There are always mixed feelings whenever we embark on new seasons of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge. On the one hand, we have the campy glee of watching these idiots get into the same fights, recycle the same hookups, complain about the same challenges, and vote off the same people season after season. But on the other hand, we feel lame and useless for supporting this growing subculture whose vampirish bloodlust for camera time dwarfs any sense of maturity or self-discretion. Eh, whatever. I'm applying way too much philosophical thought to this mess. Let's just take a look at the preview for this season's Battle of the Sexes 2...
Just like the sneak peak for the Real World Philadelphia cast, various Bunim/Murray graduates returned Monday night to officially weigh in on the next challenge. What MTV keeps forgetting is that half these people lack the wit and nerdy high school experience that fuel the snarkiness over at VH1. Therefore, we had to endure dull commentary by Ellen (Road Rules: The Quest), Mike the Miz (Real World: Back to NY), Theo (Road Rules: Maximum Velocity), Katie (Road Rules: Catfight with Veronica), Tonya (Real World: Kidney Trauma), Mark Long (Road Rules: Very Long Time Ago), Ruthie (Real World: Drunk Driving), Shane (Road Rules: That Uninteresting Gay Guy), Dan (Real World: That Kind of Funny Gay Guy), and Robin (Real World: San Diego Jail).
Apparently the production staff was just as disinterested as we were in these guys's thoughts. That would explain why the audio team didn't bother to show up. Seriously, could they mic these jerks? I mean, I know they don't have anything worthwhile to impart to us, but we might as well hear them instead of the PAs noshing at craft service. This entire special sounded like it was recorded in the cab of a tractor trailer. Of course, the lighting wasn't so hot either. Put this together with the 1992 fonts and this entire show looked like it was public access. For shame, MTV!
Production values aside, this preview did little to whet our appetite for the new season. Not that I won't be watching, but it's just that when we weren't watching Katie and Mike pontificate about their worthless showbiz careers, we were stuck with lame flashbacks of the original Battle of the Sexes. To make matters worse, some idiot producer thought it would be really cool to wash out all the old footage with a swamp green filter that did little except highlight how ghetto this half hour really was. Whatever happened to the good old days of black and white flashbacks? Or sepia? Or even blue and white? But here I go again on the production values.
Anyway, all our kiddos waxed poetically about how nasty the first Battle was, especially the ouster of Rachel. This of course prompted that classic clip of Rachel laughing/crying, "This game is ugly and I don't want any part of it." This was followed by Rachel returning the next season for the Gauntlet where she schemed to remove former teammate Sarah in a humiliating series of events. I guess when Rachel said she didn't want any part of it, she meant normal, mature life.
Sadly, Rachel's hypocrisy is nothing compared to perpetual victim Katie and her masochistic desire for further humiliation. During the preview, she acted all wise and knowing, commenting that the Challenge house would be one big superficial world just simmering with tension. So why sign up again? For someone who constantly voices her hatred for these people, Katie is quick to jump at these contest opportunities. I guess maybe her tough exterior masks a little girl who just wants to be accepted by her peers, even if it means getting completely trampled by them. Or maybe she's just an attention whore. Yeah, I think that's it.
I sort of feel badly for the newbies entering the fray. Yeah, they may be doofuses (Brad and Randy from San Diego) or vacant chatterboxes (Robin, Cameran and Kina from San Diego and Road Rules X-Treme), but they seem like generally nice people who are about a step or two just beyond high school mentality. Unfortunately, by signing up for the Challenge and joining the clique of RW/RR alumni, they willingly sign over their personalities to a catty and dumb lifestyle dominated by the great thinkers that are Mike, Coral, and Veronica.
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Comments (3)
with the peroxide blonde hair, looks like Robin has been progressing on the road to Skankdom quite nicely.
also, Cameran is still really hot. I think I'm in love.
1 of 3 | Posted by IndianJones | Posted on October 5, 2004 11:00 AM
is the whole season's sound going to be this bad? because even the clips were impossible to hear. maybe they are trying to do their part for literacy by forcing us to watch in closed caption. also, why were they sitting in front of cloth backgrounds made of zooba pants?
2 of 3 | Posted by leah3t | Posted on October 5, 2004 7:27 PM
hey at least they interupted the show with their plea to vote. There's hope something good will come of this.
3 of 3 | Posted by PDX hobbit | Posted on October 5, 2004 11:37 PM