Inherent to the concept ofreality televisionis a viewer being able to look at the screen, see the challenges contestants are fighting through, and tell themselves, “I can do that!” It’s a sentiment at the heart of many shows, though in a medium filled with premises that rely on a person finding their inner strength to succeed, the newestFoxreality series,Extracted,does something different. Created bySylvester Stallone, this series, at first, seems like something audiences have seen before. A group of wannabe survivalists are dropped in the harsh wilderness and forced to survive not only the complex challenges thrown at them but also the dangerous forces of nature. But the series subverts expectations by adding another factor into the mix: a pair of family members who, if at any point they see the player suffering too much, can extract them from the game, costing their team $250,000but ensuring the person’s safety. It’s a tumultuous setup that puts families in a tough dilemma that anybody would struggle with…well, almost anyone. Because, I’ll be honest,from the moment I heard about this series, I knew I could easily win it— because there is no way my family is pulling me out if it cost them $250,000.
‘Extracted’ Offers a New Kind of Reality Challenge
In a genre where an oversaturation of similar concepts makes it hard for new shows to distinguish themselves,Extractedstands out by synthesizing the high emotions of certain shows with the dire survivalism of others. The families of its main competitors are forced to watch from a secure Headquarters as the players struggle in the forest, each person not being able to really enjoy their safety as they’re granted a 24-hour video feed of their loved one grappling with intense hunger, crippling temperatures, and eventhe unseen dangers of curious (and very deadly) wildlife. It’s an intimate look into their struggles that makes each challenge so impactful. Both the people in the forest and those at Headquarters take part in challenges to get the survivalists vital resources. It’s a series that relishes putting people into impossible situations, reiterating how life-changing that cash prize is but forcing the families to confront just what they’re putting their kin through to win it. Yet, as I watched the first few episodes, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the many scenes of families crying and considering extraction barely two days into the experiment. Let’s be clear. I love my family, and I know they love me,but there is no world where they take me out of that forest.
In a move that would surely bite me later on, if I were to go on this show, I would select my sister and one of my cousins to act as the family members in charge of my fate because I know they’d never pull me out. Maybe it’s because we’re Gen Z, maybe it’s because our upbringing has taught us to laugh through some of the hardest moments life can throw at you, but I can already envision them mockingmy paltry attempts to be an outdoorsmanwhile the people around cry over their loved ones' struggles. Sure, they’d be concerned if I started getting sick or failed to start a fire, but I know that they’d make some joke about how dumb I looked and yell at me through the screen for at least a week before the thought of pulling me out even crossed their mind. Honestly, I can’t be mad at this knowledge — because I’d do the exact same! I’m unsure if readers can relate to this, but I can say as someone who has so much love and compassion for my family that if they messed up so bad that I had to pull them out early,they would never hear the end of it for as long as we live.It’s how we were brought up, a hilariously sardonic form of affection that I know would make winningExtractedthe easiest reality television experience I could ever ask for.
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Now, who knows what would happen? Maybe my family would surprise me should I ever get cast onExtracted. Maybe their empathy would earn me an early out. Or, more likely, maybe I’d make such an unbelievably dire mistake that they’d be forced by production to remove me from the game. The world of reality television is unpredictable, and neither fans nor participantscan know how things will turn out— but I know my family. I know my sister, who still mocks me for that one time I gave myself a black eye as a kid, and I know my many cousins who meet any of my attempts at genuine admissions of love with complaints over how my mushiness is “killing the vibe.” These facts exist along with the steadfast knowledge that they love me, a combination of humor and heart that I know would carry us to the end ofExtractedwith that $250,000 safely secured. On the individual side, I’m unsure how I’d do, though I know, at the very least, I’d be struggling every single day I was out there trying to rely on a knowledge of nature I really don’t have. But, honestly, I think I would still find moments in that harsh wildlife to laugh at myself and make jokes over my crappy situationbecause I’d know that my family is watching my every bumbling misstep, doing the exact same thing.
Extractedis streaming on Hulu in the U.S.
