Season Premiere Info:
Tuesday, July 27 - 10PM ET on Discovery Channel
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/colony/

not sure how many people were avid fans of the first season but i know i am looking forward a lot to the next season starting up. i figured i would start a thread for it so we can keep the discussions here.

from the website's info and trailers, this season looks to be a lot better than the first season. i was an active participant of the first season's forums and it looks like the creators took a lot of fan suggestions from there and implemented them in this season which all adds to the realism of the experiment. so mark your calendars next week for a new season!

7/19/2010 2:39:24 PM

The first season wasn't bad, but I really hope they do away with the "Survival Expert" commentators. That part was super cheesy.

7/19/2010 2:58:20 PM

Ah yeah, I watched that a few times, it was a pretty good show.

7/19/2010 3:02:25 PM

Where does the drama in this show actually come from? It seems to me like all the drama that you would expect from a post-apocalyptic environment would be completely negated by the knowledge that it's not actually the end of the world.

7/19/2010 4:00:49 PM

Awesome, I was just about to make this thread.

I made the one for season 1, but in shit chat: message_topic.aspx?topic=571879

I was an avid fan of the first season, but some of their projects were a little too contrived. Hopefully they make this a more realistic season. Good to hear the Discovery Channel is so receptive to the viewers' comments!

^The drama seems fake often, but the producers do a lot to fuck with the survivors and get them immersed in the environment. Plus, after being in a shitty and stressful environment for several weeks or months you can expect some of the cast to go a little nuts. Off camera they did do some different things, like in one episode they took two survivors by car to a trailer park to simulate finding another colony, but they try to keep everything "legit" on camera...just like Man vs Wild.

Some examples from the first season:

Quote :

"Phase 1: Sleep Deprivation Shock and Fatigue To simulate the stress survivors experience in the aftermath of a disaster, the volunteers were kept awake for thirty hours with almost no food or water. Phase 2: Looting Scarcity of Supplies Mentally drained, the first six volunteers were given fifteen minutes in an abandoned department store to acquire as many resources as they can carry. Phase 3: The Marauders Resource Competition Ten minutes into scavenging, a gang of looters and thugs are sent in to steal the volunteer's supplies. Phase 4: River Walk Search for Shelter Before arriving at the colony, the volunteers haul their 200 pounds of looted supplies eight miles down the Los Angeles River. Phase 5: Arrival and Survival Rebuilding Begins The colonists arrive at an 80,000 square foot warehouse on a three and a half acre plot of land. They are supplied with rudimentary materials, tools, and a small supply of food and water. How they use these resources is up to them."

Quote :

"Phase 11: Colony Attack Resource Competition Not paying attention to security, the colonists are surprised by an attack on the warehouse by marauders and thieves, and they lose two days worth of food afterwards. The marauders were given instructions not to physically harm the colonists, but the colonists don't know that and accidents can happen."

Quote :

"Phase 15: New Arrivals Test of Unity Two mysterious new colonists, Andre and Elizabeth, make their way into the complex through a locked side door, to test the team's willingness to accept outsiders and their unity against potential threats."

Quote :

"Phase 24: Waterworks Return of Public Utilities As part of the experiment the water has been turned on to simulate the spastic nature of public utilities after a disaster, but the warehouse pipes can't take the pressure. Just as suddenly as it came on, the water is turned off. "

For Season Two:

Quote :

"Season Two of THE COLONY introduces viewers to a new group of volunteers with differing backgrounds, skills and personalities, to bear witness to how these colonists will survive and rebuild in a world without electricity, running water, government or outside communication. Over the course of 10 episodes, the colonists — who include a construction foreman, teacher, carpenter and auto mechanic — must work to utilize and strengthen their exploration, technology and survival skills in ways they've never had to before. THE COLONY features on-going commentary and input from experts in homeland security, engineering, psychology and the medical community, with expertise and insight into what the future could look like after a biological disaster. Filmed on 10 acres of abandoned neighborhood on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, THE COLONY'S simulated environment had been left decimated by Hurricane Katrina, a naturally occurring disaster zone that was slated to be bulldozed and turned into a public park. Empty buildings, weedy streets and the backwoods are all the colonists have to work with as they scavenge essentials for survival from their surroundings while fending off threats such as wild animals and malicious outsiders."

COLONY 2 LOCATION, Chalmette, LA



Hmm, looking at the cast, it seems they got way too many mechanics and gear heads. 6 of the 7 survivors have some type of fabricating experience or otherwise are legitimate mechanics. One guy is an actual 'bug out' survivor...should be interesting, but I can see him either outcasting himself through his own smugness or overtly trying to lead the group.

The one completely useless survivor is a hottie who is majoring in Communications. Typical...but at the same time, realistic

[Edited on July 20, 2010 at 7:19 AM. Reason : lkj]

[Edited on July 20, 2010 at 7:20 AM. Reason : http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/colony/bios/season-two/]

7/20/2010 7:08:57 AM

i'm really glad they have expanded the size of the "compound" for this season. i thought in season one it was just too small and convenient, everything was always found like a few steps away almost, esp when it came time to fabricate something. this time i think it'll be more realistic as they will have to explore more since the area is so much larger.

as for the cast, i agree with there being too many "gear-heads". but at the same time, having that many of them may yield some really cool projects. in season one, there were only a couple main guys doing all the real fabricating and building so maybe this time it'll be better, have to see. as for the hottie(s), gotta have that female appeal to keep certain male members of the audience interested. season one there were a couple attractive women which was nice to see at times rather than an oil-covered old man or something haha.

7/20/2010 7:52:52 AM

lol I remember in the first one when that Andre and Elizabeth came and she took a shower and used up all the water. They were PISSED.

7/20/2010 9:44:38 AM

They also have what looks like a war-mongering feminist who runs a garage based on her hard-knock life, so I'm sure they'll manufacture plenty of drama between her and the useless college student

I do think its pretty cool that they're using an actual wasteland too, area that was damaged by Katrina and then condemned. Kinda gives the show realistic foundation, in that this "actually happened." They do have the virus outbreak story still, but the environment should prove to be much more intriguing.

7/20/2010 9:54:28 AM

the environment is gonna be a much bigger factor in this season. one big difference will be simulated rotting corpses strewn about the compound (forum suggestion) from the virus outbreak or whatever biological disaster that happened. so the realism is really being upped this season which just leads to better entertainment

7/20/2010 10:04:20 AM

hahaha, awesome. I'm curious as to how they'll factor in the 'wild animals' portion of the preview paragraph, since that area seems pretty urbanized. Unless you're talking like snakes or something.

Also, the discovery channel link has 10 cartoon drawings made by one of the survivors during the experience. There are minor spoilers, but they're pretty funny regardless

7/20/2010 10:08:48 AM

Quote :

"Where does the drama in this show actually come from? It seems to me like all the drama that you would expect from a post-apocalyptic environment would be completely negated by the knowledge that it's not actually the end of the world."

7/20/2010 10:23:19 AM

In the trailer I think it showed some animals or something and some dude hunting them with a bow and arrow.


So I wonder if the makers of the show are gonna hide canned food or something throughout the deserted city in random houses and stuff or they will just leave it as is?

7/20/2010 11:14:38 AM

Quote :

"Where does the drama in this show actually come from? It seems to me like all the drama that you would expect from a post-apocalyptic environment would be completely negated by the knowledge that it's not actually the end of the world."

Quote :

"the producers do a lot to fuck with the survivors and get them immersed in the environment. Plus, after being in a shitty and stressful environment for several weeks or months you can expect some of the cast to go a little nuts"

- ThePeter

Couple all that with the interpersonal relationships and conflicting personalities of who is "leader" and who is going to be the cook and do the laundry also contributes a lot towards the drama of the show.

7/20/2010 11:29:44 AM

I don't care how much the producers fuck with the people. At the end of the day you know you are completely safe and nothing bad will happen to you, so there just doesn't seem to be a point to any of the crap they do. For instance, I don't understand how you could take seriously marauders coming to take your food when you know they won't do anything to you. Yeah it sucks that your food is gone but who gives a shit? The producers aren't going to let you starve to death and you aren't going to get cannibalized so what is the point?

7/20/2010 12:27:10 PM

then dont watch it, simple as that.

7/20/2010 12:57:30 PM

I certainly don't plan on watching it, I was simply hoping for an explanation as to how this show could possibly recreate post-apocalypse psychological effects on the participants without an actual apocalypse to do it with.

7/20/2010 3:04:50 PM

obviously, you don't know the point of the show then. i'll break it down like this: it is a social experiment to see how those participants would survive amongst themselves and in the environment of a major disaster, whether apocalypse or not. knowing there is no power, no water, no readily available food and having to make due with complete strangers and forge relationships with them for dependence can all be achieved without the apocalypse actually happening. the psychological effects are all the same in this manner. the participants "know" the apocalypse didn't happen, they "know" there was no major disaster that wiped people out but they have to all go through and deal with knowing those people, for purposes of the experiment, do not exist and can not help them.

7/20/2010 3:34:20 PM

^^

Quote :

"Throughout this season, the colonists face daunting physical and emotional challenges as they attempt to survive in a world void of all the niceties they've ever known, including environmental dangers such as disastrous weather and indigenous wildlife"

its a challenge to see if you can do it and survive with out the help. sure, the help is there if you need it but people can learn from these social experiments.

to me...its the same reason any of those survival shows are on TV. you can learn things by watching others and how they react to their environments in these circumstances.

plus, accidents can happen at any time.

[Edited on July 20, 2010 at 4:08 PM. Reason : Throughout this season, the colonists face daunting physical and emotional challenges as they attemp]

7/20/2010 4:00:09 PM

Quote :

"knowing there is no power, no water, no readily available food and having to make due with complete strangers and forge relationships with them for dependence can all be achieved without the apocalypse actually happening"

so basically these people are walking a tightrope one foot off the ground with a giant foam mattress under them, ok i get that just don't market the show as a real death defying tightrope walk.

7/21/2010 12:29:31 AM

Its also on the Discovery channel, so you have people watching who are more interested in the science and inventive ways they solve problems than just some stupid Survivor bullshit.

7/21/2010 3:26:44 AM

^ i know i watch it for that exact reason. i'm more interested in the Macgyvering of the items scattered around the compounds. i like to see what they think up and how they go about making it and having it work. the first season had a lot of cool innovative items that i was really impressed by. i have no doubt this season will be the same in that regard. if i wanted to watch a bunch of people playing "survivor" then i would just watch "Survivor" on CBS.

7/21/2010 1:14:54 PM

bttt for tomorrow night

7/26/2010 1:00:28 PM

I gotta wait until tomorrow to watch it, and then I have to hope someone uploads it to the internet. Damn you time change *shakes fist*

7/27/2010 5:19:21 AM

this would be one reality show that i would looooooooove to do
and amazing race / survivor

7/27/2010 1:27:14 PM

really looking forward to this show

and

^ yes

7/27/2010 1:34:17 PM

it looks like the ex-con/contractor from season 1 was in the commercials

7/27/2010 4:51:48 PM

lol @ that fight.

7/27/2010 10:29:44 PM

This season looks better to me.

I dunno if you're lawling at that fight because of how shifty the outsiders were being or what. The Survivors got nailed a couple good times, and pepper spray must blow.

I wasn't thrilled about the first series but hey, this might be worth watching. The considerably more awesome environment alone warrants my attention.

7/27/2010 11:36:26 PM

I was laughing at the hugs they were giving each other in that first one. Not the one with the pepper spray.

7/27/2010 11:38:29 PM

Haha, rather nice ending to today's episode. For some reason though, my first thought watching them get overrun was the gasoline from the truck for Molotov cocktails... or even napalm (I imagine that's against the show's rules though).

7/28/2010 1:04:30 AM

10 acres is small, and this one seems WAY too contrived to me.

It's obvious they are instructed not to punch/hit each other, just "wrestling" is allowed.

And i hate the BS about the quarantine if they come in contact with an outsider.

I liked the first season of this, but I didn't like how contrived the scenarios ended up becoming, and this one seems even more contrived.

But i'll still watch it, and like it, just because it's a neat concept and there's no other show like it.

I wish they could do another show like Survivorman though where the guy has to record himself...

7/28/2010 2:29:19 AM

so far this season looks a lot better than the 1st season. to me it looks like the producers learned a lot from the 1st one of what to do and not to do to keep people's interests. granted it's only the 1st episode of the new season, but that's just my view right off the bat.

one thing that always bothered me last season, and now this one, is that security is left to last. in my mind, security should be 1st. reason being: if you are killed by an outside force you won't need food or water or shelter or fire. and like last night, 15-20 outsiders showed up to take their stuff. yes the leader instructed only to get medical supplies but that would never happen, they'd take whatever they could get. and that's what some of the outsiders did exactly, they were taking cans of food and boxed milk. if the colonists had thought about security first maybe they could have prevented some, if not all, of the looting.

Quote :

"my first thought watching them get overrun was the gasoline from the truck for Molotov cocktails... or even napalm (I imagine that's against the show's rules though)."

last season they made Molotov's and used them in their defense of the compound. so i don't see why they couldn't do that again this season. but of course, different colonists, different mindsets. last year had an ex-Soviet/Russian soldier (who coincidentally thought about the Molotov's) where this year there doesn't seem to be anyone with a military background.

Quote :

"It's obvious they are instructed not to punch/hit each other, just "wrestling" is allowed."

yea same as last year. i dont think there is anyway around that due to it being TV and all.

Quote :

"And i hate the BS about the quarantine if they come in contact with an outsider."

i think it's a creative idea that adds a new twist to things. however, after that final melee with the outsiders, they all agreed not to quarantine since they had all been exposed. that's definitely a big risk you run is that outside exposure. now the interesting thing to wait and see is if any of the colonists become "infected" with the "virus" and is thus out of commission for a period of time leaving the rest of the colonists 1 person short.

7/28/2010 7:54:47 AM

Quote :

"there doesn't seem to be anyone with a military background"

I haven't watched the show yet, but from reading the bios online the old black guy was USMC.

Last season, it definitely looked like the fire weapons they made were only for show. Either I can't remember them trying to use them on someone, but it seemed no adversary was ever in frame when they used the Molotov or flamethrower.

7/28/2010 8:27:23 AM

^ ah thanks.. i havent read the bio's yet; good to know at least 1 colonist has some military training.

from what i remember, the colonists last year were using the Molotov's to keep the attackers back away from their main building. there were some shots where the attackers were standing with the flames/fire in front of them blocking their way into the building.

i'm hoping the new colonists think up some creative defensive measures to protect themselves.

7/28/2010 9:04:35 AM

step 1: close the damn gate...

7/28/2010 9:09:12 AM

^ lolol i thought the exact same thing

7/28/2010 9:23:25 AM

Agreed. I can't believe they haven't even thought of that yet...

7/28/2010 10:04:19 AM

I really hope a survivor freaks out and starts smashing outsiders with bricks and shit.

7/28/2010 1:10:41 PM

they probably can not lock the gate

one of the survivors got an elbow to the back during the raid. one of the outsiders dropped an elbow like a professional wrestler. looked a little vicious for the show. im shocked someone didnt get hurt in that first fight with everyone having pipes and stuff.

enjoyed it a lot.

i always laugh about the security issues also. they have so many people that it shouldnt be that hard to assign someone or a couple of people to try and fortify your shelter.

7/28/2010 3:50:48 PM

Aw, poor snake.

The artist 'George' fails at life in this scenario, lol at the colonists outcasting him from dinner. Model isn't very useful either, she's a dunce. I get the feeling that George doesn't take this seriously.

at the mob! That's a new thing definitely. Too bad they didn't actually fight and get everyone all I did see the people's elbow though, and they started swinging the pipes like they were gonna fuck someone up. Haha, George got owned at the end of the assault though. at them getting milk in their eyes, haha.

Series is definitely off to a great start. Interesting how soon they introduced the looters, I wonder how big of an issue it will be for future episodes. Looks like a big recurring theme from the previews.

7/28/2010 5:40:33 PM

The Teacher and the Contractor (lawl the black people) are extremely useful, they need to repopulate the Earth.

And yea, obviously the actors don't use deadly force, but they really put a hurtin' on those colonists. That guy got a NASTY elbow drop in the back of the head, another guy was getting pushed to the ground, hit with bars, et cetera. They mosted pinned and it made sense for the first fight--the outsiders had numbers and pepper spray, not really going to lose. Just pin them all.

I kind of like that the people don't seem as immediately educated on more advanced sciences or niche rolls (like ex-special forces or whatever). I'd just as soon watch this show if it was a bunch of people dumped in the middle of a ghost town or wilderness and told to build a colony. To me its about seeing the choices they make to support their community. The gimmicks with outsiders is entertaining but... you know, the acting is shoddy sometimes. Shit looked real this time.

7/28/2010 6:35:46 PM

i was very impressed with the bio-fuel they made last night to run the tractor. it was nice to see everyone pitch in to get it done regardless of how disgusting it was to have to cut up the decomposing pigs. at this point there seems to be more of a team dynamic than season one. to me it seems like if they are all to make it out of there, they need to rely on each other. whereas last season, i didn't get that impression at all. and finally, i'm glad to see they are working on defenses and securing themselves! i understand they needed power tools to do that but that shouldn't be an excuse not to do other things by hand to prepare for another attack.

8/4/2010 8:08:05 AM

I love chicks who know their way around an engine

8/4/2010 12:52:20 PM

that model impressed me, she stuck her hand up and took on the task of pickin deadhogs FIRST

and that teacher was cryin cuz she washed her hair, really? she volunteeered to grab the hogs fuck off. not only that she cut the fat off afterwards

she earned a hair washing and my respect

and ya i like the mechnic chick too that was slick

i was sad that the net thing didnt work for them, that bridge was genius (yea ye ayea i know, basic engineering...whatever guys i was impressed not having that background) the net seemed a little small, they should probably wait til nightfall thats when the cats are active, or to get when most other fish are active right around sunset...seemed like the middle of the day when they tried that


where did they get that net from i missed that?


love this show btw, it is very riveting

haha snake = "Chish" i like that description

im typin alot of shit but i was wondering if they are allowed to take endangered or threatened species, or are they stopped given possibility of fines or is that worked out already.

[Edited on August 5, 2010 at 11:26 AM. Reason : f]

8/5/2010 11:20:25 AM

i would think if they come across something endangered or even poisonous there is someone there to relay that info so to avoid it/them. it is a TV show afterall so i think there are certain environment clauses and rules to abide by.

i got a chuckle out of the "chish" remark too. i've never had snake but i've seen enough survivor shows on Discovery and else where to know that if you get a non-poisonous one and cook it up, it's not too bad at all.

8/5/2010 1:47:57 PM

itd be interesting to see some of those rules and points of intervention by the producers

8/5/2010 4:02:18 PM

They build a shower and of course they show the model chick testing it out. Approve!

8/11/2010 1:58:39 AM

For some reason, I feel like this season is getting off to a much slower start than the first one. It seems like there were way more big projects that had been completed by this point last season. Course that could just be because I was waaaay more impressed with the gasifier than I was with melting down pig fat.

8/11/2010 2:50:58 AM

i'm with ya on that El Nachó. even tho i have been enjoying this season, i am still a bit let down by the projects and where they are only this amount of time into the experiment. the projects last year really seemed to be innovative with the "cool" factor. so far this year, they've been "meh". i think i know why though, at least to this point. during the show last night i realized the huge difference between the 2 seasons (up to this point of episode 3): S1 was pushing to get out of the compound and area as fast as possible and spent a large amount of time and energy trying to figure out a way to do that where S2 has the colonists more coping and setting up to endure the long-haul, from what i can tell anyway. i'm not saying S2 colonists won't leave for better pastures but at this point it seems the attitude is to stay put and wait for the "government" to come back.

8/11/2010 7:49:05 AM

i agree with El Nacho also

i fell asleep about 1/2 way through the episode and never saw the completed smoker or shower. Still love the show and to me it seem that there is a different focus from escape to wait it out.

im still shocked at how poor their security still is.

8/11/2010 8:47:42 AM