IF LOST WAS A GAME SHOW

What if LOST was pitched today, not as a television drama series, but as a game show.

Not a game show theory that has been mentioned by fans as a premise to the series, but as an actual "game" show.

First, the contestants (characters) would not "know" they were on a game show. That takes the Survivor reward-reality concept off the table.

Second, the contestants would had to be placed in real danger to see how they would react. A small plane "crash" lands on a deserted Pacific island (which has been rigged with camera traps, odd set pieces and dangerous people). The pilots would be the only people in the know - - - and they could be easily "taken out" by The Others early on during the show. Without the pilots, the 40 odd passengers would be left to fend for themselves.

Third, there would be enough basic materials on the island for the contestants to survive. Wild animals, fruits, and tools to build things. During the filming, if there are people desperate to leave, depressed to suicidal, the producers could secretly intervene under the cover of darkness and take them off the island and back home.

The major problem with this premise is that the network would be charged with kidnapping the contestants. That would be a serious charge with no defense.

Ironically, one could say that is exactly what happened to all the characters on LOST. They were kidnapped and brought to the island, not realizing that they were part of some grand, diabolical experiment. 

Like with the show itself, how would a contestant(s) "win" the game?

Besides not hurting themselves or someone else, the reward would be "rescue." Like those wilderness survival shows, the host knows that there is a place where he can find a path back to civilization. It is highly unlikely that modern suburban folk have the skill set of their pioneer ancestors to forge a rescue plan.

Then, the bottom line is whether any network would call this game show "entertainment." With all the crap on television today, the answer is probably no because it cuts too close to the core of the ancient Roman Colosseum.