Reality shows have become increasingly popular in the United States with viewers intrigued by the events that take place in this type of shows. As each new reality series is launched, the creators must find a new angle to captivate audiences and keep them coming back to watch more. This has resulted in reality shows becoming more extreme in an attempt to stand out from the competition and make the series memorable to viewers. The Discovery Channel has now taken things to a new extreme with their new series ‘Darkness’. Aired for the first time on August 2, 2017, here is what we know about this exciting reality series so far.
The Concept
People who compete in this reality series are truly looking for the utmost challenge. They spent six days living in a labyrinth of caves and mines in complete darkness. The aim is to find each other and then find their way out of the maze despite the darkness. The participants spend six days in the abyss and are provided only with suitable clothing, such as decent walking boots and a helmet, and a backpack with basic survival gear. They have no food or water and are told they must seek this out themselves in the darkness. The participants of the program face severe sleep deprivation, hallucinations, disorientation, and hunger. The physical and emotional effects of the experience only serve to make the task more challenging.
The Location for the Series
Elexus are the producers of ‘Darkness’. The executive producers are Drew Buckley, Rob Buchta, Christopher Grant, and Max Levenson. Discovery also has an executive producer for the show; Joseph Boyle. The series is set in the Ozark Mountains where there are some fantastic natural cave networks and many mines. The setting is also ideal because of the tough terrain, the underground streams, and large sections of mud. There are even areas where the participants can only crawl along on their hands and knees.
The Competitors
In the debut season of this new show, there are three participants. 37-year-old Brandon Lee is a firefighter and Army National Guardsman. Jeff Tucker, 54, is a former firefighter and a retired arson investigator. Finally, Jack Stallings, 59, is a military contractor. Each of the participants had their own reasons for taking on such a difficult challenge but all plan on using their personal experiences to help them face the challenge.
The Production
There is a team of crew, producers, and cameramen who are almost within reaching distance of the competitors but are completely unseen. The crew do not interact with the competitors in any way and are there simply to capture every moment of the competitors’ time in the caves. The participants are also given a camera so they can shoot their surroundings and provide additional footage for the series. However, as they are in complete darkness, they only know they are pointing their cameras forward and have no idea what the footage they are creating will show to the viewers.
Overall, ‘Darkness’ has the potential to appeal to a wide audience as it is a survival reality series that has taken challenging environments to a whole new level.
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