If IU got its own reality TV show instead of Ball State
IU reality shows that would be better than a voice competition show in Muncie
It was recently announced that Ball State University will be the site of a new, music-oriented reality show called “The Song.”
While Muncie may be an ideal location for a performing arts-based television show, there’s no doubt in any Hoosier’s mind that IU Bloomington’s unique campus culture would provide the perfect setting for shows that are a little more unique.
The Amazing Race: To Catch the E Bus
Contestants race against time to catch the ever-so-fickle E bus, facing obstacles like missed alarms (even though they set, like, 5), the unreliability of the Bus Tracking feature on IU Mobile and the impending doom of a long, brisk walk to Jordan Hall at 7:30 am. Will they catch the E? Or will they take an L?
19 Majors and Counting
This show follows a freshman student from his first steps on campus as an Exploratory Studies major on a journey to find his true passion… from a list of undergraduate degrees he found on the IU website. Watch him as he goes from Computer Science to International Studies to “I don’t know. Kelley sounds cool” to “Wait, never mind. Finite is hard” to literally anything that will make him graduate on time and get his dad and nagging step-mom off his case.
Ghost Hunters: IU Secure Edition
This show follows two UITS-employees-by-day-turned-hunters-by-night as they trek into the deepest, darkest corners of campus on a journey to find places where IU Secure is sort of half-decent. Using the most advanced technology of today, the iPhone Voice Memos app, the hunters attempt to communicate with IU Secure and summon it out of hiding while also banishing IU DeviceNet to the depths of hell from whence it came. Because no one uses you, DeviceNet. I mean seriously, why are you here? Be gone!
Say Yes to Distress
Residents at Read live in a state of constant distress as they suffer through the perpetual anticipation of alarm after inevitable false fire alarm. Is it safe to take a shower? Will they ever sleep again? Who’s to say? With 24/7 live cams streaming to viewers at home, contestants are constantly playing the game. Whether they like it or not.
Meal or No Meal
In this “cooking” show, student “chefs” “compete” against each other in a race against the clock. The catch? The only materials they can use are food items found in a freshman boy’s mini fridge, a microwave and a dream. Stakes are high. And the likelihood of seeing actual steak is very, very low. And, of course, edibility will be questionable. With a Meal Point balance in the negatives, it is truly this Meal or No Meal.
Kinsey? Sure!
Not to be confused with everyone’s favorite show about trashy Jersey natives, in this Billy on the Street-esque program, visitors to the Kinsey Institute are tested on their sexual knowledge with friendly, conversational topics like “Have you ever really made your girlfriend of two and a half years orgasm?” or “Quick! Try to locate the clitoris on a anatomical model of the vulva!” or the fan-favorite “How much did your Midwestern Sex Education fail you as a young adult?” Instead of money, contestants are rewarded with condoms and coupons for Plan B, because the best sex is safe sex.
Wipeout
In this game, the key is not physical strength, but mental and emotional strength. It’s actually just an entire season of that one video of that one IU student failing miserably on Wheel of Fortune. The theme song is “Mad World” by Gary Jules mixed with a soundbite of the student’s stifled sobs of what could’ve been. (Alternate title: Achilles Heel — because even the mighty can fall.)