We are way overdue for a horror-themed reality show, but Guts & Glory somehow misses the mark. Not in the actual competition, but the technical details. Yes, I’m going to talk about pacing and narrative. They are just as important in reality TV as in fiction. Maybe more so.

• Creator: Greg Nicotero
• Starring: Mingus Reedus. Dujuan Thomas. Alexis Scott

The “Real” in Reality

By now, reality TV has been mainstream entertainment for well over thirty years. Audiences are savvier now than when the first season of Survivor aired. We know that storylines are selectively edited, and clips are taken out of context. Producers sit off-camera and ask contestants leading questions in order to create conflict. Going into any reality show, the question then becomes “how fake is this”. 

Guts & Glory seems to be a competition show that relies on a strong narrative.  The competitors have to be invested in the horror of each challenge. And, the audience should be invested in watching them overcome that horror to survive.

However, the challenges themselves aren’t all that challenging and feel more random or luck-based than anything else.  Now, I’m only judging this from three episodes, and the first two really should have been one episode. That’s the pacing issue I mentioned.

The Games

Let’s talk about games for a second, because Guts & Glory has a game problem. The first challenge was a team challenge. The contestants were split into teams, and they had to find statues of cryptids in the woods. They then had to match up the cryptids with the states their legends came from. 

Whichever team did this fastest won and got an advantage for the next challenge. Only there wasn’t really an advantage, more like a punishment.  I don’t believe the outcome had any impact on the next challenge.  Well, I know it doesn’t because no one is eliminated after two episodes.

The third episode has a slightly more challenging game. But it’s still not Fear Factor levels or even Survivor, or the one about the next Scream Queen that came out like fifteen years ago. The winner got a part in one of the Saw movies. The problem with doing a challenge-based reality show now is audiences have seen SO much.  Even if you are putting a horror spin on it, you have to be bigger and better.

Narrative Issues

Good reality shows tell a story over the course of a season, and within the individual episodes. Contestants overcome doubt and personal issues to triumph, or flame out for our entertainment.  

A major flaw with Guts & Glory is that none of these people feel real. The casting of Norman Reedus’ son does not help sell the idea that this is a genuine reality show and not 100% scripted. Which may not be an entirely bad thing, but we’ll get into that later.

There are too many scenes that are overly produced, staged, and blocked to feel real. Also, I refuse to believe that any non-actor has ever been that excited about a Hyundai Tucson. All of this would be fine if it were more entertaining.

This Could be Going Somewhere Good

I don’t know how this is going to end up. I know how I’d like it to end up.  In a perfect world, this cast would be half plants and half real people. Hell, we could get away with only one real contestant here as long as it’s a good one.  This would allow the producers plenty of targets to “kill” over the course of production, and amp up the terror for the real contestants and viewers.  I have high hopes for this being their plan, based on what I’ve seen so far. I just don’t think the surrounding material is executed well.

They could let the audience in on the gag or not. It’s fun not knowing who could die, but it could be more fun watching the real contestants be played. This could help build the narrative by firmly establishing the facts vs fiction, which is something the current iteration of the show is missing. The whole thing feels too much like fiction.

So, What is the Point?

“Blair Witch meets Survivor” is the pitch. It’s repeated enough in the marketing and even when Greg Nicotero finally meets the contestants towards the end of episode 2. It should be more fun watching people get scared by his effects.   It should also be more interesting to watch people get eliminated. 

Final Thoughts

All that being said, I’ll probably keep watching Guts & Glory, at least for a few more episodes. I like Nicotero and his work enough to give this a little longer to see how it evolves. Plus, I do want to support horror-themed reality shows. That’s the only way we’ll get more.

Guts & Glory is streaming on shudder