Previewing The Hero

Finally The Rock has come back to TNT. And this time it is not for the 500th re-airing of Walking Tall but as the host of the new reality show The Hero. You may ask yourself why you need to watch a new competition series especially from a network that gave you the underwhelming The Great Escape last year. Well first off: it is being hosted by The Rock. Second, what else do you need to know besides it being hosted by The Rock?

Okay, to be honest, the rules to The Hero are a bit convoluted; they make the rules to The Voice seem simple in comparison. Let me see if I get it straight. There are nine “heroes” who never get voted off. In each episode, there are two challenges, one done by a group of six (so three sit around in an apartment). But of the six, only four compete in the first part of the challenge. Then three of them (which does not have to be two of the people who sat out the first part) take part in the second and final leg of the challenge and if they complete it in time, it makes the final easier.

The second challenge is a solo challenge that one of the three contestants that completed in the second leg of the team challenge competes in and is chosen by the other six contestants. Now here is where it gets more interesting (and even more confusing), if the person in solo challenges completes it in time, (s)he will win money. Now (s)he will have the chose to put it into the pot where the winner of The Hero will get it all which could be up to one million dollars or keep it to themselves and just go back and tell everyone else they lost the challenge without anyone else being the wiser. And if that is no enough, every once and a while, The Rock will pull a contestant aside and offer them up some money to put the people competing in the team challenge at a disadvantage (keep in mind there are only seven episodes so there may be two or less contestants that never participate in the solo challenge). And before you think it is an easy decision to take as much money for yourself, they have to keep in mind that the winner of The Hero will be chosen by you the viewer at the end of the season and you may not be quick to pick someone who would lie for money.

Aside from the headache inducing rules, another drawback is the contestants range from boring to annoying, there really is not anyone after one episode I am really ready to had as much as one million dollars to. There is your token blunt black chick that was quick to let everyone know right off the bat she would take keep the money for herself if she chance. There is the crying mom (warning Survivor watchers: you will have Dawn flashbacks). There are two alpha males who are quick to assert their own dominance. And I am sure Mitt Romney would hate the New England cheerleader who says she grew up on welfare and then in the very next sentence said she never had anything given to her.

With that said, I am still on board for the entire season. The Hero incorporates elements of The Amazing Race, MTV’s The Challenge, The Mole, but never feels like a rip off of the shows that came before it. The contestants will be scaling skyscrapers, climbing down caves, and swimming across the Panama Cannel. Then there is The Rock who could challenge Jeff Probst as the best host on reality television. Seriously, are you going to question The Rock when he calls The Hero, “The greatest adventure competition you’ll ever witness from you couch”? Personally, I would bet against Teh Rock.

The Hero airs June 6 at 8:00 on TNT and moves to 9:00 starting June 27. You can download The Hero on iTunes.