The Great Escape (TNT) - Series Premiere: Synopsis and Review

On June 24th at 10/9c TNT premiered its very first competition show ‘The Great Escape’. The series is hosted by Rich Eisen (‘NFL Total Access’), who’ll drop three new teams each week in the middle of their own epic action/adventure movie. The teams compete to win the cash prize of $100,000. Every episode will feature different teams and a new location. The first episode features Alcatraz, the famous prison located in the San Francisco Bay.

Each episode consists of four stages in which the teams have to collect four parts of the ‘Great Escape’-key. The team that reaches Rich Eisen first with a complete key wins the $100,000. At the start of this episode the teams were locked up in a cell. They had to find a map of the whole ‘playground’ and a key to break out of their cells. As the broke out of their cell they were allowed to go to the next stage. Reaching the next stage can be difficult, with obstacles (in this case guards) blocking the way.

If a team fails to overcome an obstacle, which in this episode was avoiding the guards, the team members have to empty their pockets on the spot and head back to the starting point. They will be locked up again and when they manage to escape once again they need to make their way back to their belongings. Only after they collected their map and other belongings the team is allowed to continue to the next stage.

‘The Great Escape’ is enjoyable to watch, but probably even better to participate in. It might just be me, but they should definitely make this a real attraction. I would be prepared to pay quite a few bucks to play this game at Alcatraz.
The show is easy to follow because a map of the area with the position of the teams is shown. Also, a stage is explained at the time a team reaches that stage. The goals in the stages are also very straightforward. Something that makes the show more fun was that all the teams receive an update when a team finishes a stage or is captured. The show is high paced, which is necessary to keep the tension high.

This series is a true action/adventure show. They show very little conversation and a lot of running around. The show gets compared with ‘The Amazing Race’, but unlike that show, ‘The Great Escape’ is not an elimination race and contains very little contact between teams. Every episode features different couples, so there is no strategy in winning or losing a certain challenge. The show gets a mixed reception, some like it, while others think it’s kind of silly. If you’re in for an hour long of action, adventure and jealousy, tune in next Sunday for the second episode.