First Look TV Show #3

Wreck Trek (2013)

Not more than a few days past was I watching something-or-other via my Amazon Fire Stick thingy when I saw Wreck Trek in the 'you may also like' section afterwards. I am usually cautious of the unknown but its premise was fairly enticing so I thought I would give it a go. It features a bunch of people - six as I recall - who have been charged with finding the three cheapest cars they can in Berlin (the 'wrecks' of the title), getting them into a roadworthy state, then pairing up and driving them from Berlin all the way down to South Africa. A not-inconsiderable distance I'm sure you'll agree! This sounded like it might be rather splendid - kind of like one of the Top Gear/Grand Tour 'specials' where they drive their own themed cheapo cars across vast stretches of the world (though not nearly as far as proposed here) while engaging in all manner of tomfooleries and showcasing the country/culture they are in too.

Sadly, as you may have guessed by the fact that this isn't a full review of the whole season, my hopes were short-lived. Unlike the shows mentioned which feature a trio of mates having a laugh in cars which share the screentime with them, it was clear very quickly that Wreck Trek was/is a reality show, pure and simple, with the focus squarely on the six people. Strangely, most of them were very poor choices for an outing of this magnitude too. Only one of them knows anything about fixing cars, for example - a skill that might be helpful in these circumstances! As soon as episode 2 of the 20 that make up the season, they're already squabbling, blaming each other for the things that are already going wrong, and slagging each other to the camera. That was my cue to find something else to watch, and pretty much anything else would be more enjoyable. I deal with enough annoying, entitled idiots in real life thanks!

RKS Score: 1/5