Would You Watch This Reality Show?

The television network TLC ordered a backdoor pilot last month of the series Best Funeral Ever, which goes behind the scenes of the Golden Gate Funeral Home in Dallas, Texas. This unconventional funeral home is directed by John Beckwith, Jr., who works with grieving families to create unique themes to honor lost loved ones.

Then they throw a wild party.

“We’re going to make these families extremely happy at the worst moments of their lives,” Beckwith told TLC.

The Golden Gate Funeral Home helps families create a fun memorial to honor those who have died, allowing them to celebrate a life well-lived, rather than mourn through a solemn funeral. Beckwith decided early in his life that it was his “destiny to provide families with quality and affordable funerary services.” He pursued his dream first by working for other funeral homes in Texas, and in 1980 he finally established the first Golden Gate Funeral Home in Waxahachie, TX. He later expanded the business and opened additional locations around the state.

Some of the uniquely-themed memorials that have drawn TLC’s eye to the funeral home include a Christmas-inspired funeral with reindeer and elves,  a BBQ-themed service complete with live pigs and a barbecue sauce fountain — which honored a singer known for his famous rib sauce jingle — and the disco-themed funeral featured in the trailer video below.

Don’t see the video in your browser? Click here to watch it at YouTube.

Tell us in the comments: Would you watch this reality series? What do you think of modern, unconventional memorial services like these?