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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 hand-crafted 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.
(Rob) I will live, work, and play here in Holmes County, Ohio.
Can our two worlds coexist?
Well you're about to find out.
I'm Vanilla Ice, and I'm going Amish, baby!
All right.
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC
Rob!
Do people ever sleep around here?
(Rob) Well, it's my second week here in Amish country,
and even though I love my host, John...
Yeah.
...I really can't get used to him waking me up every day at 5:30 a.m.
I have a cow that's almost ready to give birth.
It's started.
So I hope she'll hurry up and Rob can assist me.
(Rob) Yuck! Uggh...
(John) Yep.
Oh, that looks painful-- my stomach's gettin' wheezy.
There's no reason to get sick, but some people do.
I'm gonna turn my head.
(Rob) Well, John brought in a vet, and I'm not sure if
he brought it for the cow or for me.
At this point, we both could use a little help.
Tongue's getting a little purple...you think you want to help pull?
Once we saw the tongue of the calf starting to turn purple,
you know, you want to get 'em out before that happens.
I don't know if I can get in there and pull.
Yeah?
[cow moos]
When you pull, you put chains around their legs
with a handle on it.
Wow, John! Oh!
(Rob) I can't believe I'm pulling this baby out of his momma with chains,
and it's actually working!
Oh, its eyes are there!
Keep pulling, keep pulling...
There she is!
Yeah, what do you want to name her?
Uh...Baby Ice.
[laughter]
I'm super grateful for this experience,
because I've never seen anything like this before.
It's a little heifer,
and hopefully Baby Ice will produce a lot of milk.
We've got things to do.
All right, well...
that was pretty awesome, that wasn't that bad.
[John laughs]
(Rob) John has a crew working here on a back patio
kitchen project for a non-Amish family.
He wants me to lead the design, because outdoor entertainment spaces are my specialty.
Perfect place here.
Patio project-- I thought it'd be a nice project
for him to work on, because he's from Florida.
[Stacia laughs]
How in the world did you guys tie together?
Vanilla Ice just walked onto our back patio.
Yep, we do.
This is three--wow.
(Rob) You look a little young for that, huh?
I've been out of school since 14.
Kevin's been doing this for a long time, so...
In the Amish community, we only go to eight grades of school.
It can be surprising to an outsider.
(Kevin) I didn't really know who he was.
I think he's a singer...?
Well what kind of ideas you got in mind?
Basically...a big-sized patio.
Just trying to come up with a nice way to entertain.
Our back yard right now is...pretty much a mess.
We built our house, and that's just the one thing we never got to.
You obviously have got the pond here,
you've got a nice big, open land, so when you look out
your back door there, you might want to see
some pretty landscaping in there, maybe a fire pit over to the left side.
One of the reasons that John brought me here was for my design skills.
I want to bring a little bit of South Florida, Palm Beach style
right here in the middle of Ohio.
(Brad) Yeah, we're thinking about an outdoor kitchen.
(Rob) All right, so maybe somewhere over in this area here,
put a nice grilling area.
Something to separate the patio from back behind your landscaping--
Yeah.
If you have the stone right here,
you can wrap your stem wall, give it a nice, beautiful, decorative look.
(Rob) Yeah.
(Rob) Okay.
Yeah.
Make it match, make it go together.
In our area, it is very common
for even non-Amish to hire Amish crews.
They come with good reputations, good craftsmanship.
Well, we're thinking about kind of sectioning off this area here,
There you go.
Pergolas are popular in Florida because they provide a little bit of shade
and they allow a little bit of sun in.
You've gotta at least have 12...
but the size of this back yard, I mean, you could--
(Rob) There you go, John.
Well, it looks like we've got a game plan here.
Kevin, Rob's gonna be helping us with this project.
If he gets out of line, just let me know,
and then I'll talk to him.
Okay, well I'm happy for you to join our team.
Absolutely.
Kevin's a little shy-- he's only 19,
and I'm sure he's never seen a rapper from Florida come out to the Amish country before.
I'm sure he's gonna loosen up, and we're gonna end up having a lot of fun on this project.
Absolutely.
Cruise the buggy through there in the morning?
(Stacia) Bye.
You know, the new guy has got to provide the lunch.
What can I get for ya?
[rooster crows]
[Rob chuckles]
(Rob) The patio project is off to a great start.
Today, we're laying down concrete, and then
we're stamping it to make a design that will mimic wood and stone.
(Kevin) Good.
Yeah--hey, this is Mel, one of my crew.
Nice to meet you, too.
Rob, he's...evidently a famous celebrity.
I did not know that before I met him.
They tell me he was a rapper.
I guess we'll see where this one goes.
Good, good.
Yeah, turned out great.
Then he's got the big beams simulated right in here, it's got the wood grain in it.
It sure does, look at that!
Oh, I see we've got the fireplace already going.
This is looking awesome.
Even the frogs behind us love it.
It might be your new suit that's making the frogs scream.
Yeah, I did.
Rob looked good in the Amish clothes,
but he had the flat bill on and the earrings,
so he looked a little different than we did.
We should've maybe gave him a straw hat or something like that.
Do I have to comment on that one?
(Rob) I knew if I spent some time with the Amish guys, they'd start to open up.
Let's go over here and see the knee wall-- it turned out great.
Well today, I came in on the site,
and I was expecting old school Amish.
I see the most sophisticated wall system they have out on the market today.
This is a foam wall-- it's basically a mold,
and you just set it in there and pour the concrete in.
It's already got all of the rebar mixed in and everything.
You throw a little bit of lathe on the outside--
that's that mesh, wire mesh, you put some butter on it, which is mortar mix,
and then you stick your rocks on it,
and you're Johnny Doneman.
Well, I noticed one thing, guys-- you're using power tools here.
I thought I'd come here and see the Amish, you know,
We still have to make a living.
The faster we do it, the more work we get done.
But I did notice that the blue-shirt Amish,
Yeah, they are, yep.
Most of their tools would be air powered.
Gas or diesel powered motor.
Swartzendruber.
Swartzendruber Amish.
That's awesome.
I'm glad Melvin and Kevin's bishop is cool with the power tools,
'cause if he wasn't, we'd be working on this patio 'til wintertime.
All right, well that wall's looking great over there.
While Melvin keeps working on the knee wall,
Kevin and I are gonna get started framing out that outdoor kitchen.
Let's frame this bad boy out.
(Kevin) Put the track down first.
You can just lay it down here.
With this outdoor kitchen, this is gonna add a lot
of value and beauty to this house.
We're gonna make two separate islands-- one island is gonna hold
the grill, the refrigerator, and the sink,
and the other one's just gonna have electricity,
so you can have a nice place to just chill out,
watch the game, drink a beer, whatever.
Kevin, what kind of music do you listen to? Amish hip-hop?
No.
A lot of country.
How about you, Melvin?
Oh...I don't listen to a lot of it, but if I do, I like the '80s, country.
The young guys, they know what's up.
They're not, you know, as isolated as you think.
The only problem is, they don't have enough hip-hop in the Amish world.
I think we might have to change that around here before I leave.
My belly's telling me, "You know what? It's time to eat."
Usually around here, you know, the new guy...
new guy's gotta provide the lunch.
Oh, is that right, huh?
We usually bring our own food in our lunch bucket,
and we like to give the new guy a hard time.
I'm a vegetarian-- is there any Amish that are vegetarian?
There is?
[laughter]
No, not that I know of.
[all laugh]
All right, I'll be back.
Hey, good luck!
I'm gonna need it, I think, somehow.
♪♪
What can I get for ya?
Okay.
All right.
Yeah, yep.
Aw, this place is awesome-- okay, yeah, we'll give it that.
Oh, and one more thing... some vanilla ice cream.
Oh, yes.
There's that.
Aw, man, these guys are gonna be happy.
All right, thank you, buddy.
See you next time.
Yeah, see you next time.
[rapping] I'm the Ice Man, kicking like Jackie Chan.
[rapping] I'm Kevin, this is my man Melvin.
[rapping] It's a hot day man, we should jump into the lake, man.
[laughter]
♪♪
(Rob) Today, we're back on the grind and making great progress.
We finished putting in the stone knee wall,
and we just finished up the kitchen countertops.
This right here is concrete.
Now, all of the appliances are in.
Lookin' good, man-- one step closer to the finish line.
(Rob) Brad and Stacia are really gonna love this space,
but to maximize the entertainment potential,
I felt it needed something more.
I know they didn't ask for it, but I brought in a weather-resistant TV,
and it's my treat.
Like I always say, go big or go home.
[speaking Dutch]
Behind the shed with who? What?
You don't understand Dutch, do ya?
I'm not quite Amish yet, man.
We gotta build the pergola.
Man, that smells good over here--what you got cookin', man?
(Kevin) That's the smell of cedar.
Cedar's good for the outside, the weather.
In Florida, we can build a pergola out of any wood we want,
but here in Ohio, we want to make sure that we have the right wood
that's gonna withstand those constant climate changes.
[grunts]
What do you think the weight of this is, Melvin?
Three...four hundred, yeah.
Giddy up, cowboy!
(Melvin) You know, I'm surprised to see you up here.
Why's that?
Well, I figured for being a pampered celebrity or city boy or whatever,
you'd be the one on the ground handing up the lumber.
Aw, gee thanks, I don't get to have any of the fun.
For the new guy, he's got a good work ethic.
I think Rob came in here with a couple misconceptions about Amish.
I believe he was thinkin' that they're all about work and nothing else.
That does not mean that we do not like to have a good time.
What?
How about you go as me...
and I'll go as you.
Look at him, he kinda looks like me with a beard-- look at that!
I don't have any tattoos.
Amish ninja.
The landscaping is always the final jewelry on any outdoor project.
(Rob) All right, guys, one step closer to the finish line.
I want to set these in place right here-- this is a chokeberry.
(Rob) We're gonna add pops of color strategically
around the yard to frame this space.
We're gonna go with a Rob Magnolia.
Mel Magnolia sounds better than Rob Magnolia, but...
Oh, yeah? Mel? Mel Magnolia?
How about a Kevin Grass here and a Mel Tree?
[both laugh]
We're one step closer to our back yard country jamboree.
You're gonna have to learn how to dance, man--I'll teach you a couple of moves.
That might take you awhile.
Yeah, we did man-- we made a lot of progress.
You know, I've got to compliment you, man-- I thought you'd be
a little green, you know? But you're a secret ninja.
Yeah, I think I make him look pretty good.
Yeah!
Rob, when he works with us, he doesn't act like a celebrity.
He acts like one of our crew.
I've heard of him.
I couldn't tell ya what he sings.
Right...rap is fun, man, you just come up with some words
and try to think real quick of another word that would rhyme...
you should try it, man.
There you go!
[rapping] We got the Vanilla Ice and the Amish crew,
now I'm gonna pass the rhyme over to you.
[rapping] And if I only knew what to do.
[speaking normally] Love it! You got it, man.
I don't think I'm a good rhymer.
[rapping] I'm the Ice Man, kickin' like Jackie Chan.
[rapping] I'm Kevin, this is my man Melvin.
[rapping] It's a hot day, man, we should jump into the lake, man.
[laughing] You first, man, something like that.
That's perfect, dude, I love it.
[rapping] Ice Man, to fill my wish, you go swim with the fish.
Ohh, you got it now, look at ya, see? Hey.
Rob's a little bit of a wild guy.
(Melvin and Kevin) Sure.
Okay.
Let's get in where we're standing, baby!
[laughter]
Hey, it's cold!
Okay, you guys get in now.
See ya.
I forgot to tell ya-- the Amish don't swim!
We got him good that time, Kevin.
Guys, you excited? You ready to see it?
Absolutely, we're ready.
Oh, my gosh!
All right, let's get it going.
Today's the big day-- Stacia and Brad are gonna
see their patio paradise for the first time.
Kevin and I still got some finishing touches we want to do,
so we're gonna add the vanilla icing on the cake.
No.
(Rob) Lookin' good.
...settin' up the bar.
Rob takes the lead, he tells me where to put things.
Just put those candles on each side of the arrangement there.
I'm more of a construction guy.
It looks great.
Wow, what a difference, huh?
All right.
Hi, good.
Well, come on out, the moment is here.
Guys, you excited? You ready to see it?
Absolutely, we're ready.
Well let's go have a look!
Oh, my gosh!
(Rob) Oh, yeah... what do you think of that, huh?
(Stacia) Oh, my gosh, I love it.
(Rob) What do you think of that pergola up there, huh?
Oh, it's amazing.
That's pretty, mmhm.
Perfect.
Kevin, did you make that?
A little bit?
I love the pergola and the seating area.
I love the red.
There's so many great things about it.
And that's a full outdoor TV-- you could spray that with water if you wanted to.
If you look up here in the corners,
(Stacia) Oh, wow!
Yeah.
Oh, look at that.
(Brad) Stamped concrete.
(Stacia) I love this, it looks real!
It gives you the simulation of wood, but built to last.
There's the knee wall we talked about.
That was me and Mel.
(Rob) Kevin and Mel put each piece in piece by piece.
I'd love to work with Rob again.
I'm hoping John puts him back on my crew.
You've got the man grill over there.
Wow, it's really spacious.
That is definitely a man-sized grill.
You've got a rotisserie, it's all stainless,
and it's built to last.
Won't have to go inside for anything now.
(Stacia) This is just what I had envisioned.
A lot of room to sit around and roast some marshmallows.
(Stacia) Is that a star?
Nautical star, right there, and then we wrapped it around
(Stacia) Oh, it's so pretty.
(Brad) It's a lot of color.
(Rob) To make Brad and Stacia happy and deliver on their dreams
really makes my job worthwhile.
Guys, welcome to your new slice of paradise.
Thank you guys very much, we appreciate it.
You're very welcome.
We have this back yard that we didn't really use a whole lot before
because there was really nothing there,
just an awful-looking back yard.
(Stacia) Now with the baby on the way, I just think we're gonna get
a lot of use out of it with our growing family.
We love that the Amish crew met with Vanilla Ice.
We saw both sides of what they do.
More than we could've ever hoped for.
(Stacia) It looks great, cheers!
[gunshot]
(Rob) We've got a whole season of Amish adventures comin' your way.
Taste for yourself.
Got 300 going and 300's gonna come...
Sold to the lady in the long, black dress.
I think I'm the only rapper in the world
to actually *** out an Amish buggy.
[mimicking bass noises]
It's crazy!
Wow!
Are you serious?
Come on around, baby!
Now that's how you build a barn.
♪ Vanilla Ice Ice Baby ♪
Hey, I like that! Man, that was amazing.