Over the last two nights, The SciFi Channel has debuted two new reality shows.
Why The Science Fiction Channel feels the need to fill its schedule with the same reality show tripe (and professional wrestling) that other networks do, I don’t know. (Well, other than greed.) But they continue to insist on producing these shows. Past gems include Mad, Mad House (which was mildly annoying, but overall not bad at all), Who Wants to Be a Superhero (which could have been so much better than it was), GhostHunters (which is a real reality show, and, therefore, OK in my book), and Scare Tactics (which is just mean spirited).
The two newest additions are Cha$e and Estate of Panic. Neither has impressed me much.
In fact, they disgust me more than a bit. Just like most of the competition-based reality shows out there. There’s no question that the worst in people is brought out on purpose. There’s no encouragement to actual team-work, no reason to not screw everyone else over. (Mad, Mad House and Who Wants to Be a Superhero thankfully avoided those two major pitfalls most of the time.)
Here’s the thing, people are mean enough on their own–they don’t need any “help” to be any worse and the viewing public most certainly doesn’t need any more bad examples. Survivior has given us more than enough of those.
Cha$e is, basically, a big game of tag. Contestants get set loose in an area (the first episode was an industrial waterfront, the second looks like it’s going to be an arboretum of some sort), the money they win increases the longer they stay in, up to an hour. Before the end of that hour, they have to be the first to the exit in order to win. Oh, and while they’re running around, they’re being chased by “Hunters” and if they get tagged they’re eliminated from the game. There are gimmicks to avoid being caught and things to give them bonuses.
There’s also a camera crew and over-played Hunter characters. You want to make me a little more happy with the show? Wire the area with cameras and give everyone their own. Get rid of the camera crews. Really isolate the contestants and then maybe you’ll have something more interesting.
Estate of Panic is just about as bad. The ingredients are: 1 Creepy mansion, 1 over acting host, and a handful of easily scared and bravado-filled contestants. The challenge? Get in and out of different locations in and around the mansion, finding as much hidden money as possible. The catch? Don’t be the last one in the room and don’t be the one who gets out with the least money–those will both get you eliminated. Oh, and there’s going to be things like snakes, water, smoke and collapsing ceilings in these locations.
This game is pretty much straight on smash and grab. Not much skill needed. No time to form alliances or really backstab. No strategy in between rooms. Just pure adreanaline and stupidity.
Again there are a whole lot of little things that could make this show better. First, encourage teamwork, at least to a point. Then add in some actual strategy–let people bargin with the money they have collected in between rooms instead of counting it for all to know and instant elimination. Come up with some way for those eliminated early on to come back at the end.
Reality competition shows don’t have to be bad. They don’t have to bring out the worst in people. The Amazing Race and Kid Nation have shown that to be true. And yet, most of the shows out there sink to the lowest level possible.
So, while The SciFi Channel cancels more of their scripted shows more and more quickly, they keep proudcing sub-par reality television. I can’t say I’m at all happy about that.
Feel free to skip both of these shows.
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