Cast
Ross Wilson
Alex Binder
Max Lerner
Dwam ‘Repete’ Smith
Rush Propst
Jeremy Pruitt
DVD Release Date: December 26, 2006
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 202 Minutes on 3 discs
The Show
There are countless reality shows on television today that deal with any topic or way of life that can be found in the world. Some have proven to be long lasters such as The Amazing Race and Survivor. Then there are those which just stop – the prime examples being The Surreal Life or Trading Spouses. Mom swapping, racing around the world, celebrities living together, singing contracts, rebuilding someone’s crappy home so why not experience the life of a high school football player?
Low and behold, MTV takes you down to Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama , which is just outside of Birmingham. Here you get to see what it’s like for a group of football players. The tough and physical practices they go through every single afternoon would take their toll on even the most conditioned athlete some five or six years older then them. Wind sprints, calisthenics, and scrimmaging are just a few of the physically challenging experiences these kids must endure to get ready for their games on Fridays or Saturdays. And being from the deep South, I can tell you right now that the weather during football season can be quite grueling. Full pads combined with two to three hours of practice must be sheer torture.
The intriguing thing about Hoover High is that besides dealing with their performance on the field, we also are shown all the trials and tribulations the players face personally. We’re able to see a bit of what is already common knowledge to everyone. These players must go to class, study, do their homework, and try to also keep an active social life so as to have their friends and be popular. Then there are their chores and responsibilities at home, while also attempting to deal with the “traumatic” experience of being a teenager and interacting with your parents.
For the first time in many years of watching the first few episodes of a reality show – and then never seeing another because boredom or annoyance set in – I found myself really getting sucked into the lives of these teenagers. Being of a somewhat small stature back I my high school years, football was not necessarily a sport I could participate in, but the wonderment of their lives always remained because of my love for the game. What made it even more interesting was seeing Ross Wilson quarterback his high school team through a tough season. The reason that this is so special to me is because I watched his older brother, John Parker Wilson, quarterback the Alabama Crimson Tide against my LSU Tigers this past football season.
It’s interesting, knowing these are real kids going through the drama of teenage life. This is exactly who they are. These are exactly the friendships and schoolwork that they must deal with on an everyday basis. Hoover High has a unique way of bringing you back to your younger years even if you weren’t a jock, cheerleader, or part of the popular crowd. You still find a way of associating yourself with what they are going through, and remembering what it was like to survive high school.
All of the problems in their personal lives added together with the demanding football practices, learning hundreds of plays and formations to run the right routes, in attempts to stay competitive, makes their young lives very hectic. You will notice that no matter how hard life gets, the kids never want to give up. It’s a fun life for them and they will do any and everything they can to get into those games and play their hearts out. And when it’s all said and done, if victory is their reward then it was all worth it.
Episodes
Disc One:
Kickoff
Rivals
Any Given Friday
Perseverance
Homecoming Week
Disc Two:
The Rematch
Thanksgiving
One Last Game
What Next?
The Video
The show will be viewed in 1.33 Full Frame and looks just fine. The colors are bright, there is some good camera work for the games, and it’s a nice transfer to DVD.
The Audio
The show is heard in Dolby Digital 2.0 and even though it sounds good, I wish there was a little bit more effort put into it. I love the sound of a good pop in a football game and when it comes to high school kids, they love to go all out and deliver a big hit. The sound is ok, but just not as good as it should be for this show.
Special Features
Preview Special – More like an outtakes portion of the extras. The coaches and players talk directly to the camera in short interviews giving their thoughts about each other and the games themselves. The kids also talk candidly into the camera during their everyday situations instead of acting like it’s not there, and it makes for some quite humorous and serious moments.
Overtime – Here you’ll get close to fifty short deleted scenes from the entire season. Some candid comments from the kids to introduce some of them to give you an exact idea of what will be going on make for some funny little moments. The problem is that almost the entire “preview special” is included in this section as well and I’m not quite sure why.
Previews – Wildboyz Seasons 3 & 4 and Beavis & Butthead: The Mike Judge Collections
The Inside Pulse
Coming from someone who really hates all reality television, for me to say that this is a good show is saying a lot. There aren’t many episodes but it doesn’t take much for the players and others to draw you into their lives and make you wonder what’s going to happen to them tomorrow. The extras provide close to ninety minutes of new footage, but as I said, some of it is shown twice and there could have been more. Hoover High is certainly worth a rental just to get a good weekend of enjoyable times with kids you can love or hate and then be happy realizing they aren’t yours.
