Surviving Paradise

Lefkada is a beautiful island! Unfortunately, we hardly got to see it in that ill-fated TV programme. It could have been shot in a studio, with the camping part outside in the car park. Everything looked extremely cheap, from the house with the cheesy lights to the terrible acting of the contestants. I kept watching, hoping that the challenges would get more interesting. But when the camping group's challenge was to swim across the just 300 feet wide natural lake of Lefkada, a task that would take even the most inexperienced swimmer less than 3 minutes, I gave up. This show is rubbish and I wish I hadn't stuck it out for 5 episodes.

When british TV producers tailor a show in a way they think is suitable for an American audience, the result is offensive to everyone. A group of airheads, most with their faces coverd in a thick layer of make-up, are flown to an exotic paradise to fight survivor-style for their place in a luxurious villa. Except, the exotic paradise is the well loved and very well civilised holiday location Lefkada in Greece. Every piece of "wilderness" on this island can be traversed by a leisurely walk of no more than an hour, and the luxury resort is an ordinary hotel with some added lights. The contestants look and behave like your average Youtube or Instagram influencer - spoiled, loud and obnoxious.

I love reality tv and game shows, but this was bad.

1. There is no true "survival" aspect. The camp is right on the edge of the villa, so close they can hear their music. They are given tarps, sleeping gear, fire, etc. They easily win food within the first day, and there is truly nothing grueling other than not being able to shower. Plus, they are only there for about 10 days, according to one of the confessional segments.

2. The "paradise" aspect is weak. It's literally just living in a nice villa and chef-made meals. There were no extravagant reward trips, no chance to win extra money or prizes, no being waited on hand and foot, no fun parties other than the guests pulling out cheap wine and splashing around in a pool.

3. There is no way to play the game as the rules seem to be made up as the production team went. I love twists in a game, but you have to give the contestants a chance to understand what they are playing.

4. Every relationship in the house seemed incredibly forced. When you watch it, you will know exactly what I mean.

Overall, this was awful. Skip it.

Honestly, I generally keep quiet on these things, and I absolutely love reality TV, but this show has zero strategy, and the winners were chosen purely based on popularity. It's incredibly frustrating to watch a game where the outcome is determined not by skill, intelligence, or strategy, but by who has the most followers or can play to the crowd's favor. The true losers in this scenario were the kind and selfless players who genuinely put their hearts into the competition, only to be overshadowed by those who were more popular. It's disheartening to see such a lack of meritocracy. No one with a genuine love for competition will enter this show.

I think this gets a bad rep but I found it really entertaining & gripping. What I like about it is it actually challenges the contestants compared to say something like too hot too handle which hardly seems a big challenge to the average person. I also like that the producers came up with innovative ideas and twists unlike a lot of these types of programmes, it was hard to predict how it was going to go.

The only downside was there was a horrid character on the show who I don't think should have got screen time but then again it did make it more entertaining even though I was getting frustrated at them Overall I liked that it showed the power of comfort and money and how it can affect people's morals etc.