Contest: Which TV Shows do You Love?
It is part of the nightly ritual in our household; we eat dinner, we get the kitchen cleaned up - then we put the kettle on, and sit down to watch the tele, with our cat sittig on our laps (well, not often mine, the traitor). Often, films are too long - so it is television series that we turn to.
Sometimes we like something light - we're not in the mood for thinking, whereas other times we like something a bit meatier, perhaps a dark drama. But, there are certainly shows that for me, are heads and shoulders above the rest. The reality TV game shows!
The two that stand out for me are 'Survivor' and 'The Amazing Race'. Both are deserving of the award, 'TV Shows that I Love'. Join me, and we'll figure out what makes them so great!
Survivor The first episode of Survivor (US Version) aired in May 2000. From that moment on, I was hooked. I was 13 at the time, and not particularly adventurous - but this show spoke to me about possibilities - by taking ordinary people, with ordinary lives and transforming them into every day heroes of the silver screen. Also, where else in history do you get a 1 in 16 shot at a million bucks? Come on, for a 13 year old - this was the stuff of dreams!
The show is in it's 42nd series in an island part of Fiji. I can tell you - I'm still hooked. We get it fast-tracked from the US, and on our local channel, we watch the catch-up episode every Friday night. How could we possibly sleep if our routine was out of whack, right?
Every episode, we're welcomed in by Jeff Probst. With a smile like that, is it any wonder he's been around for every single season? He's now 61 years young would you believe? It's hard to believe he's spent the last two decades of his life connected to this show. But - I'm glad. In many ways, it's his familiarity that I love - and I am quite happy to have him in my living room each week!
An old photo, but gee he's aged well. Source:
At the start of each challenge, he had a regular refrain, 'Come on in guys' - but in Season 41, with the mutual agreement of the contestants, he changed this to, 'Come on in' in order to be more inclusive.
Every season contains a number of different categories of challenges. The first is for rewards (usually something rather delicious, or fishing gear, or flint seem to be the go-go), whereas the second reward is for tribal immunity.
Over the years, my favourite challenge is always the fire building challenge. In this one, contestants are given flint, and a few meagre supplies and they must use these to a) start a fire b) allow the fire to grow c) continue to build it until it burns through a string a metre off the ground
I think I like this challenge the best, because it occurs at the end of a season, and there's always intensity around it. There have been times when one player dominates - and the fire is built in minutes. Other times, this challenge is drawn out - and both contestants can get their fires going, and in turn, let them burn out and they must start again. As the flames flicker, the potential of snapping the line could happen at any moment - yet this tension is enhanced by the steely focus of the contestants!
But what I like most about the show is the psychology - you see, the game is all about 'OUTWITTING' and 'OUTPLAYING' in order to 'OUTLAST'. When the tribes go to Tribal Council to vote out a player, the potential is that no one is safe. Many episodes end with a contestant walking out 'blindsided' - meaning, they had no idea they were going to be targeted. The back-and-forth between people in the lead-up to the vote is always interesting, and it all comes down to the social game of the players in order to form alliances.
The thing about alliances is, however, that there's always someone on the bottom of the pile. This fact is key, because it means that numbers can shift. If the #1 and #2 safe players make it to the final five; well, #3, #4 and #5, in a new alliance, can radically shift and change the game. This is, of course, all complicated by immunity idols which are earned from winning challenges; sometimes involving balance, other time strength and sometimes brains
And then of course, the final 9 players voted out have to make up the jury, who ultimately decides on who wins the cash prize. Often, there's a lot of bitterness in players who have been voted out, and this makes the final result of the ultimate winner always unpredictable!
Now, with so much REALITY TV fun, with 100s of episodes over 22 years - you'd think I'd be REALITY-TV braindead, but nope - the other one I love is 'The Amazing Race'. It's been around since 2001 and has had 33 seasons! (Not quite the 42 of Survivor, but I imagine the logistics of traveling the world don't necessarily mean a quick turnaround!).
The premise of this show is simple: You're in a race. You start the leg, and you have to get to the end of the leg - with the last team of two to arrive being eliminated. Along the way, there are all sorts of crazy challenges. The fun ones are completing cultural activities of the country the show is in, or at other times, racing around a local area to collect things. Other times, the challenges are much harder: the need to eat some local delicacy which is actually rather gross. I would love to be able to apply for this show, but the truth is, I know my stomach couldn't get me through the challenges, and my natural partner, my wife, would also find the food challenges impossible!
The best part of this show is that it is a game-show which shows off the world. So often we've watched it, and said, 'We really should travel there'. 'Isn't it beautiful? One day, we'll put it on our bucket list'. It also shows you the good in humanity, as people from all around the world light up the screen with their smiles and proudly show off their traditions. I sometimes feel disappointed for the contestants though, that race from place to place and so often miss out on 'being' in a particular destination. It seems to me an opportunity lost.
I live in Australia, and from time to time, the show has visited 'Down Under' - I always get a kick out of that - and, at the end of each season, a team walks away a $1,000,000 richer. I like seeing places I've been to, or could easily get to. Also, there's the element of pride in my place being beamed around the world. That said, Australia has also put together our own local version of this show, along with Survivor - both are trash and I wouldn't watch them if I were you! Consider yourself warned.
I like how the teams have to dress alike to; I often go for the dorky looking ones!
Realistically, could I go on either show? In short, the answer is 'Nope'. Physically, I'm fit enough to handle each - but, and it's a big but - I get caffeine headaches if I'm too far away from a coffee. I can imagine, given the nature of Survivor being isolated, and the race being hectic - that I would be in a constant headache- and let's face it, sometimes it's better to enjoy the coffee on the couch enjoying the shows you love, then suffering in them! & then, there's the issue of survivor - the men seem to all end up walking around in underpants, and this body of mine wasn't made for viewing on TV in such a state of undress!
Final Thought: In both cases, I love these shows because they're so much a part of my life. Can you believe that they've been with me for 63% of my existence! And, I hope to see them for many more years to come. There's something nostalgic and familiar about both of them - and their longevity, I think, speaks to the way they've impacted the lives of millions of viewers all around the world.
Survivor and The Amazing Race - all images associated with the shows are owned by CBS. .GIFs inserted free from TENOR (added through PeakD).
