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Sounds like fandom with a few contests thrown in. I remember the Logan's runs at conventions in the 80's and the ones that made it got a prize sometimes. I especially like that its also a scripted story, with the competitions fit in. It sounds really fun and I look forward to it. And ohhh, swords... oh yeah.
Anyone plan on watching this show on Thursday at 8 pm PST?
I had to go on a quest and deep search to find this thread
I couldn't resist this with the swords, and the garb and the neat stuff. A lot of the contestants said they did recreations of the time, which makes me thing they are SCA. Especially since they could conviningly swing those swords in battle.
Anyway, I enjoyed it once you ignored the contest part.
But I LOVED that the One True Hero was a woman. If I'm going to watch fantasy competition shows, give me some eye candy and even better when the warrior maiden wins!
My spouse and I used this as filler this summer and it was actually better than we expected it to be. I especially appreciated how it made a good attempt to normalize the competition.
Spoiler
The final challenge (between two big, strong men and the woman who eventually won) involved riding a horse, solving a logic puzzle, and demonstrating accuracy, rather than pushing an opponent off of a beam or pushing through a blocked door.
However, some of the earlier challenges didn't do quite as good of a job at that. It seems to me that if you're going to have a co-ed, non-team competition and still make the challenges about who's bigger and stronger, then you're doing it wrong.
Beyond that, I think a good part of the show was pretty cheesy. That's not necessarily bad, as summer filler goes. The show's intro each week made clear that this wasn't Wide World of Sports but rather was Lord of the Rings - I expect (and appreciate) that the contestants were, to some extent, being treated like actors in a scripted drama, with isolated bits of real competition thrown in.
Spoiler
(If anyone thinks that the eliminated contestants in the final battle were actually fighting for their lives, then I think some therapy is in order. )
In terms of the "eye candy" factor, it was relatively low-key. Really, the most notable aspect of female "eye candy" was, very literally, eyes: Lina's eyes were extremely pretty. But that's about the extent of it. There were female contestants, but I saw no appreciable exploitation of the fact that they were women, akin to what I've seen in other reality competition shows.
My spouse and I used this as filler this summer and it was actually better than we expected it to be. I especially appreciated how it made a good attempt to normalize the competition.
Spoiler
The final challenge (between two big, strong men and the woman who eventually won) involved riding a horse, solving a logic puzzle, and demonstrating accuracy, rather than pushing an opponent off of a beam or pushing through a blocked door.
However, some of the earlier challenges didn't do quite as good of a job at that. It seems to me that if you're going to have a co-ed, non-team competition and still make the challenges about who's bigger and stronger, then you're doing it wrong.
Beyond that, I think a good part of the show was pretty cheesy. That's not necessarily bad, as summer filler goes. The show's intro each week made clear that this wasn't Wide World of Sports but rather was Lord of the Rings - I expect (and appreciate) that the contestants were, to some extent, being treated like actors in a scripted drama, with isolated bits of real competition thrown in.
Spoiler
(If anyone thinks that the eliminated contestants in the final battle were actually fighting for their lives, then I think some therapy is in order. )
In terms of the "eye candy" factor, it was relatively low-key. Really, the most notable aspect of female "eye candy" was, very literally, eyes: Lina's eyes were extremely pretty. But that's about the extent of it. There were female contestants, but I saw no appreciable exploitation of the fact that they were women, akin to what I've seen in other reality competition shows.
I found the guys in their nifty clothes and weaponry and stuff quite good eyecandy actually. If they were dressed in mundanary then they'd be good looking guys, but the garb makes the man. I also really LOVED seeing the women in their garb too, not maidens crying for aide.
The final challenge really depended on accuracy and the ability to think on your feet and quickly which applies to both sexes. This is more true than not in real life too.
Yeah, they weren't fighting for their lives, but they knew enough swordsmanship to fake it well. We can't all be six fingered man or the one who bested him for Buttercup.
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