World’s Toughest Trucker – Some Thoughts

*Beware Possible Spoilers Below*

Ice Road Truckers may be done for the season but never fear a new reality tv based truck show has hit the airwaves.  World’s Toughest Trucker hit the airwaves in the U.S. this past Monday on Discovery Channel.  The basic premise for the show is simple.  Eight truckers from around the globe compete in various locales to see who can deliver the loads in the least amount of time.  The truckers are paired in random teams that will change (maybe?) as the episodes progress.  The winning team will be awarded 150,000 dollars, the native currency is unclear.

Of the eight truckers, three hail from the United States and one each from England, Scotland, Australia and Sri Lanka.  So far I have been pleasantly surprised with the show.  The fake drama appears to be reduced to a minimum.  The random pairing of partners has lead to some genuine tension.  But perhaps the greatest surprise was the actual attention paid to the trucks themselves.  Unlike most other shows where the truck is just a simple prop WTR actually tells us the specific model in use.  It even goes so far to inform of us engine, transmission, and axle setups.  Major plus in my book.  I hope this attention to truck detail means poor scene editing and unnecessary truck sounds will be avoid.  IRT producers please take note of this fact.

Based on some reviews I was hesitant about this show.  I really did not want to see another slapped together show that used trucks and truckers as props for random reality TV show drama but I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case.

Final verdict, I will watch a second episode.

Photo Credit: Discovery.com