OFF THE WIRE
http://www.huliq.com/
By Mechele R. Dillard
Yes, The Devils Ride is over-the-top and, at times, the Laffing Devils are ridiculous, but that is what is making them a hit for the Discovery Channel.
Another week watching the Laffing Devils on Discovery Channel’s The Devils Ride, and another week wondering, “Are these guys for real?”
As the weeks go forward, the Laffing Devils—and, of course, the show’s producers—keep trying to prove to viewers that, indeed, the Laffing Devils are the real deal: a real San Diego MC. But, somehow, their efforts just keep coming off as, well, set up and fake.
Take for example, Rusty Coones just strolling into the Laffing Devils clubhouse with his band, Attika 7, and setting up to play, unannounced. Sure, the Laffing Devils had completed a repo for him a few weeks earlier, and he was appreciative, but having the respected Hells Angel just strolling around the clubhouse with these guys, unannounced, posing for the cameras? Particularly given the way the Laffing Devils have treated founding father and former prez Gipsy, who Coones set up the repo deal with in the first place and is, one would assume, a friend of Coones. Would Coones, in the real world, really be rewarding Billy the Kid and company for such behavior by dropping by and helping make their first party a hit? Just seemed a bit too produced to have any reality to it.
Of course, fans have to remember, this IS television. Reality television, yes, but television nevertheless. TV shows are going to be posed and hyped and ramped up to provoke viewer interest, whatever the show is; so-called “reality” television is no exception. And, in fact, reality television shows often come off as being less real than straight-out fiction productions, simply because they do involve real people placed in unnatural, unreal situations, making viewers question just how valid the show is overall.
Perhaps the thing that makes viewers question The Devils Ride and the Laffing Devils so vehemently is the way Discovery has promoted the show. Before it appeared, and since, commercials for The Devils Ride have made the show out to be an inside look at a hardcore 1% club—something the Laffing Devils certainly are not, and have never claimed to be. But, because of the advertising, hardcore is what viewers were expecting, and they are disappointed in what they got, and many seem to feel deceived, as well.
Understandable.
Still, there is something engaging about the show. It’s just so over-the-top, it’s hard not to laugh at many of the situations. The Laffing Devils are becoming the slapstick version of the MC and, in TV land, anyway, there is value in that. In this case, a lot of people are outraged at the antics of the Laffing Devils, but a lot of people are watching, as well, making The Devils Ride the latest hit for the Discovery Channel. Some viewers even admit that they keep watching despite themselves. As Huliq reader Rodgers said:
“All these guys look like posers to me. None of them deserves any real respect, so I say.’Hooray for reality TV.’ The real question in my mind is, why do I give a **** about these guys in the first place? I guess the show has in fact engaged me. What is the world coming to?”
Stay tuned.
