Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Arts and Culture

From left to right the cast of The Buried Life: Ben Nemtin, Dave Lingwood, Duncan Penn, and Jonnie Penn Photo: Vampsaremyfav / Flickr

"If you had one day to live, what would you do?" four friends from Victoria, BC ask themselves. Not only have they made the ultimate bucket list, but they have started out on a journey to complete it.

MTV's new reality series The Buried Life follows Ben Nemtin, Dave Lingwood, and Jonnie and Duncan Penn on their quest to complete the hundred items on their bucket list. For each item they complete, the friends have vowed to help a complete stranger. The show has attracted a lot of attention. Even The New York Times referred to the show as "MTV for the era of Obama."

The Buried Life is a far cry from the typical MTV reality show. The network's most recent hit, Jersey Shore, follows the standard blueprint. Audiences watched religiously as eight self-proclaimed 'Guidos' and 'Guidettes' moved into a shore house in Jersey, went to the gym, slept until noon, got their nails done, tanned, partied and hooked-up in hot tubs. Reality series like Jersey Shore fulfill the need we all occasionally feel for mindless entertainment. For decades MTV has delivered.

The Buried Life offers something different to MTV viewers: an entertaining show with substance. The four friends consistently come up with ingenious ways to cross each item off their list. The first episode features them sneaking into the Playboy Mansion. In the second episode, Ben checks off item 41 when he makes a toast at a stranger's wedding - a nod to The Wedding Crashers.

While these items do not scream substance, the show is not about what is on the bucket list. The Buried Life is actually about following that list. Whether the dream is frivolous (#55 - Kiss Rachel McAdams) or simple (#96 - host a lemonade stand), the four friends approach each item with a refreshingly positive, determined and optimistic attitude. And it's clear they love every minute of their journey.

However, the most interesting and touching part of the show is the friends' attempts to pay-it-forward by helping strangers on their journeys. They have helped an elementary school teacher raise enough money for a new class room computer, and assisted a father in reconnecting with his estranged son of seventeen years.

The show seems to have sparked a mini-revolution. People from all over the world are networking on The Buried Life website by sharing bucket lists of their own, and discussing both successful and failed attempts at completing them. The Buried Life asks the question: what would the world be like if we pursued our dreams and were willing to help others pursue theirs along the way? That's a pretty big question for an MTV reality show.

The Buried Life airs Mondays at 10pm on MTV.