The Island, MTV’s latest variation of their Real World/Road Rules Challenges, is the weirdest knockoff of Survivor. Along with several contestants who should just get real jobs, we also get the regular fanfare of being “stranded,” poor living conditions, rice, and fish. The living conditions are less than or equal to those of the children from the many Endurance seasons. The big twist is that it looks like the contestants have been given almost an infinite amount of alcohol. I understand that MTV wants drama and is very teen/college oriented, but promoting drinking on a “deserted island?” Drama could happen in other ways. Knowing these camera hogs, they are willing to do stupid things for money.
On the positive side, Dan is a great example of how drinking could become great television. MTV knows that it would either create an angry moment of drunkenness or a good moral turn. Robin has been edited to look like she has good morals based on all the past experiences with drinking and going to jail. The drinking drama between Dan and Robin has shown several examples this season of what drinking can cause: verbal abuse, crying, physical outbursts, and sexual inadequacy. Telling America about the boy you cuddled with being limp is priceless. It’s something that Dan will have to live with for life.
This season at least brought up some moral repercussions of drinking, but this show didn’t need the drama from alcohol. The drama between Johnny’s Alliance and Ev’s crusade against them is probably the biggest storyline. I’m sure that if there was no drinking, there would be more hook-up attempts on TV to compensate. Early on, resident gay guy Ryan was making out with girls; he has disappeared from the TV since, but has been seen hanging around with both Ev and Johnny. He has never been on either side, his voting runs with group consensus, and although he nominates himself to challenges, he never gets picked. If he’s trying to fly under the radar like several contestants, he hasn’t even pinged. Even with the hour long format, things get overlooked. Instead MTV and the editors decided to put on drinking parties where people slam each other in the head with wood.
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