Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/06/24/new-reality-tv-gameshow-for-flat-earthers.html
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Contributed by Allan Rose Hill
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The most interesting take away for me from the 2018 documentary Behind the Curve was that the Flat Earthers the filmmakers followed were surprisingly competent at designing experiments to determine the curvature of the earth (or lack thereof). They simply refused to accept the data produced from their own experiments when the outcomes invariably failed to support their hypothesis.
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What in the world would they be spending their research budget on??
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Damn. That “research budget” is like 3-4 years rent for me. How do I get on this show and perform some super cheap experiments involving, like, calling a few people around the world and having them measure the angle of the sun at the same time, then pocket the rest?
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If they’re flat-earthers can it really be considered reality TV?
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Was the title “Delusional Arseholes” already taken? Because if any “reality” show deserves the title, it’s this (despite the strong competition).
“the series aims to shed light on how theories like this gain traction in the U.S. and around the world.”
Sure, and Playboy was all about the articles. Give me a break. This is about spectacle, and who cares if it gives charlatans a platform, amirite?
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One well-used 48 foot yacht: $39,500
Sales tax: $2,370
Food, fuel, and fun money: $8,130
Setting sail to the “edge of the world” and getting “stuck” in the Bahamas: Priceless
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The grand prize should be a trip into space so they can see with their own eyes how wrong they are.
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But, but, sunsets would be crescent shaped, amirite?
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Forget the shape; just the fact that the sun sets at completely different times for different places would be enough to disprove the theory. If they were actually open to being proved wrong all it ought to take would be a live video chat with somone they trusted a few time zones away.
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Deepfake by the network. /s, from me anyway. From a flat earther 
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Yeah, but I’m calling my friends in CA and it is 5PM there and 8PM here as the sun sets here it isn’t setting there because it is 5PM. If they set their time to 8PM the sun would set there too!
You can see the results of my $50,000 experiment by waiting for their watch to catch up and the sun sets. Which costs $50k because…reasons. Fine, I have to um, acquire Warhammer minis to keep the conversation going. That’s the $50k.
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I have some really shocking news to tell you about the rest of “reality TV” - you’d better sit down…
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Some dude is going to pay for one flat earther and one flat earth debunker to go to Antarctica this summer (i.e., December) to witness the 24-hour sunlight that essentially disproves the dumbass flat earth “theory.” Many debunkers are interested; the grifters — uhh, I mean “flat earthers” — are already coming up with their excuses as to why going would be a waste of time.
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I have mixed feelings about stuff like this. On the one hand, I’m sure the flat earthers they bring in will be enthusiastic about the idea of getting to prove the globeheads wrong.
On the other, this reminds me of stuff like Religulous, where it’s mocking average people for being wrong about something (wrong in the creators’ opinion, I don’t intend to comment on religion here). I hope they only bring on people who already evangelize flat earth and not run-of-the-mill believers; otherwise, it’ll just feel mean-spirited.
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You could always say “My experiment is to sit in this particular house/apartment and look out the window to count things and people that disappear over the horizon at least once a day for three to four years. I, being a 100% genuine flat earther, think I won’t see a single person or thing disappear from sight without going behind something else - Thus proving the world is flat.
For this experiment I require the full $50,000 to pay rent for the house/apartment in question while I conduct this experiment.”
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It’s unlikely that the show would allow any of the teams to pull a Rocketman stunt or anything similarly dangerous, but, just in case, the show’s producers would do well to have something in the contract that releases their show and any affiliates and partners from any liability due to team injuries or deaths caused by their attempts to prove “science” wrong. Because idiots have a way of getting around good oversight and sound advice.
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