Journalist, television host, and author Brooke Baldwin hosts this reality TV show where eleven strangers are given a quarter of a million dollars to split evenly if they choose to share the money. The series is a look at human nature and the influence that greed has on us when given the opportunity to have more money in one way or another. The series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of 50 minutes.
The contestants are – Gaspare Randazzo, Lindsey Anderson, Simone Stewart, Juelz Morgan, Bryce Lee, Jay Patterson, Jacob Chocolous, Winnie Ilesso, Brian Firebaugh, Tolú Ekundare, and Julie Theis.
Gameplay
It’s a game of voting wherein people have to, well, trust their fellow players and split the money fairly. They can also vote against each other, and the person who gets even one vote is asked to leave. Of course, the person voting will then have a mark on their back and will be under the heat of being voted next. However, if people vote for different people, it gets neutralised.
Superficial and Hypocritical
What is it with Netflix releasing these random reality TV shows every other week about money and trust featuring a whole host of vain and superficial people who have very little going for them? Right from the moment we start, each and every one of these people is just ridiculously silly for them to be as serious as they are in this show. The moment something happens, people look somberly into the camera and mention that things are getting very interesting and serious!
Some, if not all, of these moments feel quite scripted, and it feels grating and absolutely jarring to watch these people try very seriously to say these lines with the utmost sincerity. In the last episode, farmer Brian makes a big statement and tells Brooke Baldwin that his integrity is not for sale. It’s the most hilarious thing I have watched on television in a while because of the context in which it takes place.
Plus, most of these people are just so unbelievably vapid, and the hypocrisy is off the charts. Everyone starts sharing their sob stories, which might be triggering for viewers, which is immediately followed by a very mean and superficial action completely negating anything that you might have felt for them. On top of that, inflated egos are at an all-time high while in the next moment juxtaposed with stories of sadness.
I think I am just going to mention here that some of the women are extremely and very weirdly hostile, and it is a little embarrassing the way some people try to make everything a gendered issue and a slight against their gender the moment anyone disagrees with something. During one discussion, Jay gets oddly annoyed at Simone for having a different opinion than her, which left me absolutely dumbfounded. I mean, people are allowed to disagree with you even if they all identify as the same gender as you – it’s wild!
On the other hand, some of the men make the. worst decisions possible that will make you question whether or not they think through what they are doing. 22-year-old real estate agent Brian, in spite of knowing what the future holds, tells everyone his deepest secret that he knows will end in misery for him. I couldn’t image the thought process behind it, even if you’re here just for the money or the experience.
Watching this absolute insanity go off on-screen made me question whether I was taking crazy pills at one point because, honestly, the cliquey nature of these people was understandable in high school, but adults behaving irrationally like this is just embarrassing. It’s a dramatic watch, however, and regardless of whether or not this is totally scripted, it might be fun to keep on in the background.
I think, other than the absolutely annoying characters, the gameplay is quite interesting and engaging. The trust issues, the plotting, etc, are very watchable, and there are moments that are genuinely arresting. Sometimes, you might find yourself strategising as well, but those moments are short, and the characters find something absolutely silly to say the moment you think you can get some respite from immaturity. But the place is so beautiful, and there are whales, so there’s that!
On the flip side, I think it’s a pretty nice showcase of how people are when money comes into play. Of course, they say it isn’t about money, but come on. It’s always about money. It’s interesting how some people always say something to everyone’s face and do the complete opposite in private. It’s also extremely interesting to note how some people make it look like others can’t make decisions on their own or that something is clouding other’s judgement if they don’t agree and conform with what’s being told. Regardless of right or wrong, people still have the right to choose for themselves, and it’s very interesting that you constantly see that being taken away.
The Trust Review: Conclusion
If you’re interested in watching the worst people operating cliques and holding on to odd grudges just because this is the show for you. Of course, there are moments that will arrest you; that’s there in almost every show, but even then, it gets a bit much. It’s the hypocrisy for me.
The Trust is streaming on Netflix.
It seems real hypocritical for Tolu to say I’m more than my culture and being African when the first sentence from her in the interview was “being African is the biggest part of my identity”..come on