"The Bridge"

23 August 2022

There's a new reality show on Paramount +, and my brother is on it! It's called "The Bridge".

Cody and I were super excited to sit down last Friday night and watch the first three episodes. Now we have to wait until this Friday for the next episode, and the following Friday for the one after, and then the final episode will be the Friday after that. Just spread out enough to make it impossible to watch the whole series during the seven day free trial before the season ends... unless you binge it all the day before the final. I have a subscription, so it doesn't affect me that way. It's the waiting that is less than ideal.

As is apparently the deal with reality television the winner of each season is kept secret until the final episode airs. My brother has frustratingly kept stumm about this, so I have to wait like everyone else for another couple of weeks to find out if he will receive a portion of $250,000. I say a portion, not because I'm assuming that he would share (he was a good sharer as a kid though), but (SPOILER ALERT) because $20,000 was taken from the kitty by two contestants.

The premise of the show is to gather a group of strangers, give them a manual task (build a bridge, of the pontoon variety), and watch how they interact. What is still unclear is how only one of the 12 actually cross the bridge to open the crate of cash. Do they vote, and the most popular one heads over (after promising to share), or does someone super sneaky go around and perform the sleeper hold on whoever is left (Spoiler Alert #2 - people elect to go home, or are "voted off") and duck off unchallenged across 300 metres of floating logs tied together with the rope they nearly ran out of? It's obviously a tactical game, because you need the manpower to do the work, so you can't eliminate people too early. It's probably more like corporate management than you first think, but with actual axes, rather than metaphorical ones.

We left Episode 3 with a decision to be made by two groups to each kick out one of the opposite group. Anyone with delicate ears might choose to send my brother home (he uses a lot of colourful, no, fluorescent language), but, he would be an asset to keep... he can lift heavy things and can tie knots.

It seems that popular opinion (judging by facebook, so maybe not an accurate gauge) is backing Dean. He's a character. He comes across as real, which he is... yes, he is like that in real life. He's one of my favourite people.

When he and his wife were doing the working abroad thing a few years back I went over to Canada to visit. People in the hostels would ask in astonishment, "Do you know him? Are you from the same town?"

Me: "Um, same gene pool. He's my brother."

Everybody: "How did you get stuck on holiday with him?"

Me: "I came to see him... I like him."

Everybody: Stunned silence

Their families must be weird...

For the three weeks that Dean was filming in Tasmania and out of contact with the outside World I found myself wanting to tell him stuff with alarming regularity. So annoying.

I feel like I got out of sync with my 52Frames submission sharing somehow. Not sure what happened there. Week 32 was Night Photography, and since I was at Mount Isa Rodeo I used a shot from the night performance. It's Jason Craigie in the Open Bareback aboard Queen Bee.

Last week was "Water", and I was so uninspired. I got Cody to throw water balloons at the brick wall and managed to catch one splash (only one though!), but the wall was too overpowering in the image. If you really want to see it I posted it on the Two Togs facebook page. (Honestly, don't bother - it was more about keeping my streak than having an image I am proud of.)

This week is "Peace", and I'm equally as uninspired at this point. I might come up with something on the weekend.

It's been quite a party, ain't it

Purple Fairy