The idea is simple: a semi-gross Beat the Clock played in pitch darkness. They borrow the trapdoor exit gimmick from Russian Roulette, too. I've always had a weakness for stunt games, so I'm not gonna slam this one too hard. And I was happy the grossness quotient was kept under reasonable control. The worst thing the contestants had to do was stick their hands into a box full of cockroaches. That's almost pleasant compared to Fear Factor.
There are three rounds, with the lowest-scoring contestant literally falling down the hatch after each round. Jaleel White hosts competently at best. His voice has always lacerated my eardrums, but he can't help that. The pace is not breakneck, with lots of taped comments from the contestants used as padding. Prize money is cable-chintzy, five grand to the winner.
By now you may have guessed that Total Blackout offers little that hasn't been seen before on the shows I've already mentioned...except the creepy darkness. And once the darkness gets old, after five minutes or so, the show feels like a complete retread. Total Blackout isn't terrible. It's just the same old stuff.
UPDATE: SyFy likes the ratings in the dark. Total Blackout pulled 1.33 million total viewers and 678K of those 18-49 folks so loved by advertisers.
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