Discovery Channel Programming Back In The Day Was On A Completely Different Level

During a Simplisafe home security ad-read on the Twisted History podcast, I was thinking about how technology has made it much harder it is to commit crimes, including breaking into a house. Before we had censors and night vision cameras linked to our phones, the only thing we had to rely on was It Takes A Thief. 

A show that aired on Discovery Channel from 2005-2007 where for 80 episodes a professional cat burglar would break into your house and steal all your belongings as you watched on a closed circuit television from a windowless white van …

The episodes featured burglars robbing everything from suburban homes, college frats, and even a police station. The host of It Takes A Thief was constantly berated with insults from pissed off home owners, and every once and awhile someone in the van would put hands on him in the van. The host was never stabbed on air like Joey Greco, host of the show Cheaters, but that's probably because the thieves gave all the belongings back at the end of the show while throwing in a complete home security makeover. 

Then, just when you thought you were safe with a home makeover, the crew would try to break into your house a second time to test their security renovations. Then the show was finally over, but the constant reoccurring threat of the Discovery Channel production crew breaking into your house to test you, never leaves. 

I've never had to deal with a home invasion or a deadly survival scenario, but thanks to Discovery Channel's programing I'll be ready.