After only a handful of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances all through two hours of working time, you’ll barely be capable to inform that Gus Kenworthy is without doubt one of the 16 contestants on the brand new actuality competitors “Special Forces: World’s Hardest Check.”
Which makes him, for the primary episode, one of many fortunate ones.
It’s a present constructed across the premise: “What if we took essentially the most grueling navy workouts recognized to man and inflicted them on Dr. Drew?” In its premiere episode, “Special Forces” combines base-level armed-forces worship with a discomforting sense of voyeurism to provide probably the most distressing actuality TV collection in fairly some time.
If the primary episode is any indication of how the present will play out, the much less display time Kenworthy will get, the higher off he’ll be.
There are just a few fleeting glimpses of the Olympian because the collection begins, however every one is minimize so rapidly, it appears like Fox employed Michael Bay to personally edit the Kenworthy footage.
His noteworthy look within the first 90 minutes options one of many Special Forces employees barking out, “What I would like you to do proper now’s strip!” Instantly, the director cuts to Kenworthy’s first close-up as he goes shirtless.
That’s the excessive level of the episode.
“Special Forces” makes an attempt to arrange a again story for a lot of the contestants, with a number of of them explaining the life classes they hope to be taught by placing themselves by means of this problem.
However regardless of their finest efforts to persuade us that they’re making an attempt to make use of the “Special Forces” coaching to find a way of accomplishment or develop into a greater individual, the message that comes throughout from lots of the folks most-featured on this first episode is “I simply actually need to be on TV.”
Kenworthy doesn’t even price a single talking-head section regardless of being the one out homosexual contestant trying Special Forces navy workouts. It wouldn’t take a lot to create a story of his achievements serving as a rebuke of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Inform.” Maybe a future episode may even go there.
The Navy SEAL and Marine employees are performed up as all-knowing demigods whose accomplishments within the area of battle are the one ones of any value.
Within the face of their navy superiors, the collection takes each alternative to make star athletes like Kenworthy, Mike Piazza and Dwight Howard appear to be fools and frauds. That is in all probability meant to arrange studying moments and redemption arcs down the road, however given the abusive nature of every problem, it simply appears like we’re watching every movie star being tortured for having human faults and feelings.
Whereas “Special Forces” needs to current itself as a heroic story, I personally discover extra heroism and inspiration in 30 seconds of HBO’s traveling-drag-queen actuality present “We’re Right here.”
Lastly, 90 minutes into the episode, Kenworthy earns a passing point out as he completes a problem crossing over a 300-foot ravine on two items of rope. The truth that his success is handled fleetingly, whereas Howard’s failure is given a number of minutes of screentime, reveals what the present is all about.
He might’ve fared worse. Spice Lady Mel B and Jamie Lynn Spears have their private traumas was painfully cringe-worthy and exploitive actuality present “moments.” Spears is even pressured to delve into her tragedy with the SEAL and Marine employees after she fails one more excessive problem.
Whereas the collection appears to say the contestants can resolve their life’s issues by participating in troublesome duties like diving backwards out of a helicopter, I feel I’d simply select remedy.
Hopefully the thrill Kenworthy generates in future episodes of “Special Forces” will assist him land extra work as he pursues an performing and media profession. As his social media demonstrates, he’s a enjoyable and likable digital camera presence who’s wasted on the premiere of such a self-serious and joyless actuality present.
On the finish of the premiere, one of many “developing subsequent week” clips depicts Kenworthy being berated by the employees. And though nobody needs to see him harangued like that, hopefully that’s a harbinger that “Special Forces” will give him extra airtime within the weeks to return.
In spite of everything, he’s one of many few who succeeded at a problem and his story as an excessive sports activities barrier breaker deserves to be advised.
