(Note: this is what I wrote after the Sunday night broadcast)
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Ok, I loved the show, because I loved the women, but for a non-fan, that was probably a tough watch (as evidenced by the early feedback coming in).
Let me talk about what I didn't like, in no particular order:
1) Seriously over-edited...much like the excessive cutaways that ruined 'The Contender'. Fans want to see the action in real time. Give us the fancy alternative-angle slow-mos during the replay, NOT during the action itself.
2) WAY too much focus on the contenders. Like most who have commented, I don't really care about their life stories. Give us a little blip - who they are, where they're from, and then zip it.
3) Not nearly enough copy from the Gladiators. We need a lot more soundbytes from them before and after the events.
4) HORRIBLE voiceovers. That guy was beyond boring. He needs to be live on the set when the events are filmed, not describing what he's watching in some editing suite a week after it was taped. That was very, very bad.
5) The people writing the copy for Hulk and Laila need to be replaced. In fact, there should be a LOT less script for them, period. By scripting so much of their segments, it ends up sounding way too rehearsed. I understand having to re-shoot a scene when Hulk calls out the wrong score, but in reality, there should be someone else 'back at the booth' that's responsible for the accounting anyway.
A possible improvement might be to have Laila talk to only the contenders and to have Hulk communicating with only the Gladiators before and after each contest.
6) They need to pump in more crowd noise for the broadcast. I didn't like hearing all that silence. It needs to feel 'electric' from start to finish.
7) Event-wise:
Earthquake - WAY too dangerous. Who the hell wrestles on plexiglass?? As hot as it was to watch Fury womanhandle little Venus and give Koya the slip, I was thankful that all the of the women were able to escape injury there.
Assault - It sucked then. It sucks now. BORING. Get rid of it, because everyone hates it.
Gauntlet - I like this event, but I'm trying to figure out how 200+ lb Hellga gets bullrushed by a 125-lb woman. They'll need to shorten the clock a little bit, though - it has to be tougher to get the full 10 pts.
Hang Tough - They need a larger ring grid...too easy for the contenders to score.
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They've got a ton of footage to work with, so if we're lucky, they've shortened the contender segments overnight and given us more of the Gladiators.
