In Harm's Way

Not all former reality TV show contestants who seek to capitalize on their elusive fame fail.  Though most end up fading into oblivion, some succeed.  Hunter Ellis is one of those people.  A former Survivor castaway, Ellis has been named the host of In Harm's Way, a new reality series from The CW that will air on Sundays starting this Fall.  In Harm's Way follows those brave civilians who risk their lives every day while performing the world's most difficult jobs, such as coast guard divers and mine sweepers.  Hunter, an ex-fighter pilot, is not new to television hosting duties.  He presided over The History Channels Tactical to Practical (about innovations made for combat situations that eventually became practical for domestic use) as well the same channel's Man, Moment and Machine.  In Harm's Way premieres on Sunday, September 21 in the 7pm time slot on The CW. 

I'm a huge Survivor fan (a Survivor historian, if you will) but I did not remember Hunter Ellis.  His name rung a bell, but that was about it.  Turns out he was the third person voted off of Survivor: Marquesas in 2002.  After learning that, I felt better about my Survivor fandom – he was only on the show for three weeks.

In Harm's Way bears a striking resemblance to NBC's America's Toughest Jobs, which premieres a week from tonight, on August 25.  In Harm's Way is more like a Discovery Channel show than its NBC counterpart – at least on America's Toughest Jobs, there's a competition aspect.  In Harm's Way is basically a documentary. 

In Harm's Way is one of the new shows being produced by Media Rights Capital, the company who The CW sold their Sunday nights to in an unprecedented move.  As a result, there is very little information on these shows, and they are by and large expected to perform poorly in the ratings.  At least with In Harm's Way, the budget shouldn't be terribly high.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: RealityTV Magazine
(Image Courtesy of The History Channel)