Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Road Rules Viewers Revenge: Episode I

Tori is in and Veronica is out!


As I mentioned in a previous post, MTV is dusting off the Winnie and resurrecting its Real World counterpart, Road Rules. The producers have revised the show a bit in an effort to engage viewers and make them more familiar with MTV’s online broadcasting network.
The show begins with six Road Rules veterans that will live on the RV and compete in a variety of physical challenges. The team banks 10k in the winners’ pot for each challenge they successfully complete. The twist: after each completed challenge, the vets have to nominate two of their own, a male, and a female, to compete against a newbie in the Road Rules Pit. Waiting in the pit are six new comers to MTV. This is where the viewers’ revenge comes in. The viewers get to decide by voting online, which newbie and vet will compete for a spot on the Winnie.

Earlier I took a stab at the potential cast members and I’ll admit that I got it a bit wrong. The cast: Shane, Veronica, Abe, Keena, Suzie, and Adam from the veteran side, and 6 unknown reality wannabes that sit in the Pit. Fanatics will recall that Shane and Rachel (Veronica’s best friend) are very close. Veronica had a threesome with Rachel and Abe. Suzie and Keena had a heated exchange during one of the RW/RR challenges. So, there is intersecting drama in existence.

Some random observations in watching the first episode: Abe, Suzie, Shane, and Adam look exactly the same. You’d think that after a couple of years they might have changed their hairstyles, grown a beard, shaved a beard, gained, or lost some weight. But no, they all look just like I remembered them. Perhaps I should find this deja vu comforting but I am already bored. Keena is still sporting her Covergirl mascara in teal, a color that can only be purchased in the state of New Jersey. Veronica has changed her hair color and lightened up on the self-tanner. My sister thinks this look ages her but my opinion is that the more subtle approach works. She looks less like a JLo reject and more like herself. Only drawback is that she’s still sporting those tired ass t-shirts that are her bread and butter when she’s not working for MTV.

The first challenge is rather daring. The cast has to drive a car that’s harnessed to a bungee cord, off of a platform that’s suspended super high in the air. The car then does a nose dive into a lake and bounces in the air at a vertical tilt. Once the bouncing is less intense, the cast has to expel three suitcases that are in the backseat of the car, by throwing them out of the car window. Then they have to follow the suitcases by jumping out of the window, swimming with the baggage to shore, and running it onshore about 10 yards to a flagpole. The team has to go in waves of two (that’s three teams) and their cumulative time can’t exceed 5 minutes. If they can do it in fewer than 5, they win. Ya still with me?

So, they successfully complete the mission and go back to the Winnie all the while discussing which vets will be sent to the Pit. Here’s where it gets interesting. Shane and Veronica feel safe because they are BFF’s outside of all this. However, the cast isn’t so cool with their alliance and they are the first ones targeted. Adam says that Suzie and Keena are his best friends and he’d feel betrayed if either of them voted him in. Huh? When did they get all tight? Abe says that Veronica’s lied to him multiple times so she gets his vote. I wonder what she’s lied about. Maybe that she’s a lesbian? Or wait- does she just want the world to think she’s a lesbian? I digress….

Upon learning they would go to the Pit first, Shane and Roni hosted a heated debate amongst the group. Veronica wanted to know why Adam was being defensive and why she was voted in; Shane wanted to know why Suzie couldn’t look him in the eye and why he was voted in; I just wanted to know why Keena continues to wear that ugly mascara and why I still watch this shit. Eventually Veronica and Shane accepted their fate, and were dropped off at the Pit. As the Winnie pulled off, Veronica flipped them the bird. She then told the camera that the group decided to play the game with the girl that created the game. Okay, now I’m really confused. I thought that MTV created the game? And Veronica wasn’t on Season 1 so how did she create anything? Oh well…

You couldn’t have seen the next part I am going to tell you about unless you went to MTV online and watched it on their new online channel. The viewers determined it would be Veronica that would have to defend her spot on the RV against newbie Tori, a southern girl, and Ms. Teen (who gives a rat's ass just insert any red state here). Their challenge was to race each other while harnessed to bungee cords (great that MTV is educating us on the many ways one can use a bungee cord). The person to reach the flagpole and obtain the flag first wins. Tori effortlessly beat Veronica in back to back races and claimed her spot on the Winnie. Veronica is now forced to sit in the pit at the viewers’ mercy for an opportunity to rejoin her old cast members on the RV. The upside to all of this? Veronica can educate the newbie’s on how to “play the game.”

I wish MTV would bring back bible toters Chad and Holly along with crazy mama Balou. Now that would be some funny ish.

No comments: