Fox’s new reality show titled Extracted is set to launch with a recently confirmed February 10 premiere date. Extracted promises to entertain us with plenty of adventures in the wild, but it could also teach some valuable survival skills.
What Do Survival Shows Teach Us?
The growing popularity of survival shows has awarded us the chance to observe how real people react when put into extreme conditions. In these shows, the contestants or subjects often receive brutal instruction on how to build a shelter, filter water, and carry out other essential tasks using whatever resources are close to hand. Finding food always presents a massive challenge here, where contestants have to fend for themselves in an inhospitable environment. This can mean foraging for fruits, hunting for small animals, or going fishing.
Fishing in particular is sometimes thought of as a slow and calming exercise, a conception that is not actually consistent with a lot of heavier-duty expeditions, and with a wealth of high-octane fishing shows out there like Deadliest Catch and River Monsters, there’s much to be re-educated on by both viewers and active participants.
Other media frequently reinforces this notion of fishing as a leisurely activity, with shows like the UK’s popular Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, or games like Big Bass Splash, in which fish symbols containing cash prizes are collected by fishermen during the free spins round. Further play occurs over a level system and the introduction of special symbols, Dynamite and bazookas as the game progresses. And while these diversions certainly can be heaps of fun, it’s up to shows like Extracted to teach us that there’s a whole other world out there, far deeper and scarier than we believe.
What’s So Special About Extracted?
A key point of intrigue for us is that the Extracted gameplay will feature 12 contestants who have limited survival skills and experience. This means that they’re likely to be forced to learn how to survive rather quickly, offering us viewers a sort of virtual crash course, and quite possibly including examples of how not to do things as well as how to master them. Selected viewers (people they know) will be watching the action on a live stream, with the chance to press a button that would remove their loved one from the game or else send them resources or rewards, adding a layer of episodic suspense.
It also turns out that Sylvester Stallone is an executive producer on this show, which will be shot in extreme conditions in the Canadian wilderness. A prize of $250,000 is up for grabs for the winner. While few other details have been revealed so far, the fact that the contestants aren’t fully in control of their own destiny is one of its most interesting concepts. It means that their individual tactics and strategies need to bear in mind the possible actions of selected people close to them watching on.
The recent success of survival shows like Running Wild with Bear Grylls, Outlast, and Man vs Wild suggests that there’s a big potential audience for this type of contest. Grylls will be returning to screens shortly with The Chosen in the Wild, while The Summit is based on a trek to the top of the New Zealand Alps. In this way, the genre continues to grow by exploring new places and ideas within an established format that has a lot of existing fans.
With some interesting changes to the classic formula, Extracted could be on track to shake up the world of reality TV with a new approach while retaining many of the beloved elements that made these shows popular to begin with.
Nick Smith is one of the founding members of GVN, host of the NBA podcast, Full Court Press, regular panelist on the flagship podcast, Geek Vibes Live, and a writer for the website.
