The Challenge: Fresh Meat II

As I've said earlier, I'm a big fan of the MTV challenge shows. That is, the old ones. I got suckered into watching "The Duel II" for no reason other than to watch a train wreck take place. That's what drew me back to the network this time as well, this time for "The Challenge: Fresh Meat II".

The concept is simple: take veteran players and mix them with the "Fresh Meat" (noobs) because the higher ups at MTV deleted "Road Rules" so the pipeline for the challenges was cut in half. Now they need fresh blood and they cast specifically for the challenge shows. The problem is that most of these guys are grade-a meat heads. Their muscles are bigger than J-Lo's butt and they all seem obsessed with being the alpha male in the house.

The house. Oh God, the house. We've all seen the ridiculous houses MTV provides to their casts but this one is, I'm sure The Situation would agree with me here, is sick. A log cabin style house in the mountains of beautiful, and looks to be fairly cold given the snow on the mountains, British Columbia. Why do they continue to give them nice houses when they just end up trashing them? Did they see CT destroy, and I mean destroy, a door and wall in New Zealand on "The Duel II"? But I digress.

The show is set up with veterans being paired with Fresh Meat, male-female pairs, and they compete in various challenges involving physical and mental strength. So far, the challenges have been, to say the least: meh. One involved getting balls from a mud pit blindfolded while their partner yelled instructions and the other challenge had the teams hold a crate under water at different times (one person had to be submerged, the other treading water) and they would be DQ'd if both players heads were above water. I hope later challenges involve more mental aspects so that the game isn't dominated by muscle-bound meatheads. But, I do like Landon (winner from "The Inferno II: Good Guys v. Bad Asses") and at times, Jenn ("Real World: Denver", she's not a meathead but she's one of the tougher girls) although she can get a bit out of hand.

They've improved the intro from "The Duel II" (where the cast members performed the Haka - the opening ritual dance for the New Zealand All Blacks) and "The Ruins" (which was ridiculous, having them ride in on elephants, come in off boats, and stare at each other on the dirt floor of the ruins battle ground). But it's still not great. The cast members all look too serious and intense for this game where they compete, then drink and party the night away.

The way the teams are eliminated is through "Exile". In Exile, two teams are selected by the group to compete in an elimination challenge involving physical exhaustion and a mild mental challenge (it's the simplest puzzle you've ever seen). The first team to finish stays in the game. It's not great television but this show isn't all about the game. It's about the competitors. Thus far, it's building up to be a showdown between Kenny and Wes. They both hate each other, and it shows. They constantly talk "strategy", when in fact it's all just a popularity contest. I'm waiting for one of them to blow up, my money's on Wes

The main reason I watch is for the meltdowns, drunken behavior, and overall stupidity. The challenge aspect just enhances those things, and I love it. It's pure entertainment. In the initial incarnations of the challenge shows there were people from "Real World" and "Road Rules" that I actually knew and liked, or hated. Now, I only recognize Jenn, Paula, Wes, Darrell (already eliminated), Landon, and I vaguely remember Danny. I almost have nothing invested in this show because I know so little about its participants. But in the end, I keep watching and I'll keep you informed on all of the saucy details.