I Want to be a Superhero.

A simple look at my origin story reveals how early my dangerous dips into escapism truly began. While I've always loved fiction, particularly sequential art, reality seldom compared to my dreams and the imagination of gifted writers and artists. Reality television is especially bad, and a trend I got tired of early on. The original Survivor was a novelty that hooked me, but now every reality show including sequels to Survivor fall into the same tired format of elimination. It's interesting to a degree, especially with the right people, but at the core it's all the same show, even if those being voted off can sing. Since then, very few reality shows appealed to me. I watched the first two seasons of The Surreal Life that ran on normal television, and appreciated the “where are they now?” factor, even if “stars” from reality shows were included among actual actors and musicians. Most of the time the shows had a decent premise if unoriginal, but there would be the occasional show like Temptation Island that would be pure evil. The divorce rate is high enough in this country and the concept of a monogamous relationship is swiftly becoming a dinosaur. Did we really need a show designed to test, and inevitably break up, couples? Then there was My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé which was a different kind of evil, one big and thoroughly enjoyable practical joke in which a girl thinks she's conning her family into thinking she's marrying this slob so she can win a million dollars, when in fact the slob is an actor and the joke is on her.

It's rare that I'd find reality television brilliant and entertaining, until I heard early reviews of Who Wants to Be a Superhero? from fellow comic book geeks Rey and Jerry. I'd read about the concept a few months ago over at TVGoddess, and Jerry let me know last week that full episodes could be found at SciFi.com. I missed the first episode but caught last week's, as well as the one they have up this week. Suffice to say, I'm hooked. I'll be getting in to specifics from here on out, so spoiler warning for those that care.

The concept is fairly simple and highly creative. People from all walks of life, not just your standard cos-playing comic book convention fare, auditioned in various costumes and identities. It's all in fun; no one really has powers or thinks they do. Adults are play-acting, getting in touch with their more creative younger sides, and the prize will be a comic book and a television movie based on the character each contestant has created. The script is more obvious here than in any other reality show, but it's an intentional drama, a mix of comic book sensibilities and reality show personality clashes. Anyone that's ever read comics, especially those created by show creator and host Stan Lee, can appreciate the plot and requirements. The contestants go through tests of character and while they should be on their guard, don't always know when they're being tested. One challenge required them to find someplace to change from their civilian clothes to their costume without being seen. Most of them ran past a little girl crying for her mother, but one stopped and scooped her up, calling out for her parents. Last week an elderly woman was locked out of her house, and the heroes had to get past two trained attack dogs to reach her back door. It's not a test I would have passed, even with the padded costumes they provided. This week's episode had the appearance of a physical challenge along the lines of Fear Factor. Each hero had to cross a narrow beam between two tall buildings blindfolded to rescue a girl. The twist was that the beam was in fact across a mat on one roof, but they didn't know that. The test measured courage, not as Stan put it, their “ability to fly”.

There are those who have criticized the show, even laughed at the participants. The satire may be lost on some, as well as the sensibilities of the show. The idea is for these people to immerse themselves into the roles they're playing, to have fun and believe they're these characters, following comic book logic. In one test this week, they were sent out to a restaurant, unaware that there was a test involved. Many introduced themselves by their real name and even divulged the nature of the show they were doing. This proved to be a tragic error for at least one of the group. I think most adults are afraid to dress up and have fun. It takes alcohol to dance or sing karaoke. We confuse growing up and maturity with repressing our fun side, and very few let their inner children out to play without artificial inhibition lifters. Who Wants to Be a Superhero? pokes fun at both the reality show and comic book genres, without insulting fans of either. The colorful characters and trademark Stan Lee plot twists give the show a dynamic energy, injecting an “I can't wait to see what happens next week!” into a reality show rather than a blatantly fictional drama.

I have characters I like, and ones I don't. Some of my favorites are already gone, and this past week was a tough one. I'll close with a rundown on the cast:

Feedback: When things happen on the show, he has the best facial expressions. His Overdramatic Look of Concern™ is hilarious. I'm not sure if his character is finalist material or sidekick material, but his video game absorbing powers are definitely timely in an age where consoles are more popular than comics.

Fat Momma: An unlikely superhero, she's been criticized both on and off camera for being a bad role model for children. She gets strength from donuts which she always wears around her belt. They didn't help her when she had to outwit dogs. Along with Feedback, she was the only hero to stay in character in the restaurant though, and she has humor and determination. I can't see her winning, but she could surprise me.

Nitro G: He was eliminated in the first episode during the costume change challenge. As bad as it was for a hero to run past a crying child, it was worse that he changed into his costume in broad daylight in the middle of a park, to the amusement of onlookers. A character like that wouldn't last long in the hero business.

Lemuria: She's beautiful, looks great in her costume, and her character can fly and do various things with light and energy. Physically, she failed to get past the dogs and was actually dragged across the yard by them. She's also shown some attitude in a recent clash with Fat Momma. Still, she's currently the last of the three contestants to look like idealized comic book super heroines. Will she make it to the finals?

Iron Enforcer:
I didn't like this guy until the twist in the second week. A would-be action star, he carried a large gun and walked around shirtless, more of an anti-hero. After he was kicked off because of these traits, Stan approached him to become a villain. It's an interesting role and adds an authentic wrinkle from the genre to the show. I thought the revelation of the “Dark Enforcer” to the other heroes was a little rushed in the third episode, but this is only a six episode series. In a comic book or drama, such a character would have developed over a season before the big revelation.

Monkey Woman:
Alas, poor Monkey Woman. She was my favorite female, a 28-year-old beauty with bananas on her belt and a lot of heart. Though she failed to stop for the little girl in the first episode, she demonstrated the greatest physical prowess, scrambling up into a tree to change into her costume! She really won me over in the second episode with the dog challenge though. Most contestants either succeeded in reaching the door in a few minutes, or cried “uncle!” early on to call the dogs off. Monkey Woman cried out in pain at the first bite, but shouted that she would not be stopped. After a struggle of nearly TEN minutes, she succeeded, winning the challenge and my heart. What better match for a dog-fearing Mysterious Cloaked Figure than a dog-proof Monkey Woman? Tragically, she admitted her real name to a waiter in the third episode, and went on to divulge the full details of the show and give him tips about great web sites for aspiring actors, admitting that she herself wanted to be an actress. Stan was adamant that no superhero EVER reveals his or her identity, perhaps unaware of a recent storyline in which one of his creations did the very thing he never would have done when Stan was still writing his adventures. In disgust he dismissed Monkey Woman, despite a heartfelt plea on her part. I wanted to see her win, but maybe now I have a shot with her...

Major Victory:
With puns, a cape, and red tights, he's somewhat generic. He's completely immersed in the role and acts like he just stepped out of four color funny pages, but there's nothing original about his characters look or abilities. Still, he does ham it up whether calling out for a child's parents or flirting with a girl he's saving from a burning building. A comic book in which the hero tells the damsel to grab on to his “sexy hips” might be fun to read. In the dog challenge, he quipped that his new name might be “Major Dogfood.” He might not win, but I see him making it to the finals with a cornball sensibility a writer like Stan appreciates.

Cell Phone Girl:
Like Feedback, her cell phone powers definitely made her a hero for today's world. She was very pretty, but very high maintenance. She gave up on the dog challenge in the second episode because of a headache, which she still complained about when Stan was deciding whether or not to eliminate her. Comic books depict people with extraordinary abilities doing extraordinary things, often overcoming great pain and injuries. Bullets don't stop most heroes, let alone a headache. No one will be calling Cell Phone Girl for help.

Ty'Veculus:
Ty was my first choice among the male superheroes. I had predicted he, Monkey Woman, and Major Victory would make it to the finals, but in the same episode we said goodbye to Monkey Woman we bid Ty'Veculus farewell too. Besides his character having a great look and back story, his real life experience as a Fireman gave him an edge when it came to safety and physical challenges. He often offered advice and was a friend to the other contestants, and his first real stumble was during a costume makeover. Stan intentionally gave him a horrible-looking costume, but his instinct was to respect Stan and tell him he loved it. When the others, especially Feedback, mocked him, he revealed his displeasure. Stan made him switch back to his original costume that he made himself, and later chided him for being dishonest and not admitting right away he didn't like the new costume. In this week's episode, he revealed his secret identity to a cute waitress, slipping her a peek at his driver's license. He would survive to pass the physical challenge of courage in crossing the beam blindfolded, as would all the remaining heroes. Stan then asked each of them to nominate someone for elimination. With the exception of Ty'Veculus and Fat Momma, everyone else voted for themselves, showing the self-sacrifice needed for a hero. Fat Momma nominated Feedback and Ty nominated Lemuria, who was definitely floored by it. It was a tough call but for this Stan chose Ty as the next to be eliminated. Many of the others embraced him, sorry to see him go.

Creature:
In the second episode, the heroes were asked to write anonymous questions and comments about each other. One wondered if Creature ever washed her hair, and that sums up her character as much as anything else. She laughed through the dog challenge in week two and flirted away with a waiter after telling him her real name in week three. She comes across as more of a super-skank than a super-heroine. Her one bright moment was the sincerity with which she nominated herself to be eliminated at the end of the third episode. She was first to do so, and maybe it was an act, knowing that self-sacrifice would impress Stan and it was what he wanted to hear. It bought her at least another week though, but I wonder if she'll make it to the end.

Levity:
This guy never even made it into the superhero lair in the first episode. A hidden camera on a planted contestant named “Rotiart”(Traitor) revealed that Levity was on the show to promote action figures. Dressing up in a costume as a marketing scheme makes sense in the real world, but not in a world Stan Lee takes as seriously as his fans.

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After three episodes only five remain: Major Victory, Feedback, Fat Momma, Lemuria, and Creature. I expect Victory and Feedback will survive the fourth episode, although it's possible Feedback may screw up or be foiled by the Dark Enforcer who promised to “get him” in this past episode. Of the three remaining females, I'd like to see Lemuria get through another week but I wonder if Fat Momma might get by once again. I'm not expecting Creature to last much longer, but then I didn't think she'd outlast Monkey Woman or Ty'Veculus. I predict the final three will either be Major Victory, Feedback and Lemuria, or Major Victory, Fat Momma and Lemuria. And like Stan, I probably take my inner child a little too seriously as well.