It's a great deal more entertaining than simply watching paint dry, promised Travis in a recent phone interview.
The ragtag group includes a lawyer, a former beauty queen, a college dropout, a rich kid and a debt collector who are "bored rigid and miserable."
They're taken out of their cosy nests and put to work digging ditches and cleaning portable toilets. Travis promises plenty of fireworks and gritty talk as some of the proteges balk at doing menial tasks. There's even some sex as things heat up in the communal dorm.
Think Big Brother meets The Apprentice meets Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
"It was 10 times worse than I ever thought," said Travis. "One guy was complaining about the laundry service on the set so I fetched him some washing powder. Later he attacked me and said 'How dare you tell me to do my own laundry.' And I said 'Wash your knickers in the bathtub like everyone else.' He was appalled."
Still Travis concedes that she feels a bit sorry for them.
"This is the generation that has it all, except a future. It's sad, really."
Travis knows she can't turn the 12 young people into master carpenters or plumbers overnight. But she hopes she made a difference during the five weeks of filming.
"My mission is to instil some of my passion into what I believe is a rather disillusioned 20-something generation and show them that there is a great future in the trades."
Back in Edmonton, cabinetmaker Rago doesn't agree that youngsters have a lousy attitude.
"I believe it's all about the money."
Once trained, a qualified cabinetmaker can earn up to $25 an hour and be confident of a stable future. But youngsters aren't prepared to start at the bottom of the ladder and work their way up, said Rago.
"I put the onus on mill shop owners. We have to get together to create a better package so we can pay more and attract young people into the industry."
