On the internet, the top trending searches are "The Successor", "Alex Malger", "Alexander Malger", and "Should Alex Malger be a mentor on The Successor?"
The question in most people's head is "is Alexander Malger really qualified to be a mentor on a superhero talent show?"
Less than 5% of the people polled say that Alex would make a good mentor.
What really makes people scratch their head, however, is how could the developers of the show - the multinational conglomerates Tenyen and iFree, make such a basic mistake?
Tenyen and iFree have, collectively, been in the superhero entertainment business for over 40 years. They have sponsored and developed numerous superhero-themed shows. They should be aware of what it takes to be a superhero's mentor.
So... this begs the question, "Is Alexander Malger on the same level as Keith Cuhyll, S.Q. Wong, and Krystal"? Or is there a deeper meaning to Alex being casted as a mentor?
Various memes start popping up to highlight the discrepancies in qualifications.
For instance, the "one of these things is not like the other" meme.
Portraits of the judges, along with their qualifications, are cropped and photoshopped together.
Keith Cuhyll: Senior Executive of PYJ Management.
Krystal: Superheroine.
S.Q. Wong: Master of the "Say Nen Kun" martial arts style.
and
Alexander Malger: has a rich father.
Of course, the "one of these things is not like the other meme" not a perfect fit because:
1) Krystal is a lady and the other judges are men.
2) S.Q. Wong is Asian and the other judges are white.
But, the doubting voices were soon overshadowed by the official announcement of the Successor's competition format: The four mentors will draft contestants who will compete in team competitions.
As a result, the people who questioned Alexander Malger's capabilities begin to gloat; they can't wait to see Alex embarrass himself on the show. Although the four mentors will have the same "enrollment quota", Alex's detractors believe that the contestants with the most potential will definitely be snatched away and taken by the other three mentors; and that Alex can only pick up the discarded rejects. Consequently, the team battles will be one-sided; with Alex's team taking last place and "feeding points" to the other teams.
So under this type of viral marketing, the first episode of "The Successor" officially aired.
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The first episode of "The Successor" is called the "The Selection".
The show's producers trimmed some footage and did not broadcast the first two rounds of cuts that the prospective contestants had to go through.
The first round was a brief audition with other applicants in front of the selectors, which typically included one of the show's producers. Although some cities had more than ten thousand people audition, only a few hundred people made it past the preliminary first round.
In the second round, the applicants underwent strict medical and psychological evaluations. If they successfully pass the screenings, they interview with the producers and their staff. More than half of the surviving first round applicants were cut in the second round.
And finally, the third round - the only Selection round shown on television. In this round the remaining sixty applicants will audition in front of the judges; each judge will select six people from the applicant pool to make their team. The selected applicants then become contenders for the title of the "Successor".
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"... And then the genie gave her a honeycomb!", Alex says while laughing.
All the judges on the show, with the exception of S.Q., laughs.
"That was a good one", murmurs Krystal.
Krystal is a blond beauty who looks as though she walked right out of a teenage boy's wet dream; which considering how Paragon's empowerment ritual works, she might as well have. The most commonly accepted theory is that superpowers granted by Paragon's ritual are a twisted reflection of a hero's lusts and fears - of the good and evil in a hero's soul, mixed with the hopes, dreams, and expectations of their fans. When Krystal first "awoke" as a superhero at the tender age of 16, her fandom mostly consisted of pubescent boys. Let's just say that if super strength wasn't one of her default powers, she would have significant back problems. Rather than wear her superhero costume (spandex with a leather bustier top), Krystal is comfortably wearing jeans and a crop top.
"Anyway", says Keith Cuhyll - a middle aged white man whose most striking feature is his wide nose, "let's bring out the next prospective contestant. Announcer, please?"
A deep male voice booms from the heavens, "Contestant #12, come on down!"
As contestant #12, a cute masked girl with dyed blue and pink hair, takes the stage as the Announcer introduces her, "Contestant #12 is 'Cindy' from Grand City, New Mexico."
"Hi everyone. I'm Cindy, My friends call me Candy, and I want to be a hero!", Candy says with a bubbly voice as she poses with a V.
"So Candy. Can I call you Candy?", asks Alex as the studio audience laughs, "What makes you fit to be a hero?"
"Well", replies Candy, "I'm brave, determined, helpful, honest, inspirational, and protective."
"But not very modest", jokes Alex.
The studio audience laughs.
Candy blushes.
"Just joking.", says Alex.
"So Candy, what can you do?", asks Alex.
"I can sing and dance.", Candy replies.
"Ok. Let's see it.", Alex replies as he claps his hands.
The studio audience clap their hands as the stage lights dim.
A spotlight focuses on Candy as she launches into a rendition of "Express Yourself" by Madonna.
After the rendition.
Alex was about to speak, but Keith cuts in, "Cute image. Sparkly personality."
"If you were a trainee, I would invest extra time in you.", Keith says to Candy, "Come join my team."
Krystal sultrily breathes, "I... like her. Thumbs up!"
"Forget the old man", Krystal huskily says to Candy, "Come join my team."
S.Q. Wong - a Asian man wearing black sunglasses and an immaculate white tangzhuang tunic flips through a stack of papers before saying to Candy, "Being diligent can fix your weaknesses. Join me."
Shrugging, Alex turns and says to the audience, "There's nothing else to say. She has a good personality and biostatistics data says she'll make a good hero."
Candy looks around before saying, "I join.... Krystal! Oh my god Krystal I'm such a fan."
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"... and then she wished for the nicest ass in all the land, so the genie gave her the damn donkey!", Alex finishes his joke.
The judges laugh, even S.Q. lets out a chuckle.
"Oh Alex", says Keith as he wipes a tear from his eye, "Anyway... Next contestant please."
A deep male voice booms from the heavens, "Contestant #27, come on down!"
As contestant #27, a fat, balding, middle age white man with thick glasses walks up to the stage with a slight limp, as the Announcer introduces him, "Contestant #27 is Tom Thompson from Santa Paula, California."
Krystal turns and whispers to Alex, "How did he get past the pre-qualifiers?"
Alex whispers back to Krystal, "Maybe he has a special skill, or a good story."
Contestant #27 stands on the stage and leers at Krystal with a stupid grin on his face.
Softly coughing, S.Q. breaks the ice by addressing Contestant #27, "So Tom. What makes you a good hero?"
Tom blinks and comes to his senses before slowly replying, "I am the very epitome of health; never sick, strong as an ox."
S.Q. motions to a stack of papers, "It says here that you took sick time, then went on short term disability, then took family and medical leave, before going back to work for a week. And after that work week, you repeated the cycle of chaining sick time with short term disability and FM leave."
"Yes", replies Tom, "But I have a very good reason."
"Oh?", queries S.Q.
The judges' interests are piqued.
Tom narrates, "Her name was Mandy. She would've been turning 52. Mandy was an amazing person, although she had an unfair life. My dad didn't even know about her until she was 2 years old. CPS showed up with Mandy at his door because they took Mandy away from her crackhead mom. Her mom left her in a closet, apparently her neighbor at the trailer park heard a baby crying all day long. Mandy had constant health issues, her mom did crack when she was pregnant with her. My dad was abusive towards her. It's complicated, but my entire family was shitty towards her. I was too, I was a total brat. I would get her trouble on purpose. She moved out when she was 16 after fighting with our dad. I couldn't wait to go on a road trip back to San Diego with her. We were going to bond. I got a text message around 4 am from one of her friends, saying that she had been hit by a car. I remember thinking it wasn't a big deal, she would be alright. In hindsight, I was in shock..."
"Wait. Stop", says Keith, "Did you say her name was Mandy? And that you were going to go on a road trip to San Diego with her?"
"Yes sir", answers Tom.
"And let me guess", says Keith, "You mouthed off at your superior the next day and got put on emergency leave, am I right?"
"Yup", replies Tom.
"Then you flew out that night to San Diego, and even though the turbulence was intense, you slept through the 8 hour flight."
"Yes sir", says Tom, "How do you know the story?"
"I know this story because it's my story! You
"I pass", Keith says vehemently.
"Pass", say the other judges in unison.
"Tom Thompson.", S.Q. remarks to the audience as Tom gets escorted off-stage, "He's the kind of person who would get someone to drive him, then take credit for it."
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All throughout the first episode, the prospective contestants are interviewed in front of the judges.
In this, the final, round of the selection process, the main task of the prospective contestants is to impress the judges and the audience. There are many ways to make a positive impression: good looks, a special skill or talent, or even just a good story.
Some people are elegant and have a lovable personality. If that person also happens to have a beautiful face and talent, then there's a good chance that they will be highly favored - and drafted - by the judges.
Even if some people are not as blessed in that regard, if they have life experiences that would arouse the sympathy of the audience, it is also possible for the judges to draft them; after all, the strength and popularity of a hero's fandom will affect the strength of the hero.
In the first episode, all of the excellent contestants were basically divided up by the other three mentors, leaving Alexander Malger's team empty.