Tue, May 6, 2003

I wasn't aware of Eco-Challenge until the Borneo race, which came after the creator of Eco-Challenge gained broader notoriety for bringing Survivor to American audiences. Eco-Challenge is known as an "expedition race," because it's like a regular foot-race except it takes place in some remote wilderness region and there's no track, only checkpoints. It's a high-endurance nature odyssey that depends on rugged survival skills and extensive training, willpower, and teamwork.

I avoid most of the current reality TV offerings. The only thing I've followed with any devotion has been a few of the Survivor seasons, and four or five episodes of this year's American Ido.l However, I watched the premiere of Eco-Challenge: Fiji because my friend Andy was on the volunteer team that supported the Fiji race. You can read a little about his adventure by following the link on this page and if you have a fast Internet connection (or a patient heart), you may enjoy his photo archive from the experience.

So, a group of us gathered to watch the first episode and finally get a glimpse of what it was like for him out there. I must say it was rather compelling! The race is narrated by David Duchovny who I like. He does a pretty nice job, considering the script is a little over-dramatic and chronically alliterative. And the footage is pretty spectacular. The helicopter shots are helpful in opening up the landscape a little, since the trees and rock faces of the jungle tend to make it hard to maintain a sense of direction in the camera angles which follow the competitors. But it's the ground-level crew that amazes you, because they had to go through it all right alongside the racing teams. It reminded me of Everest, the way every shot was twice as breathtaking because not only was it beautiful but some poor bastards had to haul an IMAX camera all the way up there to capture it.

And then there's the puking. There are certain things I'm not comfortable watching and puking/bleeding/oozing has always been high on that list. Burnett can't resist showing the tolls the race takes on its competitors in gory detail, so we are treated to closeups of blistering and bleeding and oozing sores and, yes, puking. Sharp, digital video of some dude booting in a remote rainforest where few humans have set foot before. What an age we live in!

But, oh, what a testament to the power of TV. I was reminded of the afternoons in high school when I would come home from school and my sister would have Saved By The Bell on the television while I sat down to have my snack. I hate Saved By The Bell. I hate it more than I hate Michael Gross. (And that's a lot!) I hate Mario Lopez and I really hate Elizabeth Berkley. I remember yelling at the TV, "Jesse Spano, I hate you!" and calling her all sorts of names. But by the time my ten or fifteen minute snack was over, I was too involved in the story to leave. It was the same way with Eco-Challenge. As a non-outdoorsman non-reality fan, I expected to watch the opening episode, celebrate Andy's involvement, and then check out for the next three airings. But now I'm involved. I have to see what happens next. Well played, Burnett...

It's pretty compelling stuff, watching what these people can do and will do in their battle against the wilderness that we as a species have largely left behind lo these past ten thousand years. I'd say it involved some sort of triumph of the human spirit, but they're just racing for money and the opportunity to be on TV like anyone else, so I can't really consider that such a spiritual accomplishment. Impressive though!

THE LATEST FROM POOP READING:

© onebee · all rights reserved