I'm not a huge fan of reality television but two that I enjoy are 90 Day Fiancé and Alone. Basically I like survivalist shows, whether it's people surviving in the wilderness or surviving their terrible relationships. This show contains both these elements so naturally it piqued my interest. Unfortunately, however, it didn't quite deliver the same level of entertainment.
First of all, the premise of this show is so completely random that I don't even know how anyone came up with it. "Hey, I know, let's do a show about people who live off the grid and have significant others who agree to live with them despite being accustomed to things like running water and electricity!" It seems like finding participants to be on this show long-term won't be quite as sustainable as the homesteads they're trying to build. But what do I know?
The first season follows 4 couples, none of which are all that interesting. In fact, it's hard to care about any of these people since the show doesn't put any effort into establishing a background for them. Sure, they go into brief detail about how they met, but that's it. There's no emotional backstory. Nothing to care about. There's no supporting information that makes any of these people relatable. How is anyone supposed to care about these people when we know nothing about them?
This is why context is important: based on the information given, Jen comes across as someone who was totally willing to trade in motherhood for who she considers her "soul mate". Her kids will live with their dad so she can go live in the mountains with some dude in a shack. Joe isn't creating a "homestead"; he's creating a polyamorous community whereby he can become their cult leader. 50 something Angela gave 22 year old Josh a BJ 5 years ago and now she wants him to live with her out in the desert. And Spence and Lindsay are just so unbelievably boring that after 7 episodes I still don't remember them.
The idea for this show sounds interesting in theory, but is just not that interesting to watch. It's not the worst show I've ever seen, but production needs to work more on getting the audience to connect with these couples or at the very least give us a reason to care. Even just a little bit.
First of all, the premise of this show is so completely random that I don't even know how anyone came up with it. "Hey, I know, let's do a show about people who live off the grid and have significant others who agree to live with them despite being accustomed to things like running water and electricity!" It seems like finding participants to be on this show long-term won't be quite as sustainable as the homesteads they're trying to build. But what do I know?
The first season follows 4 couples, none of which are all that interesting. In fact, it's hard to care about any of these people since the show doesn't put any effort into establishing a background for them. Sure, they go into brief detail about how they met, but that's it. There's no emotional backstory. Nothing to care about. There's no supporting information that makes any of these people relatable. How is anyone supposed to care about these people when we know nothing about them?
This is why context is important: based on the information given, Jen comes across as someone who was totally willing to trade in motherhood for who she considers her "soul mate". Her kids will live with their dad so she can go live in the mountains with some dude in a shack. Joe isn't creating a "homestead"; he's creating a polyamorous community whereby he can become their cult leader. 50 something Angela gave 22 year old Josh a BJ 5 years ago and now she wants him to live with her out in the desert. And Spence and Lindsay are just so unbelievably boring that after 7 episodes I still don't remember them.
The idea for this show sounds interesting in theory, but is just not that interesting to watch. It's not the worst show I've ever seen, but production needs to work more on getting the audience to connect with these couples or at the very least give us a reason to care. Even just a little bit.
