The popular reality show "Deadliest Catch" calls crab fishing the world's most dangerous job. And it may be, I don't know. The sea of course is the real star in that one.

And the others that are wildlife centered, like Swamp People (gator hunters for those who don't know about it), are real popular. They have big audiences.

And you have the return of Gold Rush. Last night the old boys were packing heat as they took on the jungles of Guyana in South America.

So, the thought occurs. How about something REALLY exciting. How about a reality show based on the lives of a few selected and colorful African PHs with scenes of dangerous game hunting. We certainly know the action and scenery and overall excitement would be there.

You'd have the controversy of course that would accompany it.

But, you'd also have the best reality show of them all.

I'd watch it. Would you??

I would. Sounds like a great idea to me.

That'd make a great show, but it would be very important to get the right PH in the right concession/country.

Suggestions? Dave Fulson, here is a new idea for you.

Sounds like a great idea

A good REAL "reality show" would be to accompany a group of apprentice PHs during their training, experience and tests. In say a country like Zimbabwe where the standards are high.

Identifying plants, bugs, birds, bones, tracks, species, trophy size etc. Shooting tests. Building a camp for assessment. Experience as an appy dealing with clients who might be troublesome, lustful!, interesting. Shooting an elephant as a practical test. etc

Would make a great reality show unlike most of the artificial crap on TV.

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:
A good REAL "reality show" would be to accompany a group of apprentice PHs during their training, experience and tests. In say a country like Zimbabwe where the standards are high.

Identifying plants, bugs, birds, bones, tracks, species, trophy size etc. Shooting tests. Building a camp for assessment. Experience as an appy dealing with clients who might be troublesome, lustful!, interesting. Shooting an elephant as a practical test. etc

Would make a great reality show unlike most of the artificial crap on TV.

You'd think it would, until the TV people start dictating conflicts and dialogue to create more drama. Then it would turn into just another soap opera just like all the other "reality shows".

I don't think it would work. Mainly because there are already big game hunting shows on TV. What would be the difference that would make me prefer to watch this programming instead of say TAA

"Survivor Africa" has been done -- that's what it'd turn into. No thanx...

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:
A good REAL "reality show" would be to accompany a group of apprentice PHs during their training, experience and tests. In say a country like Zimbabwe where the standards are high.

Identifying plants, bugs, birds, bones, tracks, species, trophy size etc. Shooting tests. Building a camp for assessment. Experience as an appy dealing with clients who might be troublesome, lustful!, interesting. Shooting an elephant as a practical test. etc

Would make a great reality show unlike most of the artificial crap on TV.

You'd think it would, until the TV people start dictating conflicts and dialogue to create more drama. Then it would turn into just another soap opera just like all the other "reality shows".

+1. Nightmare. All they care about are their Nielsen numbers and the only PH they would go with would be the one who lets the buff decide how it wants to die.

Anyway, reality TV is BS. As soon as the TV arrives the reality exits stage left.

NOT!!!!!

I don't believe hunting is something you can truly experience on TV like other things. hunting is different. That is even more true when you see that hunting shows are designed to capture an audience for the advertisers to sell their products to. They are not funded by grants or from endowments to try to educate. I wish hunting was not subject to being used like this, but obviously most people disagree.

But go right ahead and pitch it. There are many "hunting" shows designed to advertise unneeded products and services. One more makes no difference.

Some of the best 'reality' shows are the ones like one of the first. It was called "The Paras" from the 1980's (or earlier?) based on following recruits through the training regime. A British made show, I watched back then and only recently bought and found a VHS copy of it. Haven't rewatched it yet. Some others since, eg one on a similar subject with the Aussie SAS.

No reason that it would have to be an artificial BS non-reality show at all.

Personally I think it would be interesting to actually see what the good PH programmes require from the appys.

Nah... however, what I would like to do is spend a full year with an outfit and chronicle, in book form, the entire year. Kind of like a year in the life of a safari company. Trials, tribulations, joys and exultations, the comedy, the tragedy and everything in between. From the logistics to the final shot of the season. Big, oversized with great pictures and great stories of what it takes for the modern day PH. Balancing the desires of the client with what's possible, dealing with the gov't folks, from dealing with anti-hunters to unethical hunters, to habitat loss, conservation issues...there is a really big book in there somewhere that I'd like to write...

And it would probably be editied by some anti or other ruffian to make it into the worst of it, If it isnt done like that, it would be very interesting to see it .

My son is working that angle right now. Here's a promo of a western hunting show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li1OLZMPUsw

He hopes to put together an African hunting series this coming year.

Forgive me, but doesn't Ivan Carter do a reality show.

It could be done. I'm thinking either Discovery or History channels.

It would need larger than life characters. And the "soap opera" aspect raised by Fjold is a legit concern. That's already a minor problem with Deadliest Catch, Gold Rush, Swamp People and Ice Road Truckers (I'm just naming those as examples because they are my favorites). To some degree a bit of that is unavoidable. Reason being, you have to have a story line. Otherwise, it'd be just another show on hunting that we've all seen before. Something more is what I have in mind.

Which is to say, it has to be made interesting and you have to want to tune in to the next episode to see what will happen. Or to see how they get out of their current mess, etc.

The key to overcoming the "soap" effect is to not let that get overdone in the first place. The way to do that is, hold down the amount of obviously contrived arguments and petty disputes between the characters and emphasize the scenery, action and story.

And, the real key is picking the right characters. The lead guys in the series I mentioned are who carries it off in the final analysis. They tend to be guys who appear short on formal education but are loaded with street smarts and some have a pretty clever sense of humor. Troy, for instance, on Swamp People is like that. He carries that show. You need guys like that. Who have a bit of born actor in them and don't need a lot of written dialogue (most don't need or use written dialogue is what I understand).

So, it's the classic case of, you've got to have good people...then almost anything will work.

I know 3 people who have been on prime time reality shows, The Apprentice, Home makover and Wife Swap and to a person they all related how miserable the experience was as it happened and how things were portrayed were not even close to the actual experience. They went in thinking one thing and came out of it wishing they hadn't done it. Drama is what the networks and viewers want and it'll be manufactured in any way, shape or form.

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:
I know 3 people who have been on prime time reality shows, The Apprentice, Home makover and Wife Swap and to a person they all related how miserable the experience was as it happened and how things were portrayed were not even close to the actual experience. They went in thinking one thing and came out of it wishing they hadn't done it. Drama is what the networks and viewers want and it'll be manufactured in any way, shape or form.

Damn, even the wife swap?

before going to far down this road--leave us not forget Buzz and the Mankini

I think it's an inevitability, but would be better served if it wasn't all about hunting - even as Deadliest Catch isn't really about fishing. It's about the challenges those guys face all season long - along with their personal interactions - and Africa offers all of that ... in spades.

with my first safari booked, id love to see a show that has nothing but behind the scenes stuff. what goes into a camp, jerry rigging the car to make it work, skinning shed etc. Great idea

Watch Shokey's "The Professionals". His 4-part series on Nepal was some of the best hunting TV I have ever seen!

All reality shows end up with soap opera over acting. How about a cooking show where top chefs go out to an African safari camp and have to do a cook off against the camp cook using only bush meat, bush cookware and make shift ovens?

The safari guests can be the judges. We have heard from so many of you that safari camp food is better than food at many 5 star restaurants. Let's see if it is.

I am sure some cable food channel will buy it and safari camp operators would love the exposure.

quote:

things were portrayed were not even close to the actual experience.

I can see that with a home makeover (not a show I'm familiar with). But, you can't fake what happens on the deck of a crab boat at the height of an Artic gale. Or what WOULD go on with a bull ele coming hard who means business.

That's where you really get down to it with this idea, and what separates it from the pack.

You can have the camp life, local government officials to deal with (btw I'd have the locals prominently involved in this) and other such, but it's the brief moments of genuine life threatening action that will keep the public's attention. Or suggestions thereof. Even if that aspect is only fleeting and displayed just occasionally. That will be enough.

In other words, there needs to be a charge once in a while or the threat of it.

..but, if I have any reservation, it is that the networks will think it's a cool idea, then do a "bait and switch" and for political reasons go and substitute a photo safari for the real thing...and not even I will watch that..

No!

quote:

But, you can't fake what happens on the deck of a crab boat at the height of an Artic gale. Or what WOULD go on with a bull ele coming hard who means business.

True, provided there are enough of those instances to build a show around. I think if there were any bait and switch, it wouldn't be to a photo safari, it would be some genius letting that cat out of the bag to a bunch of PETA folks so they can magically show up and try to confront the hunters PH...this kind of crap we don't need. That would give them all the drama they want.

I agree Baxter, it would take some cojones on the part of the network and producer(s).

And I take that into consideration.

Those type of controversies would be anticipated and dealt with in the series itself by turning the antis into heavies. We make them part of the plot.

In any event, I think the public is ready for this now.

Incidentally, I like the idea of borrowing the "greenhorn" thing from Deadliest Catch and showing the progression of a trainee to full PH.

Another concept would be following a start up safari company from its inception.

Still another concept would be following someone, perhaps like an American or European, who gives up his safe, stable office job to pursue his life long ambition to be a PH (sounds like someone we knew, doesn't it).

Many possibilities here. And potentially profitable. Especially for the PH, if the network foots some of the costs as has been said to be the case with other action/adventure series.

Oh no! You're talking about a "non reality" show I see with soap opera and 'characters'.


BTW a sexy blonde female appy wouldn't go amiss.

quote:

Originally posted by DAL:
Watch Shokey's "The Professionals". His 4-part series on Nepal was some of the best hunting TV I have ever seen!

+1

The Nepal series was absolutely incredible...

quote:

BTW a sexy blonde female appy wouldn't go amiss.

They tried that on Ice Road Truckers.

Come to think of it, where is Ice Road Babe this year?!?

At times she had some pretty funny lines...

Big smile...!

I have a season in the can for a reality show based on the lives of five PH's. The show encompasses the day to day workings of large Outfitting operation and what it takes to make it work. In the show you will first hand the wear and tear on the PH's bodies and minds throughout the long African hunting season, it also shows the behind the scenes grind of running an outfitting business. The show could air in January 2013 depending on Sponsor participation. My team spent a large amount of time in the African bush last year to put this together and I really want to put this out for people to see that it isn't always glory and glamour, these guys risk their lives on a daily basis to provide a quality experience for their clients. Never yet has there been a show that was based specifically on the PH's and not just the hunt. We will show you hunts ranging from huge Kudu to problem Elephants but it will be from the Ph's perspective. Tell me what you think and if this is a show that would interest you.

There are times I think the only real "Reality Show" is COPS.

quote:

Originally posted by cable68:
There are times I think the only real "Reality Show" is COPS.

I doubt it. The nature and purpose of "Reality" programming is that it shows - or can and should show - the participants at their best and worst and everything in between, warts and all; the successes and failures, the brilliant acts and collosal blunders.

Unfortunately, many reality shows are peopled with imbeciles (Jersey Shore for example ... or any of the "Real" Housewives).

Getting back to COPS ... although I haven't seen it in a while, I don't remember ever seeing the cops screw up. It's edited to make them look their best. Fine ... but that's not reality.

As for riverman's show - it sounds great. Can't wait to see it.

As for cop shows in general, I like First 48.

Ok everyone I have been given the green light by the Outfitter and the PH's to go with this series. I will keep you up to date with progress and drop a link to the trailer when it is available.I look forward to your opinions of what I have put together!