Safe Space is a mini web series about ten young adults who compete for $10,000 by getting to know each other. At the end of three days they must guess correctly what it is that they all have in common. People ages 18-28 can send in applications and those who are selected will be flown to a secluded cabin in beautiful Port Alsworth in Alaska. Contestants have all of Farm Lodge right at their fingertips and will have free time and organized activities, such as hiking and rafting, to encourage discussion and teamwork.
The cabin will be modest, but comfortable so that contestants are drawn in by the vacation but not distracted by excess. Spaces in the house will be designed specifically to facilitate hanging out and bonding amongst contestants, with boardgames, ping pong, foosball, and a pool. Contestants will be chosen from diverse backgrounds, specifically from different parts of America and with different belief systems. Personality, socioeconomic status, race, and gender will also be diversified. To attract people from all over America, in different jobs and places in their life, the experience offers many selling points. These include: money, a vacation, a transformative experience, and nature activities. Interested young adults will answer 200 questions about themselves, the majority of which will be different for each person. This portion of the application will allow the producers to select a very diverse group with one commonality, big or small, that unites them. The show is about young adults and for young adults in order to foster tolerance and appreciation within the next generation who will be raising kids according to their values.
Contestants will have 72 hours to learn as much as they can about each other and figure out what quality, detail from their past or background, or interest that they have in common. They have up to two wrong guesses, and if they submit a third wrong guess they will all be sent home with no money. If they get the answer correct within three tries and 72 hours then they each receive $10,000. If they guess correctly within 48 hours, they win the money and get to finish their stay, but they each also get to return to Farm Lodge their family or friends at a later date for a free vacation. If any contestant leaves before the group figures out the answer, they will all be sent home with no shot at the prize.
The format of this show is designed for contestants to, as organically as possible, get to know each other and have deep conversations about their past and why they hold the values that they do. Some strategy is helpful, but three days should be adequate and not excessive for contestants to accomplish this task while also having a good time. The goal is for the individuals on the trip to see each other as valuable people, despite their differences. Personal interviews will be held throughout the process to track how contestants are changing from this experience. They will also give viewers a more personal sense of each contestant. Since each of these diverse people will be forced to talk in order to get the prize money, tough issues will undoubtedly come up and contestants must talk through them in a respectful way if they would like to continue playing. Hopefully at the end, both contestants and viewers will gain a better understanding of each other and themselves and apply this empathy when they leave the cabin. The beauty of Alaska will ideally add to the transformative experience, as being in nature tends to encourage self reflection and create a decentering experience.
In order to offset the cost of this retreat, the website that hosts the show will have ads and the option to donate. This show can have different franchises with older and younger people as the contestants, but mixing too much between generations may deter people from participating in the experience. The contestants, for whom the weekend will be the most transformative, are participating fully and thus, have already dissolved the fourth wall.
Show poster:
