Stunts

Been watching some episodes of Minute To Win It on GSN. What is so appealing about stupid human tricks, otherwise known as stunts?

It's hard to say when I think about it, and I probably shouldn't think about it. After a while I do feel a little dumb watching people bounce ping-pong balls into fishbowls and slap balloons around in the air. So I just tell myself that it's harmless fun. If contestants can make money from such silliness, who am I to argue?

We all have to do something to pass the time, even if the time is only a few minutes on TV. And to be fair, Minute does test some genuine athletic abilities, like reaction time and coordination.

When stunts get too gross, like scorpion-eating on Fear Factor, I tend to check out. But the Fieri festival stops way short of that. In fact, the stunts on Minute tend to be less messy than the ancient Beat the Clock. Which of course is the stuntfest that started it all.

Ever since Bud Collyer yelled "stop the clock," people have been watching other people do stupid tricks on TV. It's brainless, it's silly, it's the empty calories of a media diet. But I can watch PBS documentaries some other time.