in which a dozen or so amnesiac teens are left stranded on an island on live television because the only tv shows left in the future are that and keeping up with the kardashians.
After the day, there was nothing left of television save for repeat spin offs on the lives of the Kardashian family.
***
A handful of young adults had taken it upon themselves to create a new world, new form of entertainment. Some would argue that it was a simple claim to fame, some would say it was way more than that. No one really cared much though, since the television series they had created put a fresh spin to things. If a quick (or maybe longer than that) break was needed from the hustle and bustle of real life, no longer did the people have to tune into the whiny schreeches of "I'm literally feeling so attacked right now!" and cultural appropriation. That was enough for them, that was good enough for everyone. America was satisfied.
In its truest form, Calamity was a game-survival-reality show all neatly packed into one. Participants were carefully selected by the Calamity team. There weren't many requirements save for the age limit (16-19 year olds) and having two arms and two working feet. If one wanted to join the show, they simply had to turn in a couple decent photos, links to social media, short personal info (first and last name, address, phone number, schools, occupation, a paragraph or two about me), and hope they'd be selected.
In the first season, Calamity! received 120 submissions, began with eight contestants, and ended with all eight. The goal wasn't to go against each other, but to help each other survive. This garnered attraction and infamously went down as the nicest reality show in the history of reality tv. Calamity! gained the recognition it definitely deserved.
Not only was it fresh, diverse, fun, and emotionally raw, but also very very real. The Calamity! crew did everything they could to not associate their show with the image of superficiality that plagued it's genre. People had grown tired of house hunting shows and filthy rich housewife lives for this very reason, for the fakeness of it all. Calamity! made sure to not follow it's predecessors footsteps. Contestants simply drank the certified-safe juice (yes, that was the official name for it) and forgot anything that had happened prior to the iconic accident the show always started off with. They'd remember their names, their families and friends, how to count and read and speak, but never how they had ended up in such an unlucky situation with each other. They were truly their genuine selves in whatever the scenario which helped boost viewers empathy, helped viewers connect to the people on their television screens.
From then on, the fun began.
In the second season, Calamity! recieved 2000+ submissions, began with 12 contestants, and ended with 3. This was the season where the public could really be a part of it while also not. Sort of like how old music competitions had let watchers text their vote to a number, or vote via online polls, or tweet about the show and their favorites, Calamity! had asked it's viewers to vote off 1 person every week and, spectacularly, it had worked. This generated a crazy amount of hype for the show and new fans on the daily. How were the unfavorable cast members taken out, you might ask?
No one really knows. No one really further presses about the topic anyway either, so it's all good.
If you suspect a more sinister plot going on, then don't. The contestants who don't make it to the end appear, alive and well, approximately two days after their drop out from the show and onto the recap show. More or less, the recap show is exactly what it sounds like. After the newest episode of Calamity!) a "fallen" cast member is put on the show and into the spotlight. How was it? What were you feeling? What do you plan on doing now? and then a couple fan questions sent in from everywhere around the world.
By this point (recap point) the usually tense participant is out of their shocked state and back to their former personality be that cocky, humble, cool, kind, funny. and etc. Except for one case.
One of the fallen participants was so scared and in shock despite being given a whole rest week compared to the usual 3 day rest period. She was erratic the whole interview, emotions turbulent and always asking about one of the participants (he had ended up being one of the victors in the three way tie). I'm not sure you can find a copy of that recap interview anymore which is a shame, but understandable. If anyone's wondering, the female participant is stable now, living somewhere in the Calamity! headquarters.
Most participants either become a part of the Calamity! team, writing propositions for future seasons or end up endorsed by different brands since their faces become recognizable and thus, potential revealed whether that be modelling, media influencing, and what not. There is always a future for a Calamity! star.
This is why some have associated Calamity! with "easy way in".
It's an easy way into the elite world of the rich and famous. One could argue that being accepted into the show as a contestant is already a guaranteed way of becoming rich and famous. Victors win cash prizes enough to last them several comfortable lifetimes if used wisely, lasting notoriety, plus endorsements if they want. The non-victors still win endorsements and recognition good enough to guarantee them money and fame, it's a win-win.
In the third season, Calamity!'s writers no longer want it to be associated with "an easy way in" and instead, a rightfully won prize. It doesn't matter if this experiment fails, everyone involved can afford it. More than not though, it's expected to be a major success.
Trapped on an island, isolated from the rest of the world, the participants of this season's Calamity! will have to figure it out for themselves, no rules, no clues. The goal is, at the heart of it all, to survive. Whoever does it best, whoever figures out first that they are all participants in the famed tv show, whoever remains by that time (avoiding downvotes and environmental factors) or by the time of "rescue" (they have two months maximum to "win", so to speak, before Calamity! will issue a retrieval of them from the specially designed island) wins.
The participants, strategically selected, sit in the plane with confidence that they will be the one. What they don't know, are all the deadly turns the game could take, the limited resources they each posses, the fights that'll break out over the pettiest of things.
What they don't know could kill them.
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