
With Prime Video’s new reality show, it’s not the celebrities hitting the carpet, but the audience
A chaotic game show where the only Valeria Marini is salvageable
January 13th, 2025
The first thing that strikes anyone venturing, with extreme courage, into watching Red Carpet - Vip al tappeto is the cacophony of sounds, voices, screams, and noises that immediately assaults the audience. It has the same delicacy as a truck on the highway. Few shows, games, or television programs have managed to create such auditory pollution as Prime Video’s new reality game, which targets the audience's ears before even reaching their eyes—not to mention the format’s rules, copied from the Japanese Red Carpet Survival, owned by Nippon TV. Despite its unique simplicity, with a game that sees a team of three people acting as bodyguards for certain “stars” who must not step off the red carpet, getting into the show’s mechanics is a rare complexity. This is partly because the reality show begins in medias res, so by the end of the first episode, one is still trying to figure out how much time has passed since pressing play and the episode’s conclusion. This isn’t due to overwhelming viewer engagement but rather to the feeling of having been hit by a high-speed train, needing to rebalance after an initial and devastating bout of dizziness.
No introduction, no explanation, just Alessia Marcuzzi sitting in a control room à la Fedez and Matano in Lol - Chi ride è fuori, accompanied by the omnipresent voiceover of the Gialappa’s Band, who have never been more out of sync than in Red Carpet - Vip al tappeto, failing to deliver incisive commentary even once. Their vocal presence, an additional commentary on top of the show’s dissonant symphony, feels forced, neither ironic nor clever. While this can be partly attributed to the limited material offered by the game, omitting their input altogether would have been a definite plus given the episode's existing chaos. And now, onto the content—if it can even be found. Each team consists of three participants, named by Marcuzzi as the Branzinos, the Ornitorincos, and the Babbuinos, who must escort a fourth person to the end of the course while obstacles and challenges, reminiscent of a children’s play area, block their path to victory. It’s a timed race featuring personalities such as Elettra Lamborghini, Cristiano Malgioglio, Valeria Marini, Melissa Satta, and Giulia De Lellis. While the participants may have enjoyed spending a day outdoors—though not Michela Giraud, as evidenced by her episode—the audience is so overwhelmed that they are the first to switch off the TV or computer and head outside for fresh air. Breathing outdoors, reconnecting with nature, rediscovering silence.
sto vedendo vip al tappeto non ho mai visto una cagata così enorme adoro però grazie alessia marcuzzi
— vale (@avonsbusker) January 9, 2025
A show where the distractions, challenges, and obstacles feel designed by the head entertainers of a holiday resort, not by the production team of one of the most significant streaming platforms, which, with minimal effort, has failed to achieve the expected results. This overabundance of chaos embraced by Red Carpet - Vip al tappeto extends to the directorial and editing choices. The viewing experience would almost irritate if it weren’t for the complete sense of numbness it induces. Exhausted, drained, worn out, much like the celebrities seem when they finally reach the limousine waiting at the end of the red carpet. The only element of surprise, bordering on admiration, is the unexpected and delightful side of Valeria Marini. Or as the showgirl repeatedly and insistently asks her bodyguards: “Call me Valery, I’ll be your star.” A demonstration of iron will and military-grade training that we all wish we had in life, especially when facing the most unimaginable challenges. As for the comedians who could have used the show as a platform to gain (or regain) recognition, their mission has, unfortunately, failed.