Dumped
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dumped | |
|---|---|
 Official logo for Dumped |
|
| Also known as | Eco-Challenge |
| Genre | Reality/Documentary |
| Presented by | Rob Holdway |
| Narrated by | Tony Gardner |
| Theme music composer | James Lundie |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Helen Hawhen Helen Veale |
| Producer(s) | Elaine Arthur |
| Co-producer(s) | Barney Addison James Collins |
| Editor(s) | Luca Salvatori Tim Clack Craig Nichols Dan Evans |
| Location(s) | Croydon, London |
| Camera setup | Phil Broom Colin Skinner |
| Running time | 1 hour (with advertisement breaks) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Channel 4 |
| Original run | September 2, 2007 – September 5, 2007 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Dumped was a television programme which started on September 2, 2007 and aired nightly until September 5 2007.[1] It involved 11 contestants living for three weeks on a rubbish dump next to a landfill site near Croydon, Surrey.[2] The contestants who "survived" the 21 days and used only what they found on the dump were awarded £20,000 to share equally between them.[2] The working title of the programme was Eco-Challenge.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Format
11 participants, who were not initially informed of their task, must live on a purpose-made rubbish dump adjacent to a working landfill site for 21 days after being left equipped only with a sleeping bag, drinking can and one roll of lavatory paper each.[2][4] However, food was delivered to the landfill on a weekly basis.[2] A prize fund of £20,000 was shared equally between those who participated for the entire three weeks.[2] All contestants were ordered to wear Kevlar gloves, protective boots and face masks when looking through the rubbish.[5] Every person working on the programme was given tetanus, polio and hepatitis vaccinations for their safety.[5]
[edit] Contestants
The 11 contestants who participated "represented the complete spectrum of public opinion on environmental issues".[6] Potential participants were not told that the programme would involve living on a landfill, but were instead told that they would be part of "a unique eco-challenge".[4] One participant, Darren Lumsden, voluntarily left the programme after just three days, claiming that the experience had taught him nothing.[2]
| Name | Age | Occupation | Hometown | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Twitchen | 20 | Psychology student | Devon | [2] |
| Sasha Gardner | 25 | Model | Bournemouth | [7] |
| Jermaine Liburd | 30 | Semi-professional footballer | Nottingham | [2] |
| Sylvia Viosna | 27 | Sales manager | West London | [2] |
| Ian Nash | 23 | Marine engineer | Portsmouth | [2] |
| Selena Lethbridge-Carr | 37 | Personal trainer | Surrey | [8] |
| Jarvis Smith | 36 | Advertising manager | Leicester | [9] |
| Christine Flynn | 47 | Designer | Glasgow | [2] |
| Jason Blair | 36 | Salesman | North London | [2] |
| Lawrence Rimmer | 19 | Biology student | Derbyshire | [2] |
| Darren Lumsden | 27 | Tattooist | Bristol | [10] |
[edit] Pre-series publicity
Described as Channel 4's "biggest marketing campaigns of the year", Dumped was promoted via various methods.[11] Advertisements for the programme appeared on websites such as Yahoo, The Guardian, New Scientist, The Daily Telegraph and MSN.[11] Television adverts, using the 1998 single Delta Sun Bottleneck Stump by Mercury Rev, featured people performing everyday tasks such as bathing whilst on the landfill.[11] Posters featuring the programme's tagline, "Living off the landfill", were displayed across Britain and others appeared on the London Underground.[11] Some bus shelters within London featured posters which were made out of rubbish, and September 2 edition of The Sunday Times featured a biodegradable bag wrap to promote the programme.[11]
[edit] Reaction
[edit] Viewing figures
The first episode of the programme received just 2.4 million viewers, a 10% of the audience, compared to the television premiere of The Queen on ITV1 which was watched by an average of 7.9 million people and attracted a 36% audience share.[12] Coming Down the Mountain, also airing at the same time on BBC One, was watched by 4.7 million and a 20% share.[12] The second episode was watched by 1.7 million, compared to the 3.6 million that watched the opening episode of the third series of ITV1's Hell's Kitchen[13]. The penultimate episode was viewed by 1.5 million viewers and had a 7% audience share, while Hell's Kitchen received 3.4 million viewers and a 15% audience share.[13] The final episode of the programme attracted 1.9 million viewers and an audience share of 8%, while 4.2 million viewed Hell's Kitchen, a 19% audience share.[14] Both programmes were beaten in their slot by BBC One's Traffic Cops, which attracted 5.5 million and a 25% share of the audience.[14]
[edit] Reviews
James Walton, of The Telegraph, was critical of the programme and its purpose; on Darren's departure, he said: "According to the narrator, this proved that Darren “didn’t understand” the experiment. Another interpretation, of course, would be that he did."[15]
[edit] Controversy
It was initially alleged that the programme was staged, as the landfill that the contestants were living on was created especially for the filming.[16] However, Channel 4 has played down these allegations, stating that the programme could not be filmed on the real landfill and that they have been "careful not to mislead".[16]
[edit] References
- ^ "New reality show is rubbish", Metro, 2007-08-30. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "New reality TV show dumps contestants on rubbish tip for share of £20,000 prize", Daily Mail, 2007-08-29. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ "Channel 4's Dumped: Making rubbish TV", The Guardian, 2007-08-29. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ a b What was the casting process?. Channel 4. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ a b Was it safe for them to live there?. Channel 4. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ How did you choose the final eleven?. Channel 4. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Sasha Gardner. Channel 4. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Selena Lethbridge-Carr. Channel 4. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Jarvis Smith. Channel 4. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Darren Lumsden. Channel 4. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ a b c d e Sweney, Mark. "Channel 4 campaign a load of rubbish", The Guardian, 2007-08-17. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
- ^ a b Oatts, Joanne. "'The Queen' pulls in 8 million viewers", Digital Spy, 2007-09-03. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
- ^ a b Oatts, Joanne. "3.4m return for seconds of 'Hell's Kitchen'", Digital Spy, 2007-09-05. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
- ^ a b Oatts, Joanne. "'Hell's Kitchen' turns up the heat", Digital Spy, 2007-09-06. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
- ^ Walton, James. "Last night on television: Coming Down the Mountain (BBC1)/Dumped (Channel 4)", The Telegraph, 2007-09-03. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
- ^ a b "C4 defends rubbish show", The Sun, 2007-08-30. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
