Derren Brown: Pushed to the Edge

I see many people questioning it's reality and how this affects the contestants psychologically. But i assure everyone that an episode of this scale will not cause any psychological trauma as long as they know it's not real.

The Guardian newspaper calls it patronising, among other things. I thought the narrative kept as grounded as spectators.

This show has parallels to The Hunger Games, except it's very real. I did feel bad for the unwitting participants but I also found it fascinating constantly telling myself I would have acted sooner to end it all.

The thing is, unless you're in that situation you'll never know.

Ethically it's certainly questionable and by watching it are we ironically the very thing the show is telling us not to be.

Episodes like White Bear (2013) and White Christmas (2014) of Black Mirror (2011) portray a dystopian society in which people convicted of crimes are punished by harsh methods, Derren Brown: Pushed to the Edge (2016) is a kinda of a similar idea for an episode where people who end up "pushing" are prosecuted to ensure the public safety.

While the ethics of this "experiment" are certainly questionable, it's still tremendously entertaining for outside viewers. By the end, my friend and I were both on the edge of our seats, hands trembling, as we awaited the climax. My only complaint was that some aspects of it were explained by the narrator a little too late (one instance being at least 15 minutes after the initial showing of the trick), but it didn't make the show any less exciting.

I am always skeptical of the reality of these experiments, but I must say that there seems to be no fiction in this experiment. People forget that these people were selected after a series of eliminations and they are inclined to obey rules. The ending is shocking because it makes you question your own morality. Are you ethical enough under severe conditions? How can we ignore other people's commands and continue in our own path? Now I am a fan of Derren Brown's experiments. Well-done.