Netflix has an unhealthy hold on me when it comes to reality TV shows. No matter how many I consciously try to avoid, eventually I will probably watch them all. I wanted to avoid Wonka’s The Golden Ticket because I am against the AI use of Gene Wilder’s voice. It feels ghoulish and disrespectful to his legacy. Additionally, it’s not used well in the series. A voice actor could have done the job just as well, or an actor playing Wonka. Also, as a Big Brother fan, I didn’t want to see a familiar face, even for a few seconds.
Boredom and curiosity won. I watched Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, and I have some thoughts.
Warning: Spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
Wonka's The Golden Ticket Was A Very Stressful Reality TV Show, But That Worked
Wonka’s The Golden Ticket doesn’t come close to perfect. Only 14 percent on Rotten Tomatoes feels a little unnecessarily harsh, but not without merit. However, the hit Netflix reality TV show has some really strong aspects. Its stress level is one of its main strengths. You cannot watch Wonka’s The Golden Ticket without a bit of anxiety.
This works because Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has always felt like a high-stress movie. The children constantly find themselves in life-or-death situations. The Netflix show feels less menacing than the movie and book, however, a sense of stress echoes throughout the show, as it did in the story's original inception.
I Was Really Happy About The Winner Of The Season
I have seen so many Netflix reality TV shows that I often notice patterns between them. A major one is not making the winner’s journey so obvious. Many reality TV shows have multiple main characters and don’t focus on the eventual winner until toward the end of the season. Sometimes that works, and sometimes that makes it hard to know and root for them. Wonka’s The Golden Ticket doesn’t have this problem.
We meet Gabrielle Wright early in the show. Though she isn’t a main character throughout, she plays an important role early in the season. We watch her winner’s journey unaware that that’s what we’re witnessing, even at the end.
By halfway through Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, I was rooting for Gabi. She was charismatic and a strategic game player. I didn’t always agree with her decisions, and she was frustrating at points. However, she plays a well-rounded and dynamic game. This makes her feel more deserving than some of the other contestants. She also didn't have her partner by her side for most of the season.
Gabi’s journey highlights that the show knows how to tell an engaging story without giving away the winner before the end. Other Netflix shows should take notes.
Wonka's The Golden Ticket Has A Lot Of Great Tributes To The Movie That Give It A Nice Dose Of Nostalgia
It’s really unfortunate that Wonka’s The Golden Ticket uses AI because there were many other ways it could have added Wonka without it. The show consistently proves it can pay homage to the movie in cool and inventive ways. The whole factory looks so much like the original.
Additionally, the series makes sure to emphasize how important the film has been to many generations. The people behind Wonka’s The Golden Ticket clearly love Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It shows in the tone, details, and tributes.
