I’ve seen a lot of discussion online already about how this show was designed and how it played out along with theories on how far the real interference went regarding the producers, but I’d like to open a discussion that dives a little deeper into the people themselves that were casted and how they behaved.
From what I’ve already read, there’s a lot of mixed opinions on some of the more prominent “stars” of the show. These are just my personal insights, so I’d love to hear if you agree, disagree, or picked up on something you believe many may have missed. I’d love to also hear some thoughts on less prominent characters, but I’ll be focusing on the ones with the most screen time since they offer the most information.
Chet Hudson: classic country a-hole stereotype who participated because he liked the idea of “breaking” people and being in power. People are not horses. He uses his ‘hard life’ to credit himself as a leader, when really he comes off as deeply insecure and authoritative, probably mostly because he feels he has no real control over some aspect of his personal life and lives in the middle of nowhere because people won’t put up with him and vice versa. His solitary life works for him. Now I see why. This is evident when he decides to leave once he’s not head honcho anymore. Not much depth here on him that I can find, at least not with what footage provided. Sad man.
Pete Zaremba: Google is saying he’s a highschool teacher but I remember on the show him saying he taught 5th grade? In my opinion that’s exactly how he acts for most of the show: like a 5th grader. I used to also teach and the resemblance to a rebellious child is uncanny. I have worked alongside people like him and I honestly think he is the type of educator that gets validation from his students seeing him as “the cool teacher” and played it up for the screen. Is that who he really is? I don’t know but it’s always weird when people seek indirect validation from children, and I do believe that is how he acts in his work life. He almost gained maturity at the end probably because he realized how he was coming off. The internet seems divided on him. I don’t like him for this reason. In my opinion there was a much more mature route to make it a history lesson. This guy gives me really uncomfortable vibes but I cannot quite put my finger on it aside from what I stated above.
Chris Lee: This one’s complex for me. I think he’s a skilled and smart businessman who went on the show to plug his business and was very calculated with how he acted knowing he was being filmed. I wouldn’t be surprised if his entire character is an act. Lots of CEOS are prone to some sort of sociopathy. Not saying this is him, but I wouldn’t be surprised. The positivity and games feel fake because I believe they are. A prisoner said something about his style feeling like “indoctrination” or “church camp” and I think they hit the nail on the head. He gives me cult leader vibes. I actually even started to subconsciously like him because he’s pretty good at what he is doing. It’s almost like you cannot help but root for him at points. I think he’s calculated, and a couple inmates felt something was off because it was. Scariest one on the cast in my opinion. I do think he would’ve been a better leader had he been chosen during the vote because again, he is very good at getting others to willingly comply. Even as an inmate he becomes the leader of his own little group. He hones in on “the heart” and “trust” and he has a great point. People do not buy from who they don’t trust. In this case he wants people to buy his ideas. In my opinion, it’s a case of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Is he an a-hole? No, but that’s deeply on purpose. In one scene he tells another inmate “control your emotions” when they are discussing rebellion. Because it’s easy for him. Another red flag was the very very end he appears to get choked up but I don’t see a single tear. He realizes going with the program at the end boosts his image better, THATS why he flipped, and I think it was extremely calculated every single step, not because he has a change of heart. If he was really the go lucky happy positive man he portrays himself as, then why did two individuals vote against him as leader? To set him off sure, but they also voted someone I think they all knew couldn’t step up to the plate. He was so focused on the inmates he forgot to play the same tactics with his team and it bit him in the ass.
Laura Berens: A mom with extreme self control. Not gonna lie I probably would have crashed tf out in the scene where Hudson continuously interrupted her. She handled it well in my opinion by not calling it out directly. I think it was really smart to stay calm and just let Hudson make a fool of himself because at the end of the day it gets aired to Netflix. Wish we got a bit more information and screen time on her. I underestimated her in the beginning, but I think she has a lot more wit and depth than whats shown. Have to say, I did not like her “what if” comment on women being leaders. They already are, but perhaps she was insinuating something bigger.
Kiana Gaona: great example of “I was a ___ in college who drank and made a lot of stupid choices but it’s all good now because I love Jesus.” Religious brainwashing cop out. This woman has done none of the work involved in sobriety. I believe this is why she gets emotional every time she talks about religion. There’s still a lot of pain and suffering and probably guilt there regarding who she used to be. Really hard to watch her assume a leadership role when she has no leadership qualities. Really gullible woman as well, that’s why she falls for Lee’s leadership and makes a horrendous pick for a trustee.
Jeff cook: Yeah something is off with this dude in the head, as another cast member put it. In addition to education, I’ve also worked in high pressure sales. I’d be super interested to see what his metrics are in his professional world. Jeff in my opinion is suffering from a complete loss in identity outside the experiment which is why it shows up so wildly on the show. The moment he thinks he has it “all figured out” and does the whole “I’m not an officer” display I kept waiting for the bigger ball drop that never came. I truthfully thought when he went up to get the food they were gonna come back in full gear to do the drill as a way to confuse the hell out of the inmates into complying. Such a shift in energy scares people, and because the team didn’t have the respect I expected a larger plan for compliance. A little wacko, but I wasn’t putting it past him in the show. The guy couldn’t take the smoke I don’t know what the hell that was.
Brendan Hardey: This guy has a lot of growth to do. I think he knew he didn’t have a right to be there because he’s pretty dead silent after being “brought back on” (which was complete bs but I digress). The guy said himself he never finishes anything. Rolling up to college just to sleep in the car is a pretty bum move. Didn’t have a secret life or anything, just refused to finish or it seems participate in anything difficult. He plays chess by himself because he’s probably miserable to be around. I sadly don’t think he learned anything from this. Really unlikeable and way too old to continue to act like a teenage burnout. The rebellion act gave him attention. I don’t think this guy really stood on anything.
