After watching the first episode of “Splash,” the new television show which pits 10 celebrities against another in a diving competition, I was somewhat unsure what to think about the new reality program.
The contestants have all achieved some type of fame in one way or another. Some contestants are sports stars, such as current NFL football player Ndamukong Suh, and former basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Katherine Webb, who found stardom recently as Miss Alabama and the girlfriend of Alabama football star A.J. McCarron, also is a headline participant in the show.
Other contestants who are scheduled to make the dive in the first episode include Keisha Knight Pulliam, the famous child star Rudy from “The Cosby Show,” Louie Anderson, an older comedian who struggles with his weight and young Rory Bushfield, an extreme skier.
The beginning of the show, when the contestants were introduced, left me a bit skeptical. The high dramatics of the contestants entering the arena created a cheesy setting and rest of the show didn’t get rid of the bad feeling in my mouth.
The only part of the show that shined was the swimsuits of the contestants. However, the suits made it seem like more time was spent working on the costumes than the contestants spent working on the dives.
One contestant whose swimsuit wasn’t totally bedazelled or made by an elegant designer was Katherine Webb’s. The other contestants’ swimsuits had intricate designs, whereas Webb flaunted her body in a small, simple suit. A less serious plot line in the show seems to be majorly promoting is the looks of Webb.
The newfound star is seen wearing bikinis much more frequently than the other contestants, attracting many viewers due to her physical attributes. Let’s hope that Webb attracts viewers because of her looks, because her diving was somewhat comical.
Although the show may seem trivial, it does highlight many different character stories, some of which can actually connect to the viewer.
One interesting story line is found in Abdul-Jabbar, clearly theoldest contestant participating in the show. Abdul-Jabbar, who was the NBA’s leading scorer of all-time when he retired, is now at age 65. While Olympic divers are almost always under six feet, Abdul-Jabbar is an astonishing seven feet two inches. Although his height does provide a challenge, the producers of “Splash” spend way too much time talking about the “issue”.
One of the few things that impressed were the thrilling acrobatics of skier Bushfield. While that dive was entertaining, the show ended with a lame elimination dive-off. Webb ended up winning the tense dive-off, moving her to the next round, while Pulliam was eliminated. It seemed somewhat strange, as the emotion from the divers was very fake and not entertaining at all.
With regards to the scoring, Judges David Boudia, a 2012 diving gold medalist hailing from the United States and Steve Foley, a fabled diver from Australia and a current leader of the U.S. dive team, score each contestant. The audience also gives the participants a score.
Both judges have legitiment ties to diving, but Foley is older and seems not at all involved with what is going on.
The most exciting moment seemed to come at the end of the elimination dive-off, where the audience was allowed to decide who goes home if the judges are unable to come to a deliberation. The extremely thrilling audience provided for some laughs after each dive.
Overall, “Splash” leaves a viewer uneasy, almost wanting to see more fake emotion and comical dives, yet also ready for the madness to end.
While I may have started out thinking “Splash” was going to do nothing but sink after the first episode, it seems the show may float around for a little longer.
