10 spoiled brats get flown to a wilderness toughening program, apparently under the impression it would be a retreat. The first challenge? Walk across some bumpy ground. Other lessons include "Can you lower a rope?" and "Can I survive without my makeup?" (which turns out to be irrelevant - false eyelashes, liquid liner, and wigs endure the hardships better than the contestants' egos).
Hard to believe there are people as dumb and entitled as these? That's the point. This is a reality show more like Real Housewives than Alone, but with the addition of a warm fuzzy narrative about personal growth and overcoming self-limiting beliefs. The characters start out unrelatable, but surprisingly grow on you if you let them. The rules are a bit "make it up as you go along" and the "reality" of it is less believable than a Christopher Guest mockumentary (the coaches "spy" on the contestants from "hidden" cams that are obviously hand held by camera operators). But this is a narrative, not a competition.
Thematically, it's the antithesis of the precocious independence exhibited in Japan's "Old Enough." That might not speak highly of Western society, but it may make you feel a personal sense of accomplishment (and superiority) if you've managed to do a load of laundry in the past month. Why do we watch Hoarders or My 600-lb Life? So we can say "At least that's not me," and "Maybe there IS hope for people like that."
If you want steak, look elsewhere, but if you want some good beef filler, check it out!
