I saw that show. It looked cool, but I couldn’t tell if it was gimmicky or actually cool. Good to know that it’s fun. I’ll add this to my queue.
It’s actually good.
I really enjoy watching things like this from the point of view of game design, and Hyperdrive holds up really well. It’s designed to actually reward good driving skills, so there aren’t any drivers who get to the final that don’t deserve to be there.
Also there’s rarely any immediate expulsion from the show due to a single mistake. Most obstacles, if you mess them up, just add a time penalty. Some water hazards can flood a car engine and that’s usually pretty bad. A crash will take you out. But an early mistake, unlike in Beastmaster, can be clawed back by good driving later in the same run.
Most importantly, there are opportunities to stay in the show, even if someone messes up stupidly or their car breaks. There are multiple chances to qualify for the knockout rounds, and even then a wildcard to give some of the dropped drivers a way back in.
And in this way, there isn’t a driver who you think should be in the final who doesn’t make it.
There was only one event in the whole show which made me think “well that’s unfair bullshit” but they adjust the rules before the end of the episode to fix it and make sure it keeps its integrity.
There are some actually important tactical options too.
In other words, it more than meets my standard for interesting, fair and entertaining game design.
We just finished Russian Doll.
I really enjoyed it We might do a Patreon review, since I doubt Scott will watch it at any point.
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Did Emily recognize my friend in that show I introduced her to?
I also appreciate that the competitors aren’t dicks to each other. There’s a lot of shots of them outright cheering the other drivers on from the stands, generally being friendly, etc. No bullshit interpersonal drama or fights that I’ve seen so far.
Netflix hit on the realization that people do actually really like reality and competition shows where people are nice. Queer Eye, The Quest, British Bake Off, Marie Kondo, Nailed It, etc… It’s really refreshing to not see people being shitty on these kinds of shows.
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Sadly, GBBO isn’t on AU netflix, but we did get Nailed it, which is quite pleasant.
I never understood the appeal of this show. Granted, I’ve never watched it so maybe my impression is miscolored by advertising, but it seems to be very mocking of people with poor skills. Like, it’s literally billed as pulling a bunch of people who are bad at something, make them do it, then laugh at their failure. It also paradoxically gave me vibes of “high class food is elitist, look what happens when normal people try to make these dishes”
I think having not watched much of it myself but having walked in while people were, they enjoy seeing a bit of how they might fare if they wound up one some cooking show, or at least have a way of feeling like maybe they could do somewhat better than other total novices. If it’s always just watching really pro people all the time, you get to feeling like maybe you could do that. So it’s good to see what putting some regular home cooks in the fire looks like? In any case it doesn’t seem like the focus is on shitting on people who can’t cook and more about appreciating how close they came despite being way over their head.
I might be a bit mis-interpereting the appeal but it seems to be why the people I know were engaged.
Netflix US is getting more GBBO eps this friday!
Kind of - It’s not really laughing at their failure(In the sense you seem to mean, at least), because pretty much everyone goes in knowing they’re going to fail, and the judges don’t really give them shit for it, they focus on the positive aspects. Like, if you make a cake that you decorate poorly, they might crack a few jokes about what it looks like, but then also talk about how well you did with the flavor. And everyone - including the participants - seem very much in on the joke, they’re explicitly aware of the concept of the program, and that they’re expected to fail, and that the producers just want them to try their best. It’s never mean-spirited at any point.
It’s kind of like Karaoke for cooking - nobody goes into Karaoke expecting to be Freddie Mercury or Arethra Franklin, you go in expecting to just do your best and have a good time. And yeah, you might fuck up, but that’s part of the fun of the exercise, it’s a safe environment to fail, as long as you tried.
As for it being high-class food, it’s not so much high-class food, as just food that’s very difficult to make. Like, I know chefs who would struggle to make this stuff, because it’s all made by serious specialists, genuine artisans who have spent entire careers getting that good at that specific thing. Even Jaques, one of the judges and a world-famous chef in his own right, considers many of the confections they’re asked to make quite difficult.
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It’s really not that, its all in good fun and everyone is in on the joke. The expectation is that they’re all rank amateurs in way over their heads and everyone has a laugh about the outcomes. I never got a mean spirited vibe once watching the show.
Shows where people are nice to each other is only the first step along the path. True enlightenment is where these shows don’t have to be competitions at all. Imagine bake off but get rid of the ending where the entries are criticized and stack-ranked. Instead, make the judges artists in other media like poetry or music. Have them sample each entry and compose and perform a brief ode in their own medium.
Started watching Hyperdrive. The show has a strange resonance because it was only earlier in the day I was driving by the industrial park where they shot it. The set-design made Rochester look like the set of a Science Fiction show.
Saw the first episode of the new Dark Crystal series. I have questions, but so far it’s pretty engaging. Although it’s not a show I’d watch all at once.
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I’m halfway through, really enjoying it. But yeah, it’s hard to binge it.
The Fastest Car season 2 on Netflix should be titled “I too have a dead family member”.
I have issues with the Fastest Car episode featuring a Tesla.
In every episode there are three home-built cars that go up against one super car. Like a Lamborghini or a McLaren or a Ferrari. In this episode, the Tesla was classed as the super car. Except Teslas are really not super cars! I thought the Tesla included would be one that had been tuned and modified and made lighter and have racing slicks or have a spoiler, etc. In other words, it would be on the same level playing field as the other built cars, and go up against a super car.
And, oh boy, they really stacked the field against the Tesla too. The episode featured two other professional racers, including a professional drag racer, with a car built by his professional drag racing mechanics. Also the sudden appearance of mystery slick tires for two of the Tesla competitors seemed suspiciously convenient.
In two seasons of Fastest Car there have been only two electric cars. I want better electric car representation!
Yeah, why don’t they go up against a Formula E car instead? Sounds like paid product placement by Tesla.
It’s actually the opposite. It doesn’t feel like product placement. If I was in charge of Tesla’s promotion, there’s no way I’d have allowed it to be classed as a super car.