Checkout The naked truth is that it’s incredibly difficult to get noticed in the ever-deepening morass of reality television. An altogether dandy way to grab some early attention is a provocatively raw and stark title unadorned with pretense or the promise of uplift.
Think of the kind of lurid title that might have been found on the cover of a true-detective magazine from the 1950s. Say, something like “Naked and Afraid.”
Got your attention? Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?
“Naked and Afraid” is the title of the six-week summer reality show that the Discovery Channel, uh, unveiled, at 10:20 p.m. Sunday, right after coverage of Nik Wallenda’s successful skywire stunt near the Grand Canyon. Mind you, this is the cable channel that already has a reality show called “Naked Castaway.”
But, as buff titles go, “Naked and Afraid” has that beat by miles. In a race of amazing reality titles, “Naked Castaway” is barely getting started as “Naked and Afraid” is crossing the finish line.
As for substance? OK, we’re not expecting a doctoral dissertation with something called “Naked and Afraid.” Nor are we expecting a “Game of Thrones”-style budget. They certainly weren’t spending a lot on wardrobe. The nudity is obscured by blurring and sly camera angles.
Strip away the tawdry title, and what you have is your basic reality survival show, and not a bad one. Each week, the series follows a new team of “complete and total strangers — one man and one woman” — who, according to Discovery, “find themselves stranded in and, quite literally, exposed to some of the world’s most extreme weather environments.”
They must survive on their own (followed by a camera crew, of course) for 21 days, packing nothing but one personal item each. The prize? There is none. They’re baring and braving all for the challenge and (wait for it) exposure, tackling nature in the raw with no food, no water and no clothes.
Sunday night we were introduced to Shane Lewis, a 40-year-old electrician from Connecticut, and Kim Shelton, a 22-year-old student from Minnesota, as they were introduced to each other in Costa Rica.
“Should we talk abut the fact that we’re both naked?” Kim asked, addressing the obvious. “Just check each other out?”
“We might as do it right now,” Shane replied. “Diffuse the tension.”
What we learned over the course of the first episode is that both of them complained, coped and dropped not only their clothes but a whole bunch of weight. Look for that to be a common theme in these episodes. Shane lost 45 pounds and Kim lost 26, so, if nothing else, this show proves a winner as an extreme diet plan.
Kim did go the Adam-and-Eve route, fashioning fig-leaf-and-twine coverings for them.
If survival shows are your particular reality thing, however, this one is an often-intriguing study in testing limits under harsh conditions. How harsh? We’re told that executive producer Steve Rankin was bit by one of the area’s most venomous snakes while on location in Costa Rica. Quick evacuation and treatment saved his life and gave them some graphic footage of an obscenely swollen foot.
Contestants on upcoming episodes include a survival expert, an adventure guide, a bodyguard, a surfer, a taxidermist, a country-western singer-songwriter, a freelance writer, a stuntwoman, a tattoo artist and a wilderness instructor.
Will the title and the gimmicky premise draw in enough curious viewers? Hey, it’s a jungle out there, but this is more than barely possible.
Comments
Post a Comment