Getting Through the Cruel Summer with '5 Takes!' Plus NBC's 'Windfall' and More Shows to iTunes

In the immortal words of the lyrical genius that is Ace of Base, "It's a cruel (cruel) cruel summer" for all of us TV fans. Sure, the summer series are starting up, but trying to replace your favorite characters with new ones is the same as trying to replace your favorite pair of jeans when they get too ratty to wear in public without being indecent with a new pair - neither feels right. So, you turn to the summer's wasteland of reality shows, but you can't stomach Big Brother and Rock Star: INXS Supernova seems too much like American idol, which leads you to start simmering again over the fact that Chris Daughtry got robbed! All hope is lost, right? Not if you're watching the Travel Channel's spectacular 5 Takes. It's The Amazing Race meets National Geographic with a little bit of Survivor thrown in for good measure. It's a reality show that plays out more like a documentary with interesting characters and incredible sights. And the most interesting part of the show is that it's interactive. Viewers, through the show's message board, help the participants choose what they see and do while they visit exotic locations. I promise it's less complicated than it sounds.


The show consists of five travel journalists, or "TJs," who document their journeys and experiences with their own cameras, laptops and a camera crew while traveling a designated itinerary (in this season, it's the Pacific Rim). Each TJ is given $50 a day, and they have to make it cover their lodging, food, transportation and activities. The show chooses its TJs based upon their areas of interest. Those interests range from music and food to local art and culture to extreme sports and nightlife, so the show presents a broad range of experiences, hence the title 5 Takes. The TJs usually stay in backpackers' hostels and shop around for the best deal on meals (which sometimes means cooking for themselves) because of their tight budget. They try to spend the bulk of said budget on activities that fall within their areas of interest, but sometimes, they fall short on cash. On last week's episode in Queenstown, New Zealand, TJ Tiffany wanted to go sailing in the beautiful harbor, but she and fellow TJ Josh didn't have $80 each to go on the adventure. Instead of giving up, Tiffany called one of the sailing companies and bartered a sailing trip for her and Josh for $50 for both of them in exchange for the two TJ's manual labor on the boat after they sailed. The entire group got the cost of their hostel down by working jobs at it.


There's a quick turn around between when 5 Takes episodes are shot and when they air, so viewers actually get to help the TJs decide what to do at each location. Right now, they are preparing to travel through Thailand, and just this morning, TJ Gabe posted a request on the show's message board about Thai Lukthung music in the city of Bangkok. In the message dated 6/8/06 2:37 a.m., gabe writes:

HEY EVERYONE I NEED YOUR HELP......

I really want to check out some live Thai LUKTHUNG music....I am having trouble finding where to do that in Bankok....can anyone help me out with some suggestions...we will be in town this sunday night...and will be filming for 5 days....basically till thursday....I need venues or wherever you find this....maybe some local to teach and have a cool beach acoustic session...etc...

Thanks in advance!!
Cheers!
Gabe

Viewers can then respond on the message board to help Gabe find the music he's looking for in the area. He'll check the boards during the show and use people's suggestions to find his interests. It happens every show, and each time, the TJs get advice from viewers who have traveled through the region. Viewers also got to choose which city the TJs visited last in Australia and which country will serve as their final stop in Asia. All of these viewer suggestions lead to some awesome adventures. In Queenstown, the group bungee jumped while in Auckland they took a ride in a Zorb. While visiting Darwin, Australia, the group participated in an Aboriginal ceremony in an isolated Aborigine village. It's the "Off the Beaten Path" moments like this one that really separate the show from other adventure series and documentaries. It also stands out because there is no prize, no fighting, no eliminations and no reality show tricks. But it does have five interesting participants who show you different perspectives on places that you'll want to travel to after you see them. They’re able to do all of this by surviving on their limited budget. The TJs travel to Singapore tonight on 5 Takes, and then they'll head to Hong Kong and Taiwan before they finish up in Cambodia/Thailand. The show airs Thursday nights at 10 p.m. and encores on Sunday mornings at 10a.m. on The Travel Channel, and the great news is that you can jump in at any time. For more on 5 Takes, including some more great pictures, visit the show's official site.

QUICK CUTS

*TV TONIGHT: NBC rolls out its summer scripted series Windfall tonight at 10 p.m. The show looks at what happens after 20 friends win the lottery together and become overnight millionaires. MTV airs the 2006 MTV Movie Awards with host Jessica Alba at 8:30 p.m.

*And finally, I think CBS may be listening to me. I’m kidding, of course (I KNOW they’re listening to me ;-)), but the good news is that the Eye network is adding some of its biggest hit shows to iTunes. Numb3rs, all three CSIs, NCIS and Survivor are now available for download on the popular music download site. Each episode is the standard $1.99 each and all of the shows, except CSI: Miami, are available to purchase as complete seasons. CBS plans to make more shows available this fall the day after they air on its network.

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That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a tribute to this season's cancelled shows. Plus, another round of Friday Fun: Summer Style that features one of TV's funniest comedies and all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.