BLISTERING PACE ON `CHALLENGE'.Byline: - David Kronke `ECO-CHALLENGE,'' Mark Burnett's other reality-game adventure show, has become more like ``Survivor,'' both for good and ill. Its title sequence is an obvious crib, and Burnett has now taken to emphasizing the petty backbiting back·bite v. back·bit , back·bit·ten , back·bit·ing, back·bites v.tr. To speak spitefully or slanderously about (another). v.intr. and bickering bick·er intr.v. bick·ered, bick·er·ing, bick·ers 1. To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel; squabble. See Synonyms at argue. 2. that goes on between team members. Still, ``Eco-Challenge: New Zealand'' rates as a more-interesting show in my book than recent ``Survivor'' series, because the challenge is infinitely rougher and there's less emphasis on characterizations, which tends to get pretty cheesy cheesy (che´ze) caseous. on ``Survivor,'' anyway. Of 67 teams racing through the wilds of New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. - scaling ice-covered mountains, biking in freezing rain Freezing Rain is a type of precipitation that begins as snow at higher altitude, falling from a cloud towards earth, melts completely on its way down while passing through a layer of air above freezing temperature, and then , scrabbling over foot-battering rocky terrain - for 12 grueling days, ``Eco-Challenge'' focuses only on seven: three contenders and four with sundry character intrigue. Team PureNZ.com is the local favorite, sleeping less than five hours in three days in hopes of supplanting last year's winner in Borneo, Team Eco-Internet. A team member dropped in Machiavellian fashion from Team Eco-Internet formed her own Team Earthlink. Of the also-rans, there's Team Go, a self-proclaimed hapless bunch who will be happy simply to finish the course; Team AXN AXN Accion (Spanish: Action) AXN Action Network AXN Autotask Extend Network , three Brazilian women constantly berating the one man in their midst; and Team Moosejaw, led by a woman who proudly serves as ``Eco-Challenge's'' villain, abusing, berating and otherwise alienating her teammates. Since the logistics of shooting this competition are far more strenuous than ``Survivor,'' Holly Hunter has been recruited to provide copious amounts of narration to explain what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. . This results in the sort of editorializing about contestants one usually gets through editing, and there's more description than actual showing of how awful the course is - contestants say, ``At this point, I'm just in survival mode'' a lot. Of course, what is shown is pretty horrible, particularly tight shots of blistered and bloody feet - Amnesty International Amnesty International (AI,) human-rights organization founded in 1961 by Englishman Peter Benenson; it campaigns internationally against the detention of prisoners of conscience, for the fair trial of political prisoners, to abolish the death penalty and torture of should probably be investigating Burnett, not U.S. treatment of Taliban soldiers. ECO-CHALLENGE: NEW ZEALAND - Two and one half stars What: Mark Burnett's other reality-game show, pitting teams against one another on a grueling natural obstacle course. Where: USA Network. When: 8 tonight through Wednesday. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Kathy Lynch, left, and Neil Jones slog across a river on ``Eco-Challenge: New Zealand.'' |
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