TV4U: Who wants to be a Superhero?

It should come as a surprise to precisely no one that I am not a fan of reality television. Big Brother, Survivor, especially toddler's in tiaras, just serve to remind me that there is probably no hope for the future of mankind, and that your average person is, in fact, a sheep who will gladly flock to what is blatant exploitation of people who in reality are just characters fabricated by producers and editors.

I'd put "I don't want to live on this planet anymore" here, but not living on this planet wouldn't erase the memories...

I could go on and on about how reality television is a sham (how did you switch to an angle behind them, but the camera that was in front of them has disappeared?) but what we're here to talk about today is a reality show that I not only watched, but thought was amazing. It was called "Stan Lee's: Who Wants to be a Superhero?"

The premise of the show was simple: Stan Lee would gather a group of people playing original superheroes, and he would present them secret tests of character to find how which would be the most fit to be adapted to comic books.
Now, I will admit that my memory of the second season (the one depicted in the picture) is spotty. I mainly recall the first. Interpersonal drama was at an absolute minimum, and the focus of each episode was clearly on the challenges the potential superheroes would face.
One that sticks out in my mind most is the race at the very first episode. The heroes were told that they had to find a secure location, change into their costumes and reach a finish line in the best time to win. What they were not told was that the race didn't actually matter. Just before the finish line, they placed a girl asking loudly where her mother was. The heroes who would really win the challenge would be the ones that put the race aside to help her. Only two heroes did, as I recall, going by the names of Fat Momma and Major Victory.

I remember almost exclusively tuning in to watch Major Victory. He was almost like a non-asshole Zap Branigan. He devoured entire sets full of scenery with a performance so hammy that Vincent Price would tell him to tone it down a notch.
Each show was like that. There was a challenge that wasn't really a challenge, but a secret test to see if the contestants were really heroes, whether it be their willingness to put aside their goals for others, protecting their secret identity, or just being honest with each other. It was a reality show, yes, but it was about finding the good in people, not exploiting the laughable or creating drama through the most vulgar means.
Sadly, the show only had two seasons in the US, though I've heard something about a British version. If you ever see SyFy running reruns of it, be sure to give it a watch. I guarantee it will be worth your time.