The Not-So-Great Race

The lunch table at work is my constant reminder of how far my path diverges from the mainstream. A lot of the chatter is about television race, survivor or other “reality” shows. I am past the point where I overheard about them fervently discussing intimate details of the contestants by name and thought they were referring to close friends or relatives. Probably, no relative would evoke that level of interest.

I don’t watch the shows, but have caught snippets through promos or while changing channels. It appears they cast contestants from an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog. This piqued the marketing side of my brain and I got to thinking, wouldn’t there be greater appeal if viewers could identify more with the contestants and the challenges?

Maybe not. Look at how long soap operas have been popular. I know few people who look like that, much less have the free time to run around all day swapping fluids.

But, why waste creative juices or the opportunity to exercise the creative legs? To begin with, how do you cast?

Easy. You stand outside a White Castle, Wal-Mart or check cashing service. You scoop up the “real people” and only the real people. Isn’t that something like the aliens do when they’re vetting for probing? I mean, you’ve never heard a Bill Gates or Henry Kissinger report being abducted by aliens. If it’s good enough for intelligent intergalactic scientists, it’s good enough for me.

That leaves the challenges. No problem. A sample gauntlet would be going to the license bureau to transfer plates, finding a plumber after 5:00 PM to fix a burst pipe, getting a simple oil change without getting hooked for add-on services, filling out a 1040EZ, and calling a customer assistance line with a question about your software. Racing from San Pedro Town to Mexico City with four cents in your pocket is mere child’s play compared to navigating through your basic domestic bureaucracy.

It won’t happen. People get enough reality in their lives. They’re not watching TV to find more.