This artist rendering
released by Vivos, an underground shelter network,
shows a design
for
an underground bunker. Spike TV will be airing
a six-episode series called “Last Family
on Earth” a competition in which survivalists
will compete for an underground bunker in an
undisclosed location. The series will air in
the fall.
The Spike television network is airing a competition
this fall to award a fortified bunker to a family
that believes the end of the world is near.
The network said Tuesday that its six-episode
series called “Last Family on Earth” will
feature survivalists competing to show how tough
and resourceful they are. The winner gets an
underground bunker in an undisclosed location.
Sharon Levy, executive vice president of original
programming at Spike, said the series doesn’t
necessarily coincide with the theory that the
ancient Mayan civilization predicted the end
of the world will arrive in December 2012.
Levy said polls show that many people believe
that there will be some catastrophic event like
an earthquake or epidemic that threatens civilization,
and these are the people who will participate
in the show.
“We don’t think there’s
anything funny about that,” Levy said. “We
think it’s a very interesting segment
of the population that is very prepared,
is highly intelligent. These are regular
people. These are not people that you may
think are living in a shelter in the middle
of the woods. These could be your friends.
“We’re taking it very seriously,” she
said. “We know they’re taking
it very seriously, and we think it’s
going to be incredibly riveting.”
Viewers will also learn useful information
about survival skills, she said.
Winners will be selected by a panel of survival
experts, with viewers given a say through
social media. The families involved and the
judges haven’t been selected for the
series, produced by reality TV maven Craig
Piligian and Pilgrim Studios.
Levy wouldn’t say how much the bunker
will cost.
Although only six episodes have been ordered,
Levy said there’s no reason that “Last
Family on Earth” couldn’t last
several seasons if it’s successful.
That will presume, of course, that the world
doesn’t end in December.
