Escape Routes

Escape Routes was a unique interactive reality show aired on NBC in 2012, created as part of an innovative advertising collaboration between the network and the car manufacturing giant, Ford. This exciting and engaging program was designed to take audience participation to a whole new level by allowing viewers to interact with the participants, influencing the outcomes of the game and even winning prizes for themselves.

The format of the show was distinctly original, engaging six teams of two contestants each in a country-wide road trip style competition. The contestants were drawn from different walks of life. What they had in common was an adventurous spirit and a burning competitive drive, with the hopes of outsmarting their opponents and taking home the grand prize, a brand-new Ford Escape and $100,000 in cash.

Escape Routes put these contestants on the road in new Ford Escapes on a captivating journey across several American cities, setting challenges and tasks for each team in every city they visited. These tasks focused on either physical or mental skills or sometimes a combination of both. Each participating team was expected to use technology, their intuition, their smarts, and their driving skills to make their way, solve challenges, and collect rewards.

Each of the competing teams, armed with their trusty Ford Escape, had to decipher clues, outsmart their opponents, and navigate their way through various obstacles in distinctive urban settings, ranging across cities like Atlanta, Miami, New York, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. The show sublimely integrated Ford's model into the core of the competition, underscoring the Escape’s features as integral elements for the contestants to advance in their quest, thus creating a powerful marketing strategy.

Escape Routes made use of multiple platforms to engage viewers, going beyond traditional methods of viewer interaction and diving deep into the world of social networking. This paved the way for immense viewer engagement and a level of interactivity not seen before in reality television. Viewers could interact with the competing teams by logging on to the show's website and following the contestants via regular updates and video feeds.

Additonally, the fans could help decide the fate of the show’s contestants via their feedback, votes, and challenging task submissions. For their participation, viewers were given the chance to win various prizes, including trips and the same model of the Ford Escape used in the series, thus making the show a win-win for everyone involved.

The show's unconventional structure was backed up with a solid team of presenters. The show was presented by iJustine (Justine Ezarik), a notable internet celebrity and social media influencer, and Rossi Morreale, popular host of multiple reality TV shows. Combining the enthusiasm and appeal of iJustine with the experience and know-how of Morreale provided complementary balance and a captivating on-screen dynamic.

The concept for Escape Routes can be credited to Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster, the dynamic duo behind the globally popular show, The Amazing Race. Their experience and creativity gave life and vibrancy to Escape Routes, ensuring it was exciting, engaging and entertaining from start to finish.

Escape Routes was a pioneering marriage of reality television, interactive game show, and dynamic advertising, and although it lasted only for one 6-episode season, it demonstrated the incredible potential of blending traditional television concepts with emergent digital technologies. Recognizing the shift towards an increasingly interactive digital audience, Escape Routes reflects the onset of a new era where audience participation extends beyond merely watching a show, to actively influencing its outcome. It will be remembered as a trailblazing show that redefined the reality TV genre, while also serving as an enticing advertising platform.

In conclusion, Escape Routes was much more than a broadcast show. Its experimental approach pioneered new directions in interactive television, combining the thrill of reality TV, unique marketing strategies, and an innovative approach to audience engagement. Despite its short-lived tenure on NBC, Escape Routes made a lasting impact on the visual media landscape and its perception of audience involvement.