There are two terms that rarely appear in the same sentence – “reality TV” and “brainy.” Well, the executives at Fox have decided to merge the two in an experiment that consists of competition format blueprint that is said to have originated in Germany. According to sources, Fox is giving the show a trial run. The competition has a number of different challenges that test dexterity, memory and other skills that tend to extend beyond what is considered normal for the average person. So, basically, you can define the show as being a reality show that pits exceptionally intellectually endowed individuals against one another.
It is not yet certain how well the show will do with an American audience. With all things being considered, Americans have proven that they like their reality television dumbed down and funny. The idea of people displayed high levels of intellect has yet to prove its value in the American market.
In order to make the show more interesting, the producers have decided to add some very interesting personalities, such as Mike Tyson, and comic actress, Mary Lynn Rajskub. And if having a show full of geniuses is not enough, they decided to add the world renown and dashing neurosurgeon, Dr. Rabul Jandial. So, the network is definitely pulling out all of the stops to give this show every possibility of being successful.
According to those who have had the chance to review the show, it seems that what sounds boring is actually pretty exciting in real life. The feats that these individuals are able to accomplish in the areas of memory, physical acrobatic, mathematics as well as talents that are somewhat harder to define, are nothing short of extraordinary. For instance, there is a woman who has the ability to identify songs that are being played by simply watching the fingers of the pianist.
If you have every watched Stupid Human Tricks on the David Letterman show, this is the more advanced version. Simply showing the superhuman capacities that these individuals possess was not enough. In order to add more of an edge and appeal to the show, the competition is geared up around a cash prize of $100,000, which definitely serves as a powerful motivator for one to push themselves, and you know how Americans are about seeing people receive money that they haven’t really earned.
Fox is being Fox in every way conceivable. Everything that you dislike about Fox has found its way into this show, like the contestants being coached into bragging and boasting about their likelihood of being the winner of the $100,000 prize. Americans do not like boastful people, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out in this market. When you add in the human interest stories that point out how beneficial winning the prize will be for each contestant, you have a television product that fans will either love or hate.
While the long-term fate of this type of show is yet unknown, it does have enough appeal to last throughout the summer. Where it will go from there, we will have to just wait and see.
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