Boot Camp is an American reality competition television series that aired for one season on Fox starting March 28, 2001. The game was won by Jen Whitlow from Atlanta, Georgia.
Format The show involved sixteen civilian contestants, known as recruits, participating in a real life military style boot camp 24 hours a day. Four drill instructors put the recruits through special training activities and obstacle courses to prepare them for the "missions" which they took part in on each of the first seven episodes. Every week, the squad would elect one of their team as the "Squad Leader" giving this recruit extra responsibilities, most notably that of leading the squad in the weekly mission. If the mission was passed successfully, the squad leader earned immunity from the next elimination, and the squad would gain a luxury prize. If the mission was failed, the squad leader became eligible for dismissal, and the entire squad would receive a punishment.
At the end of each episode, the squad gathered on 'Dismissal Hill,' where players would exit the team. The squad would each vote one player out of the game, and the recruit with the most votes would be dismissed. However, in a second twist, that recruit got the ability to take any other eligible recruit out of the game for any reason. Contestants regularly adapted their voting strategies as a group in order to try to avoid being "discharged" by the recruit they chose to dismiss. Due to two earlier unplanned exits, two dismissed recruits lost the privilege to discharge another from the game. Upon elimination from the game, the Recruits lost their dog tags, symbolising their life in the game.
After seven episodes, only two contestants remained in the game - Recruits Whitlow and Wolf. The format of the show shifted with the final being referred to as "The Gauntlet". The Gauntlet consisted of seven physical and mental events, each named in honor of one of the seven dismissed recruits. The winner of each event won the dog tags of the former recruit that the event was named after. Following these seven events, the final two returned to Dismissal Hill where they faced the six (planned to be seven) discharged recruits, who were able to pledge their votes to the recruit of their choice. The recruit with the most dog tags after the combination of Gauntlet event wins and votes would win $500,000, with the runner-up receiving $100,000.
Participants
There were sixteen participants in the game of Boot Camp, eight male and eight female. Participants were not allowed to be addressed by their first names at any point, and could not refer to themselves in the first person.
Name Age From Occupation Kasi Brown 26 Los Angeles, California Actress Katie Coddington 22 Tallahassee, Florida Scholarship counselor Rebecca Ann Haar 35 McDonough, Georgia Pig farmer Jodi Hutak 24 Santa Clarita, California Deputy sheriff Leigh Dana Jackson 28 Brooklyn, New York Filmmaker Jane Katherine 31 Chicago, Illinois Leasing agent Jack Lauder 50 Garnerville, New York Plumber Mark Meyer 27 Seattle, Washington Urban planner Alfonso Moretti 26 Wappingers Falls, New York Personal trainer Jennifer Moretty 29 San Diego, California Homemaker John Park 26 West Hollywood, California Art teacher Sue Yen Pupo 28 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Public defender David Thomson 29 Las Vegas, Nevada Real estate agent Jen Whitlow 25 Atlanta, Georgia Sales analyst Ryan Wolf 22 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania College student Shawn Yaney 27 Elizabeth, New Jersey Balloon sculptor
The recruits were trained by the following four genuine Drill Instructors:
Name Status Leo McSweeny Former United States Marine Corps Sergeant Tony Rosenbum Marine Corps Chief Warrant OfficerDave FranciscoMarine Corps Sergeant MajorAnnette TaylorMarine Corps Gunnery Sergeant
The game
Episode 1 - "Meet the Recruits" Sixteen civilians were taken by coach to a military training facility in Florida, and were quickly subjected to the four drill instructors' aggressive induction processing. After receiving haircuts more suitable for the military, the recruits were taken to their Barracks where they would sleep and eat for the rest of the process. Within five hours of arrival, Katherine was already having doubts about being in Boot Camp and after feigning illness, decided to quit the game. Meyer immediately became seen as a troublemaker, finding it hard to take the process seriously, and was soon disliked by most of the squad, but after encouragement from Thomson, prepared a damage limitation speech, apologizing and asking the others for a second chance over breakfast. Although many of the female recruits were convinced by the speech, the males were more skeptical. After a random selection process, Wolf was named as the first Squad Leader. On a 1.5-mile run, Haar's physical limitations became clear to the others, but despite a struggle she pushed through and completed the run. During the mission, the core group of strong males – Wolf, Moretti, Jackson and Park - upset Brown, who felt that they were treating the females as inferiors, and along with Meyer, she rallied the women to vote out Park in order to prevent themselves from being picked off by the stronger members of the squad. Park confronted Meyer, leading to the men agreeing to target him. At Dismissal Hill, the vote was close, but eventually Meyer and Brown's campaigning paid off, and Park became the first to be dismissed in a vote of 7-6-1-1. Due to Katherine leaving the game, Park was not given the chance to discharge any of the remaining members of the squad.
Mission: Operation Z.O.E: Recruits had four hours to carry inflatable boats known as zodiacs through a course of difficult terrain, including artificial obstacles and through a swamp. The squad would receive one hour extra sleep if they passed, and one less hour sleep if they failed. As squad leader, Wolf would gain immunity from elimination if he led the squad to victory. The squad completed the challenged in 2 hours 47 minutes, passing the mission.
Episode 2 - "Antidote" Realizing that the men had made a mistake in making the women feel undermined, Moretti came up with the strategy of choosing a woman to become the next squad leader, with Recruit Hutak being chosen due to her clear enthusiasm for Boot Camp. During a period of free time, Brown shocked the rest of the squad by revealing that she is a lesbian, but some of the others wondered if she was simply trying to get attention by coming out to the group. Meyer meanwhile revealed his new strategy of making more of an effort and in a dramatic turnaround became perceived as one of the leading recruits. Due to her injury, Haar missed most of the training for the week's mission, leading to resentment from some of the squad, while Pupo and Thomson also found themselves facing trips to the medic, with Thomson experiencing numbness and swelling in his hands and feet, leading to the medic referring Thomson to a local facility for a second opinion. At the mission, Pupo and Haar were left behind at the drop off point because the squad felt they would be a hindrance, but Hutak's grasp on the mission fell apart, and the squad failed a mission for the first time. Pupo's bad attitude upset both the drill instructors and the rest of the squad and she became a clear target for elimination. At Dismissal Hill, Thomson returned to the game, and Recruit Haar was dismissed by a vote of 11-2-1 due to her lack of fitness and injury continuing to be a hindrance to the squad. Given the choice to take another recruit from the game, Haar chose to discharge Pupo, for her bad attitude and for not being a team player.
Mission: Operation M.E.S.S: The squad were given a scenario where they had one hour to infiltrate an enemy town to find an antidote for a poison from which they were all suffering. The squad had to work their way through a series of tunnels to find an unlocked exit at City Hall where serum, the first part of the antidote was hidden. From there, the squad would have to make their way to the medical facility to find the second part of the antidote, tablets, before mixing them with the serum to win the mission. The squad would receive a beach party in they passed the mission, plus immunity for Hutak, but would receive a punishment of an extreme physical workout if they failed. The squad were unable to finish the mission within an hour, and lost the mission.
Episode 3 - "MOTH and other Acronyms" Upon his return, Thomson revealed to the squad that during his medical leave, he was told that the doctors were concerned that his mysterious problems were heart related. Moretti was elected as squad leader, and was forced to lead the squad through the most grueling workout yet, during which Thomson was sent back to the medics, with his condition worsening. During mission preparation, Meyer pretended to faint so he could take a break in the extreme heat, while Moretti accidentally hit Brown in the face, leading to her also having to take lengthy time-out. Moretti however wondered about the legitimacy of Brown's sickness due to her profession as an actress, leading to a distrust between the pair. Wolf's cocky behavior saw a target form on his back, but he revealed a secret alliance with Whitlow, who he hoped would be able to gain favor for him amongst the women. The whole squad became emotional upon receiving their immunity items, and Hutak informed the other recruits of her sister's recent death. At the medical center, Thomson was informed that the doctors were seriously concerned for his health and safety, and in an emotional ceremony he was medically discharged from the game. Later, Wolf learned that Meyer and the women were targeting him, and pulled Meyer aside, leading to a heated confrontation between the pair, during which Meyer implicated Brown as the ringleader behind the move. Wolf proceeded to confront Brown, but the other women backed her claims that Meyer was the ringleader, and Brown and Wolf agreed to let the matter drop. Later, Meyer's betrayal of Brown became a major point of discussion for the women, who were concerned that Meyer was too unpredictable to be considered a safe ally. Wolf proceeded to create further panic amongst the women by informing Whitlow that he would only discharge a female recruit should he be voted out, and at Dismissal Hill, his threat paid off, with Meyer being dismissed by unanimous vote.
Mission: Operation M.O.T.H: The squad had one hour to find and repair a jeep, and use it to evacuate three supply crates, and four dummies representing casualties from a mock conflict. If the squad successfully completed the mission, they would receive one item from personal items confiscated for them during induction. If they failed, they would not receive the item, and instead would receive a difficult workout. The squad passed the mission with 29 seconds to spare.
Episode 4 - "Yaney Gets His Chance"