Utopia

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I'll check this out since we can never have too many real reality shows, rather than 'performance competitions' masquerading as 'reality',  but this one has some stiff competition from Survivor, Amazing Race and of course Big Brother.

Well good grief !.....if they built the whole thing for them to live in it seems rather lame. I thought they would just take them out in the wilderness somewhere and let them go at it.

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But on the other hand they do need production facilities and if someone gets sick they need to get them to medical attention quickly so I guess this is the best compromise. You will recall that Santa Clarita is just down the road from Vasquez Rocks, and is used for a lot of outdoor productions including WipeOut.   

It's yet another production based on a John De Mol idea (Big Brother) I wonder if he ever regrets that only the American versions of his shows don't have nudity ?   



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This thing is ripe for production interference , beyond stepping in to prevent violence, but such interference may be easier to detect than on Big Brother where they go into the "Diary Room" as their interface with production.

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The myriad fans of 'true reality TV' are looking forward to this. The concept is a bigger, and mainly outdoor version of Big Brother. 159 cameras vs. 50 on BB, but of course the area to be covered on Utopia is much larger. The lack of a prize may be a weakness. Some sort of goal or reward is necessary to bring out the sneakiness, crassness, and brutality lurking in every contestant. Big Brother without the $500k or even the interim cash and prizes would be boring. Utopia does give the possibility for shenanigans in the bushes and such and the 24/7 live internet feeds (don't know if they will be free) is a big plus and really a necessity for this type of show which the producers have realized to their credit.

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Tomorrow !   Glad to see that the live feeds are free. Will have to wait for reports from other viewers if the pay-for-uncensored-feeds are worth it. U.S. TV usually wimps out on that if it's on a normally free network. It would have to be on HBO/Showtime/Cinemax  to really do that.

You can sign up for the free live feeds here:

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Haven't gotten them to work yet.... Don't know what the premium feeds cost.

Got it working....Dave has left already, don't know why....

If you bookmark the site it opens and plays automatically just like Big Brother. So far I'm unimpressed by the only 3 people on camera.


Friday, September 05, 2014
'Utopia' Preview: Turmoil, Fights, Illness and Even Some Fun and Nudity
Carla Day

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV

What happens when a group of people who don't know each other come together to build a new society? The show may be called Utopia, but over the first week it's been the furthest thing from a "utopia." The 14 initial residents, known as pioneers, have struggled to work together.

The first week has been filled with turmoil, fights, illness, nudity and even some fun. The live feeds are addictive as the different personalities collide in their attempt to build a new society. It's not all a struggle though as some of the pioneers bonded right away in some unexpected pairings.

There's romance, bromances, flirting, and even some potential poly-amorous relationships forming. It's never boring, even when most of the Utopians are sleeping. You never know when one of them will get up to do something sneaky.

The Premise

The pioneers were provided with a shelter, two cows, 15 chickens, some food and supplies, and $5,000 to get started until they are able to start their own business to support themselves. On a monthly basis, one pioneer will leave and be replaced by someone new.

The networks sees it as something greater than just a television program. FOX's Executive Vice President of Alternative Entertainment, Simon Andreae explains, "We see it as a social experiment, as a world that we have set up that abandons and takes for granted nothing about contemporary society in which all the pioneers are rethinking all the fundamental tenets of civilization from scratch, with everything on the table."

Rules

While the idea is to let the pioneers create their own society, there are limits put upon them some without choice and others by design. Executive Producer Jon Kroll said, "Obviously, we're bound by federal, state, and local laws as we are very visible."

"Our goal on this is to have as little contact and communication and interference with the community as absolutely possible. We do have certain rules in place, such as the fact that they can't leave their compound and now that they have a phone, which they just got last night, they can only reach out for reasons of commerce."

"It's designed to keep them in a bit of a bubble, but in terms of how they interact and how they solve their problems, we're really trying to have them create and enforce their own rules. In fact, they've come to us and asked us to interfere at times and we've refused to. We've said, 'This is your society, make it work.'"

Voting In and Out Pioneers

Kroll explained the process, "There is a replacement process that's designed to take place once per month and in that process, the 15 Utopians ... choose who they think should leave based upon their contribution to the society."

Anyone with two or more votes could leave, and two new people who would like to replace that person arrive, and the Utopians pick one of those to stay and become a permanent member and that person chooses which of those people who got two or more votes must leave.  At each of the two selection points ... the viewers weigh in and have the 16th vote and they participate in that process"

Watching Utopia

There is a live feed (utopiatv.com) that runs 24-7. Viewers can check in on Utopia anytime and watch two live feeds for free. There are two additional uncensored feeds that can be purchased on a monthly basis.

In addition, the show will air on Tuesdays and Fridays in September after the premiere episode on Sunday, September 7 at 8pm ET.

Spoiler Warning: These next sections discuss in mostly general details what's happened since the Utopians arrived at the compound.

First Night Turmoil

The pioneers entered the compound last Friday. The trouble began on the first night after several of the Utopians got drunk, abusive and a fight broke out. It was so bad, the pioneers voted to have Josh kicked out permanently by a vote of 7-6. He returned the next day and a second vote of 6-7 saved him, but with the stipulation that he not drink for 90 days.

Many Fights

The fights continued with various levels of physicality to them. The pioneers ended up making two rules to help stem the heated arguments. For the most part, it has worked and each day they have learned to better communicate with each other.

Amanda facilitated team building activities one day which helped calm the overall tone down and helped the pioneers interact in a calm fashion. The conflict didn't end and it only escalated to the point that two of the group members somewhat seceded from the rest. You'll have to tune in to find out what happened.

Illness and Injury

After the first night, Hex was taken to the hospital for severe dehydration probably in part due to excessive drinking the night before. She wasn't the only one to leave the compound for health reasons in the first week.

Rob also left due to dehydration and Jonathan broke his hand. Both required visits to the hospital. Aaron suffered dehydration, but was treated by a doctor who came to the compound.

The limited food, heat, and not drinking enough water has gotten to the Utopians the first week. They have adjusted their schedule and menu to help prevent further issues.

Nudity

Right from the start, the Utopians didn't shy away from taking off their clothes. They showered in the waterfall, swam in the lake, and some of the women did nude yoga in the yard. A few of the pioneers have little to inhibitions in that area.

Due to some discomfort from the men, the nudity has been kept primarily to the lake and waterfall with warning. That allows those who are uncomfortable to stay in another area during showers and such.

Utopia premieres on Sunday, September 7 at 8pm ET on FOX.

Here's what happened with Dave. Language like that would have gotten him booted immediately on Big Brother, so I guess this will be more "lenient", if that's the right word for blatant racism.

1

From #BananaGate to the front gate: a timeline.

ALL OF UTOPIA -- On Day 8, Dave had his final food fight.

Since moving in exactly one week ago, Dave has argued with fellow Utopians about a variety of food items: Vienna sausages, quinoa, Tang, ramen soup, brown rice, RADISHES! But it was pregnant Amanda’s request for bananas (bananas!) that proved to be the final straw for the ex-con looking for a fresh start in Utopia.

Here’s a breakdown of what led to Dave’s dramatic exit.

8:21 p.m. - Red confronts Amanda because The Utopia State of Freedom (aka Red and Dave) felt cheated that she only returned four bananas to them after they gave her six. She tries to make up the difference but things quickly escalate. Because of course they do.

8:22 p.m. - Dave accuses Amanda of having an attitude. Amanda tells Dave HE has an attitude. As you could imagine, this does not sit well. Dave rants about not caring about “any of y’all n******” in Utopia. Amanda walks away and moves to the main house, where she sighs to Mike, “This is not prison.” Meanwhile, Dave hisses that Amanda’s attitude will get her man hurt one day.

8:23 p.m. - Hex stands up for Amanda, and questions why Amanda “needs a man” for protection to begin with. She then sarcastically says that she needs her own boyfriend, to which Dave snaps, “Why, so he could get beaten up?”

8:27 p.m. - All is quiet.

8:28 p.m. - Dave talks to Red, demanding that Amanda pay him back for the bananas that were taken. He feels disrespected by the way Amanda handled the banana hand-off. “Now I look like a monster!”

8:30 p.m. - The ranting continues. The bananas become a metaphor for child support. Dave claims the Utopians are always taking advantage of him. “There’s a lot of sneaky m*****f****** here!”

8:33 p.m. - “It’s not about the bananas. It’s about the principle.” (The radishes of Utopia turn to each other and say, "Tell me about it.")

8:34 p.m. - Pastor Jon sits quietly in the background, cleaning his teeth. Hex, meanwhile, speaks up again. Dave's response: “You’re the same kind of chick that gets your man beat up.” Hex retorts, “I bet, by an ignorant ass m*****f***** like you, right?” More escalation. Dave brings up the big fight with Josh that kicked off Utopia a week ago, saying, “The only reason I popped on Josh is ‘cause of you! That’s a fact!” A minute later, Dave accuses Hex of provoking Josh’s previous inappropriate behavior because she wore a bikini near him. Pastor Jon walks away.

8:36 p.m. - Hex stands her ground (while seated on a rock eating dinner, mind you), which only makes Dave angrier. 5th Ave now claims he jumped Drunk Josh because he had told him to perform a sexual act on him. (!) Dave continues to accuse Hex of speaking out of turn with him. Hex “If you’re gonna talk to me like a man I’m gonna talk to you back like one! So because I’m female, I’m allowed to be spoken to the way I’m being spoken to? Then shut up!”

8:37 p.m. - Dave says he’s “outta here” because everyone is racist. Hex retorts, “You wish, so you had an excuse!” Dave walks up to the house to get his belongings. “I don’t like conflict like this,” says new arrival Kristen. (Welcome to Utopia!)

8:38 p.m. - Hex and Kristen have a serious discussion about rape culture. “‘Cause I had a bathing suit on [a week ago] I was begging for everybody to slap my ass and tell me a bunch of inappropriate s***?! And then when I speak my mind I’m an a****** and am gonna get my man killed?! He’s the reason why women are afraid to speak up when they get raped.”

8:43 p.m. - Dave enters the house, throws bananas towards Amanda, starts packing.

8:45 p.m. - Red asks Jon if he wants to “bounce,” but Jon says he’ll stay.

8:47 p.m. - Red rolls Dave a final cigarette (or several). Dave asks for more tobacco.

8:49 p.m. - Aaron enters and tells Dave that it was him, not Amanda, who put the four bananas on Dave’s belongings.

8:54 p.m. - A Mootopian cries. Even the animals are fed up with Dave.

8:57 p.m. - Dave takes his packed crate and walks through the Utopia grounds.

8:59 p.m. - Hex tells Josh, “I just wanna watch him walk out. It will be so delightful.”

9:00 p.m. - Dave exits Utopia forever.

9:01 p.m. - Dave sits on a crate outside the Utopia gates, waiting for somebody, anybody to pick him up.

***

And just like that, Utopia lost its first member.

With Dave gone, will Red leave in the morning? Who will Jon baptize now? And can Utopia survive a Friday night without a major incident? We have 51 more weeks

Due to some discomfort from the men, the nudity has been kept primarily to the lake and waterfall with warning. That allows those who are uncomfortable to stay in another area during showers and such.


Perhaps we should initiate a few rules of this sort. (just in case we are ever at a waterfall area together)

I watched the 2 hour 'premire' last night, some of it, which was actually filmed back when Dave was still there.  I couldn't stomach watching for the full 2 hrs. but surfed in now and then.

After that "experience", I think I can state rather confidently that I don't see how this thing can survive a full TV season much less the whole year that they expect it to play out.....more on that later.

Here's the problem; is there really a big enough audience to want to watch 15 people constantly bickering, screaming at each other, contentiousness over the most minor, silly disagreements, racism, misogyny, downright thugishness (Dave was a thug, pure and simple), religious opposites, crazy eco-freak ideas trying to be rammed down everyone's throat, etc., etc.

So there are 3-4 women who regard clothes as optional. That's the least of their problems. They are supposed to be living in the "barn" structure by now which includes their kitchen, but at present it is a pig sty and most are living outside in cardboard and canvas "structures" that look like 3rd world refugees from earthquakes, etc.

The producers obviously cast them so as to have as many "opposites" as possible and giving them copious amounts of alcohol on the first day ! is down right irresponsible. It's hard to believe that John de Mol with all his experience as the exec. prod. of all the Big Brothers around the world would allow this sort of thing.

So we have a fundamentalist Southern pastor and an avowed atheist (female). The atheist is 'offended' that the pastor won't go near the lake when the women are swimming nude, and the pastor tries to explain his stance.

Then there is the 'classic crazy lady' who insist that they fertilize their garden with human waste and 'explains' that they don't need to actually spade up the ground to prepare it for planting. Instead they should just put some chickens (they have chickens and cows) in a box without a floor and put it in the garden plot and the chickens will scratch around and "prepare" the soil for seeding. Needless to say this is met with incredulity by several of the men, all of whom have chips on their shoulders and regard any suggestions at odds with their own opinions as massive threats to their manhood.

There is a small, wizened, stereotypical southern guy (named Red, not the pastor) who is constantly at odds with a young black guy who threatens physical violence at every opportunity. How much of that sort of thing is "entertaining" ?....none.

Then they decided to hold a "court" to determine the punishment for the large 'contractor' guy who got totally potted on their first night with the booze and threatened the women because they disagreed with his ranting.

That's about where I checked out.....

But one thing I don't get about the schedule....if this is supposed to last a year....what if it does survive to run the full 13 week season ? Does that mean that it goes on without viewers and presumably sponsors, for about 26 weeks and then comes back next season for another 13 week run ? I haven't found an explanation for how this will work.

'Utopia' Preview: Turmoil, Fights, Illness and Even Some Fun and Nudity
Friday, September 05, 2014

Carla Day
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV

What happens when a group of people who don't know each other come together to build a new society? The show may be called Utopia, but over the first week it's been the furthest thing from a "utopia." The 14 initial residents, known as pioneers, have struggled to work together.

The first week has been filled with turmoil, fights, illness, nudity and even some fun. The live feeds are addictive as the different personalities collide in their attempt to build a new society. It's not all a struggle though as some of the pioneers bonded right away in some unexpected pairings.

There's romance, bromances, flirting, and even some potential poly-amorous relationships forming. It's never boring, even when most of the Utopians are sleeping. You never know when one of them will get up to do something sneaky.

The Premise

The pioneers were provided with a shelter, two cows, 15 chickens, some food and supplies, and $5,000 to get started until they are able to start their own business to support themselves. On a monthly basis, one pioneer will leave and be replaced by someone new.

The networks sees it as something greater than just a television program. FOX's Executive Vice President of Alternative Entertainment, Simon Andreae explains, "We see it as a social experiment, as a world that we have set up that abandons and takes for granted nothing about contemporary society in which all the pioneers are rethinking all the fundamental tenets of civilization from scratch, with everything on the table."

Rules

While the idea is to let the pioneers create their own society, there are limits put upon them some without choice and others by design. Executive Producer Jon Kroll said, "Obviously, we're bound by federal, state, and local laws as we are very visible."

"Our goal on this is to have as little contact and communication and interference with the community as absolutely possible. We do have certain rules in place, such as the fact that they can't leave their compound and now that they have a phone, which they just got last night, they can only reach out for reasons of commerce."

"It's designed to keep them in a bit of a bubble, but in terms of how they interact and how they solve their problems, we're really trying to have them create and enforce their own rules. In fact, they've come to us and asked us to interfere at times and we've refused to. We've said, 'This is your society, make it work.'"

Voting In and Out Pioneers

Kroll explained the process, "There is a replacement process that's designed to take place once per month and in that process, the 15 Utopians ... choose who they think should leave based upon their contribution to the society."

Anyone with two or more votes could leave, and two new people who would like to replace that person arrive, and the Utopians pick one of those to stay and become a permanent member and that person chooses which of those people who got two or more votes must leave.  At each of the two selection points ... the viewers weigh in and have the 16th vote and they participate in that process"

Watching Utopia

There is a live feed (utopiatv.com) that runs 24-7. Viewers can check in on Utopia anytime and watch two live feeds for free. There are two additional uncensored feeds that can be purchased on a monthly basis.

In addition, the show will air on Tuesdays and Fridays in September after the premiere episode on Sunday, September 7 at 8pm ET.

Spoiler Warning: These next sections discuss in mostly general details what's happened since the Utopians arrived at the compound.

First Night Turmoil

The pioneers entered the compound last Friday. The trouble began on the first night after several of the Utopians got drunk, abusive and a fight broke out. It was so bad, the pioneers voted to have Josh kicked out permanently by a vote of 7-6. He returned the next day and a second vote of 6-7 saved him, but with the stipulation that he not drink for 90 days.

Many Fights

The fights continued with various levels of physicality to them. The pioneers ended up making two rules to help stem the heated arguments. For the most part, it has worked and each day they have learned to better communicate with each other.

Amanda facilitated team building activities one day which helped calm the overall tone down and helped the pioneers interact in a calm fashion. The conflict didn't end and it only escalated to the point that two of the group members somewhat seceded from the rest. You'll have to tune in to find out what happened.

Illness and Injury

After the first night, Hex was taken to the hospital for severe dehydration probably in part due to excessive drinking the night before. She wasn't the only one to leave the compound for health reasons in the first week.

Rob also left due to dehydration and Jonathan broke his hand. Both required visits to the hospital. Aaron suffered dehydration, but was treated by a doctor who came to the compound.

The limited food, heat, and not drinking enough water has gotten to the Utopians the first week. They have adjusted their schedule and menu to help prevent further issues.

Nudity

Right from the start, the Utopians didn't shy away from taking off their clothes. They showered in the waterfall, swam in the lake, and some of the women did nude yoga in the yard. A few of the pioneers have little to inhibitions in that area.

Due to some discomfort from the men, the nudity has been kept primarily to the lake and waterfall with warning. That allows those who are uncomfortable to stay in another area during showers and such.

Utopia premieres on Sunday, September 7 at 8pm ET on FOX.

The "crazy lady" is "holding court" right now on the live feeds.

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Inside TV
'Utopia' premiere ratings not ideal
By James Hibberd on Sep 8, 2014 at 11:37AM @james_hibberd
utopia.jpg


Fox’s big reality gamble Utopia got off to a modest pre-season start Sunday night.

The two-hour premiere had 4.6 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49 Sunday night. That was lower than the latest episode of CBS’ Big Brother (7.1 million, 2.3), which likewise started at 8 p.m.

The $50 million social experience strands 15 people in a remote area to build a perfect community. The debut was up against the massive time-period premiere of NBC’s Sunday Night Football (an estimated 21.2 million, 8.0), yet also had a strong NFL lead-in of its own that largely didn’t stick around. (If you’re a football fan, switching from Fox over to SNF is probably more tempting.)

Fox is betting heavily on Utopia, which basically replaces The X Factor as the network’s multi-night reality show this fall. Utopia is considered risky within the industry partly because broadcast reality series typically have some kind of competitive element to lend a sense of high stakes and urgency (Survivor, American Idol (performance competition, not reality), The Bachelor (pure soap)—all are contests to some degree), yet Utopia is purely a soap. So far, there has been a fair amount of on-set drama, which could hook viewers (EW‘s premiere recap here), and last night’s performance is still considered a workable number. The audience could grow from this, especially as the fall season gets underway.

Have most shows  of this type gained viewers after the first 'curiosity' viewing ? I don't think so....

Okay folks....I think that we can safely say that watching the live feeds is almost as exciting as watching paint dry. Yes, there is the potential for one of the 'crazies' (apparently the result of insufficient vetting on the part of the producers when casting) to 'go off', but as they are weeded out or self-eliminate, we are left with "kumbaya" discussions about movies, sitting around eating breakfast, such as right now. So......signing up for the premium cameras doesn't seem to be a good idea.

One positive is that they, or at least most, are awake and up at 10:25 am, PDT, far earlier than any Big Brother cast could be expected to roll out of bed. Although to his credit Donny before his eviction was always up and entertaining us hours before anyone else.

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Not surprising. I don't see how this can survive much longer. Even the peeps not watching the live feeds but just watching the weekly shows which are edited from footage over the week will see the ho-hum footage. Nothing happens, there are no competitions. The producers can't depend on crazy eruptions from the unpredictable/thuggish cast members. These are being weeded out and/or are being suppressed by the other cast members. So what is left to attract viewers ? Nothing. How long can we listen to the 'crazy lady' telling us that we are all dying from radiation poisoning ? ...about 5 seconds.

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It's surprising that it lasted 2 months.  Any competent reality show fan could have told them why this thing would fail. It didn't have most of the elements that a successful reality show must have:

Contestants that the viewers can identify with or at least cheer for.

Ongoing 'challenges' and contests that contestants must master in order to remain.

At least one "quirky" contestant that viewers can criticize or defend.

One or more "hot babes" that look good in bikinis.

Ditto for male contestants, minus the bikini.

One of each type: Overtly religious, gay, contentious, ego-centric.