I was recently laid off, so I did what millions of other unemployed people do and searched Craigslist for any openings. After searching through a few relevant categories, I clicked on "etc" - that's the catch-all category for jobs that don't seem to belong anywhere else. One of the postings announced casting for a new reality show. While I have no interest in appearing on a reality show, I am a fan of many of them, so I clicked on the link in hopes of learning about some upcoming program I may want to view in the future.

There was very limited information in the ad, but there was a website to which you were directed for further info. So, since I suddenly have a lot more free time, I thought I would check out theparadisebuilders.org.

The introduction provides a vague overview, but references other well known reality series (Survivor, Fear Factor) as well as dramatic programs (Lost). It seems like another "Survivor" rip-off in which people will be "stranded" on a remote island. I continue to read the description, because I'm wondering what the angle is - what is making this show different. The second section describes the "island" on which cast members will be living. It sounds somewhat similar to Survivor - no roads, no cars, no houses. When I read the third section, "the stay on the island" I got my first inkling that this would be no ordinary show. It wasn't the mention of the challenges of the hunter-gather lifestyle, but rather the reference to "exploring love without boundaries" that made me pause. Did I just read that right? And does that really mean what I think it does? Nah! Can't be. So, I read the next section - "The Tribe".

The tribe will have a core group of 6 people, with additional members being added over time up to a total of 25. Seems like a rather large cast, but whatever. However, I was not really prepared for what came next: "Besides making a commitment to apply an all-raw hunter-gatherer diet, tribe members will agree to a polyamorous lifestyle, meaning allow themselves to love more than one person whenever opportunities arise." Yes, that's right. The show seems to want to be the NC-17 version of Survivor!

There is a lot more information on the website - including the minor detail that participants must pay for their food and accomodations (on an uninhabited island - how much could the nightly rate be?) for the first 3 months and 3 weeks (the "trial period"). There will be no compensation and the minimum commitment is ONE YEAR! Though they do have the aforementioned "trial period" after which you can leave - or they can kick you out.

Not surprisingly, The Paradise Builders has no distribution and it's not even clear what form of program they hope to cobble together (documentaries, tv shows and web programs are mentioned). The whole experiment is being put together by the Institute of Genetic Anthropology. Google turns up nothing on this group other than its own website. On their website, they mention a "Board of Advisors" which includes names of faculty members from prominent universities (Harvard, Cambridge, etc). However, it's only after you read the fine print, that you discover this is a list of experts from whom the Institute eventually plans on seeking assisatance. I would say "Board of Advisors" is very misleading.

Maybe I'm out of touch, but are there really enough polyamorous, raw foodies who can afford to skip off to an island for a year? Are there many people of any inclination who can drop out of their lives for a year? And if you can afford to do it, would you really want to be on a reality show that you and your fellow participants are funding? Something tells me there will never even be an "episode one" of The Paradise Builders.