You know all about the Prisoners’ Dilemma, right? You also know how it translates to quiz/gameshow endgames. If not, it’s the endgame that offers two contestants a prize pot. All they have to do is to individually decide whether to share/split the pot with the other player, or steal it/shaft them by taking it all for themselves. If they both split/share, then both receive half of the money in the pot. If just one player decides to steal then they take it all while the other gets nothing. If both steal, then neither gets anything. We’ve seen it in Shafted, Golden Balls and Bank Job.
Well, the latest show to use this endgame is BBC’s the Inner Circle, which I watched last night before the endurance viewing marathon that is the early weeks of Strictly. One player had been by far the best player all show and I predicted he would shaft. He did too. I reckoned he was smart enough to know that your outcome cannot be worse if you shaft/steal. It did leave a bit of a nasty taste though.
Well, that’s the prisoners’ dilemma for you. It says a lot for pragmatism and very little for altruism. As indeed does another reality gameshow I don’t love myself for watching. Tempting Fortune has been back for another series. Paddy McGuinness hosted the first two series, and the latest is being hosted by Celebrity Faithfull Rob Beckett.
If you’ve never seen it, well, a number of contestants are given minimal equipment and rations and given 18 days to trek across a jungle. Everyone who completes the trek will take an equal share in a jackpot of £300,000. Ah, but along the way they will be tempted with treats, ranging from a Gregg’s steakbake to a night in Champney’s spa. The cost of the treats is deducted from the prize pot. So while one person may get to enjoy the treat, everyone pays for it.
The first time I watched the show I got rather angry with the takers – notwithstanding the fact that, were I in the same position, it’s very likely I would be one of them. But the fact is that the mechanics of this game do mean that you cannot be worse off if you are a taker. Yes, it is annoying to see people being deceitful and behaving in a way you would never condone outside of the game. For example, we did see a vicar in the previous series, and I wouldn’t have minded being a fly in the wall when some of his parishioners were talking about what they thought of his behaviour. But it’s a game. And the fact is that the mechanics of this game reward selfish behaviour. However self denying you are, others are going to grab the experience with both hands. You might just as well join ‘em, because you certainly ain’t going to beat ‘em.
I have watched each episode of the latest series. But I don’t like myself very much for doing so.
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