Thursday, January 22, 2004
Surviving Nugent 1
I was reluctant to report on the events of the last couple of weeks, just in case such a report would hamper the production. Now that it is done, I can make some statements about what I was up to during that time.
I managed to land a job working on VH1's reality-TV show entitled, "Surviving Nugent". If you caught the original airing of the 2-hour special on 5 Oct 2003, or the repeat on 18 Jan 2004, you saw how the producers have combined aspects of "The Osbornes", "Survivor", and perhaps "Big Brother" to make a wild and perverse show involving contestants, a rock star, and a lot of juvenille pranks and prizes.
A number of the mind games that "Nugent" played (none of this was Nugent's plan, of course -- it was all the dream of the producers) were also played on the crew. For instance, on Day 1 of production, one of the contestants (who is actually a stuntman) fakes an injury that is meant to drive home the "reality" of the show to the other contestants. The frantic call goes out over the radio for a medic. The EMTs who are on standby at the set rush into action, and make a call for a helicopter to expedite transport of the injured "contestant" to the nearest hospital. For the next few minutes, the producers act like it's the end of the show, their careers, and reality television. It is not until the 1st AD goes to the front gate to stop the ambulance that we begin to wonder whether this is just a gag, which, of course it was. Needless to say, the EMTs were beside themselves with anger over having been used in this "Cry Wolf" stunt.
News reports have also been made about the real injury that Ted Nugent suffered on that same day. While illustrating the "chores" that the contestants would be expected to perform while on the ranch, "Uncle Ted" grew fatigued and let a chainsaw slip, cutting into his left knee. He was hobbled for a couple of days, but was able to continue with the show.
Into every show, a few mishaps must fall. On the prep day, the truck that was meant to deliver a modular office building to the ranch site demolished the Nuge's front security gate, at a cost of about $10,000.00. A couple of rain-soaked days wreaked havoc on some delicate electronic gear. The rains also made travel across the unpaved pastures treacherous, leading to the formation of a number of mud baths.
more later...
I managed to land a job working on VH1's reality-TV show entitled, "Surviving Nugent". If you caught the original airing of the 2-hour special on 5 Oct 2003, or the repeat on 18 Jan 2004, you saw how the producers have combined aspects of "The Osbornes", "Survivor", and perhaps "Big Brother" to make a wild and perverse show involving contestants, a rock star, and a lot of juvenille pranks and prizes.
A number of the mind games that "Nugent" played (none of this was Nugent's plan, of course -- it was all the dream of the producers) were also played on the crew. For instance, on Day 1 of production, one of the contestants (who is actually a stuntman) fakes an injury that is meant to drive home the "reality" of the show to the other contestants. The frantic call goes out over the radio for a medic. The EMTs who are on standby at the set rush into action, and make a call for a helicopter to expedite transport of the injured "contestant" to the nearest hospital. For the next few minutes, the producers act like it's the end of the show, their careers, and reality television. It is not until the 1st AD goes to the front gate to stop the ambulance that we begin to wonder whether this is just a gag, which, of course it was. Needless to say, the EMTs were beside themselves with anger over having been used in this "Cry Wolf" stunt.
News reports have also been made about the real injury that Ted Nugent suffered on that same day. While illustrating the "chores" that the contestants would be expected to perform while on the ranch, "Uncle Ted" grew fatigued and let a chainsaw slip, cutting into his left knee. He was hobbled for a couple of days, but was able to continue with the show.
Into every show, a few mishaps must fall. On the prep day, the truck that was meant to deliver a modular office building to the ranch site demolished the Nuge's front security gate, at a cost of about $10,000.00. A couple of rain-soaked days wreaked havoc on some delicate electronic gear. The rains also made travel across the unpaved pastures treacherous, leading to the formation of a number of mud baths.
more later...
posted by Michelangelo at 12:17
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