The Anonymous - General Discussion

[zenithwit]

The Anonymous

Competitive Reality

USA Network (also available on Peacock)

Premiered on August 19, 2024

Quote

The Anonymous is a strategic competition played in two worlds: the real world, where players interact face to face, but also a digital world, where the players communicate behind a mask of anonymity, known as Anonymous Mode. Here in individual private hideouts, each player is free to say whatever they want to advance their game. In this game, anonymity equals power and the player best at staying anonymous becomes the player with the power to eliminate their competitors. Straddling two realities, contestants must play the ultimate game of perception and deception to win. What would you say and do if nobody was watching you?

 

 

Edited September 10 by zenithwit

[bunnyface]

Is nobody watching this?  I admit I'm a little more invested than I expected to be.

 

[LeDucDiableBleu]

I'm watching and loving it. I only wish they would reveal the Anonymous and the eviction at the end of the episode instead of the beginning.

[bunnyface]

Yeah, I don't like that either.  I guess they think they need to keep us hanging on to watch again.

 

[seacliffsal]

On 9/5/2024 at 2:32 PM, LeDucDiableBleu said:

I'm watching and loving it. I only wish they would reveal the Anonymous and the eviction at the end of the episode instead of the beginning.

I so agree with this.  If it's a ploy to make sure we tune in to the next episode, I doubt that it's working as I barely remember what previously happened.  I want to see the 'wrap up' of the episode and just start fresh in the next episode.  It's one of the reasons I was able to kind of leave the Bachelor franchise as I don't want have to watch the next episode for the Rose Ceremony.  I want to see teears an d walk a ways at the end of each episode!

I am enjoying this show though.  However, they are all starting to employ the same strategy-pretend to be someone else in the AI chat.  I'm surprised that Xavier isn't more of a target considering his Big Brother win.  But, we shall see.

[Jobiska]

I'm enjoying it.  And cosign re the cliffhanger nonsense.  

I wish they had a prize-earning comp in each episode.  I find the gem-picking tedious, but I think it's probably pretty compelling if you're in the game, trying to suss out the liars.  

I like how Dani teases some of them (did Andy really not get she was leading him into the Hokey Pokey?).  

Christopher reminds me of Tyler Crispen from Big Brother (looks wise), Wayne looks kind of like Joel from Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Nina...now who does she remind me of?  I can't quite place it (heh).  

Robbi's presumably filled lips kind of freaked me out, so I'm glad they are gone, and she's attached to them so she's gone too.  

[wenhiku]

I am enjoying this, too!  Agree with the above comments - why hasn't Xavier been targeted yet?

 

I,too, do no like the trend in the competitive reality shows to leave us hanging.  I guess it works if you are binging the series, but I do not feel the build up when I have to wait a week to find out the Anonymous and the departing contestant.  I would like to start each show with the aftermath of the vote out.

[seacliffsal]

I think the show really hurts itself by leaving the elimination hanging into the next episode.  I will have forgotten the 'strategy,' alliances, chat room discussion, etc. by the time we find out who was eliminated.  It really won't matter at that point.  And, I am starting to question why I watch the episode when there isn't a pay-off for having watched it.

They started with Wayne's elimination and I really didn't care.  Okay, Jack was the Anonymous but I had completely forgotten why/how Wayne made himself the target and why Jack didn't go after someone else.

Oh well.

[Jobiska]

Does Andy really think he's running this thing?  OMG.

In my "reminds me of" I forgot to say that Jack reminds me of British actor Nigel Havers, except brunet.  

I'm rooting for Jack and Nina, but most of them are fine with me.  The showmance annoys me but is not shown too much other than how it affect the game, which I appreciate.  Lilly kind of bugs me by being whiny, but if she makes it to the end, good for her.

I don't get the logic of blaming the only people who won anything for the pot for taking the easier numbers.  Rude.

[bunnyface]

Yeah, the ones who took the easier numbers are the only ones who accomplished anything.  It would have been better to not win any money?  Because if they HAD take a bigger number and not won it, oh you're no use to us when you risk everything.  If they had won it, oh they're a threat, they have to go.  No winning with these idiots.

[seacliffsal]

This week's episode was basically a waste of time (yet, I watched it-so that tells you a bit about me...).  Sure, we found out that Xavier was eliminated at the beginning of the episode but that was anticlimactic as I pretty much had forgotten everything about last week's episode AND it should have been obvious to all participants that they needed to get him out as he already proved his ability to strategize and play as demonstrated by his winning Big Brother.

Anyway, it seemed like the build of the episode was watching 7 out of 9 players pick a colored box without revealing whether or not they were safe.  The box segment is boring as it's just picking a color and then lying about being 'at risk' or 'safe.'  That's it.  And then the whole, 'but if the person who the Anonymous picks has a 'safe; box, then nobody will be eliminated' is just pointless.  

Oh well.  Anybody else still watching?

[TeapotWakeen]

I am watching, but after a week I no longer remember/care about the "cliffhangers" of who is the Anonymous and who is out. A week between episodes does not work for this format.

[Jobiska]

Yes, still watching, yes, still dislike the cliffhangers but am enjoying the people, especially that Andy and Dillian think they are running things when they are not.  Also enjoying Jack's hair getting wilder and wilder.  

Wondering if they will switch "handles" again next ep.

[Mindthinkr]

I’m still watching for now, but I’m with all of you. I hate the cliffhangers and probably won’t invest in a second season if they continue that format. 

[seacliffsal]

The 'cliffhanger' just doesn't make sense to me.  It's too easy to forget everything that led up to it a week later, and I would think it's hard to draw in new viewers as the episode begins with an elimination about which new viewers would not know anything.  A lot of regular shows end with a cliffhanger at the end of a season, probably with the expectation that people have been watching several seasons and so are invested in the characters.  But, truly, the most successful cliffhanger ever is probably Dallas and the 'who shot JR?' cliffhanger (yes, I am that old to remember that).  But, in a format that hasn't really built a lot of suspense or personality development, I'm just waiting for the number of players to be lower so that I can start actually getting to know some of them to a better degree.

[bunnyface]

Still watching but late...and I fell asleep in the middle of the episode.  The cliffhanger doesn't work.  I also wonder why they are not allowed to add money to the pot every episode.  Is the production so cheap they don't want them to win much money?  I mean, the competitions haven't been nail biters but at least it's something to watch.  

I also wonder where this is filmed because every time they show a long shot of the mountains in the distance, I think of M*A*S*H.  It looks like their mountain shots.  That's how invested I am, I'm looking at the scenery.  

[wenhiku]

I'm still watching, too, but am not in a hurry to see the episode when it first comes out. 

I cannot disagree with anything said so far - the cliffhangers have to go!

They need to do the challenges, not just to add the money to the pot, but so that there is something else to add to their decision-making regarding a poor (or great!) performance.  Making it all about personalities is boring.  A trend I have been seeing in these "build the pot"-type programs is that the contestants do not seem all that motivated to add money.  There are too many influencers who can get money in other ways after the shows.

[CrazyTrain]

That box part took forrrrever and was so boring. I swear the voice said that 3 boxes were safe then suddenly it was 4, and also that they wouldn't tell anyone what their boxes were.. but then it was the same game as usual.

[meep.meep]

They do the same cliff hangers on The Traitors and it just won an Emmy.

I'm wondering about them earning money for the pot.  It's been several episodes since they competed.

Jack really blew it on his box reveal.  He's lucky no one stole his.

I think it's filmed in New Mexico but that's based on nothing.  They are all bundled up.

Look - I'm wrong!  From MSN.COM:

The Round House, as it is referred to on the show, is actually called the Solo House in real life, and it is located in Matarranya, Spain. According to Home Edit, the Solo House is solar powered and has a water filtration system to make it completely self-sufficient as a home. It was built in 2017 by the architecture firm OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen. It's in an area that is mostly rural and two hours south of Barcelona. So, you know, perfect for the competition.

The property that appears to be the Square House is located in the same mountainous area in Spain. And apparently, these homes are part of what was a plan for 12 Solo Houses in the area. It's not totally clear what, if any, connection the Round House and the Square House have outside of The Anonymous, but they are both used as bases of operation for the players.

When Deadline reported on the show in April 2024, the outlet said that it was "set to film in Europe" at that time. It premiered in August 2024. Going by that rough timeline, it's safe to say that The Anonymous was filmed in Spain in the spring and early summer of 2024. But, as with other reality competition shows, not all of the contestants filmed for the same duration of time, depending on their eliminations.

 

[bunnyface]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

They do the same cliff hangers on The Traitors and it just won an Emmy.

 

Well, I liked The Traitors, so maybe that show was just more interesting in general and didn't make the cliffhangers seem so pointless.  

I fell asleep in the middle so didn't realize they didn't tell anyone what was in their boxes.  I think that would be my move, if allowed.  I'm not gonna tell you and you decide if it's worth stealing or not.  We'll both be in for a surprise.  

[meep.meep]

Lilly tried that - it's between me and God - and two of them got snippy with her

[bunnyface]

That figures.  But that can be between them and God too.  lol  My mama always said "you've got the same pants to get glad in again."  

[LeDucDiableBleu]

I'm still watching but I agree with what's been said here. I also wish the chat segment was longer.

[Jobiska]

On 9/20/2024 at 1:32 PM, LeDucDiableBleu said:

I also wish the chat segment was longer.

Definitely, and/or that they had more than one session.  They need it to be long enough for people who are all "hey don't call me out!" but can't immediately respond because then everyone will know it' them, so they need a buffer of another comment in between.

[wenhiku]

On 9/18/2024 at 11:13 AM, meep.meep said:

They do the same cliff hangers on The Traitors and it just won an Emmy.

If I recall, the Traitors put the episodes out in bunches, so you could just start the next episode and see the result, and watch the rest of the episode later.  Like I said before, I feel these type of cliff hangers work if you are binging, but not so much if you have to wait a week.  

[TeapotWakeen]

Yes, cliffhangers work when you can watch 3 or 4 episodes in a row-- you get to know the players better, you can see strategies in play, or you can wait a month and binge it all. On broadcast TV like this, the cliffhangers just take away from the tension and they even announce the eliminated person before you even know who they are (at least early on!). 
 

Also: enough with the jewel "nobody has ever stolen one" box challenge!

[AntFTW]

This show comes on too late. 😤

[seacliffsal]

Jack really played too hard in this episode.  He is becoming a bit too dictatorial instead of trying to build consensus by asking others to name their targets and telling them who are the targets.  I think he will be out sooner rather than later.

Very interesting that Andy put his own name into the vote-he may be a stronger strategist than I previously thought.

I find Dillian to be exhausting.  Of course, the producers could have shown less of his 'dance' before the chat but they seem to like his 'entertainment' value.  I'm just over people who demand all of the attention and don't give room to others (both in my real life and my 'entertainment' life).

I'm just tired of Lilly.  She always reminds me of Eyeore...

[AntFTW]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I'm just tired of Lilly.  She always reminds me of Eyeore...

I can't unsee it now.

[bunnyface]

Yeah, the first time she looked up through her bangs at the screen, I thought "there it is."  Eyeore forevermore.