Man Cave Winners Show Off New Digs

Football fans around the country will be looking for the best place to cheer for their team leading up to the Super Bowl. Most fans will choose the stadium or a local pub. Ryan and Jessica Donaldson in Sykesville, Md., however, won’t have to leave the house, because Ryan recently won The Football Fan Cave Man Cave Giveaway. The special NFL-themed Man Caves episode airs Friday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. ET on the DIY Network.

The Donaldsons are avid football fans. There is only one problem – they cheer for different teams. The solution? DIY Network’s Man Caves, NFL Network, and Complete Hydraulic Service & Sales Inc..

Ryan, a Washington Redskins fan, and his wife, Jessica, a Baltimore Ravens supporter, won’t miss a second of action thanks to a Complete Hydraulic custom built turntable typically used in automobile shows. Using a wireless universal remote, a platform with raised seating sits on the turntable and swivels between a wall with multiple flat screen TVs and an adjoining wall which slides to reveal a state of the art projection system.

“The turntable is awesome,” Ryan said, “The first thing we do when somebody sees the man cave for the first time is have them sit on the leather seating on the platform and hit the button on the remote to spin the seating. We use it every game day and when we watch movies on the larger screen.”

The Donaldsons had their own version of a man cave in their unfinished basement before being chosen for the show. “Every New Years Day my dad would gather all the televisions sets in the house, put them in one room and we would watch the bowl games,” Ryan remembers. “After I bought my own home, buying the NFL package from the satellite company, hooking up a bunch of TVs, and having a pitch-in became much more affordable then going the sports bar every weekend.”

Their old man cave consisted of seven hand-me-down tube style TVs that friends and family would give them after upgrading to flat screens. When Man Caves revealed the new basement, Ryan and Jessica were surprised to find seven new hi-def flat TVs and a 96-inch projection screen. Redskins and Ravens memorabilia adorn the walls, artificial turf covers the floor, and the show also threw in a foosball and pool table.

“There’s a few things that make a man cave happen,” Jason Cameron, a licensed contractor and co-host of the show, explained on a video clip produced by Ravens.com at the reveal, ”The bar and the Kegerator, without a doubt, that is a staple, a comfortable chair like a couch or recliner, and a flatscreen.”

The other host of Man Caves is former Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle, Tony Siragusa. To help Jason and Tony put together an ultimate pigskin themed “testostoroom” the producers again called Complete Hydraulic, a go-to player in the “Man Toys” industry. “As a sports fan, I know the value of having a space where a guy can kick back, relax and cheer on his favorite team. Jason and I have created plenty of sports themed man caves over the years, but this is sure to go above and beyond with the support of NFL Network,” Siragusa said. (Source: Sep 9, 2010 Press Release from DIY Network/NFL Network)

“We were honored to get a call to help out with another Man Cave. These projects are a lot of work, but a lot of fun,” Complete Hydraulic President & C.E.O., Randy Brown, explains, “They challenge us as a company, and give us a chance to show unique ways we can transform a person’s garage, business, or even man cave with our products.”