“Gamekillers” is back, this time as a series on MTV.
The reality dating show first appeared on MTV in 2006 as an extended commercial for Axe antiperspirant. This year, more characters were added and some old favorites, such as Tom Walker – the One Upper – are back. In “Gamekillers,” male college students are sent on blind dates. What they don’t know is the women they are paired with are cast members and other cast members, such as Walker, try to sabotage the date.
As the One Upper, Walker’s job is to throw the guy on the date off his “game” by making his accomplishments seem small. For example, the guy on the date said he has leased a new apartment; the One Upper said he has just purchased a brand new house. His lies are supposed to make the guy nervous and the fun is watching him squirm.
“I’m not really worried anyone will ever catch me in a lie,” Walker said. “Probably, because I’ve played the character before, the guy is more focused on how is looking rather than catching me.”
“Gamekillers” premiers Friday at 7 p.m. on MTV.
According to executive producer Justin Wilkes, the series “takes real guys from colleges throughout America and tests their game, their ability to impress a girl.”
Walker said college students will like the show because “they can relate to it.”
Like so many reality shows, the joke is on the contestant in “Gamekillers.”
“We focus on how the guy responds,” Wilkes said. “We have a scoring system that is based on if he keeps his cool.”
If the guy successfully rolls with the punches he will get his name engraved upon the Axe Gamekillers Chalice, joining the list of other males who have defeated the “Gamekiller” cast.
MTV partnered with Unilever, which manufactures Axe products, to produce the show.
This means “Gamekillers” is “branded entertainment” and the goal is to promote the products to specific target audiences and encourage the development of favorable links between the brand and program watchers. While the Axe name sometimes acts as a show character, revealing its face on posters in the corners of scenes and of course the Axe “Gamekillers” Chalice, Wilkes said, “You won’t see lots of deodorant sticks in the background.”
Cassie Kazanas can be reached at [email protected].
