The tried and true reality show structure is firmly in place. The show cuts between the 12 contestants introducing themselves while they meet one another for the first time at a swanky rooftop party in Los Angeles. They range from a 20 year-old with little experience to people well into their 40s with significant industry experience.
The party is hosted by Sean Astin. He also judges their first competition. Little time is wasted on the setup which is nice. For their first challenge the contestants need to create original face make-up incorporating an item from the party.
After getting a quick look at the enormous home they will temporarily live in, its off to the first major challenge, one that will take up 3 days. This one takes place at the Fox Studios back lot. The contestants will work in pairs and create an alien that would fit in with the famous cantina scene from Star Wars.
Everyone knows the drill by now. There are challenges and immunity and deadlines and freak outs. The contestants will be dropped one-by-one until only the winner remains. There is a new judge this season. Patrick Tatopolous is in the premiere but is heading out of the country to work on the new 300 movie. He is replaced by Prometheus, Super 8, and Avatar effects man Neville Page. The other two judges are Optic Nerves Glenn Hetrick and Oscar winner Ve Neill.
The quality of the work on the first spotlight challenge runs the gamut, but its pretty fascinating to see the contestants slowly create an original creature. The show is at its best when it focuses on the design and creation process. Thankfully, for the most part it doesnt spend much time away from the challenges. Hardly any time is spent at the house.
At times it does get bogged down by petty nonsense, bickering and tantrums and put downs and bragging. One of the pairs does not work well together and they spend a lot of time sniping at each other. This was also the biggest problem with Monster Man. The melodrama is obnoxious and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the show. Hopefully its kept to a minimum because when it sticks with the challenges and the work itself, the show is a lot of fun.
The first episode hints at a strong season, and future episodes will showcase some pretty big names, including producer Brian Grazer and director Paul W. S. Anderson. Heres hoping for a good season.
