Just how big of a 24 fan are you?
Would you watch seasons 1 through 6 of 24 back to back to back to… well you get the idea… for the opportunity to set a new Guiness Book world record and the chance to walk away with $24,000 in cold hard cash?
We’re fairly confident we wouldn’t (and couldn’t!), but are thrilled to introduce one contestant who did. Well kind of. Murtz Jaffer, host of TVTropolis’ REALITY OBSESSED lasted an impressive 48 hours before voluntarily eliminating himself from the 24/7 Ultimate Fan Marathon due to the fact that as an employee of GlobalTV’s parent company Canwest, he wasn’t eligible to actually win the cash.
What he was eligible to win was the next best thing. An exclusive sit down interview with theTVaddict.com. Where Murtz took it upon himself to warn all of you so-called amateur TV Addicts out there: Watching TV is not nearly as easy as one might think.
The TV Addict: So how hard was it, really?
Murtz Jaffer: I thought it would be a lot easier when I first got there. I mean as a TV Critic I watch nine hours of TV on a regular basis. What I learned is that when you watch the show hour after hour after hour on the same TV without getting up is totally different than watching TV in the comfort of your own home with your fridge and more importantly, the freedom to go to the bathroom whenever you want (Contestants were allowed to get a fifteen minute bathroom break every three hours).
I’ll tell you, the last three hours I was in the competition, it didn’t matter if it was Jack Bauer on the TV or if someone was coming up to check on me. All I saw were purple and green triangles. Even now, after it has been 24 hours since I left the competition, I still see a pink hue on the screen. Here’s hoping that’s not permanent!
What has been the biggest surprise of the competition thus far?
I’m surprised we only have one contestant left. A lot of people left. I think the biggest story was this guy name Brad who everybody picked from the beginning. His eyes just kept retaining their whiteness while all of our eyes turned us into scary red zombies. But last night, he had about ten minutes to go before a break and out of nowhere, he gets up out of his seat, bolted down the stairs and ran. Nobody knew where he was going, maybe the bathroom. I think he had just reached a stage of delirium where he honestly didn’t know where he was.
What was the camaraderie like between the contestants?
Was there a camaraderie between the contestants, yes. Was there a camaraderie between the contestants and Murtz, definitely not! I was pure reality show. I didn’t want to feel bad for anybody, I didn’t want to hear some sob story about how they needed the money. Contestants were the enemy, the proverbial terrorist, while I’m CTU you know.
After all of this, will you be watching the show when it returns to FOX (and Global in Canada) this Sunday?
I was talking to Brad about it and he said that after watching so much 24, for the first time ever, he’s going to PVR/DVR the show. But I’ll tell you, having already seen the first four episodes, they’re better than any of the seasons we’ve watched here. I’ve never seen 24 start out so good and I think that the show really learned their lessons with last season, which was their weakest season by far. I can’t wait until next week.
For a complete blow-by-blow of Murtz Jaffer’s 24 Marathon, check out The Ampersand at NationalPost.com
Photo Credit: Brett Gundlock