The O.C. Mystery: The Cohen's Roof Never Destroyed?!

In the last few episodes of The O.C. we find out that the beloved Cohen home was "destroyed" by an earthquake. 6 months later, according to the inspector, "the house is in a non repairable state". Their roof and structural damage was so bad that the Cohen's were forced to abandon the house, hit the road to Berkeley (where Seth was born) and convince the current owners of their old house to sell it to them.

The problem though with all of this is if you watch the end of "The Night Moves" closely (OR NOT) the establishing shot of the Cohen house paints the roof in perfect untouched condition. Look at the photo above, this is the shot they show us after the earthquake, you can even see the old Cooper house to the left in great condition as well. So as the Cohen's pull up to the house they are in great spirits, I would be too because the house looks wonderful. Only till they open up the front door do the Cohen's realize the true destruction within.

As they walk in they see the true devastation, look at that destruction! The roof is completely off the house, (living room portion) which could have included Seth's room above it (although I don't see captain oats among the wreckage). I mean look at that hole, clearly we would be able to see that kind of damage from the outside house shot.

The sky is completely viewable, its basically like a huge sunroof only it doesn't close again! Look at that sky! I must say good job to the CGI folks for the moving blue sky special effects! We get a taste of how the Cohen backyard could have looked like if they applied a green screen to the backdrop behind the pool instead of the painted one.

Here's another angle of the destruction complete with a real pelican l just walking about the wreckage!

I know that the Cohen house was filmed on a sound-stage at Raleigh Studios but the fact that the creators didn't alter the front house shot a little baffles me. I get it though the Cohen's and the viewer weren't suppose to see any damage until they walked into the house (for a dramatic twist effect) but come on, there should have been a little damage on the outside!

Then 3 months later to episode 16 "The End is Not Near It's Here"(boo the last episode of The O.C.), the house inspector and the Cohen's meet. The inspector lets the Cohen's know the sobering truth. Interestingly enough the lighting in the living room gives you the illusion that the roof was rebuilt and or covered.

Eager as a Cohen waiting for their bagel, they stand waiting for the inspector to give them the 411.

Inspector bad news then gives the Cohen's his verdict on the state of the house. He dishes the bad news on a cold dish! The foundation has been apparently ruined by the earthquake as well as other portions of the home. The Cohen's are discouraged to hear the bad news. Sad thing is they don't even get a second opinion! They just start looking for a new house right away!

Perhaps in the 3 months since the earthquake the Cohen's tried getting things repaired but realized after the inspectors news that it was a lost cause and a waste of money. We may never solve the mystery of the Cohen disappearing and reappearing roof but one things for certain the Cohen house on The O.C. was pretty much just another character on the show and one that was hard to say goodbye to!

Here is a sample of how the shows creators should have depicted the Cohen house as the Cohen's pulled up in the driveway in pure horror to see their home after the storm! 

I can see it now:

Sandy: "Oh look honey, on the bright-side we got ourselves a convertible!"

Seth: "Yeah cause mid-life crisis's work with houses too dad."

Kirsten: "Sandy!"

Sandy: "I'm just saying our heating bills are going to be through the roof is all.."

Seth: Zing dad literally, through the roof, get it..due to the roof being missing.."

Kirsten: "Seth!"

Ryan: "Looks like the pool house was completely unscathed guys, roof and all...

who wants to move in?"

Seth: "I'll be right there Ryan, I just gotta find captain oats...Nayyyy little buddy Nayyyy!"

The O.C. in the News: The Cohen House is for sale!

Look familiar? The house of all houses is back on the market! For a cool 6.5 million YOU could own the famous O.C. exterior Cohen family home! The house is located in Malibu (not in Newport) in a prestigious privately gated community. At 6,376-square-foot the 6 bed, 7 bathroom house is pretty much totally different on the inside than what we saw on TV. This is because the creators used another house on the same street that inspired the interiors and pool/poolhouse area that we saw on TV. After the pilot episode a full-scale studio model was constructed that compiled the front exterior of 6205 Ocean Breeze Drive(the house above) and the interiors/pool/backyard area of 6210 Ocean Breeze Drive. More on that here.

Look no pool house and a completely different backyard. Previously owned by Dianne Burnett ex wife of Mark Burnett (creator of Survivor). Word is that it does not come with a Range Rover or a BMW but I hear if you can afford this house you probably already have them! 

In case you're wondering above is the 6210 Ocean Breeze Drive home which was used in the pilot episode and was the inspiration for the back yard when it was built in studio. Do you see that empty square grassy area? That is where the temporary pool house Ryan slept at in the pilot episode sat. It was taken down and then rebuilt in the Raleigh Studios.

Compare the very top photo and this one from 2007. Looks like the plants have ran wild and are swallowing up the house whole! Furthermore the window trim and doors feature a different paint color too. Definitely looks cleaner and better in the 2007 photo!

So moral of the story is, you better snatch this one up quick before the Newport Group does! PS Inspect it for roof and foundation damage I heard it once suffered an earthquake in 2007!

Listing can be seen here

Lovable Props From The O.C.: Captain Oats, one sought after Pony!

Here he is in all of his horsey horseness, Captain Oats, Seth's trusty and often silent sidekick. The very horse that helped Seth in multiple pickles that he of course most likely got himself into.

If you didn't know already, captain oats wasn't an exclusive made for tv prop. Captain oats comes from a line of horse toys by Breyer, a collectable toy company.

Captain oats is actually model 1119 "Pony of The Americas" and is highly sought after not only by Breyer horse collectors but fans of The O.C.

They are semi scarce and go for around 100 bucks and sometimes higher than that!

Recently the people that are backing The O.C. Musical purchased a Breyer 1119 (assuming online)
for their O.C. tribute musical as well as a Princess Sparkles, both replicas.

So keep your eyes peeled on eBay and you too could talk to Captain Oats in troubled times!

Rumor has it that there wasn't a set number of actual Captain Oats props used on the O.C., Adam Brody has quoted that he doesn't remember if there were 1 or 10.

Where is Captain Oats now you ask? Josh Schwartz, the creator of The O.C. has both Captain Oats and Princess Sparkles sitting on his desk located in his office. Truly priceless! Way to go Josh!