SCI FI Brings Video Games into Reality with ‘CHA$E’

It seems that what was once was the phenomenon of reality television has been subdued by years of knock-offs and the mundane rehashing of a small collection of basic templates.  Reality television no longer seems fresh or exciting, instead quickly becoming a notable yet overstayed element in popular culture.  While the genre itself seems to be lacking in consistent viewership, SCI FI has decided that there is still room for a new take on the dash-for-cash game show.  Centered on a refreshingly original premise, CHA$E isn’t ‘Who Wants to Survive a Millionaire Idol?’ as much as it is The Running Man meets The Amazing Race… only without the chainsaws and bickering couples.

CHA$E is based on a simple premise where the winning player must ‘survive’ an hour of gameplay and be the first one to an established ‘exit point’.  Billed more as a live-action video game than a standard gameshow, CHA$E is shot in real-time, with each episode encompassing a single game.  There are no rounds, no semi-finalists… only a one-hour sprint to the finish line.  What makes this game intriguing is that the players face a common foe in the Hunters, a group of stoic and physically daunting NPC’s whose sole purpose is to ‘eliminate’ (tag out) all players before time expires.  These silent predators (think a combination of a Terminator and the Agents from The Matrix) force the players to abandon their strategies and at times even work together.

This show certainly provides an intriguing concept, though its current pacing makes the full hour-long episodes a bit of a challenge to sit through.  The ‘game board’ which establishes the play area changes each episode, from a deserted seaside port (including two ferries) to a theme park at night (hopefully including clowns).  Players are provided with ‘utilities’ that give them additional defenses against the Hunters.  However, in the pilot episode it seems that the area of the ‘game board’ (The Harbor) is too large and the Hunters too few.  It is only when an additional ATV-riding Hunter is introduced toward the end of the game as a ‘scout’ that we see the action pick up.  Through the majority of the first half hour, we only get to watch the players run around, looking confused and spouting foreshadowing remarks of their confidence.

Despite these setbacks, I’m looking forward to additional episodes of CHA$E, which will hopefully decrease the play area and increase the number of Hunters or complexity of the game.  Heck, adding a few clowns and chainsaws might not be a bad idea as well.

CHA$E premiers on SCI FI this Tuesday, November 11 at 10/9C.