Warrior Challenge

[Mean Eyed Cat]

I picked up my new copy of Archaeology and they had an article on a new reality show called "Warror Challenge."

Now I'm not a big fan of reality shows (I actually loathe them), but this sounds interesting. Eight volunteers from the US Air Force and British Emergency Services volunteer to be Roman legionaires for a weekend. They stay at a Roman outpost in northeastern England and have to wear Roman clothes (tunics) sandels, "old fashioned underwear," and replica Roman armor. The volunteers go on a long march in their armor, cook their own food (Roman provisions?) and "cope with the miserable cold of northern England." A picture in the journal shows them engaging in a mock battle with shields and wooden swords (?)

It airs May 6 on PBS (check local listings for time). I did a quick Google search on the Roman outpost along Hadrian's Wall and this is what I found:

http://www.compulink.co.uk/~archaeology/hilites/arbeia.htm

I think its the same one they stayed at.

Sounds cool

 

[Mark]

Does sound cool. Thanks for the heads up!

*edit*

Chicago channel 11 9pm (central)

Warrior Challenge - Romans
60 min.
Debut: Modern-day warriors try to see if they would have passed muster in ancient and medieval times in this four-part series. First up: four Americans and four Brits get a taste of life as Roman soldiers as they train (and engage in simulated combat) at a restored 2nd-century Roman fort along Hadrian's Wall in England, which marked the Roman empire's northern frontier. Roman soldiers were “versatile, durable and remarkably self-sufficient,” says narrator Henry Strozier. They had to be: their swords were heavy, their armor (also heavy) chafed, and their barracks were frigid. The eight manage to cope, but wouldn't want to make a career of it. Says one: “All I can say is `thank God for technology'.”

It is preceded by a Nova special which airs at 8pm...

Nova - Avalanche!
60 min.
Researchers dig through the snowy mountains of Iceland and Switzerland in "a battle to understand and control" the destructive powers of the "Avalanche." Included: a visit to Flateyri, Iceland, where 20 people were buried by 250,000 tons of snow in 1995.

 

[Chauzu]

Will this be a series or a one-time show?

 

[Mean Eyed Cat]

It appears to be a 4 part series. The other three will be Vikings, Knights, and Gladiators.

More info here:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/warriorchallenge/vikings/index.html

Oh man, these are gonna be great.

 

[Chauzu]

Thanks for the link. Looks like its gonna be cool.

 

[Mean Eyed Cat]

Oh and for those of you who live in the Northwest US, this is the rest of the lineup tomorrow night:

8:00 pm
Nova
Secrets of Lost Empires: Medieval Siege
60 min.
A five-part miniseries in which engineers and craftspeople re-create technological wonders of the past begins with the catapult that narrator Stacy Keach calls “the atomic bomb of the Middle Ages.” It was the “trebuchet,” and it could sling 250-pound rocks into castles with devastating results---as England's King Edward I demonstrated in 1304 when his trebuchet (named “Warwolf”) made short work of Scotland's Stirling Castle. A crew of 40 builds a “Warwolf” (two versions of it, actually), and both devices are tested on a castle wall (also a re-creation). Do they work? We'll say only that no Scots were harmed in the making of this film. (VCR Plus+ 30070)

9:00
Warrior Challenge

10:00
Secrets of the Dead
Murder at Stonehenge
60 min.
“Murder at Stonehenge” follows British archaeologist Mike Pitts as he searches for the cause of death of a man whose skeleton is found at the neolithic circular stone monument. “Something had sliced through the man's neck,” Pitts says before enlisting colleagues to determine what it was and why, and where the man came from. Another key question: When did it happen? Pitt suspects Roman times, but it could be the Saxon period (500-1066). The hour also traces Stonehenge's 5000-year history, and its significance to its builders and others. Liev Schreiber narrates. (VCR Plus+ 20693)

My only dilemma is that Buffy is on at 8:00. Is it a rerun?

 

[Richards]

Sadly (in this instance), no: it's a new Buffy this week.

Johnathan

 

[Henry]

True; and I would sooner poke out my own eye than miss a new Buffy Episode.

But I just checked my listings, and it's on at 9:00 PM for me! W00t!

 

[Ranger REG]

Will PBS re-air the Warrior Challenge series in the summer?

I personally prefer this kind of reality shows than the ones shown on major networks.

Already seen:

• Victorian House (UK)
• Frontier House (US)
• 1900 House (UK)
• Manor House (UK)

Still waiting for Colonial House and I believe they're going to do a Plantation House (this one may be iffy since it supposed to set before and during the US Civil War period).

 

[jasper]

frontier house was interesting but I kept wandering where were the firearms and traps. Found out the people were not allow to have them.
Then excuse me the shop keeper would have or should have mention the fencing law.

As to the Romans show. Gee Conquest with better experts. But where were the skins to sleep under...
Hey it was Conquest Dude Ranch. No Roman Dude Ranch. For $500 live like a Roman Centurion for weekend.

No rushes on floors or bedding. Etc.
Gee when I saw the too tight mail (which was butted) I would have found some pliers and due some alernations. (or find friendly armoursmith).
Now I see soldiers cooking their meals on the march. But at the garrison? I would be scamming around the fort for a good cook. You cook for my squad I do your armour etc.