Vote For Fronkey

[sargevining]

Wouldn't that be cool? "Fronkey and The Wolf."
Thanks a bunch for your help Hobo. I appreciate it.

Fronkey

Quick.

I need somebody with Photoshop skills.

b.j.jpg

[seanhogge]

I didn't want to say anything before, since it would have been rude to rain on the parade. If I were a producer of Survivorman, I wouldn't have chosen Fronkey, either. I would certainly have chosen someone exactly like Joseph McConnell.

While Fronkey is definitely a talented outdoorsman and makes some of the more compelling hike videos currently available online, it's less about showing Stroud up, and more about 2 things: Stroud's image as an expert and the need for compelling television.

Stroud's job is to present a package that is attractive to viewers and thereby indirectly attractive to advertisers. The producers of the show and the advertisers provide enormous pressure on Stroud to provide them with a fairly specific product. Just like Grylls and Mears. These guys know their stuff, but when television is "unproduced" it's PBS quality and PBS ratings. I don't like it, but it's a fact of the entertainment industry.

What the Survivorman brand wants (and we should be fair to Stroud to separate him from his brand, since he only controls a portion of it) is someone that Les can "teach" and that will seem like an "everyman." I feel sorry for any woman that submitted a video, because I think they had zero chance from the beginning. Again, I don't like that, but it's a sad fact.

So in the end, Fronkey "lost" because he didn't fit the checklist that the producers and network decision makers created of a submission that dovetailed with the Survivorman brand. Joseph McConnell did. Much like a traditional audition for a play, movie or television show, it's less about your talent (past a certain point) and completely about the director/producer's vision and the way you complement the aesthetic. There's no judgement implied to anyone involved at any point, just the silly business of television production.

[Big Sweets]

Having played in bands professionally for years and being in a number of "battle of the bands" competitions with the"prize" being an opening slot on some major tour more often than not the "winner" is not the best band or usually not even a good band but usually a popularity contest of some sort, or a band that fit a certain agenda. I would place my bet on Fronkey being approached by either Les's producers or others for his own show. Good luck Fronkey I have no doubt that this will catapult you into something better.

[Bubba]

Well that's too bad. Not to knock the guy but his video didn't seem to take much effort and the old video he used was boring. I guess Les and his producers wanted more of the common man. Maybe you showed too much energy? Whatever the reason, I'm just looking forward to more of your adventures!

[seanhogge]

Whatever the reason, I'm just looking forward to more of your adventures!

+1 to that. Survivorman (et al) bores the hell out of me these days, but a good trip video is always delightful.

[swoodrow]

Voted ...... fronkey you need another video i have nothing to watch....

[cougarmeat]

I suppose we could write Survivorman's sponsors and tell them we are less inclined to buy their products if they do not support "popular vote". I felt bad that I didn't realize I could vote every day, but as someone posted, the fine print indicated that - as with our presidential election process - the votes we put in the box don't matter.

Once I participated in a TV presentation called "Survival of the Fittest". It was race type contest held in various "sport" centers/locations and was held at least twice in central Oregon - around Bend and the Smith Rocks area. Here's what I saw: First, you know that cheering and yelling in the background of events - well that was real, but not at the time you see it in the contest. They got a group of people, usually younger (and girls), for their higher octaves and volume, and recorded their cheering separate from the events. Then they just edited in the cheering sound track where they wanted it.

Next came the rules modification. If you missed a check point, got off course, you were disqualified. And several people were disqualified because of that during the events at the start of the contest. But towards the end, it came down to Lynn Hill and another woman who were sort of neck and neck.

The production had spend a lot of film footage covering those two. Then, during the last event, a run at Smith Rocks, Lynn Hill got off course and missed a turn. Now our job was to shout and call the person to the check/turn/route point when they got close. So what the producers decided was that 1) because Lynn's "detour" resulted in a longer travel distance than the planned route. 2) because helicopter overhead might have masked out the shouts, "Over here!" so she didn't hear the aids calling - that she not be disqualified and was declared the winner. No one mentioned that person who came in second didn't have a problem following the prescribed route.

In short, the person won who they wanted to win.

Frontkey - if it will help you if we subscribe to your youtube channel - just post a link here will take us to it.

[Loki]

Perhaps Les really just wanted a cameraman for his next season. In that case Fronkey, your talent would be wasted. Keep on keeping On!

[miyanc]

Has anyone watched this idiot?

I finally figured out why not fronkey and why this guy... he was looking for the idiot we all saw.

I am actually laughing. This guy is clueless. I would rather take my 5yo daughter into the woods. Ok so I have not seen much of these new episodes. What I just watched he just broke a ferisimum rod because he was trying to use a rock. The rod was attached to the axe and he broke it because he was beating it with a rock. Then les informs him he should use the axe and he is running down the wrong way on the axe. Whats even worse then that is the pile of tinder he is attempting to use is a joke.


Nice pick. Maybe they needed an extreme contrast. Fronkey you would have been all wrong.