The Benefactor: Episode 2
Any One For Any Reason
Recap By C.C. McCandless
September 21, 2004
Episode two of "The Benefactor" picked up on just the second day after the players arrived in Dallas, and already their ranks had been winnowed down to 13. "The beauty of my game is they have no idea what to expect," said Mark Cuban, and that same statement definitely applies to this show. One inherent problem with reality shows, even the best ones in the genre, is the simple fact that week in and week out you essentially know what you're going to get, from "you're fired" to "the tribe has spoken." But here, anyone can get cut at any time for any reason. We learned that quickly last Monday when three contestants got the axe in the first hour alone.
This week, we were reminded about exactly what Mark Cuban is looking for in the winner.
"The person that walks away with a million dollars will have proven to me that they have exactly what it takes to be successful." And if personality factors into that decision, then a couple of players are already in hot water. Annoying William was last week's villain, seemingly rubbing almost everyone the wrong way with his pompous antics. This week, Shawn appears to be joining that category. "If being a strong, independent woman makes me a bitch then I embrace that," she said flatly. Embrace away.
The day began with Cuban selecting three players to serve as team captains for an upcoming challenge: Linda, the pro football player; Dominic with the marvelous spiky hair; and Shawn the bitch. They would each pick three people, with the one odd person out cut immediately. Since there was no light shed on exactly what the teams would be doing, it was hard to formulate a selection strategy, so Dominic certainly did well under the circumstances: he elected to take "all the good looking girls." Shawn drafted William, perhaps hoping for a teammate that would make her seem nicer in comparison. Finally, only two remained, Mario and Kathy. Shawn went with Mario "because he left his family to come here for a shot at a million dollars," noting this as a "tremendous amount of sacrifice."
I'm sure the selection had nothing to do with Shawn's strategy, which she said consisted of getting rid of all of the other women. As for the "tremendous amount of sacrifice?" I don't think my family could help me pack my suitcase fast enough if it meant I had a shot at a million bucks, but maybe that's just me. Anyway, poor Kathy, a hot blonde and a med student to boot, left in tears. "I don't want to cry," she said while crying. Cuban looked genuinely sad to see her go.
For the task, each team was given two very valuable things: $2500 and three hours of Mark Cuban's time. Can you guess which one is worth a lot more? The teams could plan anything they wanted during their window of opportunity, receiving only one simple instruction from The Benefactor: "Do not waste my time." You'd think this would be implied for a man that hasn't taken a vacation in years but apparently not every team paid close enough attention.
Linda's team got the morning slot and started with breakfast at the house, where a combination of monotony and tension was broken by Kevin, who revealed his deep-rooted love of Oprah Winfrey. He lamented about being unable to watch her show while in the house, though he took solace in a small picture of her that he had with him. "I didn't even bring a picture of my mother, you brought a picture of Oprah," said Linda. Cuban described Kevin as "incredibly fascinating," which, at this point, is as good a depiction as any. After breakfast, the team headed to a local children's hospital with toys for the kids-a noble enough gesture, to be sure, but one that Cuban clearly has made himself before. "They didn't use the time wisely," he noted, as the charitable trip didn't give any of the players a chance to make any kind of impression on him.
The afternoon time slot went to Dominic's crew, dubbed "Team Rock Star." And they certainly lived up to that moniker, as they began with a ride in a mammoth Hummer limo, quickly discouraging any negativity Cuban might have had about them. "I thought there was a chance they could be 'Team Airhead,'" he admitted. But any doubts quickly vanished as they took him to an arcade where, it must be noted, Cuban proceeded to seemingly kick all of their asses in every game in the house. And he had a blast doing it. "I would probably pay somebody to force me to do this, that's how much fun I had," he said happily. And really, I can sum up my feelings about that in three words: I. Am. Available.
Team Shawn got Cuban at 5 PM and had some fun plans of their own, heading off for go-kart rides at Speed Zone. Naturally, Cuban dominated the races. "They did NOT let me win," he stated, as if clarification was necessary. But Team Shawn's plans ran into a quick snag when they headed off for their next allegedly fun activity: one of those ridiculous bungee-chair-slingshot deals that shoots people into the air at like a million miles an hour. Surprisingly enough, Cuban's reaction mimicked what mine would have been, as he simply stated "there's no (expletive) way," revealing that he's terrified of heights. After declining, he asked them what their next idea was. "We don't have a contingency plan," Mario admitted. So they all went back to the mansion and did…not much. As Cuban put it, they "sat there and talked about pretty much nothing." Good planning, guys. "Finishing early is going to cost us," said Mario. "I think we're in trouble."
And he thought right. Cuban revealed that he would select the team that least efficiently used his time and cut two of their players. And in case there was any confusion about his level of perceptiveness about some of the players, he shed a little light on that, too, during a control room interview, observing that Shawn "picked people she could manipulate." Naturally, he picked their team for the cuts, whisking the four of them off to be interviewed individually by his "board of advisors," which turned out to be a trio of precocious second graders. And let me be the first to say that these kids were as tough in their boardroom as George and Carolyn have ever been in that other guy's. "Kids are an amazing judge of character," Cuban noted sagely. And they were. They read William immediately, with one even dubbing him "nerdy." Although what do you expect kids to say about a guy who answers that his favorite candy is Pez. Pez? Are you kidding me? You're going with Pez? I hope your suitcase is packed.
Mario tried to impress the kids by calling the videogame "Halo" his favorite sport, as well as showing off some Star Wars tattoos, which kind of freaked them out. They're second graders, buddy, not bikers. Shawn, a second grade teacher for the past five years, felt that this challenge was right up her alley, and she lucked out when they asked her who her favorite Dallas Mavericks player was. "Umm…number thirteen," she replied, clearly unable to name even one. Fortuitously, she chose the jersey number of then-Dallas point guard Steve Nash.
But the runaway winner with the kids was Latane. First off, he bears a passing resemblance to Mavs superstar Dirk Nowitzki, so he scored points immediately with that. But he also just really clicked with the kids. Or, as one stated afterwards, "He rocked." Clearly, he was getting a pass. So which two would be cut? It ended up being William and Mario. For William, it should have been no surprise, as anyone could see his exit coming a mile away. But he even managed to dredge up some crocodile tears and bemoan the loss of his potential new friends on the way out. Mario got a raw deal. He is a genuinely likeable guy and it would have been great to see him get a shot at the cash. Instead, we're subjected to another week of Shawn, thanks to nothing more than a lucky number. Next week, it looks like no less than four more players will get cut. Here's hoping she's one of them.
C.C. McCandless is an independent filmmaker and freelance writer. He has a Bachelor’s degree in broadcasting from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
You can contact C.C. here: ccmcc33@msn.com
