If the recently announced Scream Queens didn’t strike you as an odd addition to VH1’s fall lineup, it seems as though an even stranger horror-themed program may be inducted into the network’s reality television circus and seeks to answer a critical question this fall. Just what does happen when eight zombies try to live together under one roof?
That’s the question at the heart of America’s Next Top Zombie, a show where “eight zombies live together and compete for the winning spot in a reality TV competition.”
Until now, the typical line of thinking behind the existence of zombies has been that they are, in fact, fictional.
Tongue-in-cheek reality programs like The Surreal Life have given the cable network that loves various decades an identity it has been struggling to find ever since it launched as the adult contemporary alternative to MTV.
So while VH1 has seemingly found its place in the world with reality programming, it is a bit of a mystery as to why the cable network has a sudden fascination with the horror genre.
What exactly can audiences expect from a network that owes so much of its success to the reality television genre? While reality television is due for a proper skewering, audiences deserve more than something like the abysmal Drawn Together. At this point, however, nobody really knows if mocking the very type of show that has made VH1 successful will be the intention of writer, director, and G4’s Attack of the Show vet Blair Butler.
There is always potential to make even the most bizarre concepts work as long as there are talented people behind the camera. This particular premise can be taken in so many different directions that it raises a lot of interesting questions from those of us who are just learning about the project.
What kind of zombies are going to be living in the house? Are they all Romero zombies or is it an eclectic mix? Things could get interesting if there is one of those Dawn of the Dead remake zombies shaking things up. Just imagine the conflict when the zombies have to complete the obstacle course and the fast one gets under the skin of the other zombies in the house.
I can hear the testimonial segments now.
“I think you could definitely say that some of the other zombies in the house, myself included, are feeling a little resentful toward Steve. I don’t care if he’s from Ohio or not but where I come from, zombies do not run like that.”
It will also be interesting to see how they go about filming the show and handling makeup effects. Shows like The Hills have proved that it is possible for semi-scripted, cinematic reality shows to be successful.
The pilot for America’s Next Top Zombie will begin shooting at the end of June. As for whether or not the show will be picked up and added to VH1’s fall schedule, only time will tell.