Sunday, January 9, 2011

Stormy Weather On Storm Chasers!


I try my darndest not to watch reality TV series.
Because they're not real and because everything is hyped to the nth degree.
But I'm making an exception for Storm Chasers which returns Wednesday for ten more action packed episodes.
The way I figure it is this: how can actual tornadoes be made up in any way shape or form.
There are two teams of antagonistic storm chasers out there in this group profile and they're competitive as all heck.
One is headed by extreme chaser Reed Timmer and his gang of Chris Chittick and wary driver Joel Taylor.
And the other crew is headed by IMAX filmmaker Sean Casey and his vehicle that looks like a tank --it's a TIV(Tornado Incept Vehicle).
And the way I'm thinking there must be two more teams from Discovery to record the antics of the two storm chasers, right?
We catch up with both teams in the spring as the tornado season starts to heat up.
Both teams are often after film of the same storm and they're very competitive. But it's the human touch that makes us keen to see how each team fares.
Casey has to tell one trusted employee he's being relegated to the "B" team this year because they just aren't communicating because Casey must make the final decisions what storms to pursue and when to hold back.
Timmer is far more of a vocal enthusiast, ready to have Taylor drive 14 hours across the Southwestern U.S. if tornado warnings are strong enough.
And I'm not giving anything away by stating that the latest series is dedicated to Matt Hughes who passed away on May 26, 2010 at age 30, a suicide.
So human tensions are frequently at a boiling point. In many cases it's a split second decision whether coverage can be provided of a tornado touching down.
The first new episode has its fair share of thrills and dangerous moments --the driver must know when to pull away to prevent loss of life.
And it ends as Timmer and gang drive from Amarillo, Texas, to Yazoo, Missippi in their marathon search for a gigantic twister that leaves dead bodies scattered around the debris.
Their intitial race to shoot footage of the gigantic tornado quickly turns into a race to save lives.
THE NEW SEASON OF STORM CHASERS PREMUERES ON DISCOVERY WED. JAN. 12 AT 10 P.M.
MY RATING: ***.

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