Sirène: L'île aux survivantes

There will be a temptation for some to liken Siren to long-running strategy and survival shows like Survivor, or physical competitions like the recent Physical: 100. However, whilst Siren takes inspiration from many of its predecessors, it is different in several key ways and these differences culminate in a reality television show that is superior to most in this genre.

Unlike Survivor and Physical: 100, there is no product placement and Siren is noticeably free of advertising throughout. This means the show is always focused on the contestants and the competition - there are no distractions. For a Korean reality television show, Siren does a good job minimising the amount of multiple angle replays and lacks the usual screen clutter from jokes and pop-up information. It is also less sneaky in its use of editing to suggest a false narrative, though there are still some minor moments when the editors are clearly lying to the audience. Siren also distances itself from both these shows, and most other reality programs, in its distinct lack of interviews with the contestants. Whilst they do turn up occasionally to offer some insight, these interviews are usually professional and free from fake drama. The overwhelming majority of the show is live footage and this really improves its pacing.

Siren is also unique in its blend of survival, strategy/diplomacy and physical competition. The survival aspect is persistent in the background throughout, but it's less extreme than Survivor, in which contestants regularly face medical emergencies. The participants in Siren are almost always physically capable of performing at their best thanks to this and the competition benefits from it. Furthermore, whilst diplomacy and strategy are still present and important, Siren doesn't suffer from Survivor's problem where strong opponents are unfairly eliminated early and the winner is often an undeserving "nice guy" caricature. Contestants are rewarded for their teamwork and ability in Siren. Unlike in Physical: 100, however, the ultimate winner is not necessarily the strongest all-around competitor and the show is less predictable as a result. Here, Siren manages to strike a unique balance between different aspects of this genre to create something that is both fairer and more exciting.

The show is not without some problems, but these are all relatively minor and do not have a significant impact on the viewing experience. Some sections of the competition feel underutilised and lacking - perhaps there was not enough interesting footage to work with? The pacing of the show is good, but at times it almost feels a little too fast with some teams and contestants getting noticeably less screen time. Again, this is perhaps due to a lack of usable footage but it does result in some teams being significantly less interesting than others. There are also some questionable refereeing decisions, though thankfully these do not impact the fairness of the result.

Overall, Siren is competitive reality television done right. It avoids most of the problems that commonly plague this genre whilst retaining a unique blend of the most exciting aspects. There is still a lot more than can be done with this format and I hope these possibilities are explored in the future.

OMG, I have never seen a show like this before!

These women are so strong, powerful, confident and resourceful! I wish I could be as strong as them! They are from professions that people tend to think are only for men, but they prove that such assumption is so wrong. That is the Power of Women!

The show is so real, you can never predict what will happen in the next moment. To survive the island, to be strong is not enough. You also have to be smart. You need to hide yourself from your enemy, but you also need to know more about your enemy. The part that each team tries to confuse other teams is so interesting and hilarious, because as the audience, you know all the tricks they play.

Looking forward to the next season!!!

Woah! I've never watched a full season in a day until now. I just couldn't stand stopping when the episodes ended. I literally called people and changed plans for my day. They shirked the 'every episode follows a format' concept, and my guess is that they shot and captured everything that was interesting and wisely divided it up into 40 minute segments regardless of where things would leave off or how many episodes it would amount to. It was an intense watch, but you couldn't cleanly break from the show for a day or so between episodes because most of them left off mid-challenge/battle. My congratulations to the victorious team (though I rooted for others for most of the show). I hope the next season comes fast, and I also hope more countries follow this show's example. From the U. S., hats off to South Korea for their amazing talent for drama and excitement! Many of us are watching closely, excited for much of what your country churns out. Keep it up and we love you! Maybe later seasons will feature the best teams from different countries, or even the best players comprising teams to represent each country. Who knows. This show was an inspiring breakthrough! Yet another in a long line of great South Korean creations!!!

It's been so long since I've watched a show with such great premise, execution, fairness, rivalry, and camaraderie. I absolutely fell in love with the firefighters, and they have inspired me so much to be stronger myself. This is a show for people who love rooting for underdogs! For such a competitive and at times anxiety-inducing show, the ending was also very heartwarming. You can tell the women really enjoyed their time on the show and genuinely loved competing against one another and with one another. Even in the last moments, they were smiling at each other while proclaiming that they were excited to go down fighting together. THAT is a great reality survival show! I was yelling and freaking out and celebrating audibly at many different times; I recommend this to everyone.

This variety show shows great commercial value and personal charm, which is completely worthy of being made into a series and giving birth to a series of related movies and themed games! And the feminist light it shows is unprecedented!

Hope to make this series more people see! Not only do women like us who are still struggling for a better life need, but most importantly, our children need such female role models! The ambition, strategy, solidarity, and care they show in it have never been fully displayed by female reality shows in the past! My friends and I are very, very, very loving it!

Guys pls watch (begging with my knees)