| Author |
Message |
Kookliebird
Member
08-04-2005
| Thursday, January 12, 2023 - 10:13 am 
I watched it last night for the first time. I didn’t particularly care for the show, but thought it seemed that once Nastia left, Mel B no longer wanted to be there. I get the premise of the show. It just doesn’t appeal to me to sign on to be berated and put down by someone. People, like Mike Piazza and Carly Lloyd, are used to being sports where there is constant criticism… I suspect they will make it the whole time. Not sure who the rest of them were, as I didn’t recognize them.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Thursday, January 12, 2023 - 12:58 pm
I thought it contrasted with Tough as Nails in terms of team building and supporting others. Was surprised in a way (while understanding the frustration) some of them blamed Nastia, when it was really the guys in charge who extended the time while helping and encouraging her.
I did notice that Mel's black hood was apparently see through, and the goggles on Gus.
Hopefully Jamie Lynn won't try to be on Big Brother if she really cannot be away from her kids.
I was disappointed about Mel B,
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Thursday, January 12, 2023 - 3:31 pm
On a positive note, I'm impressed with how well Beverly Mitchell has done. I somehow ended up following her on Instagram (or maybe Twitter) a few years ago and she seems like a really sweet down to earth person who truly loves her kids and family and tries to put them first. She doesn't post picture perfect pictures. In fact, she looks a bit ragged in most of them and I admire her for not being obsessed with personal appearance. She seems very real and very likable.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Thursday, January 19, 2023 - 7:50 pm
That Trust exercise looked terrifying, but I assume they had backup in place to avoid anyone hitting the ground.
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Sincebb1
Member
08-22-2005
| Thursday, January 19, 2023 - 7:59 pm
I'm hoping...because on one of them I was wondering what exactly the fail-safe was lol
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 11:10 am
LOL well I obviously jinxed Beverly. I still think she hung in there fairly well and I hope she got something positive out of the experience and that her husband and kids are proud of her.
I agree that trust thing looked a bit iffy.
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Kookliebird
Member
08-04-2005
| Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 11:55 am
They had to have some sort of backup that we were not aware of.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 12:05 pm
I think so too, Kooklie... but I also thought I saw that the instructor also had a hold of the brake line?
I'm guessing that there was a hard stop in that drop line somewhere... just in case.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, January 22, 2023 - 12:03 pm
Yes, for sure they had a safe setup (other than the mental stress and possibility of back injury. I am sure they signed releases for all possible injuries on the show.
Beverly just seems so defeated and I hope some part of this was positive for her, because she did pass some difficult tasks, but the stress at the end, maybe from being team leader, maybe from the heat, just had her bailing out.
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Brenda1966
Member
07-02-2002
| Monday, January 23, 2023 - 7:22 pm
Yes, it looked like there was another rope on the falling person. No way they would let them do that without some kind of failsafe.
Both of those tasks looked SO hard. I have new found respect for our Bachelorette for still being there!
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Sincebb1
Member
08-22-2005
| Thursday, February 09, 2023 - 6:55 pm
For me, last night's task of pummeling each other...jumped the shark. And it went on and on and on. Nope, did not enjoy it at all.
The contestants were so mismatched...in weight, in height, in age, in physical condition. The kick to the face that Dwight delivered to Danny...could have caused real harm. Same with the rib punch given by Gus to Mike.
Having them fight each other was just too much. At least for me, anyway. It no longer was about conquering your fears. Seeing if you had it in you to live in extreme conditions. I'm surprised that no one refused and just took the fail, but at this point they are all a little brainwashed, I'm sure.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, February 10, 2023 - 12:06 am
Yes that seemed to be over the top, but I don't even like it when the Bachelor/ette shows keep putting people in the way of injury. I guess they sign ironclad agreements or these shows would be getting lawsuits right and left.
With this show I kind of play the recording but space out quite a bit, as it just isn't that compelling. I get it.. break them down and .. oh are they doing much to build them up?
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Friday, February 10, 2023 - 11:27 am
I agree! Did not like that at all. Especially when one of the trainers said something about they had to bring out the aggression/violence in themselves. Ugh.
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Lakecat
Member
10-01-2006
| Friday, February 10, 2023 - 7:16 pm
One of the trainers was actually saying” work those ribs hard”encouraging the girls to hit each other in the ribs.
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Sincebb1
Member
08-22-2005
| Thursday, February 16, 2023 - 3:20 am
Awwww how I dislike that Gus got medically removed...especially as a result of a punishment. I thought he ingested the clay earth when he had to rub the dirt on his face. But Gus said he thinks it was bacteria on the surface of the water tank he jumped in. He said everybody had to jump in it and it was just stagnant water sitting there. So he thinks it became laden with bacteria, especially in the heat. In any case it was an allergic reaction.
Also sad that Mike couldn't make it 2 more days. He really hung in there.
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Brenda1966
Member
07-02-2002
| Thursday, February 16, 2023 - 11:04 am
Yes, so sad that he went out this way. So scary to have a life threatening reaction! I figured the sand as well.
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Kookliebird
Member
08-04-2005
| Thursday, February 16, 2023 - 2:54 pm
I’ve watched this a couple of times and happened to see it last night when Gus had his reaction. To me, the whole thing is hard to watch. These people are NOT special forces. They are celebrities. So, to constantly berate, threaten and mentally destroy them is very disturbing to me. I realize that they signed up for this, but maybe they were not really aware of how badly they would be beaten down.
In regards to Gus, I thought he probably already had some heat stroke when he commented on the temperature of 95 degrees. Throw the “punishment“ into this with the possible bacterial infection and you are really threatening his life. Funny how quickly the handlers moved compared to some of the challenges. From the previews, it looks like there will be more unnecessarily dangerous challenges in from of them.
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Scooterrific
Member
07-07-2005
| Friday, February 17, 2023 - 9:53 am
They can leave at any time.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Friday, February 17, 2023 - 10:04 am
I agree, Scooter... it seems to me that each of these folks signed up for a specific reason, and I do believe that this is going to be helpful to them.
That said, I don't enjoy watching the parts that I find too violent, or humiliating. So while it's interesting to me psychologically, I don't find it "entertaining."
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Brenda1966
Member
07-02-2002
| Friday, February 17, 2023 - 11:30 am
I don't enjoy it either. sometimes it makes mee cringe. I do so admire them for sticking with it. I could never.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, February 17, 2023 - 12:40 pm
Yes, they CAN leave at any time, but unfortunately by now they have been berated, brought down and may need therapy to recover. And they couldn't know ahead of time what they would go through and just how they would react.
So, for some of them, this may be helpful and for some of them this may ultimately be hurtful.
Interesting but not worth it to me to see humans (or any species put through this.
For the "staff" it must Be an ego boost to show the world what they went through, but I have to wonder if it didn't require a sadistic streak (and was that instilled or promoted by their training).
Again, I found myself missing chunks of action, not engaged. Did run it back to watch the rope climb and it flashed me back to gym class in elementary school and humiliation of trying to climb the rope with everyone watching and shouting and I wasn't the only kid just dreading gym class.
Yes, these aren't kids, they chose to go on this show. Not sure they really knew what they were choosing. If the show was renewed, those involved would have more chance of knowing.
I do like the support they give each other, those who are left.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Friday, February 17, 2023 - 1:29 pm
Sea, you may have missed the explanation by the trainers on the rope climb - it's not about not succeeding... it's learning how to deal with the failure. Learning how to deal with failure is an important life skill, and I do think some of these recruits do very much have that issue.
It is brutal, tho, and as you noted, sometimes being brutal can be a kick for the leaders. That said, I've seen caring and compassion from these trainers as well. It's clear to me that they honestly believe these techniques are necessary for the kinds of things they do. And that they honestly care about the recruits.
Is it going to be trauma inducing for those that went thru it? That's not the impression I'm getting from the discussions that the trainers have with the recruits, that help the recruits identify their issues and then provide a roadmap for overcoming them. It's a strange kind of therapy, but I don't think it's harmful.
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Scooterrific
Member
07-07-2005
| Friday, February 17, 2023 - 2:28 pm
I agree with Karuuna 100%.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, February 17, 2023 - 5:29 pm
If that was the actual point of it, then some of them didn't fail, but I bet they felt like they did.
I don't think we will ever know what the long term effects will be and I don't think there will be encouragement to be open about any negative effects. Some will thrive because they would anyway, some because the feel they must say it was helpful. Those with negative effects may attribute them to something else or take on just one more thing they feel they brought on themselves.
We just don't know. I think there is potential for harm. And yes, they signed contracts and waivers, so asses are covered, but... What I am 100% sure of is that this is more exploitation than entertainment.
Just for me. Definitely not speaking for anyone else. I am seeing this to the end of the season, then I probably wouldn't watch another.. Just shelve it with the Challenge, which I had long ago ditched, but went back for Derek Xiao. And left again.
There is so much content out there that it would be hard to watch everything.
As for the guys testing them, I do see some compassion but I don't see much that is therapeutic.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Friday, February 17, 2023 - 6:55 pm
We just don't know what we don't see as well. And just as you say we don't know what the long term effects will be, they may well be positive, right? You said yourself you missed chunks of it, but I pay pretty good attention, especially to the interviews they do with the recruits. I don't see exploitation there. I see gentle prodding, caring, encouragement for them.
We don't know that those who left felt like they failed... maybe in the moment, but I think they also felt like they had done something hard for as long as they could last and could take some pride in that.
I don't see it as exploitation. I see it as somewhat therapeutic, in pushing beyond their limits, in examining the behavior patterns that have lead them to think less of themselves before, or to quit before.
But exploitation seems harsh to me. They signed up for it, they know they can leave at any time, and I think most of them are gaining something positive from it.
I get it's not your cup of tea. I suppose our personal experiences color our perceptions of this. In my history, I've done a lot of work with enlisted personnel, so I think it makes me more open to their experiences/viewpoints.
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