road rules: viewer's revenge

you're just a fucking punk bitch! - abram, road rules.

okay, this has nothing to do with writing or politics, but i just love this show. i mentioned it briefly a couple posts back, but it's called road rules . it is the original challenge oriented realty show. cbs' suvivor is basically an amped up version of road rules. in the past, it was about getting together a group of strangers and shoving them into an rv, and sending them out on the road for a couple of months. they would do challenges every week, and if they lost two in a row, they would have to vote off a member of the team, which would then bring in a replacement. and off they'd go again.

well, there have been 13 seasons of the show, and after a near three year hiatus, they have brought it back and it's called road rules: viewer's revenge. but the rules have changed a bit. they have taken six road rules alumni this time. after every challenge, win or lose, the guys would vote one girl to go into the "pit" and the girls would vote one guy to go in with her.

the pit is essentially a battleground where voted alumni would battle newbies. there is a group of other kids on the "pit crew" who are waiting for their chance to get into the rv. the pit crew consists of all newcomers who have never been on the show. the viewing public will then vote for which alum member (guy or girl that was chosen to go to the pit). whoever gets the highest votes, will then face off with the same sex member of the pit crew that got the most votes. the two would battle it out in a challenge, and whoever wins, gets to go to the rv, and whoever loses, has to go to the pit crew and wait for their chance for the public to vote them back to the rv.

it's a bit complicated, but that's where the revamped version is at. basically, american idol sort of got this voting thing going and now it seems every show has to have it. it's really quite annoying. what sets road rules apart from the rest of the survivor-esque shows, is that it's about team work. it's about people growing together and working as a team, overcoming differences. there's less of a backstabbing aspect to it (although there is a fare share of it) and more of a team aspect, which is what i like about it. no one individual can win a challenge on their own: they need to work together. plus, it's one of the first challenge based reality show ever. it paved the way for shows like survivor and the amazing race.

the series has gone all over the world, with some interesting challenges, like bungee jumping over a live volcano, or learning to save one another down rapid waters, or driving dune buggies while blindfolded.

what else is interesting is how crazy things can get on the show. when you shove a group of people into a smelly rv for weeks on end, crazy shit is bound to happen. some people can't handle the pressure and they just go nuts, while others thrive off it.

the following is a recent clip from the latest episode. this is a spoiler, so don't watch if you don't want to know.here, abram is pissed off because the group decided that instead of backstabbing and voting people into the pit, they would go on a rotation basis, so eventually everyone has to go in. that seems fair. but for some reason, abram believes adam, the guy who volunteered himself, is going to screw him over somehow. just a little bit of history: abram was on a previous season where he got kicked off for losing his temper and fighting. well, it appears he hasn't learned anything and he goes at it again with adam. (abram is a psycho. i guess the only reason why the producers let him on the show for a second season is because of the drama it creates, which equals ratings). note: abram broke his hand punching adam's head.

and here's a preview clip of a future episode. the alumni are in a challenge against the pit crew. again, spoilerish. there's lots of vomit too, so if you're squeamish, don't watch.