Cha$e

Reality Game/Show that professes itself to be the first "live" video game. Except you don't control anything else except yourself. We've seen the concepts in this show in movies and many of the contestants talk about they are gamers or feel like they are in a video game while playing. Its a little simpler than that though. The main skills needed to win on the show are the very skills children use growing up to play games like Tag, Hide and Seek, Scavenger Hunt. Maybe a little Boyscout knowledge on the side will help with reading maps and some of the challenges. However, all the playing fields except one have been in urban environments. Which is why its very entertaining to see how so many contestants make so many errors during the game and completely blow their chances to win. We see basic human emotions, clumsiness, forgetfulness, pride, bad luck and sheer stupidity cause a fresh group of people to lose week after week. I've watched 6 episodes of the Cha$e. True, hidden cameras instead of camera crews following the contestants in the playing field might make this game more plausible. However, I suspect that due to the size of the gaming areas this would not be cost effective for the show. Despite this flaw, the show does a good job of drawing you in and keeping you entertained. From week to week the show has tried to improve on other minor flaws by explaining the rules better to the contestants and modifying some rules. The thing that the show absolutely depends on is for the contestants to relate to the TV audience how they feel, what's happening to them, why they play a certain way. Of course because of the human nature to be social and while trying to juggle a cell phone, a reading map, and avoid hunters all at the same time, most contestants get eliminated. You will be sitting there watching in unbelief, amazement,surprise and sometimes utter disgust at who actually wins each week. Its really an unpredictable treat.

The entire concept of the show is based on "hide-and-seek": the contestants hide, and the "hunters" seek them out for capture. However, what about the camera man bounding behind a contestant? Do the "hunters" simple ignore these glaring indications of contestant location? Such forced ignorance renders the entire experience grossly artificial. Bottom line: a contestant could very well be caught just because a bloody camera man didn't jump in a trashcan with them.

Sci-Fi channel is a paradox in itself. It seems like every week a new "Sci-Fi original" movie, show, or series is released, suggesting there must be some kind of monetary gain involved. However, the writing is continuously bogus and the special effects are straight from 1995 (especially in the movies, freaking deodorant commercials have better sfx). I hope they cease soon; dignity is hard to keep these days and they're losing it fast.

This show premiered last night on the Sci-Fi Channel, and I have to say I enjoyed it. I compared it to "The Amazing Race" meets "Fear Factor." It also made me think of night games like sardines that I used to play as a kid. They call the game a 'live action video game.' Ten players are dropped on a 'Game Board' trying to survive for 60 minutes with out getting caught by a hunter to earn $25,000. Each player equipped with a map, a phone to receive game updates from the host and to call other players for help, and have a pack attached to their back (purpose is learned later). But that's not all, on the board, there are other things that will improve the game. There are flags that will earn the players more money if they win and items for evading the hunters. Some items are earned for individuals, some can be earned for the whole group.

As the game progresses, more hunters are added to the board. Most hunters are on foot and their purpose is to tag the runners. There is one hunter, introduced near the end of the 60 minutes that is on a motorcycle. They cannot tag the player, but they do inform the other hunters to their location. The hunters are basically my one gripe about the show. They were basically made to look and act like terminators. THEY ARE HUMAN, obviously electronics will not work on them, but the show makes it look like they do.

Interesting show to watch, but I think I'd rather play the game, than watch it be played.