As an adventure racer for over a decade, I was super-stoked to hear of the return of EcoChallenge. I can safely assume the same reaction from anyone else who has ever competed.
So, how does this series measure up to the previous editions? Pretty much spot on. It's first and foremost about story, about the human element, the struggles, the suffering, as it always has been. EC2020 pretty much nails that.
People have been whinging about the US-centric nature of the series. Well, what do you expect? This is a business, not a charity. The most expensive series Amazon has ever staged, and if there's to be another, it has to succeed in the US.
Also, it's not accurate. As noted elsewhere, most of the elite teams vying for the podium are not American, so we spend a lot of time watching these non-US teams up front. If you know AR, the Kiwis and Aussies have been on top form for a looong time, as have the Spanish, Scandinavians, South Americans etc. It's ironic really, since the US used to be huge, but definitely no longer dominate.
While I would have loved to see more middle-of-the-road teams featured (knowing a bunch of them personally), if their story isn't dramatic, it doesn't make good TV. The producers would have chosen a handful of teams to follow beforehand out of the 66, and as it so happens, most of them turned out to be tail-enders. Not too surprising, since they were newbies.
Where this show really succeeds is to capture the sport for those who've never heard of it before, who feel inspired and would want to give it a go. THAT is the most important element for the future of the sport, and makes for good TV.
As for the losers who said the race was staged: you have NO idea what you're blathering about. And comparing this to the Marathon des Sables, or Amazing Race - I just have to laugh. Again, blissful ignorance shown here in spades. Just remind me how much sleep deprivation other events bring into the mix compared to adventure racing? Please?
So, for the newcomer to AR, this show really does the business (again!) of showing the crazy of the sport, the perseverance required, the team mentality, the ADVENTURE of racing, without getting tangled up in the technical aspects which would be lost on the newcomer.
One thing's for sure, I can bet every team out there is massively grateful for the experience of participating. While they might have wanted more screentime, that was always secondary, and I doubt they are the ones doing the sofa whingey stuff.
I'm already seeing a massive uptick in people wanting to find out more about the sport, so there we go - the show worked! :D
So, how does this series measure up to the previous editions? Pretty much spot on. It's first and foremost about story, about the human element, the struggles, the suffering, as it always has been. EC2020 pretty much nails that.
People have been whinging about the US-centric nature of the series. Well, what do you expect? This is a business, not a charity. The most expensive series Amazon has ever staged, and if there's to be another, it has to succeed in the US.
Also, it's not accurate. As noted elsewhere, most of the elite teams vying for the podium are not American, so we spend a lot of time watching these non-US teams up front. If you know AR, the Kiwis and Aussies have been on top form for a looong time, as have the Spanish, Scandinavians, South Americans etc. It's ironic really, since the US used to be huge, but definitely no longer dominate.
While I would have loved to see more middle-of-the-road teams featured (knowing a bunch of them personally), if their story isn't dramatic, it doesn't make good TV. The producers would have chosen a handful of teams to follow beforehand out of the 66, and as it so happens, most of them turned out to be tail-enders. Not too surprising, since they were newbies.
Where this show really succeeds is to capture the sport for those who've never heard of it before, who feel inspired and would want to give it a go. THAT is the most important element for the future of the sport, and makes for good TV.
As for the losers who said the race was staged: you have NO idea what you're blathering about. And comparing this to the Marathon des Sables, or Amazing Race - I just have to laugh. Again, blissful ignorance shown here in spades. Just remind me how much sleep deprivation other events bring into the mix compared to adventure racing? Please?
So, for the newcomer to AR, this show really does the business (again!) of showing the crazy of the sport, the perseverance required, the team mentality, the ADVENTURE of racing, without getting tangled up in the technical aspects which would be lost on the newcomer.
One thing's for sure, I can bet every team out there is massively grateful for the experience of participating. While they might have wanted more screentime, that was always secondary, and I doubt they are the ones doing the sofa whingey stuff.
I'm already seeing a massive uptick in people wanting to find out more about the sport, so there we go - the show worked! :D
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