TLDR: Uh, yuck.
Just watched the pilot for the new Mythbusters - Search. There's just so many things wrong with this pilot that I'm hoping that Street Science (which airs in 4 days) will make a decent substitute. As a MB fan, I find MB-S quite repellent.
The mix that was MythBusters was unique. It's why attempts to create competitive shows invariably failed. It's also why the pair was invited by "real people" to visit their job sites (NASA, the bomb site, F1 Racing, etc.). MB-S comes across as an attempt to resuscitate the show by injecting it with the "Big Brother" formula (where every episode must have some sort of personality conflict and a crisis which invariably has a manufactured "feel" to it).
Then there's the derogatory statements in this pilot. One player's use of "I'm an Engineer" [1] to support his stance was off-putting. Then there's the host's shots at "nerds". It gives the impression that the producers haven't recognized the demographic[2] of their previous show.
Overall, I'm thinking that any attempt to continue the MB franchise (at least in this manner) will only succeed in speeding the departure of original fans. I'll check back later, with the hope that a miracle occurs for MythBusters NG.
For now, I'm voting with my feet.
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[1] This type of brutish chest-beating is usually employed by the insecure and the incompetent. The formula: when you can't make a strong technical argument, remind the other guy that you have quals which he lacks.
[2] That "the Engineer" received "immunity" [3] and the most nerd-ish participant was "voted off" of the show supports this impression.
[3] OMG. Really? On MythBusters? What's next, William Shatner/Patrick Stewart as the next Doctor? Mike Rowe taking over The View? Matt Le Blanc replacing Jeremy Clarkson? Oh, wait...
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