The Great Escape (TNT, Sundays 10PM)

[MFWalkoff]

"From the producers of The Amazing Race..."

In the premiere, the contestants are locked up in Alcatraz.

Anyone watching?

The Great Escape - TNT homepage

[AZChristian]

Wasn't aware of it until I saw your post. I may give it a shot!

[TripleGemini]

We watched. It wasn't great, wasn't bad. Every week, we'll see different teams who have to "escape" from different places (this week Alcatraz, next week some kind of ship).

[AZChristian]

I can't believe how they're letting them bust things up. It's a National Historic Landmark, and they were smacking tables that were hooked to the walls with heavy duty tools. I've visited there several times, and they were cautious about where tourists could go and what they could touch.

[Bearcata]

I'm sure that the clues pointed the escapees to certain areas that were set up by the show to be bust up.

[jadewarlock]

I can't believe how they're letting them bust things up. It's a National Historic Landmark, and they were smacking tables that were hooked to the walls with heavy duty tools. I've visited there several times, and they were cautious about where tourists could go and what they could touch.

I agree with Bearcata - the items were probably added there by production in order to ensure the place isn't damaged in the hunt. Otherwise, they wouldn't have had them do "Finder's Keepers" and look for a key to get out of the jail cell.

The beds and items in the cell are a gimmie - they're not nearly as full as they appeared here when I've looked at pics of the cells.

The tables are usually pretty solid and can take some beating. I would hope that production would have the "security" come in and stop the group if they continued and it looked like damage.

And thankfully it looks like they used the more stable areas of the prison - because the hospital is in desperate need of repairs as it is.

>>>>>>>>>>>

My assessment - I actually like it. This is a game where people have to think and strategize instead of just one or the other. It is also a bit more challenging and I loved how they had the PA system announce who was ahead because it added to the challenge.

I also liked how they had to go back to start if caught, but apparently if they cleared a zone they can advance to the next round without incident. (The ONLY reasoning I can see as to why Green was so close - they got stopped twice. I only saw the last half hour so I didn't get to read the rules).

I didn't like the green team - they played a strategy that could backfire - follow another team, and then get mad at the red team for that strategy.

My ONLY concern - especially on water challenges - is safety. I hope they have a lot of people on standby just in case something does go wrong. Underwater and ships is an example of risk.

[Bearcata]

I agree with Bearcata - the items were probably added there by production in order to ensure the place isn't damaged in the hunt. Otherwise, they wouldn't have had them do "Finder's Keepers" and look for a key to get out of the jail cell.

The beds and items in the cell are a gimmie - they're not nearly as full as they appeared here when I've looked at pics of the cells.

The tables are usually pretty solid and can take some beating. I would hope that production would have the "security" come in and stop the group if they continued and it looked like damage.

And thankfully it looks like they used the more stable areas of the prison - because the hospital is in desperate need of repairs as it is.

>>>>>>>>>>>

My assessment - I actually like it. This is a game where people have to think and strategize instead of just one or the other. It is also a bit more challenging and I loved how they had the PA system announce who was ahead because it added to the challenge.

I also liked how they had to go back to start if caught, but apparently if they cleared a zone they can advance to the next round without incident. (The ONLY reasoning I can see as to why Green was so close - they got stopped twice. I only saw the last half hour so I didn't get to read the rules).

I didn't like the green team - they played a strategy that could backfire - follow another team, and then get mad at the red team for that strategy.

My ONLY concern - especially on water challenges - is safety. I hope they have a lot of people on standby just in case something does go wrong. Underwater and ships is an example of risk.

Total freak out situation.

[jadewarlock]

Yeah - I agree here. Not that I don't like the idea of them having to try to get out of a ship, as they can be very confusing, it's the safety issue I worry about. When I toured the USS Lexington, they specifically had the path marked on each of the bays to ensure no one fell through a hole or other danger. Only place that was easy to get through was - no surprise - sick bay.

[Bearcata]

Can't stand Lexx of the Green Team. Yuck. Want him to lose. Interesting how I really don't like anyone yet to win, but I know instantly who I don't like.

Oh, doesn't the opening music sound like the Pirates of the Caribbean.

[Florimel]

I thought this might be interesting, and I found myself enjoying it much more than any of the other shows of this type. Why? Because the contestants had to solve problems of different types to win. They had to succeed on their own merits instead of backstabbing their competitors, behavior I don't find entertaining. I agree with Bearcata about Lexx of the Green Team, the only contestants I did not like at all.