I was really looking forward to this show from the first time it was advertised. I have always fit very securely in the nerd demographic. The commercials made it look like it was going to be the new rave in reality television.
It has not lived up to those expectations. There are some interesting participants in the competition. Some of the guests are fun to see. But honestly, I am failing to see the point in the competition. The Throne of Games looks quite stupid and sitting on it seems to be the only prize the winner will get. None of the players really seem motivated to win it. In the episode tonight, Virgil's attitude is the correct one. He has lost all interest because there is no reason to have it. Alana was the only nerd who seemed motivated to win and she was the single most annoying reality show character since Puck in the third Real World.
The competitions are boring. Cosplay is not fun when you make up your own characters. The point of it is that you get to BECOME an actual character in media. If you are just making up costumes and playing, it's not Cosplay. The video game competition had the nerds piloting a hovering device rather than playing video games. The nerdoff sets are subparr compared to Ren Faire sets.
Nothing else about the show works either. Nerdvana as a nerd paradise leaves a lot to be desired. Curtis Armstrong and Robert Carradine's participation seems forced.
All I can say is that it seems like they threw this show together way too quickly. The idea was great, but they should have worked to get sponsors that would make the competition more interesting. They could work with Marvel or Tite Kubo to cosplay Marvel or Bleach. They could have had actual video games on consoles. It is just so unfortunate that such a great idea was so poorly executed.
