Dreamland

Survivor 4: Penitentiary

I’m with a group of people up in the mountains, somewhere east of Denver. They’re filming a new “reality” show up here, a version of survivor that takes place in a real prison; the contestants mixed in with real inmates. We’ve sneaked out here to watch. I climb up on top of a corrugated steel fence, almost knocking a woman off who is already siting up there with several other people. I apologize to her, feeling like a real jerk for being so clumsy.

We take turns passing around binoculars, but we can’t see much, only a camera crew in the distance out in the exercise yards. A few of the guys start bragging to the ladies that they would be able to win if they were given a chance to be in the show. I join in, trying to sound cool.

A car pulls up, someone from the show. He says we have to leave, since no one is supposed to know the outcome until it’s aired. But they do need four new contestants for a special addition to the show. Three of the other guys volunteer so I do too, not wanting to look like a wimp.

They take us to the edge of a dirt road at the bottom of a hill. The prison truck is going to be driving by; we have to jump on the back with the other inmates to get into the prison. Once inside, it will be up to the old-timers in the prison to guess which of the new prisoners isn’t real, one guess per day. If you get picked, you’re out.

The truck drives by, slowing down enough so we can jump on board to “sneak” into the prison. It’s obviously a staged event. The truck is an ancient relic that probably hasn’t been used for real prisoners in years, but it looks “authentic”. Camera crews are on the ground, and in the truck. We climb aboard and sit on the benches, mixing in with the real convicts.

Halfway up the hill, the truck breaks down. The driver opens the hood; I walk over to see if I can help. Oil is pouring out of the engine, something is seriously wrong. It doesn’t look like this truck is going any further. The director doesn’t look happy; he announces that shooting is over for the day. “Be back at 9:00 tomorrow. We’ll have another truck ready and we’ll start all over again.”

The guards march the real prisoners back towards the penitentiary, and the rest of us walk back towards our cars. I’m trying to decide if I want to come back tomorrow or not.