Whether we like to admit it or not, some of us have asoft spot for cheesy reality tv shows.Call it a guilty pleasure, but they’re perfect mindless entertainment and are far too easy to binge. They’re the kind of show that you so badly want to turn away from but can’t bring yourself to do so. Similarly, the horror genre can be that for some, especially when it comes to the more gritty and nasty films. But surprisingly that isn’t where the similarities between reality TV and horror movies end. There’s one specific reality dating show that bears a startling resemblance to an iconic horror franchise:Too Hot to HandleandSaw.
I know what you’re thinking, how on Earth are these two things even remotely similar? But they share more resemblances than you might expect, and it’s honestly quite jarring when you break them down. The structure and the little nuances within it can so easily be compared to that ofSaw’s many films, it’s almost a little frightening.
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The Game Masters
In the most simple of comparisons, bothToo Hot to HandleandSawhave a host of sorts, a game master who conducts their time in the challenge, like a puppet master pulling strings. ForToo Hot,that person is Lana, a talking cone-shaped speaker. ForSaw,it’s John Kramer (Tobin Bell) who is often represented by Billy The Puppet, riding around on his little tricycle or communicating through tapes. Both Lana and Kramer are determined to better the lives of other people, even if these people haven’t asked for the help or even wanted it. And they both do so without permission and trick these people into showing up. Or rather in John Kramer’s case, it’s not so much a trick as it is a kidnapping, but either way, the concept and motivation are all the same, just different in execution.
The Motivation
As mentioned, both Lana and John Kramer seek out people who they feel need to make changes in their lives. Lana seeks out sexed-up singles who value one-night stands over meaningful connections, while Kramer seeks out criminals or people who have deep and dark personal issues, such as drug addiction, resentment, and grief, etc.
Lana sets her sights on a group of singles and tricks them into thinking they are joining a shallow-sounding reality show. They believe that they’ve been chosen to come and party hard and meet fellow attractive singles with whom they’ll have a summer fling, no strings attached. But after 12 hours of observing their behavior, Lana drops the bomb on them that they’re actually here to grow out of their player stage and form meaningful bonds. This includes no sex, no kissing, no heavy petting and no “self-gratification.” It’s a brilliant concept for viewers but given how these people had no idea that this is what they were signing up for and didn’t consent to such an experiment, it makes the whole thing feel morally ambiguous.
John Kramer’s approach is less ambiguous and much more clear, at least to audiences — he doesn’t see it the same way. He kidnaps people he feels are making bad life choices, or heading down dangerous roads and puts them to a test to see if they’ll begin to appreciate their life again. He sees what he’s doing as an admirable thing like he’s giving these people a second chance of sorts and stopping them before things get too bad and putting them back on the right path. However, it was never something his victims asked for, and his methods of using torture traps are a very extreme way of testing.
Even still, both Lana and Kramer do genuinely believe that what they’re doing is right and helpful, and while perhaps the thought is admirable, it isn’t always executed the best.
They Like to Play Games
In an attempt to put their subjects on a better path, both Lana and Kramer organize workshops and games (respectfully) to help them do so. These are designed to better understand themselves and the reasons they are where they are and how to improve upon their flaws.
Lana’s method is through workshops where she’ll gather her group and have them connect either with themselves or a partner. Sometimes it’s in male-only or female-only workshops in which the cast is meant to connect with their inner selves and take back some of the self-respect they’ve lost. And sometimes, when in pairs, the workshops are used to blow off steam and let things off their chest, or to simply learn how to connect with a partner without physical intimacy. They’re not always successful, as some of the subjects just simply don’t grasp the deeper meaning behind the workshops or care to try. Yet they have been shown to have a genuine effect on some and can often open up even the most emotionally unavailable.
John Kramer’s method is by putting his subjects through what he calls “games.” But they’re not fun games like UNO or Monopoly, they’re brutal games that derive both psychological and physical torture from their player. In Kramer’s own twisted way, he has genuinely put thought into the traps, and while they’re always horrific, there’s usually a deeper meaning behind them. Like deciding whether to save the life of someone who is responsible for the death of a loved one, or killing someone who is responsible for putting them on a path of self-destruction. It’s completely twisted but so is John Kramer and in his mind, he doesn’t see it as such. It’s also interesting to note he doesn’t seem to derive any pleasure from seeing his victims go through these tests. In his own sadistic way, he really is doing what he feels is best and helpful.
While Kramer and Lana have two starkly different ways of testing their subjects, the root of said tests is relatively the same. They both just want to see these people set out on a better path, even if they didn’t specifically ask for the help. Their motivation is to better the lives of their pupils and the workshops and games are their way of doing so.
A Winning Prize
As is the case with most games and competitions, there’s often a prize for the winner. However, this is one of the times that Lana and Kramer tend to differ as they have wholly different approaches to rewarding their winners.
Lana rewards her subjects with a cash prize, and hopefully the betterment of their romantic lives and their personal lives. Perhaps they’ve even managed to find love and formed that deeper connection that she has been advocating for since the beginning. Perhaps the cash is the main prize and the thing that everyone focuses on, but there is still that aspect of bettering the winner for future romantic rendezvous.
As for John Kramer? His prize for passing his games is simply doing so with your life. He believes that humans have sort of lost their will to live, so if his subjects make it out with their lives intact then it means to him that they’ve seen the error of their ways. Someone making it out, to him, shows that they’ve regained their will to live and sharpened their survival instincts. He believes he’s made them resilient and has helped them to re-evaluate their lives even when they’ve hit rock bottom.
So while Lana may have a much gentler approach to helping people, her motivation isn’t far off from John Kramer’s. Now if only Kramer could do so without murder and mutilation.
