MovieChat Forums > Pirate Master (2007) Discussion > Challenges....Are they pointless?

Challenges....Are they pointless?

posted 17 years ago by justhost
7 replies | jump to latest

I was just watching episode 7 today, I had it recorded, and I keep seeing a pattern with these so called "challenges." Each one revolves around some kind of map clue or something usually found after some kind of physical challenge. This might be okay if they had the two teams competing on different parts of the island, but since they're always right next to each other the 2nd place team only ever has to follow the first team rather than figure stuff out for themselves.

In episode 7 the red team spotted the X way before black team did but all black team had to do was follow them and start digging in the same place. If they hadn't been able to follow they probably still would have been scratching their heads (we've already seen how horrible Azmyth is at navigating the islands). I wish that the challenges involved more of a puzzle or something that the teams HAD to finish in order to go on to the next section. Rather than a map that says go ____ at ____ o'clock they should have to solve a physical puzzle that must be complete to go on.

Every challenge generally comes down to who is lucky enough to dig in the right place first since the teams always get there at about the same time. It seems pointless to me.

What does everyone else think? Sorry about the long post, I tend to type a lot.

-Justin

[–] justhost 17 years ago

Also, is there a stipulation that says the whole team has to be there to win. For the last part of the challenges it seems like it would make the most sense to just send your fastest sprinter ahead rather than waiting for everyone else who might be tired or slowed down. How many people does it take to turn a dial?

[–] old-dutch 17 years ago

This has been a reoccuring complaint in recent postings, especially after last weeks black team "win." I like that they are physical and that it requires some stamina to run the course. I don't like that the challenges seem to always come down to who digs the fastest or who is the luckiest. It seems contradictory to have teams follow a map to specific locations all around an island, then repeatedly at the end have them dig somewhat randomly.

It would not be a great difficulty to have teams take alternate routes to the same treasure. They seem to have abandonded the sabotage anyway (not that it really mattered). Last weeks challenge showed the great weakness in their system, if you can't figure it out, just follow the other team. I think of the 7 challenges there was only 1 challenge(the ropes bridge course) where a team had yet to reach to treasure area by the time the treasure was found.

As far as the whole team needing to be there. My assumption is that they probably can't proceed from one clue to the next until all members are present, and likewise they can't claim the treasure until all are present. I have not heard (by Cameron or cast confessional) any rules as to this, but it would make the most sense, otherwise they'd just leave the deadweight behind.

A twist to the challenge would be that it would not be enough just to find the treasure, but they would also have to get it back to the ship, without the other team stealing it. With some thought it could work.

"Who's the bigger fool, the fool or the fool that follows him" ...Obi Wan Kenobi

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] sawwhet 17 years ago

There won't be a season 2! The ratings have been horrible, even for a summer replacement.

[–] sawwhet 17 years ago

I agree that it was a bit lame that the black crew was able to follow the red crew rather than resolve the map clue. I think the difficulty in having an alternate route is making that alternate equally difficult.

I, too, like that the challenges require some degree of physical stamina. However, some pirates were quite successful using their wits rather than pure brawn. For a real pirate, even the toughest on the sea, a stroke of bad luck could literally cost him his life. Therefore, it was better to convince your opponent to surrender without [much of] a fight, if possible. Beards afire, ghost makeup, & blood-curdling screams were some of the simpler ploys but others tricked their prey into sailing onto a reef or into a no-outlet (as the tide drops) lagoon. Along these lines, I’d like to see some challenges require considerably more wit.

To combine both ideas, alternate route & wit, both teams could receive a map that has a choice of 2 routes. One route is physical while the other requires some problem solving but is far less physically demanding. That could even the playing field between an almost all male black crew and the weaker red crew. The teams could choose which route they want to attempt. I suppose it doesn’t prevent Az just waiting for the reds to solve the problem & then outrace them through the easier course. But, with a little thought, I am sure that could be prevented.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Aussie Stud 17 years ago

Even Survivor didn't have this many holes in its system when it premiered in 2000.

I don't know why Pirate Master is so inept at nearly every concept it tries to tackle. It's like the producers/creators put no thought whatsoever into the creation of this show, nor did they learn anything from any of the past seasons of Survivor.

You would think with this kind of experience they could have created a somewhat more imaginative or interesting gameplay, but nope. They did the impossible, they actually made it worse than what anyone could have ever imagined.

The idea that there is only ONE treasure trail and that basically all one team has to do is follow the other (after they do all the hard work) and dig randomly, is an absolute joke. Why even bother with maps, etc. Maybe that's the whole idea of the "pirate" theme, have one team do all the work and then have the other team just "get lucky" by following them and digging a hole and taking victory when they stumble upon the treasure.