REALITY BITES AS TV SHOW'S APPEAL BECOMES CLEAR

In the back of my mind, I have long considered myself past the point of keeping track of entertainment industry trends. I might pay attention to a new singer's name if the music strikes a chord with me, or an actor when the performance tugs at my heartstrings.

Yet, the chances of me taking the initiative to seek entertainment shows and chase after stars are few and far between.

I didn't know when my passion in this area died, nor why it did. Perhaps it's age.

I had moments of starry-eyed infatuation in my 20s, when I wouldn't think anything of dipping into my limited disposable cash reserves to buy the albums of my favorite singers, or binge-watch a TV series with a familiar star, no matter their quality.

Yet, for a guy now pushing 40, I have carried this weird moral burden of not keeping my cards close to my chest if I know too much of what is going on in the world of light entertainment. I even harbor a secret pride in not being invited by my younger colleagues to join in with their lunchtime gossip sessions and celebrity dirt-dishing, as if it grants me a level of gravitas becoming of my age.

That was why I felt both a bit nervous and curious when I recently got invited to join a test run for the reality game show Run for Time at Puyuan Fashion Resort in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province — a place with a myriad narrow, cobbled lanes and historical-looking buildings.

The show, jointly produced by Hunan Satellite TV and video-sharing platform Mango TV, invited key opinion leaders, media reporters and fans to experience a range of thrilling tasks.

I had the privilege of taking part because the production companies were in need of male media professionals for the gender balance of the two competing teams. The aim was that the teams had to finish a series of tasks in a race against each other, while not being caught by the third-party, a group of hunters.

This episode is built on the intricate layout of the water resort, and the two teams not only engage in games of pursuit and evasion on land, but also clash with the hunters in boats.

In the gaming section, the progressively challenging levels demonstrate methods of mental warfare — where both teams try to sabotage each other.

Being a regular gym goer, I said yes to the invite purely for the prospect of running, and some small curiosity about reality shows, which are not among my usual beat.

After all, I thought, what is the worst that could happen. If I don't enjoy the game, I will still be able to chalk it up as a workout session.

Yet, upon arriving at the venue, the producer immediately put me straight on the matter as soon as he found out that I had not watched any reality game shows before and knew next to nothing about the rules of this one.

To ensure I took things seriously, he told me it would be a waste of time for me, trekking all the way there just to fail and get caught by the hunters too soon.

The consequence was dire: I would be deposited in a "termination room" where I would have to wait out the whole game, which could last for four hours.

This warning quickly sunk in and prompted me to anxiously seek out and cram in details of the game.

When all of the participants were led to the starting point, the sight of the five hunters, dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses, being restrained in barred cells somehow set my adrenaline pumping.

They did look cool, yet menacing, luring me into the game.

The rules were that we had 30 seconds before they were released and we had to put as much distance between us and them as possible. The second the bell rang, a dozen of us scattered like startled birds, sprinting in all directions down the labyrinthine paths.

I ran for all I was worth without looking back and swerved into any side streets that I came across. In fact, I made so many turns to shake off the hunters, that I didn't realize I had run out of bounds. It wasn't until my handler called me on my walkie-talkie that I found out that I had caused the game to halt.

It took me 10 minutes to tiptoe my way back to the game zone, like a soldier on high alert for the slightest hint of enemy activity.

Soon after, the first mission was released. We were to find and occupy certain hidden sites.

I got goosebumps when my teammates called me by the name of the celebrity I understudied for in their seriously-toned strategy discussions on how to outmaneuver our rival team.

It had a hypnotizing effect, instantly dragging me deeper into the world of the game.

Their commitment to the project had me feeling obliged to live up to their expectations and deliver on my part. I could feel I was getting increasingly invested in the game, as I marched toward a mission spot with a steely determination to succeed, while taking cover to evade the hunters.

I shared the excitement and disappointment of my team, as prompts popped up on our mobile devices, letting us know that while some of our teammates had achieved their missions, others, unfortunately, had not, falling in the line of duty, ultimately being collared by hunters.

The first round left both teams tied, and I was the only male player left on my team with three girls, as opposed to all four male players on the other side.

As the second round was mainly about physical challenges, ranging from burpee jumps and wall sits, my teammates entrusted me with the responsibility of outperforming our rivals. As the saying goes: Cometh the hour, cometh the man. My competitive streak was now turned up to eleven.

As I saw off each of my rivals in different challenges, the cheers and encouragement from my team left me at a loss for words — it was a scintillating experience that I hadn't had for years.

It then almost felt heroic during the last mission, where we were tasked with transporting a certain amount of "gold" to a specific location, as I was able to snatch a fortune in gold from our rivals, a deciding step in winning the whole game. However, in carrying out this daring raid, I had left myself exposed to the hunters.

The producer patted my shoulder and said I had "died with value and dignity". With my head held high, I was marched to the termination room.

I felt proud of myself in many ways, particularly how I survived right until the very end, and the fact that I didn't let the side down.

To be honest, I haven't been this excited about something I've done for a long time.

Days have passed, but I still feel rejuvenated whenever I recall the experience.

I have come to remember what it was like to enjoy such entertainment programs in my younger days and feel a bond with those lovely 20-somethings.

According to Enlightent, a data platform analyzing videos and TV programs, more than 270 new seasonal variety shows were produced in the country last year, and overall views of those shows reached 27.6 billion.

There has to be something in them for these shows to enjoy such wild popularity.

In my case, if there's anything I have taken away from this trip, it's that I should embrace more novel experiences and reconsider some of my stuck-up preconceptions.

Now that I am back home, I've made a point of finding the previous seasons of the game show and I'm starting to catch up. Maybe soon, I'll even be tempted to join the lunchtime gossip circle.