Murder in Small Town X

In Fox's next "reality" show, a bunch of people try to solve a FICTIONAL murder mystery. The reason I put "fictional" in bold type is because apparently some of the contestants don't grasp this concept. They say how scared they are, pray, cry and carry on. Are they told by the producers to act this way?? They do know this is a game right? Also, just like in most "reality" shows, the contestants are constantly fighting (over stupid things). I like the actors, I like the premise for the show, but I wish they would just find normal people to play instead of immature idiots.

As far as 'reality shows' go, it's far better than the garbage out there right now on NBC like 'Spy TV' and 'Fear Factor'. This mini-series (It's runs for about eight episodes, so technically it's a mini-series.) is more or less based on the fantasy murder weekend vacations some of the Bed and Breakfast houses hold to drum up business. I dig the premise of ten amateur sleuths trying to solve the mystery of the Flint Murders and how the 'killer', based on fifteen possible suspects from the fictional town of Sunrise, takes out one sleuth at a time. Considering it's from former staffers of 'The Real World', I was delightfully surprised of the lack of teenage immaturity, though some adults are obviously childish in some respects. Granted, the subject matter isn't for kids and no doubt the pseudo-snuff aspects will turn off some viewers, but in general it has a better and more enjoyable feel to it than the 'Survivor' series and its many (WAY too many) rip-offs. I hope they'll do this again because it's more like a mystery novel/game show than an actual 'reality' program.

There have been some harsh critics of this show. To anyone who has done an 'at home' murder mystery or been to a special murder mystery night dinner theatre, this was great!

Although the actors were very limited on what they could say which made them very cardboard the clues and plot twists were excellent in the true tradition of a good mystery.

In this reality show the people have something to do. Not sit around on a beach and bitch or in a backyard and bitch at each other. Bravo to Fox for making this show. I hope they keep doing it.

My next trip out east I will visit the small town of Sunrise (Eastport) Maine.

This show was permanently scrapped as the 1st season winner Angel Juarbe was one of the firemen killed on Sept 11 when the towers fell. Out of respect to his memory, bravery, and courage, the show was scrapped. RIP Angel.

Angel Juarbe Jr. Firefighter Ladder 12 Laid to Rest on December 1, 2001

The following were taken from the NYFD's website:

Firefighter Juarbe, Jr. died on September 11, 2001, as a result of injuries sustained while operating at Manhattan Box 8087, transmitted at 0847 hours on September 11, 2001.

(09/11/03) NEW YORK CITY - The Juarbes family spent the day grieving for their beloved Angel who died on 9/11. On the second anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the Juarbe family attended the ceremony at Ground Zero to honor Angel Juarbe. Angel was a firefighter for Ladder 12 in Chelsea. He responded the day the World Trade Center was attacked, but he never returned home.

Fox has been blasted in the past for their reality programming (Marry a Multimillionaire, Temptation Island, etc...), but they finally got it right with Small Town X.

Before I talk about what makes the show great, it does have some weak points. The players are not as interesting as the Survivor 2 bunch, and the game goes by without you even being able to remember some of their names. Also, you don't seen enough of the interactions between the players to understand their emotions towards each other.

But, the contestants are not what make this show interesting. Watching this show is like stepping inside a video game. There are several twisting plot lines to follow, and a number of clues and false leads to sort out. Due to these factors, X is more suited for audience involvement than the rest of the reality genre (with the possible exception of the Mole).

I hope that Fox runs something like this one again, perhaps with a different location or genre (X-Files style, anyone?)