The Hero Is MUCH Better Than It Needs To Be
As hard as it is to identify a celebrity that nobody hates, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is probably about as close as you can get. Even if somehow you didn't develop an interest in the G.I. Joe and Fast & Furious movie franchises after he got involved, if you've seen him interviewed on a talk show, it's virtually impossible not to be charmed: he's so handsome and positive and huggable. So when I found out that he was hosting and executive producing a new reality show, I was, admittedly, kind of pre-sold on it just because I love him so much -- which is why it's such a welcome surprise that The Hero is so much fun.
The Hero is a competition show in which nine ordinary people's heroism is tested in a variety of ways. Every week, there will be a team competition involving six contestants, and an individual challenge involving...er, one; the contestants decide who will do which of both, based on some very cryptic clues. Success in the team competitions puts money into a cash pot and results in a five-figure donation to the Red Cross. As for the individual challenge: if the contestant completes it, he or she will have the option either of putting another $50,000 into the pot, or keeping it -- and if it's the latter, the rest of the contestants won't know their colleague has scumbagged them until they watch the show.
However, it's a non-elimination game: all nine contestants stay on the show through the end, whereupon the viewers vote on which player gets to keep the whole pot -- meaning that individual pots may be the only chance most players ever get to win any money at all, and also that the choice to put individual prizes into the communal pot could be evidence of true integrity or playing to the voters with the endgame in mind. It's The Mole meets Big Brother (Season 1).
The challenges in the premiere are kind of rote, but I have to give The Hero credit for production values: for an unscripted cable show, that shit looks expensive. The team challenge takes place (literally) on a bank tower in Panama City, and the helicopter shots of contestants dangling from bungee cords on the side of the building and then clambering over the roof were movie-quality (and not just because The Rock was visible near some of them).
Like so many reality-show premieres, it's hard for most of the contestants to make much of an impression, save "Fear Of Heights" Patty, "Opportunistic Future $50K Keeper" Lydia, and "I'm So Sure He Stopped A Terrorist Opening Fire At El Al Passengers At LAX Wait That Actually Happened?!" Dr. Dave. But The Rock is a delight -- involved enough to show his Executive Producer title isn't just a courtesy, and a living embodiment of the concept of integrity that the show is premised on. GOD BLESS AND KEEP THAT MAN. And seriously: you should watch.