There's something about the last couple of months that has cultivated great reality TV. Netflix's Squid Game: The Challenge wrapped up 2023 with a bang and the BBC's The Traitors kicked off last week and showed it's just as brilliant and twisty as ever. However, there it is the third show in the reality TV triumvirate that has most piqued my interest. Because it encourages contestants to be actively mean.
That show is Netflix's The Trust: A Game of Greed starting on January 10th. Why is it so evil? Because the contestants have already won. That's right, at the start of the game, host Brooke Baldwin confirms that all 11 contestants will receive a share of the 250,000 prize pot, all they have to do is live together and not vote each other out. But of course, why have an eleventh of $250,000 dollars when you could have so much more?
Sounds genius right? Why spend all that time creating an elaborate game show when you can get the contestants to do it all for you? Reality show types aren't exactly the kind to all agree to split the money and leave without any drama, are they? Expect paranoia, betrayal and high emotions as the stakes rise and the contestant's secrets spill out.
A bit like Squid Game: The Challenge this show won't be released all at once, but in three installments a week apart. While this is the kind of show I could binge in one weekend, this is a happy medium between single episodes each week and a dump of the whole series. Besides, half the fun of shows like these is talking about them in the office and with friends, and it's better if everyone is at the same point.
If it goes well, maybe we could see a UK version one day? Although I'm not sure I'd have to heart to vote anyone off, or am i just saying that?
