof with shingles.
Hey, guys, how's the weather down there?
We're almost there.
Next, it's time to get my paint on.
Is that your spacesuit?
Rob wore a paint suit to spray-paint the siding.
Yeah, I'm going to the moon.
Okay, can I go with you?
His jeans probably cost $200 or something, I don't know.
Melvin's place doesn't have any electricity
so I'm powering the paint sprayer
off of a gas powered generator.
We're all done up front.
You guys just came over here to get a spray tan, right?
No, no, no, no.
ROB: And finally it's time to lay down some concrete.
Now I'm off to see a man about a buggy.
Wow, look at this.
( indistinct )
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow, I don't have any other words
just wow, look at that.
How do you say it's cool in Dutch?
Akeol.
Keol.
Akeol.
Man.
And I was like, is that for real?
An Amish buggy with, you know, a disco ball?
Polar bear skin siding, ceiling, wow.
And you got the piping on the seats,
the wheels are whited out.
I think I'm the only rapper in the world
to actually *** out an Amish buggy.
Ivan, you did a fantastic job.
Well, thank you, Rob.
Heads will definitely turn because it is very different.
Rolling it out for the first time,
the only Amish gangster buggy out there.
( speaking in foreign language ) Ivan.
( speaking in foreign language )
It's now officially the Ice buggy.
Rolling out.
I know we don't want to keep the Missus waiting too long.
Let's have a look at your new house.
Woo-hoo!
That looks nice.
Today we're gonna do the finishing touches.
Just a couple of more things to get done.
Getting the chairs in,
setting the flowers at the right place, and so forth.
Oh, I'll be darned, there comes Rob.
( indistinct )
Here comes Rob in the buggy.
Looks like he came from Palm Beach.
ROY: Oh, you got to be kidding me.
How did you come up with that idea?
Man, oh man.
I got this thing lined up with all the bells and whistles.
It pretty well stops you in your tracks.
You're not gonna see a lot of Amish drive around
in a pimped out buggy like that.
That's cool.
And we got tunes in here, check this out.
See the buggy even rocks.
Oh, yeah. Okay, here we go.
Oh, yeah.
How do you like that?
They never seen anything like this.
I put the Ice touch on it.
Why don't you park your buggy
and bring Melvin's family out
and we'll show them their new house.
I love it.
( indistinct )
I'm really excited right now
because the time has come for the big reveal.
Well, guys, the moment is here.
This house is gonna surprise Mandy.
This is gonna be completely
opposite of everything that she's ever seen.
I know we don't want to keep the Missus waiting too long.
She hasn't seen it.
You walked her in here sideways
so she couldn't see it,
so let's have a look at your new house.
Woo-hoo!
It looks nice.
ROB: Doesn't even look the same, huh?
MANDY: No. Wow.
It is just awesome.
I like the windows and everything, the stone,
and the colors.
It looks like real wooden flooring.
Let's just not tell nobody
that it isn't real nail heads
and nobody will know the difference.
The ( indistinct ) concrete is awesome, it is super.
Everything just goes so well.
Did you come up with that?
Actually yes, I did.
Okay, no I didn't.
That was Rob's idea.
The house is looking great.
We really turned this house from zero to hero.
I like the color of the chairs.
She saw this place and she was just blown away.
The combination of the color of the siding, it just pops.
She immediately sit down in the rocking chair
and started marinating.
She loves it.
It's a great porch right there fit for kings.
Well, thank you guys so much.
It's really been an honor working with you guys.
And, Melvin, you're a hard worker.
Roy, you're a hard worker.
Thank you for the great memories
that'll last a lifetime.
Thank you for everything that you've done for us.
I'm very glad we finally did get the project completed.
It's just something that was on my mind
for quite a while but there was no time to do.
Now well, we have reached the finish line.
Mandy is excited about it as well.
Oh, yeah, I totally am.
Hey, Roy, you need a lift?
Oh, sure do.
They told me that Roy has got quite a voice.
So I asked him to sing me a song.
And he asked me for the lyrics of...
You guessed it.
♪ All right stop, collaborate and listen ♪
Oh, wow.
♪ Ice is back with my brand new invention ♪
♪ Vanilla Ice, Ice baby ♪
Hey, I like that.