Dr Hawass has made a terrible mistake...
...by consenting to participate in this reality TV charade. There's nothing truthful in any of the episodes, from Leslie Greif's claim that it was Hawass's idea to do this show, to the so-called new discoveries.
In each 45 minute episode, there's only a couple of minutes devoted to real archaeology - all the rest is manufactured drama, like Derick cussing in front of Dr Hawass, Zoe urinating in the fourth upper chamber, and the autombile break-down and walk across the desert. It transforms the serious subject of Egyptian archaeology into assclownery.
I call the discoveries 'untruthful,' because a lot of this (like the identification of Thutmose I) was stuff I was reading in the literature over ten years ago.
Each episode comes close to realizing the same ground pioneered by 'Survivor' years ago - the archaeological "fellows" (actually actors) worry about elimination. It's like 'The Apprentice,' with Hawass replacing Trump.
Dr Hawass has made great strides in Egyptian archeology - the positive identifications of Hatshepsut and Akhenaten, and the pyramid of Djedefre are outstanding, there is no doubt. But his programs profiling these discoveries were superior in every way to this travesty. It makes me sad to see that he has consented to participate in it. I wonder what were the incentives that persuaded him?
§« The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. »§