h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Space Cadets seemed a really interesting idea, trick a group of people into thinking they are going on a 5 days space mission on a shuttle type spacecraft using hi-tech trickery, in a mock up craft which never actually leaves the ground.
.....trouble is I was expecting a really serious programme, fooling clever people with technical knowledge, what we ended up with was a DJ turning the programme into a joke, pretending to listen through walls with a glass, and people who seemed to be selected like a Big Brother house crew , lots of freaks and weirdos, with space knowledgable and science based people weeded out.
.....the Russian joke instructor was the last straw, good comedy maybe, but inventive television?

I quite enjoyed it, but my expectations weren't very high. I think the most interestinga spect will be seeing how the actors handle it and, of course, waiting to see what goes wrong.

I ended up missing it.

*s for telly guide*

It wasn't bad, although I'm sure they'll be caught out. The average schmo is gullible but not that gullible.

There seemed to be a frontlash, if you will, with this show. Since when did we, as an audience, disapprove of shows where people are kept in the dark of what's really going on for our private amusement? Game For A Laugh? Candid Camera? How quickly we forget.
Some have said it's cruel to laugh 'at' rather than 'with', but looking at the candidates...
Any of them who hasn't realised that a real space mission is a gruelling ordeal in itself really hasn't understood the situation. I couldn't do it. I dislike coach travel, so sod going into space.
What would be a good show: in a similar vein to 'SAS Are You Tough Enough', etc. but as a serious thing with people who knew what they were letting themselves in for.
I fear the Space Cadets themselves were more focused on the words Endemol and TV than what that might entail.
Sorry to interrupt. Hi Dave.

Did I read somewhere that there was an actor employed as one of the contestants? In case the real contestants cottoned on

....I would never have been selected as I never trust anything that seems the slightest bit unlikely, unless it suited my purposes or was to my advantage to do so.
Also, while everyone was watching the visual effects, I would be checking out the riveting. Such gulability tests that they did are sometimes carried out by stage show hypnotists to find out who is complient, for example who will play along, going along with requests as not wanting to spoil stage show.

As the whole thing is pretty peurile I suppose we should be grateful that they're not taking it seriously.

Hi Dan.

We were discussing this show earlier in the day, wondering what to make of it. Only having the papers' opinions to go on it seemed pointless to speculate.
I agree with SameDUDE, I'd be suddenly preoccupied by structural integrity issues if I found myself apparently bound for space.
No slight intended, but non-American space programs tend to look a lot less comfort-oriented, relatively speaking. I'd be concerned about that, although I'd be reassured by the fact that Russian stuff tends to work pretty well, given enough gaffa tape.
My hopes are not high for this show, but I'll give it a chance. I'm still watching 'Lost', aren't I?

They have 3 actors "on board" - but there is one guy who, in reality, should never have made it through so that is where my suspicions would be aroused.

I don't believe that they will get away with it for long. For a start, how are they going to explain away the lack of zero gravity?

It really is big brother in disguise though.

5/10 so far. I'll wait and see how it develops.

So long as they don't set them any tasks that are too bizarre or seem insufficiently relevant, the producer's should be okay, but I think they'll have to come up with something pretty special if they want anyone to believe they really are in space. Luckily, they seem to have successfully weeded out anybody who knows the first thing about space travel.

Think why I was a little disappointed was that a couple of months ago I was watching a programme about how far people will go to comply. I was hoping Space Cadets would be a serious too, especially when they talked of the millions of pounds involved.
...in the programme I watched, a university set up an experiment that has become a classic, often viewed, and slightly horrific film.
In one room a man is given a list of questions to ask another man in the next room (an actor). The subject of the experiment, the man asking the questions, has a switch that increases the voltage of the shocks that the actor gets if he gets a question wrong.
Each wrong answer is accompanied by a "scream" from the actor in the next room. Some of the people asked to take part walk out as the screams get louder, but one man is filmed giving stronger and stronger shocks to victim as the actor gives wrong answers until eventually the "victim" goes silent and "unconscious", The particiapnt carries on giving shocks as actor is not answering questions, as told to by scientist, until he knows the voltage of electric shocks must have killed actor.
.
.....looking on from the outside it seems unbelievable, but you can tell the man really believed he was giving electric shocks that kill, he was shown to be a very compliant person, perhaps the sort of person who gets talked into helping in murders that most would just walk away from. Perhaps that's why I was expecting a more serious Space Cadets programme, perhaps a few electric shccks would liven it up, lol
.
.....or have I just made this up as a test?
No it was a true but bizzare test.

I heard about the shock experiment. It's interesting that the follow-up show on E4 had Big Brother-style psychological punditry already on the go, and this point of suggestibility was brought up, with regard to getting rid of the candidates likely to rumble the game. I'm sure he likened this to the process by which stage hypnotists pick their 'victims'.

..didn't watch follow up show, was put off by main show, so didn't bother, perhaps may watch repeat if on tomorrow

Didn't watch it. Don't care. but I gather the lack of zero gravity is to be explained away that they aren't that far into space and are still affected by The Earth's pull.

If they've filtered out everyone but the guppies then that explanation should fly, no problem.

I missed the show, but am aware of the premise having read previews. I'm not gutted I missed it.

What they're doing is neither big, nor clever. It is big, and clever, to fool ALL of the people, some of the time. Derren Brown is very good at that, for instance.

It is neither big nor clever to single out stupid people, fool them, then laugh at them for being too stupid to twig. It is especially not big and clever to build a whole show around explicitly weeding out any of those with any glimmer of intelligence likely to "spoil" the "joke".

What next for Endemol? Round up a bunch of people with Downs' Syndrome and sit them above a gunge pit and make them do calculus or get gunged?

That's what this show is, basically, isn't it? "Hey look everybody - no matter how stupid, lowbrow or benightedly uneducated you are, you can at least pat yourself on the back that you're not as witless as these dumbasses."

Well, thanks, Endemol and Channel 4, depressingly I already *know* that the world is full of stupid people, I don't need reminding.

SoRB

Apparently the zero gravity thing is being explained as "you're going to be in near space so there'll be normal gravity."

One reality show I'd pay to see is a bunch of BNP supporters being locked in a house and periodically asked questions about the development of British culture from the Roman occupation onwards (things like "who was the real St. George?" and "Which country did chips first come from?"), whenever they get a question wrong one of the house 'guards' (who will all be from 'ethnic minorities') hits them with a big stick.

I did watch it, mainly because I had managed not to see or hear any of the pre-show hype, and I wanted the telly on in the background while I constructed one of our christmas trees.

I came to the same conclusion as SoRB.

The bit that made me really sad was that the 'contestants' were asked to nominate somebody that they trusted implicitly to make decisions on their behalf. At the point where they had picked their candidates they went to the nominated people and explained the whole deal to them. Don't know how they worded it, I'm guessing they didn't just say 'Hey, we're setting your son/daughter/friend up to look like a total mug on national telly, is that ok?' but apparently not one of the nominated people said no, please don't humiliate my son/daughter/friend. B@st@rds.

I would'nt be supprised if the all of 'shipmates' were actors:

Anyone who really jumped off that bridge last night would have been dead or severly crippled. Surely the "Contestants" would notice the Right hand drive cars with "Russian" plates? What was that bit about the film crew going to a Russian supermarket to buy stuff, "We had to go undercover because the Russian authorities wouldn't let us film"? What authorities? they're taking the Michael!

Also would'nt people notice that the plane would be flying over the North Sea. Khazakstan is a landlocked country, I suppose thats why they flew at night!!!

I did read in the paper at the weekend a suggestion I would sort of like to hope is true: that perhaps we, the audience, are also being hoaxed on some level. The writer was not clear what they meant - I don't think they even knew what they meant - but they felt they couldn't simply accept the show at face value, since it was billing itself as a hoax.

I had thought that it would be kind of cool if they had some sort of challenge for the contestants who went into "space", to the point where one of them was declared the "winner" - at which point it's revealed that, in fact, none of them have been into space and it's all a big joke BUT the prize for the winner is that they get to go into space FOR REAL. *THAT* would be good telly.

However, I can't see that happening, and to an extent, I'm glad - Endemol programmes generally reward the biggest, dullest dumbass they can find, and the concept of the winner getting to do something I'd skin my mother to get a chance at would be galling in the extreme. Given that it would cost the company well over ten million quid I can't see it, somehow.

I do still wonder, though, if after the show is over we won't all be banging our foreheads and going "DOH! Why didn't we SEE that it was a hoax!? They TOLD us it was a hoax!" or some such. I hope so. It would be much more interesting than it simply doing what it currently says on the tin.

SoRB