Get the latest info on Discovery's new reality competition The Colony - a ten-week social experiment billed as a "true test of the human spirit."
The concept is this: ten real people will spend two months trapped inside an abandoned Los Angeles warehouse – with no electricity, running water, or communication with the outside world – where they will utilize their own skills and whatever they can find lying around in an attempt to create a livable and sustainable society. During this time, their emotions will be tested as they deal with feelings of isolation and form interpersonal relationships with each other in a highly stressful situation.
It’s a controlled experiment that aims to determine exactly what it would take to survive and rebuild a functioning society in the wake of a “global catastrophe.” Casting notices advertise the show as an “[e]xtraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience that will challenge [participants and viewers] to re-imagine the world as [they] know it.”
The Game
The Colonists must work together to build everything required for survival and civilization, from a water filtration system to a battery bank for electricity to a solar cooker and a greenhouse. They will also be periodically attacked by “a hostile gang of looters and thugs” who will attempt to raid their colony, forcing them to devise a security plan for the warehouse.
The Setting of The Colony
The experiment takes place within an abandoned 50,000-square foot warehouse located on a three-and-a-half acre plot in downtown Los Angeles. The warehouse is infested with rats and pigeons, two urban creatures that are likely to survive in the event of a global disaster. In fact, the entire warehouse setting was designed by homeland security, engineering, and psychology experts, who based it on what real-life examples and predictive models suggest a post-catastrophe society might look like. Various tools and food items will be sparsely and strategically placed around the warehouse to represent the resources that might realistically be available to survivors of an urban disaster.
The Cast
The Colonists were selected based upon understanding the “science of survival,” and being ambitious, motivated, resourceful, and ingenious – especially under pressure. They range in age from 23 to 62 and come from a variety of backgrounds, including a nurse, a doctor, several engineers and scientists, a contractor, a machinist, and even a martial arts expert. Each of the Colonists’ occupations gives him/her unique skills that are invaluable to the survival of the entire colony.
What Makes The Colony Unique?
The Colony is unique in that, unlike most reality shows, it is not a contest. There are no eliminations, alliances, challenges, or grand prize winners. Thus, it is one of the few reality shows, if not the only one, that truly promotes cooperation rather than competition. It also stands apart from other reality shows because it is presented as a documentary series with the experts who designed the warehouse offering insights to viewers about the challenges that the Colonists face as they attempt to create their new world, and how we can learn from them in the event of a similar real-life disaster.
When to Watch
The Colony premieres Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 at 10:00 p.m. EST on the Discovery Channel. It will air on Tuesdays at 10:00 for a total of ten weeks.
For more information on The Colony, see Discovery’s Official Web site. To find out more about There Goes the Neighborhood, CBS’s own summer social experiment, please view the linked article.
The copyright of the article Discovery Channel's The Colony in Reality TV is owned by Steven Fife. Permission to republish Discovery Channel's The Colony in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
My only question is this: What is the likelyhood that a normal person is
able to collect scientists, engineers, medical personnel and even a martial
arts expert after a global disaster. I would probably end up with several
of my neighbors and I can't say I would trust their survival expertise.
Aug 5, 2009 8:36 AM
Guest :
The idea isn't to find a group of 10 brainiacs. It's a 'cross-sample' of
american life, if you were to look around a suburb you would find people
with all these skills. Since it's a TV show, they can't use a whole otwn of
people, instead they use 10 to represnt everyone.
Aug 11, 2009 8:32 PM
Guest :
In all actuality, I believe if this were a real situation all of them would
have been dead by now. They can only feel secure since they won't achieve
real security.
Aug 12, 2009 1:39 PM
Guest :
I don't know that they would dead. Think of this: if they were
"really" pressed with survival the stakes would go up even
higher. Thus, they'd get even more aggressive with their tactics in
response to their environment. They'd also be allowed to travel more
broadly. It's not a perfect setup for this kind of thing, but it very
interesting and the volunteers seem committed to taking it seriously; not
like it's just an extravagant game.
Sep 2, 2009 11:47 PM
Guest :
where did they shoot the colony? was it really in L.A? how come the
surrounding were empty? what was that old hospital building?
Sep 3, 2009 5:43 AM
Steven Fife :
Re: Guest (9/2/09): The Colony was filmed in the industrial part of
LA, around the Sixth Street Viaduct, I believe.
Sep 14, 2009 7:18 PM
Guest :
I found the location of the sanctuary on Google Earth, it is 34°
2'26.26"N 118°13'27.51"W
Sep 15, 2009 8:35 PM
Guest :
I'm curious as to how much land was allotted for them to roam around trying
to find food and supplies?
Sep 18, 2009 12:11 PM
Guest :
My companion and I are addicted to "The Colony". We haven't
missed a show and are sad that this coming Tuesday is the 10th and final
episode. We think the show has been enlightening and educational. Does
The Discovery Channel plan a "Colony Reunion" at a later date?
We would like to see the Discovery Channel do more shows like The Colony.
We firmly believe 'something' is going to happen and shows like The Colony
help those people who are "awake" be prepared. Thank you!
Sep 23, 2009 12:19 PM
Guest :
The Colony was shot in an industrial area of downtown L.A. using many areas
that are condemned or for sale. The actual location of the warehouse is
520 South Anderson Street. If you visit the area you will find
advertisements offering buildings for rent in filming. Trick photography
and well placed camera angles don’t allow us to see that the area around
where their shooting is busy with life as usual in Los Angeles, and no
audio means we don’t hear it either. They use a drainage tunnel to go
under a busy road to get to the L.A. River. I’m very sure the colonists
could hear the traffic and I wonder how that affected the “illusion”. Even
if they shut down the streets for filming, I’m sure they didn’t close the
Santa Anna or Santa Monica freeways the entire time or probably at all, and
I know from standing there that you can hear the freeway traffic for over a
mile away! From the warehouse you can easily see the surrounding homes and
business that make up this area. With these city lights and those from the
skyscrapers at night it would totally blow the illusion. The abandoned
hospital they used is in a busy area with lots of traffic, which by the way
is Linda Vista Hospital @ 610 South St. Louis Street in L.A. (used for
other movies & TV shows such as Pearl Harbor and E.R.). To access the
hospital they had to walk past or around Hollenbeck Park and its beautiful
pond, also detracting from the illusion of solitude and isolation. And as
for the trailer park, well there’s just not one nearby.
Sep 23, 2009 1:00 PM
Guest :
How did they creat this senirio....finding a space to make a set the size
of a city...impossiable
Sep 23, 2009 1:00 PM
Guest :
The last episode clearly shows them driving out under the 6th street bridge
AFTER driving over the 4th street bridge, then driving south when Joey
leaves before the 7th street bridge. The show ends here before traveling
south under the Pomona freeway.
Sep 23, 2009 1:05 PM
Guest :
It's really messed up to think that these people REALLY starved when they
had the Pico Market only about 400 feet away from their warehouse on the
other side of the fence!
Jul 2, 2009
