The Real Gilligan's Island is a new reality show that is just finishing its second season. Like Survivor, The Real Gilligan's Island pits two teams against each other in weekly competitions. Players are voted off weekly until only one player is left standing. Unlike Survivor, the players are forced to dress like characters from an old 1960's television sit com.
The game starts with two teams of castaways: Two millionaire couples, two movie stars, two Professors, two Mary Anns, two Skippers and, of course, two Gilligans. Players are selected who closely fit their characters. For example, the millionaire couples are real life millionaire husband and wife couples, just like Thurston Howell III and his dear wife, Lovey. The movie stars are real movie stars, too. The first season pitted Rachel Hunter against Nicole Eggert, and the second season pitted Angie Everhart against Erica Eleniak.
The teams are stranded on an island which is outfitted with thatched bamboo huts and hammocks and Tiki torches. It looks very much like the old television show setting. In fact, messages to the team members are delivered via a staticky old radio just like the one the Professor used to repair time and time again, only to have Gilligan stumble into it, send it flying and break it into a million pieces. Ah, Gilligan!
Initially, like players are pitted against each other to determine who is crowned the "Real" Mary Ann or the "Real" Skipper. Once the field has been narrowed to one of each character, players compete against each other in events like diving for objects, eating inedible things and digging for clams. The winner of each competition is awarded a life preserver, which protects him or her from being banished to the other side of the island (which was considered a very scary place on the old t.v. show). The players then vote to banish one of the non-winning players to the other side of the island. The winner of the final competition is rescued from the island by a helicopter and awarded $250,000.00.
This is one of those television shows I tell myself I am not going to watch, but then cannot seem to peel my eyes from the screen. Those of you who remember and love the old television show starring Bob Denver will find little similarity between that show and this reality game show, other than the costumes and scenery. So, what is the appeal? I guess it is similar to the fascination human beings have with anything that they find difficult to believe is happening before their very eyes. The millionaire wife on Season 1 was absolutely horrendous, so I could not help but feel a little satisfaction when she was forced to eat worms and other assorted indelicacies…and then lost and was voted to be the one banished to the other side of the island. Near the end of Season 2, when Mary Ann was voted to be the one banished to the other side of the island, I shared the remaining players' satisfaction and relief. Mary Ann had been quite a pain, after all. In the end, I suppose it's all about good triumphing over evil, and who doesn't like to watch that happen?
Copyright (c) 2005 by Leanne Phillips
