No One Told These Guys Their Show Was Canceled

Photo credit: Channel 4
Photo credit: Channel 4



From Cosmopolitan

The Press and Journal reports the last of the cast of the reality TV show Eden has returned home after spending a year in 600 acres of the Scottish wilderness. Upon re-entering civilization March 23, contestants were informed only four hourlong episodes of the show had aired - it had been canceled back in August.

The show began filming last July; originally, 23 contestants - and four recording crew members - participated in what was meant to be “a combination of reality TV and sociology experiment [in which] the participants were challenged to create a new model of society.” Thirteen people quickly dropped out after fighting hunger, each other, and “sexual jealousy,” but the remaining 10 stayed on until this week.

In response to The Guardian’s question as to why the contestants were not informed of the show’s cancellation and allowed to continue living in the wilderness without any kind of help or technology (though there were rumors contestants had sneaked into nearby towns during filming), Channel 4 released the following statement:

The appeal of Eden is that it was a real experiment and when filming began we had no idea what the results would be and how those taking part would react to being isolated for months in a remote part of the British Isles. That’s why we did it and the story of their time, including the highs and the lows, will be shown later this year.

The channel reconfirmed “the year in Eden is over and the contributors are headed back to their old lives.” No later air date for the show was given.

The Telegraph reports the show was canceled after viewership dropped from 1.7 million watchers to 800,000 within the span of those four episodes, which covered just March, April, and May. A source also told The Telegraph the decision to not announce a return date was deliberate and that it was be revisited “when everyone has come out, after the experiment is over.”

It was also confirmed contestants knew nothing of Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May, or President Donald Trump until now.

Welcome back, guys.

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