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PILOT REVIEW: Siberia

SIBERIA










Starring: Joyce Carolina Giraud, Johnny Wactor, Daniel David Sutton, Neeko OJ Skervin, Natalie Ann Sheetz, Sam Dobbins, Esther Anderson, Thomas Mountain, George Dickson, Ann-Marie Mueschke, Miljan Milosevic, Berglind Icey, Irene Yee, Harpreet Turka, Victoria Hill, Sabina Akhmedova, and Jonathon Buckley

Created by Matthew Arnold
Written by Matthew Arnold, Directed by Matthew Arnold

Siberia is a new drama that is depicted as a reality show where 16 contestants must live and survive in a remote area of Siberia where there are no rules. The contestants must be able to survive through the summer and winter in order to claim a share of a $500,000 prize. The contestants are not voted out but rather can choose to leave when they want.

THE GOOD: This was a very interesting set-up because it truly blurred the lines between reality and TV drama. The production value was so similar to a Survivor-type show that it really seemed believable that these were real people on a reality show and not actors on a drama. The show does not break from the reality format at all which helps the plausibility. If they showed "behind the scenes" I don't think it would work as well. By presenting it entirely as a reality show, it is much more engrossing. In fact, I'm not sure that the average person tuning in who doesn't know about the show would realize that it is scripted. '

THE BAD: At the same time, there is a little bit of a letdown when I remember that this is all scripted. It's an interesting premise for a reality show and I'd be instantly sucked in if that's exactly what it was. That being said, with all that happened in the pilot and seems set to happen this season, a reality show like this would probably never fly. But still, it's a little less exciting knowing that these aren't real people.

BOTTOM LINE: I wasn't expecting much from Siberia but like other scripted shows this summer, it has surprised me. I know it's a fake reality show but part of me really wants to see what happened especially in the clips from upcoming episodes. Maybe I'll get sucked in the way that reality shows suck people in.
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