TV's 'Man Caves' Host to Visit Annapolis Home Show

Men enjoy the simple pleasures in life, said "Man Caves" host Jason Cameron.

The host of the DIY Network's cable TV show "Man Caves" will make a guest appearance at the upcoming Annapolis Home Show this weekend, and spoke with Patch about what makes these caves so attractive to guys.

Cameron is a licensed contractor who helps design rooms specifically tailored to a particular guy's dream bar. Whether that takes the form of a 1960s library, a 1950s diner, or a football den is up to the guy.

Throughout the more than seven years the show has been on the air, Cameron said he's seen a few commonalities in what guys want.

"The common denominator is the bar," said Cameron. "It might take a lot of different shapes, but that's the centerpiece."

There are also always multiple big screens. Wherever you are you have to be able to see the TV—all that and a comfortable chair, he said.

"We don't want a lot, guys. We just want these very simple things," he said.

What makes guys flock to these caves? Cameron said it has everything to do with the domestic dynamic between sexes.

"It's because the wives or girlfriends or whoever takes over the rest of the house. So you're always thinking about that one space that can be your own. A place where you can put a Kegerator, or the 80-inch screen, or that moose head," Cameron said.

Cameron didn't create the term "man caves," but he said he thinks the show has helped catapult the phrase's use in everyday life. As for when the  man cave phenomenon began? Cameron said he's not sure.

"The man cave has been around for... who knows, maybe since Roman times?" Cameron mused. "There's probably always been a form of a man cave."

Cameron will meet with fans at the home show, scheduled for Sept. 28-29 at the National Guard Armory in Annapolis.