The Joe Schmo Show is a reality series in it’s third season and you can watch it Tuesdays on Spike TV. For anyone that missed the first two seasons almost a decade ago, this is not a reality show at all, well except in the eyes of season’s 3 Joe, Chase Rogan, a self employed, married, sports enthusiast who thinks he is on a reality show to compete for a one year contract to become a bounty hunter and $100,000. All of the other participants are actors and everything on the show is scripted to test Chase’s emotions and push his limits. Everything must flow perfectly in order for Chase not to discover that everything is a set up. On more than one occasion the cast and crew have been shaken with slip ups and small incidents that could reveal to Chase that not everyone is who they say they are and bring the entire show screeching to a halt.
The first episode begins with a brief intro into what the show is about and how they picked this season’s Joe. Basically, Chase appeared to be an enthusiastic, self motivated, stand up guy, so he was the one chosen. Once the reality show begins, Chase is introduced to his housemates, all actors, and they jump right into the competition. Exactly what is Chase willing to do to win this competition? You soon realize how far he is willing to go during the “Shocktagon” (an immunity challenge where the participants face off against each other with Tasers) when he is face to face with a pleading widow to accept a tie and not tase her; but, Chase is here to win, ZAP!
The second episode is just as exciting as the first. We know he is willing to tase a poor pleading widow to win but how good of an athlete and competitor is he? Chase and the others are to compete in another immunity challenge in which they are to capture intruders and place handcuffs on the intruders to gain points, the player with the most points at the end of the day wins. Simple right? Wrong. The show almost comes to a stop when Chase is involved in a scuffle trying to cuff an intruder. Chase’s hand slips causing him to smash his own handcuffs into his forehead which results in a trip to the hospital. The cast and crew are completely freaked out, naturally, first for Chase’s safety then for the possibility that the show may be finished. After being checked out by the doctor at the hospital, Chase returns with a clean bill of health and luckily the cuts to his forehead do not require stitches. The show is safe, for now.
Chase has not wasted anytime playing the reality show game. Bringing his strong competitor attitude and forming alliances to get players voted off so he can step closer to that $100,000. It appears his craftiness is paying off. What will he think when he finds out it is all fake? That is the question that keeps going on in our heads, sure he seems like a nice guy, but will he laugh about it with an “oh you guys” type attitude, will he get angry, or will he just simply get upset and break down? My guess is all of the above.
