OPED17 The Chamber

A recent game show addition to the "reality TV" programming that is proliferating on US television was Fox's 'The Chamber.' You'll notice the use of 'was' rather than 'is'. This is because this show was cancelled almost immediately after it started. The premise of the show was as follows:

Two contestants first "face off in a duel of the minds." The winner "obtains the right to enter 'The Chamber'. "Once you enter 'The Chamber' there is no turning back. Human endurance will be stretched to its very limits. Once inside 'The Chamber' they must endure psychological, physical, and environmental pressures.... all while attempting to enter questions for cash value. As time passes, the opportunity for greater rewards increases.... 'The Chamber' has two distinct modes - hot and cold." The player can leave 'The Chamber' by saying 'stop' or if their stress levels exceed safe levels. Curiously enough, no matter the stress level that the contestants were subjected to, they never seemed to want to leave 'The Chamber' and were usually forced out by getting answers wrong or by exceeding their stress levels.

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Hmm, 'The Chamber' seems to bear more than a passing resemblance to.... 'The Senate' Two contestants vie for the right to enter, but only one can. While in 'The Chamber' it blows hot and cold, in 'The Chamber' they undergo continuous pressure, in 'The Chamber' the chase for cash is continuous, the players very rarely leave 'The Chamber' unless defeated or forced to leave, in 'The Chamber' 180 degree turns are commonplace, etc. The parallels go on and on.... And yet another - just as the viewing public finds it hard to get excited about C-SPAN, so too 'The Chamber' got low ratings, hence the cancellation.

All kidding aside, sometimes one can only shake one's head at the antics of the players in 'The Chamber', oops, make that 'The Senate'. Some recent examples:



© SNi 02/12/2002