The idea of an apocalypse has always fascinated me, but I never imagined I’d be part of the entertainment. Channel 4’s new reality show, Apocalypse has changed my perspective. Instead of being a quick snack for survivors, I now see a glimmer of hope—if I can find an Australian cattle farmer, I might just make it.
The show pits 14 contestants into two rival camps, East and West, in a 1,000-acre abandoned town in rural Indiana. Their mission? Survive for 28 days using only what they can scavenge or create. With three days of training under their belts, they are left to fend for themselves in a town usually used by the US military for urban warfare practice.
The Initial Struggles
The first hour of the show is a testament to human inaction. The teams do little more than stand, sit, or lie around, choosing the most draughty buildings for their base camps. The voiceover asks if they can rebuild society from scratch. The answer, based on the evidence, is a resounding no.
Most of the contestants seem utterly useless. Two women on the West team spend their time arguing about boundaries and respect instead of gathering firewood or finding food. The next day, a pair of Westerners find a massive supermarket but give up when they see it’s boarded up. They return to base, where the emergent leader, Welsh sheep farmer Ioan, suggests they tidy up instead of breaking into the supermarket.
The East Team’s Challenges
Over on the East team, content creator Steven insists on collective decisions for even the smallest actions. Psychologist Kiera, who openly admits to being a princess, lets Steven go to the toilet before her, a decision that raises eyebrows. Theatre director Bertie, who cries frequently, sums up the situation perfectly: “We’re fucked on quite a few fronts.”
The only beacon of hope comes from Scott, the Australian cattle farmer. When Steven suggests foraging in the forest, Scott calls him “as much use as tits on a bull” and heads off to raid buildings. He and Bertie find the supermarket, break in, and return with food. However, the team’s inability to ration properly leads to most of the food being demolished, leaving just enough for the Westerners to steal the next day.
The Turning Point
The initial episodes are dominated by stupidity and boredom. However, things start to get more interesting by the third episode. The group’s engineer begins cobbling together helpful machines from the junkyard, someone finds a hunting rifle, and Nigerian-born politician Celia proves to be a forthright gift to television. Her blunt assessments of human nature add a much-needed spark to the show.
Despite these glimmers of hope, the No one is willing to concede to an expert, prioritize sensibly, or follow orders. This fundamental flaw is depressing and raises questions about the future of both programming and humanity.
