Trista Banx
from the 1st episode, I wanted Gina to go home crying over messy makeup and lack of everything else to survive in a place like that. It's unbelievable that she made it to the 7th episode. If she wins any money in season one, I will never watch this show again if there's a season 2 or more after that. I cant even imagine her making it past day 3 on that island by herself, let alone making it this far even with everyone else. And the guy that left because he didn't like being wet all the time. Ummmmm yeah kinda stupid reason to leave a lot of money just because you might be rained on for 40 days of your life. Try dropping Paris Hilton on that island with no money, no other people, and no pizza, even for 24 hours and see what happens... that would be more fun to watch :) Dropping a dumb cocktail waitress that complains about her mom's horrible apartment because she's been raised by Kim Kardashian, and she makes it through most of the 1st season ? .... I'm seeing this show getting trashed before it even gets started lolI like that they put people on the show that would never be able to make it, but the least likely to make it being in the last 4 of them is really annoying.
A_Different_Drummer
In this review I will first look at the show itself and then at the possibility that, when this review is written (April 2017, halfway into Season 1) the first series has, perhaps unintentionally, become a social metaphor for things actually happening. Those reading this review in the future -- they say the IMDb database will outlive everyone currently alive on the planet at this time -- might want to refresh their early history of the 21st century.1. The show.As far as these unique, reality-TV hybrids go, this one (to borrow a phrase from the other side of the Pond), is a corker. The concept is clever as heck. A bunch of strangers with an odd mix of skills have to survive on a literal "deserted island" which, depending on your POV, could be Heaven or Hell.(Notice for example how, in the first season, the young lady with the screen subtitle "21 year old Organic Farmer" seems to be almost on vacation, wears a bikini most of the time in spite of the "bugs," and more often than not the others have stop their drama and go looking for her, only to find her sunbathing on a tree branch!) There are two "hooks." The first, which is obvious, is that you can buy "overpriced" survival stuff out of your ongoing winnings as a reward for reaching "benchmarks." The second hook, not so obvious but far more interesting, is that, you are supposed to make decisions and achieve these benchmarks AS A GROUP -- a concept, it soon becomes clear, that goes against tens of thousands of years of Human Nature.2. The Social Metaphor.In 2017, our society is having some issues with traditional political demographics. I believe that intentionally or unintentionally this show has become a metaphor for those issues.Almost from the first episode, the group ultimately fragments into two smaller groups, one with four people (the majority) and one with two (the outliers). Significantly, the two outliers are the strongest individuals in the group, physically. This smaller group includes the aforementioned tough-as-nails female "organic farmer" and an ex-military guy with a friendly personality who gives the impression he could survive a nuclear war if he really had to.(If you were an odds-maker, all else being equal, you would bet on the two outliers as the most likely to make it to the finish.) Almost immediately, the majority creates a "narrative" that they have the right to use their majority status to make decisions on the money ... even though the Rules make it clear that money belongs to EVERYONE, at least in theory. This creates major resentment among the two stronger, tougher, outliers. The "liberal majority" also convince themselves they are acting honourably, spending the money on camping gear and food FOR THEMSELVES, even as the two outliers are forced to sleep in the wild, without protection from the elements. Which includes brutal, nightly, rainstorms.Notwithstanding the self-delusion, this turns out to clearly be a false narrative, and as the "Liberal Democracy" implodes, the two outliers ("populists" in my example) gradually take control of the game, bringing to the fore deep-seated resentments about what became of THEIR money during the time when the majority treated themselves like royalty.***Addendum**** Putting this in the review for the historical record because I believe episode 1.8 will be taught at university some day. Remember, the guys behind these reality shows get "big bucks" for anticipating every possible outcome when they make the RULES. That said, don't think they anticipated that, of the 4 remaining players, the two charged with carrying the accumulated prize money from target to target would "blackmail" the other two by threatening to destroy the cash they had won so far unless the other two agreed to group-buy food and a tent for them. The other two hold their ground and FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF TV GAME SHOWS, the other two make good on their threat, start a fire, and burn 10s of 1000s of dollars. Not making this up. Some day there will be a course on "snowflakes" with a "sense of entitlement." Professors teaching Game Theory now have their perfect textbook example of LOSE-LOSE. The two money-burners may be psychologically scarred for life. And somewhere deep in Hollywood, an exec is being called out, "HEY WHY DIDN'T YOU ANTICIPATE THAT?"
atlasmb
"Stranded" is a reality competition that feels familiar. Ten people isolated on a tropical island have to face the hardships of nature and survive forty days if they are to collect prize money. Naturally, there will be outwitting, outplaying and outlasting if the contestants are to win the million dollars in cash.But this survival show is the best I have seen thus far. It comes closest to breaking down the players and exposing the basic principles by which they lead their lives.Without discussing the mechanics of the show or its hardships, let me say its hardships are real and are both physical and emotional. These are not survivalists nor have they trained for what lies before them. In fact, it seems that they have almost no knowledge of how the game will be played until they arrive in Fiji with only the clothes on their backs.The contestants are all young adults--what some would call millennials. However, this is not merely an exploration of the psyches of millennials. Principles are at play that are common to all generations.In just the first few episodes, we see how far people will go to rationalize their own impulses. We see them reacting out of fear in ways that may surprise them when they review their actions later. And we see heroes emerge--those who stand up against injustice in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. The definition of real strength manifests itself. See if you can guess from the start which players will be the virtuous and which will give into their baser instincts. Some may surprise you.This is drama and suspense mixed with some humor. And if you pay close attention, you may see the exposure of some common beliefs about social goods as mere fallacies.
Drei
We have watched a number of reality surviving game TV shows, some to name Naked and Afraid, Hunted, Survivor etc.This show is nothing like the others because there is no sense of danger, no bad choice besides using up money to buy stuff or voting against buying to screw over other people. All of the contestants are young pretty shallow stupid people (oldest is 24 I believe). Idiocy at its best. The only reason we are watching it is to see what stupid stuff they do next, to see them all fail. Honestly we are not rooting for anyone, we just want to see all of the contestants fail miserably, hoping they all get food poisoning (hardly an issue when they can order food dropped in).It is so bad, its like watching a slasher moving and actually wanting to see the killer take all of the actors out. In this case mother nature is the serial killer yet she has a hard time beating them when they have 1 million dollars to throw around on items. I won't even mention the fact that their though process is extremely idiotic, it makes no sense for people in their circumstances to behave like that unless it was all for the show.A lot of people watch extremely stupid shows so they keep making them.The idea is intriguing but the producers should have though out the rules of the game in much more detail. It also feels too scripted, why would you do that when having any kind of common sense you clearly could do this instead and be better off? Like I said, the other shows actually seem more natural (if they are or not), this seem fake.
