Redemption Inc., episode 2: the great gummy bear debate of 2012
What a week on Redemption Inc.! There was a pair of split pants, a video bio with a shirtless ex-con and two grown men nearly coming to blows over whether a sundae bar ought to include gummy bears (the answer is obviously yes). Kevin O’Leary was once again fairly absent (which we still can’t fully comprehend, because this is his show), and a comic narrator even made light of one former convict’s past criminal life (how charming!). Read all about it in our TV brief after the jump.
This week, those kooky ex-cons were in charge of an ice cream social boat cruise (you mean you’ve never been to one?) on Toronto Harbour. Why? Kevin O’Leary explains that the challenge was designed to test their sales, communication and service skills, but we know it’s really just to get them into some old-timey outfits. (We imagine the show’s executives thinking, “They’re tough-as-nails ex-cons and they’ll be wearing silly vests! It’ll be hilarious!”) While the contestants get to work selling tickets, prepping the sundae bar and learning the tour script, it is time to watch some dramatic, in-depth video bios. So much about these mini-docs is inexplicable—the industrial concrete location where they take place, the intense shadows in which the ex-cons are lurking, and the fact that Sam isn’t wearing a shirt for his close-up—but needless to say, they are amazing. We thought these ex-cons were supposed to be reformed!
But, sadly, the videos do not last forever, and we’re soon spirited back to the challenge. The sales team (Joseph, Alia and Adam) has a slow start, giving the narrator the opportunity to say, in his best National Geographic documentary voice, “Alia is finding boat cruise tickets are harder to sell than drugs.” You don’t say. We nearly keel over as Jeff, our quiet hero (who looks kind of like Dave Grohl if you squint, don’t you think?), struggles with his tour script, but, thank God, he manages to stutter something about the oldest lighthouse in the Great Lakes, which “was built in the early 1800s. Like, early, early.” Not Shakespeare, but we’ll take it. In the end, it’s the catering group, helmed by “I used to model” Ryan, that proves dysfunctional, and back at Redemption HQ, O’Leary cuts Aaron for his inability to play nicely with others. Another week, another ex-con gone, another step closer to Jeff’s triumphant victory.
• Number of “Got Gwop” T-shirts worn: 1 (Alia, we like you, but you scare us.)
• Number of times Aaron jerked forward and called something “bullshit”: 9
• Number of boating-based puns about “rough waters” and “rocking the boat”: 4
• Number of Toronto islands correctly identified during the tour: 0
• Number of passive-aggressive comments from the boat tour operators: 7
• Number of ill-advised tattoos: 6
• Number of seconds we thought it would be fun to go on an ice cream social boat cruise: 0.5
• Number of times we wondered if Joseph is hot, then decided he wasn’t: 4
• Number of years Ryan claims to have “modelled around the world”: 10
come on guys, humble jeff ??, trash mouth alia ? can she interact with normal people? flying high brian? wonder if they even did a drug test on that kid? A.D.D aaron? just wrong environment i guess? Vampire joseph? looks like hes inching to snap on one of them! green giant leslie? looks meaner then he acts, maybe he will snap too..Quite adam? somethings up with that guy? on profile says he was a copper? wtf they dont mention that?
Commenting on Mike’s post. Wow judgemental much? Let me counter all your slanderous rude remarks. Jeff? Yes from what I see he’s totally humble. Nice, quiet guy, gets the job done. Alia just expresses herself honestly. She doesn’t sugar coat things, or hold back, and personally, I think she’s hilarious. Without her, the show wouldn’t have any comedic relief. Flying high Brian? That guy accepts responsibility for his actions, works very hard, and both business owners to date had nothing but good things to say about him. Vampire Joseph? Well yea, he’s always trying to look tough and scary, but he seems like a good guy. Green giant leslie? Yea hes giant, but he aint very green. quiet adam? i definitely must agree there, theres something up with him… ex copper you say? what he was a cop? crazy. yeah i totally think he looks shady, and the fact that he owns a pawn shop just speaks volumes of his character. cant trust a pawn shop shiester. Aside from the Adam, I must disagree with you, but we shall see in the end what comes of it all. I think Jeff will win!
ya i guess you are right on some stuff.. just my opinion on what i have seen on the first two episodes..maybe we will see better in next episodes of there characters..just my first impressions on what they showed i guess. sometimes i wonder on these shows if they just let us see what they want us to see. i heard the is 1 week of filming compressed to 1hr?
Devy… LOL I looks shady? How does owned a Pawn Shop put a negative on my character? Are the people on the show “pawn stars” shady? That a big stereotype on pawn shops.., no? Have you ever been in here? Have you ever met me?
Mike.. it was 3 days of film footage for 1 episode.
** look / **owning / **that’s…………. lmao I was multitasking with customers when I wrote that..lol
Pawn shops exploit people who need money. They pay people next to nothing for what they are selling, and charge them huge interest on loans. It’s just a dirty business. What do you pay people for gold? Probably 12$ a gram or something pathetic like that? Then melt it, flip it for huge profit. As well, a large portion of the items sold are stolen goods. I want Joe or Sam to win, Adam’s just an obese fool that should be on “The Biggest Loser”.
f*ck devy thats some funny sh*t. first a prison guard then a pawn shop owner? cant get shadier than that. im rooting for that brian kid or that big ass gorilla man samuel. i wonder what the ex cons thought about having a pig amongst them? im a big fan of this show
I personally know Alia and she is an awesome person hands down! She says it how it is no matter who you are and she’s always been like that. And for your information yes Alia can interact with normal people cuz that’s all she associated herself with. Alia’s going to win! You can tell by her work ethics and her business proposal. Not one other person used this experience to help other people except for Alia and that just shows what a great person she is regardless of her past crime.
I totally disagree with “Team Jeff”. I wanted Aaron to win but now I guess I will have to settle for Ryan. Actually as long as it’s not that crackhead looking Aliah who talks like a retarded trucker or that creepy looking troll Joseph (who will probably be hunted down by the Mexican Cartel for claiming he’s dealt with them) that wins then i’m happy. Kevin needs to find smarter ex cons. I mean how hard is it to wash a car and run boat cruise?
Whatever buddy your entitled to think what you want to think and that’s fine. Alia’s a good person regardless of what you say. She’s taken this opportunity to better herself and give back to her community. Ha! Aaron has got to be the worst choice ever. He clearly has issues. The fact that he wants to take care of his mother, someone who couldn’t even take care of her own child is utterly insane. This experience was suppose to be for him not his mom. Plus, he still has that jail mentality, as he displayed many behaviours while in the first episode. Starting fights and shit… geez get a clue buddy!