LAST EDITED ON 03-23-06 AT 00:47 AM (EST)

"Unan1mous" - The Review
By: Colin Sorensen.
Priemered: March 23, 2006, 8:30p.m
Timeslot: Every Wednesday at 8:30p.m on FOX until May or so.

The Introduction:

T.V -- a major industry in America, and a great form of entertainment all across the world. Myself, in particular, like to watch reality T.V shows on television all the time. In fact, reality is the only prime-time T.V genre that I will watch. Tonight was the priemere of the newest reality show to add to the many already on the air -- and it is an intense one, indeed. I give props to the creator, because the show is fresh, original -- and oh-so-sweet.

The Setup:

What's it about, though? Well, nine "participants" are locked in a "bunker," a.k.a big hole with furniture in it somewhere in a desert. No windows, no clocks, no fresh air -- just an bizarrely designed basement -- and each other. Their goal? Like all reality shows, to win money. 1.5 million to be exact.

The Hard Part:

Everyone wants the cash, obviously, but only one person can have it. And the only way for one to win it is by coming to a unanimous decision on who keeps it (hence the series' name "Unan1mous.") Also, none of the guests may leave the hole until a unanimous decision is made.

The Twists/Turns:

~One person is voted out a week. However, unlike most reality shows, where that ejected person actually leaves, in this show, they can't. No, the producers felt that would be too easy. Those who are voted out stay in the "bunker" with the other guests and vote alongside them for the winner. Their vote counts just as much as everyone else -- but they themselves are not eligible for the prize.

~The clock is ticking. That's right, in this game, every minute that they cannot come to a unanimous vote, the green counter in the corner clicks down one hundred or so more dollars that the overall winner will not get to keep. Just imagine watching that money flash before you, just imagine its count drop down...down...down.

~If anyone at any point chooses to leave the bunker, the current money count is cut in two.

The Good:

I can guarantee you this: it's an interesting show. Never done before. Never in history has a network thrown so much money in people's faces -- telling them that they have to choose the winner. This brings two conflicts up: people want the money for themselves, but the only way to win it are by the votes of the other people. It's almost like holding a candy bar in front of a fat kid and telling him he can't have it. OH, Colin made a funny! Next, it also brings the conflict of "I want to get out of this damned hole, but I also want the money." So the only way to get out of the hole is to be the other people's ##### and vote for them -- but at the same time, you are trying to recruit them to be your own #####. Desire vs. desire. Next, it's awesome that the vote-offs stay in the bunker with the other participants and continue to vote. This gives them two options: vote along with the people and get out the hole, or screw them over, never vote with the group, and then wait for the clock to tick down until all the money is gone and nobody gets it. Wow, it's just so mind-boggling.

The Bad:

The participants. They're crazy as hell. There's some eye candy, I can say that much, but the cast mainly includes idiots. For example, there's a right wing nutcase who has previously stolen from the bank. This same right wing nutcase joined the show with her motto of "money is the root of all evil" -- what a retard. Next, there's rainbow-ey gay guy who bitches about the right wing nutcase's many bible-based opinions, a former mental institute patient, and a fat trucker whose just along for the ride. None of them knew what they were getting themselves into. Secondly, the host looks and acts like a dumbass. He has bleached hair and looks like Clay Aiken. No. That just doesn't work. For one of the darkest and most mysterious reality shows I have ever seen, they definitely should have gotten a host better than a Keebler Elf.

And the UGLY:

Every great show has its flaw. And this show's main flaw -- the one that nearly sent me to the floor from laughter -- and disgust, too -- was the way they vote people off. Don't get this confused with the whole voting-for-da-vinner vote -- this is the weekly vote-off vote. That didn't make sense? I see... Anyways, today, they whipped out these files containing the "darkest secrets of each participant." Keep in mind that these secrets came about before the participants decided they wanted to simulate the World War I bunker experience. Thus, three were randomly selected, and the secrets were revealed.

Secret ..1. Participant X had declared bankruptcy in his/her younger years, even though his/her household made a combined annual salary of over $100,000. Wanna guess who it is? Not surprisingly, this is Ms. Right-Wing-Let's-Preach-About-the-Evils-of-Theft. Pitiful.

Secret ..2: Participant Y had been previosuly caught with live ammunition. I dunno know her name, but t's this one hot chick who I really can't say much about except for the fact that she is, indeed, hot.

Secret ..3: Participant Z had been a registered patient at a crazy house. This guy's like forty years old, and to me, seems a bit odd. My advice? Kick out the right wing freak first -- and then kick this one out later.

Keep in mind that none of the participants knew whose "secret" was whose. So you know what they had to do? They had to choose which "secret" was the worst. The person who bore that secret would immediately be ejected from the game. Such a concept was miserably juvenille. Indeed, the "secrets" were to extreme proportions of unethical behavior, but "secrets" -- and the word, "secret" itself -- should have been left behind in junior high. This was an incredibly lame idea. And whichever dumbass came up with it (that doesn't include the original creator behind the game -- 'cause he's an utter genious) should be shot. That's all I have to say about that.

The Point:

I suppose I'm saying that overall, despite some minor flaws, "Unan1mous" will be an extremely intriguing show. It is definitely a far more twisted and intense social "experiment" than "Survivor" or perhaps even "Big Brother." This show pits man against himself, in the eternal battle against greed.

All in all, I must say that I really hope this show gets a lot of viewers to tune in -- because it deserves nothing less. I give it 3.5 out of 4 stars.