Influencers Take On The High Seas In OFTV’s New Reality Show ‘Reel Rivals’

Social media stars are swapping filters for fishing rods in “Reel Rivals,” the most recent actuality competitors present streaming on OFTV.

Produced by outside creator Isla Moon, the collection brings collectively among the web’s most recognizable influencers for a high-stakes fishing problem not like another.

Described as a combination between “Love Island Video games,” “Too Scorching to Deal with,” and Nat Geo’s “Fish My Metropolis,” however with out the male gaze or pointless drama, the aim of “Reel Rivals” is easy: outfish the competitors and declare the $20,000 grand prize.

Among the many contestants vying for the title of final fishing champion are Ara Bozorgian (2.1M Instagram followers), Bryce Adams (1.3M followers), and Dan Dangler (1.6M followers), who will battle it out aboard a luxurious yacht in Miami.

The twist? None of them are skilled anglers. With zero fishing expertise, they have to navigate unpredictable challenges, reeling in every thing from sharks to mahi mahi, all whereas proving that influencer-led content material is altering the truth TV panorama.

“I wished to take fashions who’re tremendous polished on Instagram and throw them someplace the place they will get down and soiled,” Moon completely informed The Blast. “As fashions, we’re always filtering every thing that we publish, so I wished to push a distinct narrative and present that there are different sides to creators. We simply don’t discover it sufficient.”

With so many relationship reveals on the market already full of “over-scripted” and “repetitive” relationship drama, Isla wished to try to “create the identical drama via competitors and high-pressure conditions.”

“You’ll see that plenty of instances on actuality reveals like ‘Wipeout,’ which has impediment programs and is a really physical-based competitors,” she informed The Blast. “I personally love these sorts of reveals and watching individuals get wrecked just a little bit. It is form of humorous. I really feel like I am making a present that I need to watch. I do know from my fan base that individuals actually like watching fishing, so I wished to throw a bunch of individuals in that setting and see what occurs.”

In regard to scripting, Isla confirmed they “determined to not script something and run with what occurs.” On set, if one thing occurred in the course of the competitions, they’d “let it experience out.”

“Clearly, we have now our define of how the present is structured, however in the course of the enhancing course of, the story editors would look over all of the footage and give you a narrative for every individual based mostly on what really occurred,” she defined. “It’s more durable, however it’s refreshing. It comes off tremendous personable.”

So why influencers? Properly, Isla stated it is as a result of “we are sometimes misunderstood, however we all know what our audiences need.”

“Creators and influencers add an entire totally different perspective. They’re very attention-grabbing individuals,” she informed The Blast. “Via working with all of those individuals on the present, I noticed how multifaceted they’re. There’s a lot to them, and so they’re greater than actors. They already need to be on-line and share their persona, versus actuality stars who be part of these reveals [whose] focus is totally different.”

Isla additional defined how being a creator influenced the way in which she approached producing the brand new actuality present, explaining that due to her ardour, she is aware of what her viewers is in search of.

“I knew that if I wished to base a present on influencers, I needed to present them on the social media facet of issues,” she stated. “I additionally knew I wished to attraction to influencers, in order that’s why having a social media presence for the present was an enormous precedence. It makes a present much more participating, and it’s one thing that’s lacking from some actuality TV. You should type your neighborhood.”

Her ardour for filming performed a key position all through the manufacturing course of. With a robust understanding of digicam work, she supplied enter on efficient angles, visually interesting photographs, and the perfect gear to make use of. She additionally knew how you can talk these concepts to the director of images.

Past filming, her expertise prolonged to post-production, the place she was capable of establish key parts and supply clear route in the course of the enhancing course of.

Lots of the forged and crew initially fashioned their impressions of Isla via her social media presence, the place she is understood for her playful and lighthearted persona. Nonetheless, they have been quickly stunned by her capacity to change gears and take a extra skilled, business-minded strategy when obligatory.

One of many greatest challenges she confronted was defining her internet hosting model. Over the course of the season, she regularly discovered her footing, evolving from a content material creator right into a assured host.

One other massive problem?  “Ensuring we had fish every time was an enormous problem, particularly when there have been days that have been too wavy,” she admitted. “And we’d must fish within the intercoastal space in Florida. We’d be questioning if we even have an episode.”

“Whereas fishing someday, one of many contestants caught a extremely massive barracuda, however then an angler who is understood to everybody in Florida as Mark The Shark got here by on his boat and rode over our line, and it obtained caught, and we misplaced the fish,” Isla teased. “We have been all screaming at one another. The perfect half was that his child drew an image of the occasion and Mark despatched it to us. It was hilarious.”

“Reel Rivals” not solely delivers high-stakes competitors but additionally showcases the rising affect of creator-led actuality TV,

“That is undoubtedly solely the beginning,” she stated of the way forward for creator-driven actuality competitors. “The movie trade underestimates influencers in relation to casting us in stuff. Creators might be a part of the forged members, however they’ve quite a bit to supply behind the scenes as properly in relation to making choices on the artistic facet of issues. It provides an entire new perspective.”

She continued, “Even among the editors from our present who’ve been doing this for many years, have been saying how refreshing it was for them. Additionally, not everybody goes to be the perfect actor, but when you concentrate on the advertising and marketing facet of issues, it is tremendous cool to have individuals who have an viewers to advertise your present. We’re getting plenty of traction based mostly on simply having all of those individuals we will cross-promote with.”

Isla emphasised how excited she is to see how the “response morphs because the present progresses and whilst I am going on to work on future tasks.”

“Proper now, there’s some resistance, and a few individuals suppose I’m leaving the influencer facet of issues and leaving them behind,” she added. “However hopefully, quickly, they’ll see that the purpose is to morph each of them collectively.”

And, with a $20,000 money prize on the road, how aggressive did issues actually get? “It was virtually extra of an ego competitors than in regards to the money prize,” Isla informed The Blast. “Everybody wished to be in as many episodes as they may. There’s some spicy rivalry between the man versus woman episode, although.”