I was watching an old Columbo rerun the other night and this idea came to me. How would it be these days where Columbo had to solve a murder?
With security cameras all over, he wouldn’t have to do much. It would almost be a 30 second TikTok video.
I did a Columbo cartoon awhile back, where he is asking Siri for the answer to the crime. But now with ring cameras and security cameras in every business and in so many homes, that’s a big help for solving crimes.
There’s a tv show I like called, See No Evil. It’s one of those murder shows in the I.D. Channel. They solve murders by following the cameras.
What I mean is, they track the killer through his steps shown on security camers – seeing his car through a gas station security cameras, then from a motel camera, then across the road from a supermarket or bank camera, etc. We’re always on camera.
My mother used to always say that Columbo solved crimes through circumstantial evidence – never concrete proof. But he managed to do it week after week.
After seeing so many reruns, I can always tell that he knows the murder from the start. From his first question, he knows who it is. What’s interesting about the show is that you see the murderer commit the murder at the beginning of the show, then Columbo comes in and does his thing.
In the 1980s this happened twice, what I mean is that the affiliates – ABC, NBC, CBS changed channel numbers – twice.
Well, not, ABC, that always remained channel 10; but now it looks like Channel 10 will not be showing ABC and the weird thing is that Channel 7 will pick up ABC. The reason it is weird is because Channel 7 is now Fox. But it will remain Fox.
At one point, that song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” played incessantly on all tv channels to tell us about the channel changes and not worry about it.
Channel 7 will remain Fox and Channel 7.2 will become ABC. Crazy, right?
When I was a kid, Channel 4 was CBS, then it became NBC now is CBS again. Channel 6 was an independent channel that showed reruns like I Love Lucy and the Adams Family, then it became CBS and now is NBC. I remember watching Dallas on CBS 6 at the time.
Channel 7 started out as NBC and then became independent and then Fox.
Channel 10 was always ABC and now will be nothing, I guess.
Our PBS stations – 2 and 17, stayed like they were – stable. So far.
I’m in NY a lot and sometimes I’ll put on Channel 2 to watch PBS, but there it is Channel 13. I’ll realize it after a few minutes and then switch over.
The tv channel game.
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You probably know Ryan Holt, a favorite survivalist, from the Discovery Channel’s hit, “Naked and Afraid” and “Naked and Afraid XL“ – “Survivor” on steroids. Ryan is a friend in my head, that’s why I reached out to him.
“Naked and Afraid,” now in its 5th season is about a random couple – a man and woman, dumped somewhere remote, exotic and dangerous in the world and they have to survive for 21 days. They have no food, water or shelter and they are on their own. No one wins anything at the end of the show, the prize is the knowledge that you survived the wilderness. Each hour episode each week consists of a different man and woman.
“Naked and Afraid XL” has 12 survivors from past shows, dumped in a remote place with the same premise, but they are in groups of three and they have to last 40 days. No one is voted off but they disappear little by little due to sickness or just leaving, which they call “tapping out.” XL is interesting in that the intensity is different with each episode as the teams randomly come upon each other and one group of three that soon becomes five or six, totally mixes up the dynamic. XL has the same “characters” on all season, so each week you see the same people unless they’ve left (tapped out). Ryan is home now in Maine. He runs the Human Nature Hostel and the Wilderness Warrior Project, which he created to assist returning Veterans who may be struggling with PTSD, like he was when he returned. He served eight years in the US Marine Corp Infantry and by his own admission was lost when he returned home. He explored the Appalachian Trail after an honorable discharge and “walked off the war.” Now he wants to do the same for other returning vets.
Ryan is a good sport, he agreed to participate in “10 With Tom.” What I find funny is that I picture him as being a primitive man in the forest, but according to his answers, I can see he lives with all the comforts of home in Maine.
RYAN HOLT (photo courtesy Discovery Channel)
I asked him the following questions: Tom: Are you recognized on the street? Ryan: I live in a very mountainous and rural part of Maine (Roxbury: population 370). Not many people to be recognized by, although the other day I was at a local swimming hole and a family of “flat landers” approached me and said, “Hey! Are you famous!? The guy from Naked and Afraid?” I said, “Ayah, that’s me.” Tom: If you were able to vote off members of the XL cast, who would you have voted out of Africa first? Ryan: Since I was only paired with two other survivalist (Angel and Steve) for the first few weeks, I would have voted off Steve because, well, we all know “he’s kind of a big deal” and there is no room for such an arrogant ego and no existent humility.
Tom: You live in Maine, you’ve “lived” in the Everglades and Africa. What’s the perfect outdoor temperature for you? Ryan: Having been born and raised in Maine might make me a little biased but there truly is something unique and special about my homeland. It is the perfect temperature in the summer and offers four seasons to ensure a wide range of every single outdoor activity. Not the best state for couch potatoes, Maine is for the adventure and nature lover. Tom: Name 3 things in nature you find most beautiful? Ryan: I find everything in nature to be beautiful, but if I had to pick three things that really resonate with me… Mountain Summits, Trees/Plants, Observing Wildlife.
“Anyone can love a rose, but it takes a great deal to love a leaf. Its ordinary to love the beautiful, but its beautiful to love the ordinary.” -Unknown Tom: Last place you visited outside US Ryan: My last trip outside the US was South Africa. This Fall I plan to explore Iceland. Tom: What do you usually order at Starbucks? Ryan: If you were searching for me inside a Starbucks, you would NEVER find me. I don’t drink caffeine or pay extra for name brands.
Tom: Other than Naked and Afraid, favorite tv show Ryan: Other than Naked and Afraid, my favorite TV show is Alone.
Tom: What scares you the most, and why? Ryan: Other people. They are the most unpredictable.
Tom: What are your three favorite foods (other than alligator and snake). Ryan: Other than alligator, lizard and snake, my favorite foods are Sushi, BBQ, Fresh local cafes.
Tom: Tell me about someone you really admire? Ryan: I really admire my Girlfriend Dani Beau. Not only is she beautiful, skilled and passionate about nature and all living beings, she completed 21 days and the first 40 day challenge of Naked & Afraid as a Vegan. You have to be driven and dedicated to your morals & beliefs to accomplish such a challenge as a Vegan and to be doing it with laughter and a smile!? She’s a total badass! I will always admire her for her accomplishments, how she cares for the Earth and for putting up with me, haha.
Thanks, Ryan!
Naked and Afraid XL is on Sunday nights, 9 pm, on the Discovery Channel, you can see Ryan and gang in action, there.
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