|
From the world of reality television comes something that--surprisingly--took this long for someone to come up with. Either they were still working out the logistics or it just wasnt feasible up until now, but they`re going to try for it anyway.
American Idol is for the music industry, a talent program that trolls the country for undiscovered performers and turns them into trite and derivative pop superstars. This spring`s surprise NBC/Donald Trump Masturbatiathon smash hit The Apprentice worked along similar lines, only instead of finding a pop performer, it found a sharp and savvy business executive (wow, I can`t believe I just said that without a trace of sarcasm). The Amazing race tests one`s physical and mental fortitude in a global scavenger hunt. There are more marriage and dating reality shows featuring impossibly goodlooking people than you can shake a soap opera at, and they seem to promise not much more than an incurable STD. And then there is the flagship franchise Survivor, that rewards the best social manipulator and backstabber with a bucketful of cash, which, out of all of them, may very well be the one "reality" show that is the closest to resembling real life.
Music. Business. Love. Relationships. Social interaction. Only one field left to attack the reality TV bracket: sports.
And now it`s finally being done: the show is called Making the Cut, to be aired next year sometime on the CBC. In much the same way that American Idol looks for the best singer and The Apprentice looks for the best businessman, Making the Cut will look for the best hockey player. Currently it is hosting auditions for the show on its website:
http://www.makingthecut.ca
How the format of the show goes, much like the others, the field gets whittled down week after week, finally "cutting" (or voting off or firing or whatever you want to call it) a player until they`re down to a final 6. These 6 amateur athletes then get the opportunity of a lifetime: a walk-on tryout at the training camps of each of the six Canadian NHL teams. And if they succeed in impressing the coaches then, they get to sign a rookie contract, and a season playing professional hockey. This is no joke or gimmick. The winners, if they are good enough, will get a chance to play in the NHL.
Anyone can audition, so long as they are at least 20 years of age and are not under contract with any pro or semi-professional hockey league. Oh, and they must be a citizen of Canada (this is a Canadian show, after all).
Of course, no reality show is complete without its flamboyant (and often crass and hard-nosed) judges. American Idol has its Simon Cowell (and Randy and Paula). The Apprentice has its Donald Trump (and George and Carolin). The beedy-eyed moderators of Making the Cut will be none other than legendary coach Scotty Bowman and belligerant authoritarian "Iron" Mike Keenan.
Will this work? Will they find players good enough to cut it? The series is sure to reveal a lot of things about scouting, training, coaching, and what it takes to make it at the elite level of professional sports. Much like how The Apprentice got the business world to start re-evaluating how it judges its own talent, performance, and ethics, so too will Making the Cut give people a unique, primetime view behind-the-scenes of the cutthroat world of professional hockey, and what coaches, trainers and managers look for when evaluating talent. And, of course, the smug satisfaction we all feel when the one person who`s personality tv has decided to want us to loathe packs their bags and goes home, and the person we like stays another week.
But again: will this work? There is a slim chance that it might. Who knows, there may be an extraordinarily gifted player out there who was completely overlooked in the Junior draft, never got to play in the higher levels, called it quits and went to school instead. Players do slip through the cracks from time to time, and their potential is never realized, never pushed or coddled, and they never blossom as players. But this is rare. Unlike previous reality shows, there is no subjective standard of quality assessment going on. People can have varying opinions about your singing ability or your ability to manufacture success in the business world. Those are all positions that place emphasis on image, style, and cranial capacity. This is different. This is professional sports: a very objective standard of measurement is used here. If you`re not good enough, it will become clear and evident through your inability to put the puck on the net or stop the attacker one-on-one. Concrete results get the bidding. There is very little room for charisma or luck that might have you excel in other areas of life. And because of that, discovering hidden athletic talent becomes a decidedly more difficult job than discovering someone who "interacts with the crowd really well" or "can close a deal just with the warmth of his smile".
Still.....this opens up a lot of possibilities. I really hope the American networks take note of this and attempt the same thing, but with other sports. Think of reality shows trying to find the best street baller, or the best amateur boxer (with a dream opportunity to go up against Oscar de la Hoya or Roy Jones Jr). People think racing is so easy because they do it all the time.......prove it. Strap 20 amateurs in stock cars and see how they do on the oval. Hell, they could create an entire franchise of reality tv with this model. They could call it "You think my job is easy? Well, let`s see YOU try it." I bet the first thing people would jump at the chance to try is refereeing. That`s probably the one job in the entire planet that everyone in the building thinks they can do better.
|
|
|
2 comments - join this discussion...
|
|
|
|
|
|
