Bet Your Life (2004)

[CNU2007 16]

Backstory: In 2004 NBC aired the Reality Show "Next Action Star" which wasn't a bad idea of a bad reality show. I remember enjoying it as a kid when it aired. They had the contestants do various stunts and short scenes each episode and a panel of judges voted them off. The male and female winners were awarded starring roles in a TV Movie to air on NBC. That movie was...

Bet Your Life

A man makes a bet in Las Vegas with some men (led by Billy Zane) who want to kill him. He bets he can stay alive for 24 hours, then comes to Cleveland to elude them.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381980/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_49

 

Now this movie with Billy Zane hunting down the two winners of the show was a hugeeeee disappointment to me. Not only did it have such shoddy production value, but the female winner was possibly the worst actress I have ever seen. I don't know how she won the show as she cannot act a lick. Her career since has evolved into stunt work so there is that. But Billy Zane chewing scenery while chasing these two contest winners through Cleveland (?!?) is so bad it has to be seen to be believed, much worse than even expected TV movie quality. It is directed by Louis Morneau of the 1999 film Bats, for some reason.

From what I can find it is only available on Amazon as a DVD, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013NAP0S?ref_=imdbref_tt_wbr_amazon&tag=imdbtag_tt_wbr_amazon-20 though hopefully it comes to streaming soon, maybe on the soon to launch Peacock. Even though it didn't go to theaters, I feel it is quite worthy of HDTGM.

Does anyone else remember this reality show of TV movie from 2004?

[RyanSz 3140]

It being in Cleveland reminds me of the Family Guy cutaway where Quagmire thought he could make a low budget movie with B list actors for a low budget action flick which stars Jeff Bridges and Laura Linney, a couple years before both their career resurgences,  in Danger in Cincinnati where they deal with a a bomb that has an invisible explosion and decide to walk to their HQ rather than take a helicopter since it's not in the budget. As for the Action Star show, I remember VH1 doing a similar thing with their show Scream Queens which the winner of each season got a "leading role" in an upcoming horror movie. The winner of season 1 was in Saw 6 while the following season had a role for Saw 3D. The first winner basically had a five minute scene in an opening trap where she ends up taking off an arm to escape, and with no real lines except screaming at her opponent, and she did get a quick cameo in the next film. The second winner didn't get better as he role was just screaming while trapped under a car while Chester Bennington of Linkin Park tries to escape from the trap and save his gang.