[PBS] Colonial House

[MaxKaladin]

Which I call Frontier Survivor especially since they would not allow the families to hunt game animals.

Yeah, I was going to mention that. It's the thing that really turned me off about Frontier House. Hunting was really important for the pioneers. My G-G-Grandfather was a professional hunter for the first 6 years he was in Texas -- and not the kind that went after buffalo or guided "sport" hunts either. He was providing meat for people to eat. They just completely cut that aspect out of the show, which I think is a shame for a number of reasons.

Sorry it looks like to going to be another pbs surviorer show.

In some ways I think its even more so this time. Not that I've ever watched Survivor, but I get the impression a lot of Survivor is about personality clashes and they really seemed to be trying to set that sort of thing up with this show even more than in Frontier House.

 

[Ranger REG]

Maybe, but then without personality, it'll be one hell of a boring show. At least they're not competing for a big cash prize doing silly contests, and council voting.

 

[Silver Moon]

I haven't caught it yet, but I loved both Frontier House and Manor House. I tell you, PBS really knows how to do reality TV. Then again, I'll probably find this one a tad frustrating to watch the people fumble through it as I do 18th century historical reinactment so have alot of experience myself with this era.

 

[Ranger REG]

That's why they're not using historical experts and re-enactors in the project, except to give the participants some lessons in using the tools of that time period. It would defeat the premise of the series: take a modern individual and put him in the past.

 

[Silver Moon]

That's why they're not using historical experts and re-enactors in the project, except to give the participants some lessons in using the tools of that time period. It would defeat the premise of the series: take a modern individual and put him in the past.

I understand that, it's just that I'd find it frustrating to watch, wanting to yell at the TV set (as my 11-year-old does with "Survivor" when she sees obvious things that the participants miss).

 

[Ranger REG]

"Frustrating"? I find it funny, laughing at other people's fumblings and bad decisions.

 

[Shadowdancer]

One of the participants, Bethany Wyers, is going to college in the neighboring town. We ran an interview with her in the newspaper I work for. She and her parents were on the show; her father is the governor of the colony on the show. The family is from Waco, about 30 miles north of here, where her father is a Baptist preacher.

Her fiance was killed in a traffic accident here in Temple while she was away filming the show.

 

[Ranger REG]

Yeah, it was mentioned on the Monday night's two-hour episode. The Wyers family left the project, taking 1/3 of the community, as well as their leader. The lay preacher stepped in as he was the "second-in-command" of the colony.

But despite that, the lack of human resource and lack of stern leadership took a toll on the colony's productive workforce. They were already days behind the corn planting. And all of a sudden, the carpenter left the project to go "wandering" which would have been a dangerous trek back in the 18th-century America.

 

[Mystery Man]

"Frustrating"? I find it funny, laughing at other people's fumblings and bad decisions.

That's why I love watching Big Brother. What a riot.

 

[Silver Moon]

Okay, I sat through an hour of it. I was right, it is far too frustrating for me to watch. It's not just the fact that these people are clueless about 17th century life - I can live with the fact that they're not reenactors. It's the gamer in me who is frustrated! THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO ROLE PLAY! Hearing them talk about the 21st century and how they shouldn't be expected to act like it was 17th century! What the hell did they think they were signing up for? Just take your character sheet and play it!