It's no secret that ratings for the challenges aren't what they once were. What do you think could be done to improve the quality of the show as well as the ratings?
Here are some of my suggestions:
First and foremost, the advertising needs to be improved. I've found that in recent challenges, I have not seen as many promos as I have in the past. I remember in the month prior to The Gauntlet 3 airing, MTV ran commercials like crazy. And I know a lot of kids at my school were really excited to see the Gauntlet 3. I remember when I told my friends that I was watching The Island, the majority responded "what's that?"
Secondly, I think the challenges need to be improved. I feel like every challenge on the Duel 2 is strength based, and Landon and Mark have been winning all of them. I miss the days when they had silly challenges like Laser Tag and sitting on blocks of ice. I would also love to see another game show type of challenges (like Battle of the Opposite Sexes or the Newlywed-style game they had on Battle of the Seasons).
Also, I do not think they should make people leave right away after they are eliminated. I miss the days when we could see people crying while packing their bags, or talking crap on their way to the van that would be taking them home.
Here's one thing that has really irked me on recent challenges (especially the Duel 1&2). They need to start showing the times of individual heats again during challenges. I know they did it on last night's episode of The Duel 2, but they did not during the "Don't Let Go" challenge. I thought that was a great idea for a challenge, but the fact that I did not know how long people were dangling over the edge for make the challenge less interesting.
Also, if something is put in the trailer for the show, please include it in the actual show, and make it part of a story. I remember during the Inferno 3 they had a clip of Janelle yelling at Johnny because Johnny said he got her pregnant. Or during the Gauntlet 3 they only showed one of the two Katie freak-outs, and what they did show was very quick and did not make sense.
I also miss the pre-shows they used to do. Sure, we all know who Evan or Dunbar or Paula are at this point, but it's interesting to hear what other cast members think of them prior to the show starting.
The final thing that I think needs improvement is casting. There are a hundred ways that casting could be improved, but I'll just suggest this one thing...don't cast the same person for too many challenges in a row. I know a lot of people who like Kenny and Paula out there, but there are also some faithful views who dislike these two. To be courteous to those who dislike cast members like Kenny or Paula, do put them on 4 or 5 challenges in a row. I can understand 2, maybe 3, challenges but 4+ is definitely pushing it.
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