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Outside Magazine October 2001

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Media
Situation Calamity
Reality programming douses the fall TV lineup with pixellated adrenaline
By Lisa Ann Auerbach


	Voted off: a would-be Survivor III* infiltrator in Kenya*

IN THE COMING MONTHS, more than a dozen new reality television shows—most with adventure themes—will be landing in prime time, bringing, we hope, the reality-TV bubble close to its bursting point. While for most Hollywood producers, "reality" means yet another cop show, shaky camera work, and a few curse words, the creators of these shows have reinterpreted the term to mean rappelling off cliffs, negotiating whitewater, and field-dressing venison. Below, Outside's guide to the genre's more adventurous new offerings. (The list omits, and no, we are not making this up, Who Wants to Date a Hooters Girl? and I Want a Divorce.) Now, if only they were in 3-D.

THE GAME...	THE PLAYERS...	ATTEMPT TO...	WHILE BUNKING DOWN...	THE CONTESTANTS BATTLE...	WHILE...	IN ORDER TO...
Frontier House PBS, premieres in early 2002	Three families armed with a trunk of itchy period clothes	live as 1880s homesteaders in backwoods Montana	in rickety hand-built and pre-fab hovels nestled in a secret valley very far away from anything remotely dible.	June snowstorms, scurvy, weevils, hot cast-iron skillets, and frequent comparisons to the Unabomber	milking cows and begging the crew for Whoppers	return home, where their houses will be egged and their children will be called "the PBS nerds."
Ultimate Reality A&E, premieres in early October	A carpenter from Georgia, a cargo pilot from Ohio, and other "real folk"	experience their (non-sexual) adventures of a lifetime	in decent Egyptian hotels, in England, in midair, and in a shark cage surrounded by slavering great whites.	the sinking feeling that, besides that night in Juarez, this hammy made-for-TV stunt may be the only exciting adventure they have before they die	BASE jumping, jousting, belly dancing, and swimming with sharks	be browbeaten by their grandchildren in 20 years when they won't shut up about the night they "slept with a real shark!"
Survivor: Africa CBS, premieres on October 11	Two teams of wanna-be actors armed with exhibitionism and a hunger for fame	survive in the African veld while making nice with their cosurvivors	among cheetahs, zebras, rabid camera crews, and tiki torches on Kenya's telegenic Shaba National Reserve.	charging elephants, fellow competitors, poor hygiene, and People magazine photographers in Range Rovers	eating unfamiliar masses of protein and avoiding bad hair days	win a million dollars, possible book contracts, and cameo roles on The Young and the Restless.
Worst-Case Scenario TBS, premieres in January 2002	Ordinary folks just like you, but with less sense, no shame, and cojones	reenact scenarios from the best-selling guidebook of the same name	at their homes and in various emergency rooms and trauma centers throughout the United States and abroad.	quicksand, alligators, avalanches, long TBS commercial breaks, the looming risk of cancellation, and copycat accidents	entrusting their lives to instructions in a little yellow book	learn what fire tastes like, show off their mullets on national TV, and prove to ex-girlfriends that they can read.
Outward Bound Discovery Kids Channel, premieres early 2002	Four boys and four girls, from 14 to 16, of varying athletic ability and emotional stability	challenge themselves mentally and physically on official two-week Outward Bound courses	in private houses throughout the central mountains of Costa Rica, along Class IV rivers, and under the stars in Dinosaur National Monument.	self-doubt, homesickness, black beans, a critical shortage of Oxy-10, hair in new and unfamiliar places, and a complete absence of 'N Sync paraphernalia.	caving, whitewater rafting, trekking, rock climbing, and containing wild hormonal surges while cameras are rolling	graduate from Outward Bound with a sense of self-reliance, muscles, and the skills to rope up and safely sneak out a second-story window.
Lost in the USA The WB, premiers in early October	Four three-person teams, each with an Internet hookup and a cell phone	win a cross-country scavenger hunt, aided by TV viewers	in a 21-foot, 8-inch Winnebago Rialta with a cramped bathroom and a minifridge as they search for random items on America's highways.	poverty, falling asleep at the wheel, embarrassment, getting lost, dangerous fellow Americans, and couch potatoes who want to vote them off the show	bungee jumping in Seattle, posing naked at a nudist colony	win cash, vehicles, and trips that don't involve living in a Winnebago Rialta.
The Amazing Race CBS, premiered September 10	Eleven duos with limited funds, including a mother-daughter team and an engaged couple	reach checkpoints throughout the globe guided by only a vague clue	in strange locales where breaking native taboos means immediate death. This may or may not include yurts.	foreign tongues, bickering, Hare Krishnas at the airport, and a constant urge to hum the theme music to The Odd Couple	struggling to reach distant checkpoints and avoiding being sold to brothels in Thailand	win a million dollars, finally overcome separation anxiety, and learn that Mom snores like a backed-up sewer drain.
LOST NBC, premiered in early September	Three pairs of disoriented strangers armed with 50-pound packs and about $100	return to the Statue of Liberty after being dropped in some godforsaken terra incognita	in various cryogenic chambers and celebrity bedrooms throughout the world. (OK, NBC wouldn't spill the beans at press time. But wouldn't that be rad?)	allergies, bus schedules, the Ebola virus, endless liters of orange Fanta, and a troop of highly intelligent apes. (They wouldn't let us in on this one either.)	learning to adjust the declination on a compass and exploring the world's lackluster transportation infrastructure	contain their seething rage when they are referred to as "huddled masses" by the perfectly coiffed host after landing on Ellis Island.

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