space cadets

Ed Rhombus · 08 Dec 2005, 13:25

I see they've gone for the old Bill Shatner Airplane 2 door gag in the trailer

czuczu · 08 Dec 2005, 13:35

Didn't see it, is it better than Animals Do The Funniest Things?

The visa thing - even if it were real they'd be travelling under a group visa anyway so they wouldn't have anything to show for it in their passports

boudicca · 08 Dec 2005, 16:42

OK, my initial reaction to the idea of this show was that it was f**king cruel... the psychological effect on a person of travelling into space (or thinking they have) is immense, and unless this has already been done, the effects of tricking people into thinking they had been in space and then revealing to them it was a hoax is undocumented - but probably quite unpleasant. I mean, it is one of the biggest, most life-changing experiences a human being could have... and I was thinking it could really screw with some people who I would have imagined were a lot brighter and more interesting than the usual reality TV fodder. You know, actually wanting to go on telly for something other than just "being on telly".

But then, seeing them... well I did just wonder a little how anyone could think they, and a bunch of other "attractive" 20-somethings could just be plucked out to become astronauts with so little training. Now that we've discerned they're as thick as two short planks, I'm AOK with the idea of their ritual humiliation

.

Still think Johnny Vaughan should just give it up tho'.

smiscandlon · 08 Dec 2005, 16:59

boudicca wrote:"attractive" 20-somethings

boudicca · 08 Dec 2005, 17:02

smiscandlon wrote:
boudicca wrote:"attractive" 20-somethings

Hence the quotation marks!

Fair enough, but they are remarkably young as a group...

Brideoffrankenstein · 08 Dec 2005, 19:08

Why would a Russian space experiment request British space tourists and not Russian ones?

eotunun · 08 Dec 2005, 23:33

I donÂ´t think you need a visa when you travel like this. There are no customs offices orbiting over Russia. As far as I know that is..
Then there is some special effect that makes the Weight Watchers people jealous- Zero gravity... They ought to be disturbed if they reach ballistic flight without zero gravity. Everybody with a TV set has probably seen a science fiction film where people fly around. And if the "candidates" (Media-ages term for "object of weird joke") had only one neuron in each of their brains , this neuron should notice that. How will they imitate that one? The only known way on earth is to fly a parabola with a plane, and that only works for 20-some seconds.. I guess when choosing the candidates they looked for those who had no question answered correctly.

Obviousman · 09 Dec 2005, 10:31

Brideoffrankenstein wrote:Why would a Russian space experiment request British space tourists and not Russian ones?

Probably because they don't mind that much if something goes wrong with TV-wannabe stars instead of their own valuable citizens

09 Dec 2005, 13:01

boudicca wrote:OK, my initial reaction to the idea of this show was that it was f**king cruel... the psychological effect on a person of travelling into space (or thinking they have) is immense, and unless this has already been done, the effects of tricking people into thinking they had been in space and then revealing to them it was a hoax is undocumented - but probably quite unpleasant. I mean, it is one of the biggest, most life-changing experiences a human being could have... and I was thinking it could really screw with some people who I would have imagined were a lot brighter and more interesting than the usual reality TV fodder. You know, actually wanting to go on telly for something other than just "being on telly".

This was my first reaction too.

But:

(And it's a big but

)

I have heard a rumour that:

The joke/hoax is not that people are being tricked into believing that they are going into space.
The joke/hoax is that the viewing public are being tricked into believing that people are being tricked into believing that they are going into space.
All the "contestants" are in fact actors and are in on the gag.

This is why none of the obvious holes in the story (visas, lack of zero-gravity, lack of re-entry etc.) have been questioned by the contestants.

Thoughts?

RicheyJames · 09 Dec 2005, 14:19

i think the "double bluff" theory is down to the same cranks who insist that there's a mole in big brother every year. it would be pointless. we already know that television can dupe the viewer. panorama proved that way back in 1957.

i just love the fact that people everywhere are desperate to point out the "obvious holes" in the story in an effort to demonstrate their perceived intellectual superiority. so far the "cadets" have been told they are going to a military base in russia. they then arrive at what looks startlingly like a military base in russia. complete with a tank rumbling around. unless you've actually been to russia and/or have a detailed knowledge of russia and/or military hardware what reason would you have not to believe what you're being told? what will be interesting is whether they can sustain the deception when the "space flight" actually begins...

09 Dec 2005, 16:23

RicheyJames wrote:i think the "double bluff" theory is down to the same cranks who insist that there's a mole in big brother every year. it would be pointless. we already know that television can dupe the viewer. panorama proved that way back in 1957.

What? Spaghetti doesn't grow on trees?

You may have a point. The source for my rumour claims to be a production runner on the show (note the emphasis). Triple bluff?

Or as you point out, a crank theory?

I might take the opportunity to point out that at least some of the contestants are in fact "moles" in that they are actors employed by the show to encourage the group-think mentality. Johnny Vaughan has made this quite clear.

And at least one other contestant (the massively afro'ed "plasterer") is also an actor: he's in that "this guy gave blood to my dying son" advert, having his head patted by Gordon Ramsay.

RicheyJames · 09 Dec 2005, 16:28

markfiend wrote:I might take the opportunity to point out that at least some of the contestants are in fact "moles" in that they are actors employed by the show to say encourage the group-think mentality. Johnny Vaughan has made this quite clear.

and i never disputed it. it's clearly an essential part of the set-up and if it were all a double bluff why reveal that any of the "cadets" are actors? or given that:

And at least one other contestant (the massively afro'ed "plasterer") is in that "this guy gave blood to my dying son" advert, having his head patted by Gordon Ramsay.

why not reveal him to be one of the actors? it's a pretty high-profile advert after all?

09 Dec 2005, 16:36

Points taken.

The rumour may not be credible, and as you point out, there may be more holes in it than at first appear.

But if it is all a gag with the contestants in the know, you heard it here first.

eotunun · 09 Dec 2005, 18:44

There still is a chance that the makers of that programm expect the audience to buy their "geniously invented modern media product".. Don`t forget they are still media people who actually think they are great..
See

s table of human evolution.

Mrs. Snowey · 09 Dec 2005, 22:59

I thought I might want to watch it. Not now. I'm not impressed with most things/people that jump up and down saying "aren't I clever? Look at me!".

Bluff, double, triple, counter, quasi-bluff. To be honest, it's rather put my back up. I really do resent things that demand attention, and if they don't get it, well, I must be the one in the wrong.

So stuff them. and all their works.

James Blast · 10 Dec 2005, 00:11

Well said Mrs. S, I'm avoiding it like the plague to.

boudicca · 10 Dec 2005, 01:29

I thought I would too, but I was sitting waiting for me hairdye to do it's work (we're getting there with the white btw

), and I think I got sucked in.

eastmidswhizzkid · 10 Dec 2005, 02:48

eastmidswhizzkid wrote:.
if the contestants really are so stupid -sorry, i mean gullible- then it's probably going to be fairly dull: getting one over on a retard is about as rewarding as fishing.

i watched the second one and it is too much like fishing ...only with the added irritation of johnny vaughan. and the "hair-bear" a-like. and johnny vaughan.

Mrs. Snowey · 10 Dec 2005, 18:26

eastmidswhizzkid wrote:
eastmidswhizzkid wrote:.
if the contestants really are so stupid -sorry, i mean gullible- then it's probably going to be fairly dull: getting one over on a retard is about as rewarding as fishing.
i watched the second one and it is too much like fishing ...only with the added irritation of johnny vaughan. and the "hair-bear" a-like. and johnny vaughan.

At least you can eat the fish afterwards

Mrs. Snowey · 10 Dec 2005, 18:28

boudicca wrote:I thought I would too, but I was sitting waiting for me hairdye to do it's work (we're getting there with the white btw ), and I think I got sucked in.

And what were you doing watching telly when you could have been dripping chemicals all over a computer keyboard

aims · 10 Dec 2005, 18:45

Look on the bright side. This is a concept which can only be used once, no matter how daft the contestants involved are. Post-Space Cadets, reality TV contestants will be on constant look out for hoaxes. It just isn't fun any more when they get out, find out it's a hoax and say "Oh, I thought it might have been".

scotty · 10 Dec 2005, 18:51

boudicca wrote:(we're getting there with the white btw )

I should bloody well think so Clair

, it'll go white on it's own if you take any longer

Mrs. Snowey · 10 Dec 2005, 18:53

scotty wrote:
boudicca wrote:(we're getting there with the white btw )
I should bloody well think so Clair , it'll go white on it's own if you take any longer

Just don't leave the gunk on too long. How do you think Pete Murphy acquired that bald spot?

HL: perfect for hairdressing tips

boudicca · 10 Dec 2005, 19:02

Mrs. Snowey wrote:Just don't leave the gunk on too long. How do you think Pete Murphy acquired that bald spot?

Fuckin' heartbroken I was, to see The Be-cheekboned One losing his hair.
I don't even know if I would anymore...

...ach, who am I kidding!

Mrs. Snowey · 10 Dec 2005, 19:05

boudicca wrote:
Mrs. Snowey wrote:Just don't leave the gunk on too long. How do you think Pete Murphy acquired that bald spot?
Fuckin' heartbroken I was, to see The Be-cheekboned One losing his hair.
I don't even know if I would anymore...

...ach, who am I kidding!

Exactly