At Least It’s Not Called ‘Explorers’

Art and commerce, under the guises of TV programming and corporate sponsorship, have been crossing paths for years. From the black-and-white days of “Kraft Television Theatre” to the crafty product placements in series ever since, the two have sustained each other in a synergistic dance of necessity.

But the twin engines meet head-on Sunday with the debut on the WB of the newest “Survivor” knockoff, a show whose title might just as well describe what remains of the line between program and product: “No Boundaries.”

Produced by a partnership of Ford Motor Co. and Lions Gate Television, the weekly show sends 15 contestants into the Great White North for 30 days to compete for $100,000 in prize money--and a Ford Explorer. Their route from Vancouver Island, Canada, up to the Arctic Circle is negotiated by ship, by train, by helicopter--and by Ford SUVs.

And not only that, but the last name of each of the contestants is Ford. Well, that last part isn’t really true, but perhaps it’s something to think about for next season.

Is “No Boundaries” strong enough to survive for another season? Although it’s not likely to win any new converts to the genre, “reality” fans will find enough to hold their interest. All the familiar ingredients are here: one-by-one elimination of the contestants (who range in age from 19 to 53); competitions for rewards; group votes; bickering and paranoia; and plenty of whispered plotting aimed at building alliances.

There are some notable new wrinkles: Food is provided. A leader is voted on by the group every two days, and the winner is immune from elimination, but also must decide who is next to go. And when it’s time to make the cut, it’s done so in a face-to-face meeting between leader and castoff, guaranteeing some uncomfortable moments worth watching.

Given the frosty locale, don’t tune in expecting to see the men and women lounging about with bared chests and bikinis. Think parkas and runny noses. But, as the series continues, there’s some late-night cuddling in the tents that’s slightly more akin to “Temptation Island” than “Survivor.”

The challenge competitions (crossing above icy rivers along a tightrope; rappelling across a mountainside) tend to drag and aren’t as well-conceived as in “Survivor,” but host Troy Hartman and group guide Melanie McLaren do their utmost to keep spirits up.

And, in the final analysis, the Ford Motor Co. presence actually turns out to be rather unobtrusive. As the hour rolls along, viewers are more likely to be thinking about what’s on the contestants’ minds than what’s under the SUV’s hood.

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“No Boundaries” debuts Sunday at 7 p.m. on the WB (KTLA, Channel 5).